Hello all from Canada! Will be driving August 28 from Inverness to Aberdeen. Not sure of most scenic route. North or across on A9? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
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Lincolnshire, UK
1851 posts
The A9 will only take you as far south as Carrbridge. You than have to cut across through the Cairngorms to Aberdeen.... At Carrbridge take the A938 to A95 and then just before Grantown on Spey take the A939 through Tomintoul to Ballater. This takes you through the heart of the Cairngorm National Park (Corgaff Castle high on the hillside makes a good stop). From Ballater take the A93 to Aberdeen. Possible stops could be Crathes Castle or Drum Castle
Lots of very different scenery from the bleakness of the Cairngorms to rural Aberdeenshire. Ruined castle and stately homes as well as Ballater
Along the Coast - Take A96 east along the coast through Elgin with its ruined abbey., At Fochabers take the A98 which takes you through the Moray fishing villages - Cullen, Portsoy, Banff. If time allows it is worth taking the B 9031 and parking above Crovie
and walking down to the village. The C18th small fishing settlement was badly damaged by storms in 1953. Now it is mainly holiday lets but you do get the feeling of what it would have been like and how difficult/dangerous life would have been. Continue through Pennan and Rosemarkie to Fraserburgh and then pick up the A90 down the coast to Aberdeen. Take the A975 for the ruined Slaines Castle
Scenery is less dramatic but the fishing villages are very diferent and this is a lovely drive with lots of small places to stop and explore.
Both these routes are a similar distance and time - about 140 miles. You need to allow four hours PLUS time for any stops.
If you don’t want to go all the way round the coast then take the A96 at Fochabers which takes you down through rural Aberdeenshire through Keith, Huntly (ruined Castle to Aberdeen. This is the shortest route (and possibly the least interesting) - just over 100 miles. Allow about three hours PLUS stops.
Have a look at the relevant map pages on the Undiscovered Scotland website and click on the links for more information about possible stops on the route.