Stops on drive from Edinburgh to Dornach, Highlands?

How much time do you have? Are you doing the entire drive in just one day? If so, you won't have much time at all to stop, but I'd recommend Aviemore with its large TI office as a convenient place to stretch your legs.

If you have more time ... on the way from Edinburgh, you'll go right by the turnoffs for Blair Castle and for Dalwhinnie Distillery. You'll pass through Inverness, of course. Just a few miles east of Inverness are Culloden Battlefield and Cawdor Castle. Beyond Dornoch is Dunrobin Castle.

Thank you for the wonderful ideas of short stops. We do plan to make the drive in one day. I just wanted to make sure that we weren’t missing anything too amazing. We also have the drive back to stop. I’ll mkae a note of these suggestions.

So the drive from Edinburgh to Dornoch is a minimum of 5 and a half hours. So, if you are fresh--not just off a transatlantic flight--you have some time to sight see. You'll want to soldier on through until you get north of Perth--close to two hours. You could stop and visit Dunkeld---lovely Tay River Bridge, nice pub The Tay Bank, and the cathedral. Or you could continue north to Queensview, which is a lovely view of the lochs heading west to the isles. (This is the road to the isles of song.) There are other sites near here--Killiekranke, Pitlochry, etc that are worth a stop if you had the time. North of here is Kingussie and the Highland Museum. Inverness is the main city of the north so it is way more than a stopover. Culloden Field is nearby. As you drive past Cromarty Firth look for oil rigs. They are often in the firth.

Sounds like more than a one-day trip between Edinburgh and Dornach might be in order. Where would you recommend to break the drive for an overnight?
Thank you.
Melody

Pitlochry is a good place to stop. Check to see if anything is playing at the Festival Theatre. You can also visit the Explorer's Garden. There are two distilleries to visit.

Pam

Our friends in Dornach tell us that the drive from Edinburgh to Dornach is a little less than 4 hours with the new bridge. That’s what Google Maps says as well.

Thank you Pamela for the suggestions on where to stop.

Melody, One thing you'll find that driving in Scotland often means stopping to enjoy the scenery and so takes longer than google maps might predict. For example, you'll want to stop at Queen's View. There is a visitor's center and then there is this marvelous view of the lochs ("Sure by Tummel and Loch Rannoch and Lochaber I will go...") that were the "road to the isles." Just north of there is Killiecrankie where there Jacobean battle. It's another place to stretch your legs. Or earlier, you can pull into Dunkeld/Birnam and walk briefly in Birnam Wood, or see the Telford Bridge over to Dunkeld, or take a peek at the tiny Beatrice Potter park in Birnam. A tour of the cathedral takes a little longer. And you have to spend the night to enjoy the music at The Taybank, but it might be great for lunch. And back up near Pitlochry is Blair Castle which has a lot to offer.

North of Pitlochry there is the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore. And if you've watched the Monarch of the Glen on Netflix, then you might want to swing by a bit more of Newtonmore.

On the A5 you drive right past Dalwhinnie home of the distillery. And you drive through the Cairngorm and one of the National Parks. Aviemore is a good gateway. Then of course, unless you're coming back to Inverness later in the trip there is the Battlefield where Prince Charlie was defeated--a key chapter in Scottish history and a very evocative place. And around the corner are the Clava Cairns. You'll drive over the Moray and Cromarty Firths as you head north from Inverness. There's another well-known distillery, Glen Morangie before you cross the Dornoch Firth and head into Dornoch. Skibo Castle is off to the left as you head into town.

So, basically, you can spend a week more heading north. :) So, pick some spots and stretch your transit time a little bit. I would definitely plan a full day for this and you might want to go two.

Pamela,
Can you just come with us as our guide? You’ve obviously spent lot of time in Scotland and know a lot about Scottish history. Wow. Now I’m quite excited to maybe take an extra day to explore this area. Thank you so much for all of the ideas. My goodness.
Melody

Pam has been missing in action for a bit - Nice to see you back Pam , hope all is well !

Hi, Melody,

Other than Royal Dornoch and Skibo Castle (where "Madge" got married), Dornoch is best known for its beach. It's far enough off of the A9 to be a destination that people would want to visit, as opposed to one that you just pass through. Did your friends warn you about the notorious average speed cameras on the A9? If you plan to make Dornoch in four hours, be very careful not to go over the speed limit, which is 70 mph most of the way, but you should be okay once you pass Inverness.

The Queen's View of Loch Tummel is about five miles west of Killiecrankie, on the B8019. Schiehallion is the conical peak that you'll see off to the southwest. (As made famous in song by Gordon Menzies of Gaberlunzie)

If you're not too pressed for time, there's a side road off of the A9 at Coylumbridge that will take you in to the northwestern heart of the Cairngorms. The road skirts the northern shore of Loch Morlich, and terminates at the Cairngorm ski area.

You didn't say how long you were going to be in Dornoch, but if it's going to be a few days, you should take a side trip to the Whaligoe Steps. Also Strathnaver, which was the site of one of the worst of the Highland Clearances. Also, you'll be within a couple of hours drive of the most beautiful part of Scotland - the Northwest Highlands. Personally, I consider the B869, from the turnoff just south of Loch Glencoul, counterclockwise by way of Drumbeg and Stoer, to be one of the most stunning roads in the world. But it needs to be done counterclockwise to get the full effect.

After you reach Lochinver, you can take the "Wee Mad Road" through Inverkirkaig and back down to the main A835 past Stac Polly (Stac Pollaidh). Or for further adventures, you could turn right at the end of the "Wee Mad Road," take the side road to Achiltibuie, and take a boat trip to the Summer Isles.

Wherever your travels take you in Scotland, be sure to savor every waking moment. And don't rush. Scotland was made to be enjoyed!

Mike (auchterless)

Mike,
Thank you so much for the extensive list of options for our trip. We are staying with friends in Dornach and they will be showing us around that area. I’m interested in the one drive that you mentioned that is so beautiful. I will look for it on the map.

I’m still trying to decide where to stay in Edinburgh but will probably go with the Glass House where I can use Marriott points.

I have never heard of the historical references that you made, but now I’m curious to research them.

Thanks again.
Melody

Hah, Steve, I've been busy with my job. I've mostly traveled for business to the UK. I'm finally getting back to Scotland in June. I am showing Edinburgh to a friend and then have a week to play with. I'm still deciding what to do.

Back to Dornoch, if you go a bit further north up the A9 you'll see Dunrobin Castle, the seat of the Sutherlands. It's a fascinating castle with beautiful gardens on the North Sea. And they have an interesting museum in the garden and often demos of birds of prey as well. And then a very wee bit further north on the right-hand side of the road is a Broch. Parking is on the lefthand side. You can get all the way down to the sea if you would like.

Pamela,
I know that our friends in Dornach are taking us to Dunrobin Castle. Now, I just have to narrow down what we want to see during our 4 days in Edinburgh. That assumes that I don't lose a day or two to jet lag. HA! Any sure jet lag preventatives that you use? Fortunately, we're flying First Class.
Thanks Again,
Melody

Hi, Melody,

The first Duke of Sutherland was responsible for the reprehensible Clearances in Strathnaver, and also in Assynt. There is a 100 foot statue of him on Ben Bhraggie, near Golspie. His memory is much hated by descendants of the clansmen and women who were evicted, and had their homes torched. There have been attempts over the years to have the statue removed, including a failed attempt in 1994 to dynamite the statue.

That said, if you get close to the statue, please feel free to spit on it. The locals will love you for it!

(Note to Mike: Please get off of the soapbox now!)

Happy travels!

Mike (auchterless)

Very funny, Mike.

If you have some time to drive a bit further afield check out Bettyhill and the Clearances Museum. Also, Strathnaver is a valley that was cleared. You can visit the remains of a cleared village. You can still see where the runrigs were. It's a very evocative place. Their story is sad, but its good to hear it. I recommend visiting if you can.