Traveling from Yorkshire Dales to John O’Groats

Look at Scotland on Google Earth to see which routes would work for you. It might take longer than you might think because of all the inlets and lochs and bridges on the coastal routes.

It's a long, long drive so you are not going to have much time to stop off and sightsee. A halfway point to stay overnight could be somewhere in the Cairngorms -- Pitlochry or Kingussie or Aviemore. On Sunday you'll pass by Dunrobin Castle so if you're running on time you may have a couple of hours to enjoy that.

Hi, scientistheart1206,

If you're anywhere near the M6, you can make Glasgow in three hours. However, your itinerary is pretty ambitious. Aberdeen is 2 1/2 hours from Glasgow, so that would be a possibility. You can skirt Glasgow, and go straight on to Stirling. Stirling is worth a visit, especially the castle and the Wallace monument. There's not a whole lot of nature and picturesque locations on this route until you get to the North Sea coast. Once you hit Dundee, you have the choice of taking the A90, the inland (and faster) route; or the A92 (the coastal route). I'd opt for the A92. It will add an hour to your travel time, if you don't stop, but it's worth it.

The A92 meets the A90 at Stonehaven, and from there it's about 20 minutes to Aberdeen. However, there are two sites just south of Stonehaven that you shouldn't miss. First is Dunottar Castle. It's a spectacular castle ruin perched on a cliff overlooking the North Sea. If it looks familiar, it was used in the Franco Zeffirelli film version of "Hamlet," starring a young Mel Gibson.

The second site you should visit is the Fowlsheugh Bird Sanctuary. Look for signs for Crawton off of the A92, and follow the road out to the end. Follow the path from the car park out along the cliffs, and you'll see thousands of sea birds nesting on the sides of the cliffs. If you round the inlet past the observation hut, you stand a pretty good chance of seeing puffins.

Once you get to Aberdeen, there is a dolphin watch at the Torry Battery, overlooking the harbor. There are many baronial style castles in the area around Aberdeen. Drum, Cragievar, Crathes, Huntly, and Castle Fraser are among these, and Fyvie Castle, mentioned by another responder. If you go a little way up the coast from Aberdeen, you'll find the ruins of Slains Castle just south of Cruden Bay. Slains supposedly gave Bram Stoker the idea for Dracula's Castle in his novel.

Inverness is about three hours from Aberdeen via the A96. You'll probably be stopping along the way, especially as you approach the Moray Firth coast. Once you bypass Inverness, it's clear sailing on the A9 to Latheron, the A99 to Wick (check out the Whaligoe Steps), and then on to John O'Groats. It's a pretty unspectacular place, especially as Dunnet Head is the northernmost point on the British mainland. However, it's the terminus for the Lands End to John O'Groats marathons.

If you decide on the western approach to Inverness, it'll be a more scenic route. From Glasgow, you could take the M9 to Stirling, then the A9 to Inverness. Or you could take the A82 up the west shore of Loch Lomond, and on to Glencoe, Fort William, Fort Augustus, and from there to Inverness. You'd have lots of choices as to where to overnight, but if you're traveling in June, you should start looking soon. Personally, I'd skip Oban. It's a bit out of the way for your itinerary, but then again, so is Aberdeen!

Just had another thought - if you decide on the Aberdeen route, you could take the alternate route to Inverness. Take the A93 west from Aberdeen, then at Ballater, take the A939 (the Lecht Road) through Tomintoul to Spey Bridge and Grantown on Spey. From there, you can stay on the A939 to Nairn, then on to Inverness; or you can take the A95/A938 to the A9 at Carrbridge. This route takes you through some very nice scenery - not as spectacular as the western route.

Whichever you decide on, don't push yourselves. Scotland's scenery was made to be enjoyed!

Best wishes for safe travels!

Mike (auchterless)

Given that you have only from Saturday am to Sunday pm to make this long drive, you are not going to have time to go either to "the west coast of the country, such as Oban, or the east coast near Aberdeen" on the way to John O’Groats from the Yorkshire Dales. Unless you meant Saturday of one week and Sunday of the following week (8 days later)?

https://www.viamichelin.com/ Reckons York to John O’Groats is 10h29 787 km. That is if you don't stop for anything. You need to add fuel, food and toilet breaks, any traffic delays and driver's rest time.
As the others say, you won't have time for any detours, just an overnight stop.

Hi again, scientistheart1206,

The whole trip can be done in 10 hours via the most direct route, if you drive straight through, only stopping for food and toilet breaks. Most of the supermarkets in Scotland have "meal deals" - sandwich, drink, and sweet (dessert) or crisps for three pounds. So you can grab lunch and eat in the car (not recommended for whomever is driving!). Supermarkets also generally have the cleanest public loos.

That would be three hours Kendal to Glasgow (M6); three hours Glasgow to Inverness (A82); and four hours Inverness to John O'Groats (A9/A99). However, by doing that, you miss out on a lot of scenery and things to do. You didn't say what you'll be doing after John O'Groats. If you're heading back south, you could make a list of places and things that you saw on the way north that you'd like to take more time to visit and enjoy on the way south. If you're not pressed for time, you could head across the north coast to Durness, then down the west coast for some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.

From Inverness to John O'Groats you'll be on the North Coast 500 route. Almost everyone who makes this journey drives it clockwise. You'll be going counterclockwise, so watch out for crazy drivers coming toward you, trying to break the existing speed record.

Whatever you decide to do, and wherever you decide to overnight, enjoy yourselves!

Mike (auchterless)

Hi and thanks so much for the ideas! I know the drive between Richmond/Yorkshire Dales and John O’Groats is about 9 hours, not taking into account stops for meals, etc. My plan was to break it up into 2 days, driving about 6 hours each day and going to one attraction, whether it be a castle or a scenic location along the way. After staying in John O’Groats for a few nights (including a trip to Orkney Islands one day), we’re staying in Inverness for 4 nights (including taking a bus tour to the Isle of Skye) and then driving to Glasgow with a stop at Stirling Castle on the way. I was hoping to perhaps stop at Dunotter Castle on the first day and Dunrobin Castle on the second day.

Hi again, scientistheart1206,

You'll have a really hard time getting to both Dunnottar Castle and Dunrobin Castle if you're starting from Richmond. As there's no real east coast motorway past Newcastle, you'd be on the A1 the rest of the way up to Edinburgh, and after you get there, it's still about 3 1/2 hours drive to Dunnottar.

You'd have to head west on the A66 toward Penrith, then pick up the M6 there. That still puts you about two hours south of Glasgow. From there, it's about 2 1/2 hours to Dunnottar via the A90, if you don't run in to heavy traffic in Dundee. You'd be looking at most likely at least seven hours travel to Dunnottar. BTW, check out the on line reviews and photographs of Dunnottar. That may help you decide if the trip is worth it!

From Aberdeen to Inverness via the A96 is about three hours, and then Inverness to John O'Groats is approximately four hours. So you'd need to get an early start out of Aberdeen in order to have a good visit to Dunrobin on your way north.

It's a hell of a lot of driving, but you know what you're capable of. Enjoy the Dales. It's my favorite part of England. And by all means, enjoy Scotland!

Mike (auchterless)

p.s.: If you have a car, why are you taking a bus tour to Skye? You'd see so much more with your car, and you'd be able to take side trips where a bus can't go. Plus if you wanted to stay longer at a specific location, you'd be limited by the tour bus itinerary. Just a thought...

Here's some suggested stops: Day one - drive to Melrose area and explore the Borders Abbeys area, then head to Stirling for an overnight.

Day two - Drive to Queen's View near Pitlochry for a brief look, then head to Clava Cairns, then drive up to John O'Groats. By the way, there really isn't much at John O'Groats. You might find more to explore if you head a little west to Thurso where you can take the ferry from Scrabster to Orkney.

Hi,

We did a similar trip this summer but only managed to get as far north as Dunrobin castle. I would suggest from the Yorkshire Dales - (Penrith) head to Stirling Castle (2-3 hours) then take the A82 to Fort Augustus situated at the bottom of Loch Ness for an overnight stay. This will be your most scenic option. (scratch Oban its too far west for this trip). In Fort Augustus, we stayed at the Whitehouse B&B - right in the village. (highly recommend this B&B). The Caledonian Canal comes through here and you can watch the boats navigate the locks. Drive the road around Loch Ness pass Urquhart Castle (ruin) and then onto Inverness. From here head north. I think John O'groats is about 120 miles north of Dunrobin Castle. This castle is beautiful inside and out and worth a stop. Enjoy you trip - its a lot of driving!

Margaret