Planning a road trip around Scotland is easier said than done. While Scotland might look like a small country in the map of the United Kingdom, the places to visit are geographically spread out and the landscapes are so stunning and distinct, that you have to plan your stops and destinations to squeeze them in within any limited time frame.
But before we get to the road trip around Scotland, I wanted to quickly share why we chose Scotland in the first place? Given Scotland and Ireland was our honeymoon destination, a lot of folks asked me why such an uncommon one. A road-trip honeymoon? We were even asked if we cannot afford Maldives, Mauritius or Seychelles. Nevertheless, Europe was where our travels had started 5 years ago when we backpacked for 3 months and it only made sense to go to a part of Europe that we did not have a chance to visit last time around now after our marraige.
What began as a plan to leisurely road trip Scotland and make a trip of 7 days in Scotland turned out much more hectic than imagined. Scotland is a country with a diverse landscape of ravishing beauty, from glens to mountain ranges to lakes and castles, Scotland has it all plus a taste of fine whiskey to go along with it.
We planned a two-week road-trip across Scotland and Ireland (More on that coming soon).
Itinerary for 7 days in Scotland
Day 1: Arrive in Edinburgh drive to Lochness
Once you arrive at the Edinburgh airport simply follow the sign boards to lead you to the rental agencies’ offices just outside the arrival lounge. Complete the paperwork as quickly as possible, grab the keys and get set to hit the road to explore Scotland.
Head out from the Edinburgh airport and drive straight to Drumnadrochit, the closest village near Lochness. Of course, no trip to Scotland is complete without saying hello to the famous Nessie supposedly living within this lake. The route passes through Cairngorms National Park and Inverness and the drive should be covered in 3.5 hours without any stops.
Drumnadrochit is a small quaint town that relies heavily on Nessie and tourism. Check in to your accommodation for the night and explore the town by foot. Since we went to Scotland in May thinking it was summers, we walked in search to shop for more winterwear to bear the cold winds.
Where to Stay: Morlea B&B
Day 2: Local sightseeing at Lochness
Head over the massive lake, drive by the lake and visit Urqhart Castle. Watch the documentary about the castle that is played every 20-30 minutes in the auditorium in the visitors center.
Read more on things you can do in Lochness
Once you had an introduction to a brief part of the castle’s role in Scotland’s history, it is time to hit the road again, this time towards the Isle of Skye, the crown jewel of Scotland’s Highlands.
Don’t forget to stop at Eileen Doonan Castle. A dream fairy tale castle, famously known as the beautiful summer camp Anjali, Raj’s daughter runs away to meet her to-be mom in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai for Indians. If you grew up in India in the 90s, you will remember it as the castle that has given major summer camp goals.
The drive is a beautiful one with landscapes changing dramatically every couple of miles. Stop by and pause to enjoy the view as you go along. The drive is 3 hours long but insanely beautiful.
A side note on the Weather in Scotland: As you drive along for a couple of hours in Scotland you will realize why there are so many jokes about the weather. There is no limit to how many weather changes you can observe in a day. During our 7 days in Scotland, we have seen perfectly sunny days transforming into gloomy skies within minutes as the clouds come sweeping down and I am not even going to talk about the rains. So if it rains, do not give up hope, you never know when the sun might just show up.
If you stopped as many times as we did, you will reach Portree just around sunset. Check in to your home for the next three days and grab some dinner in the quaint town of Portree.
Where to Stay: Cruinn Bheinn
Day3: Explore the Isle of Skye
There are plenty of sights to see at the Isle of Skye however, keep in mind that most of them are weather dependent. But we started with the Kilt Rock then head over Quiraing, Brother’s Point and the Old Man of Storr. We had really really bad weather which meant that we could barely see anything at Brother’s point and Old Man of Storr. By the time we made it to Quirang, the visibility was extremely poor and we lost our way over and over again. That is just the Scottish way of saying come again I guess. Slightly let down, we came back to our hotel in the hope that tomorrow will be a better day and it was.
Read more about exploring Scotland’s Highlands: Isle of Skye
Day4: More of the Isle of Skye
The day was definitely an improvement in terms of the weather in comparison to the previous day. Still, to give the nature specific things a better chance, we decided to leave the Fairy Pools and Neist Point to the middle of the day. We began our day with Dunvegan Castle, has to be one of the first times I have been more amazed at the grounds rather than the castle itself.
Read more about Dunvegan Castle here
We then went to get a slot in the Tallisker Distillery for a whiskey tour and then headed over to Fairy Pools. You can quite see why the name, right at the middle, surrounded by mountain tops all across, there is a surreal waterbody flowing with such immense force. You can spend hours trekking around and thankfully the sun gods were kind enough to shine on a bit on these magical pools.
We stopped for lunch at the Old Inn and boy was I surprised, there actually was Chole, Rice, Papad and Pickle on the menu. The vegetarian soul in me that has been eating bread for 4 days did a lovely little dance as I savored the flavor while I could.
We then went over to Talisker Distillery, a stone’s throw from Old Inn and did the whiskey tasting here. We then went on to Neist Point. It was one of my most sought after destination in the isle of skye with green meadows leading up to the ocean and a tiny little lighthouse at the tip of the meadows. A scene like the end of the world but gorgeous.
Make your way back to Portree and rest for the night and take in as much of Portree as you can before you hit the road again
Day 5: Enroute Glencoe
Say goodbye to the beautiful Isle of Skye and make your way to the Glencoe. The harry potter fan in me had to go see the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the epic scene of Hogwarts train crossing over that bridge is shot here in Scotland. I thought after the Isle of Skye there cannot be much in terms of landscapes that can take my breath away and I was completely mistaken. The road paved way to taller mountain ranges as we neared Fort William.
Stop for lunch
Reach Glencoe and unwind
Where to Stay: Callart View Bed & Breakfast
Day 6: Drive back to Edinburgh
Start out early and take a diversion to see the beginning of the Ben Nevis – the tallest mountain ranges in Scotland. They are stunningly tall and magnificent.
Then if you have time you can make it to Loch Etive another Harry Potter shooting location. We were running short of time so we skipped that and took the road to Edinburgh via Loch Lomond. Directly from Glencoe, while the route is 2.5 hours, if you take a detour through the lake, you can cover the distance in just over 3 hours. Have a quick bite here by the almost transparent lake and then headed back to Edinburgh and check in to your hotel for the night
Day 7: Edinburgh
You are officially back to civilization. Visit the National Scotland Museum, the Edinburgh Castle and trek up to Arthur’s seat for a stellar view. Since we did not have time to trek to the top of Arthur’s seat, we settled for Calton Hill. Shop for souvenirs and walk by the Royal Mile and enjoy caramel pudding at the amazing restaurants in Edinburgh and be mentally prepared to fly back.
And thus, ended our 7 days in Scotland. We were to fly to Dublin to continue our honeymoon and road trip across Ireland. Ireland stories coming right up!