Scotland is by far one of the most naturally beautiful countries we have seen on our ventures through Europe.
Filled with gorgeous landscapes, historic castles and the charming countryside every town has something on offer.
Let us inspire you to plan a trip through the West Highlands through our 5 day road trip experience!
Our Itinerary
Summary
DAY 1: Glasgow (1 night)
DAY 2: Balloch Castle, Kilchurn Castle, Three Sisters & Glencoe (1 night)
DAY 3: Ben Nevis, Lochness, Eilean Donan Castle (1 night)
DAY 4: Neist Point, Fairy Pools (Isle of Skye), Fort Williams (1 night)
DAY 5: Hogwarts Express to Malliag (1 night)
DAY 6: Head Home
Top Tips for
Scotland:
WEATHER: We quickly discovered that it is well worth being prepared for all weather conditions Scotland has to offer. We packed summer clothes, winter gear and we weather gear which we all used in the the space of 5 days!
TRANSPORT: Travelling by car is the way to go my friends! Road tripping the Highlands allows you to reach the very isolated areas you want. It also lets you tailor your trip to suit your holiday preference. We had no restrictions with time, made a lot of detours and were able to take all the scenic routes that were on offer. We drove up from London with a stop over in Liverpool.
MAP IT OUT: We are so in-sync with our phones and google maps that it came a shock to us when we discovered we had little to no phone reception as we travelled through some of the remote parts of the country. Being the planner I am I had luckily noted every stop down to the dot (drive time, map images, duration etc.) so we were all okay when it came to this department but be prepared to navigate with no cellular data!
CARRY CHANGE: I can’t even begin to count the amount of times we had to use loose change to pay for parking, entry fees, even food! We took £25 in coins with us which came in very handy.
BOOK IN ADVANCE: Activities and accommodation needs to be booked in advance! The Hogwarts Express Experience is a classic example of this, had we booked when all date slots were available we would not have had to back track some of our road trip and would have been able to experience another town while in Scotland (more details of this in the blog)
Day 1:
Glasgow
We had one full day to spend in Glasgow so we jam packed it full with as much city exploring as we could! Here we ticked off:
- Glasgow Cathedral & Necropolis (amazing panoramic views of the City from here)
- St George Square (The principal civic square of Glasgow)
- Duke of Wellington (we had a good laugh when we stumbled across this – it’s the famous statue with the traffic cone on it’s head!)
- Buchanan Street (great shopping, designer shops, entertainments and street artists along a pedestrianed street)
- Ashton Lane (trendy hidden gem of a drinking spot off one of the West End back streets.
Food recommendations: Cheap and easy meal for lunch had us find the great burger joint BRGR which was right in the city. Burgers were £4 and they had a delicious selection of sides. A must order is the Ferrero Roche Milkshake, it was SO yum!
Drink recommendations: Ashton Lane for sure – 4-5 quirky little bars down here, well worth the stop!
Accommodation: We stayed at The Alfred Hotel. It came to just £39 for our room which included breakfast. We booked through WOWcher. The hotel was based on the West-End approx a 30 min walk into the City (we weren’t fussed on hotel location as had the car)!
Day 2:
Day 2 was crazy (in a great way)! We were on the road to heading to Balloch Castle, Kinchurch Castle, Three Sisters Mountain and Glencoe, full on, woweee!
Balloch Castle
Balloch Castle overlooks beautiful greenery and the loch. With the sunshine out in all its glory we pulled out the picnic blanket and set up on the grass beneath the castle soaking in the sun and letting Jarrod have a whizz on the drone. We spent about an hour here relaxing, walking down to the Loch and looking around the castle – the park slowly filled up with locals and tourists, was so nice to see everyone out and about! Our short time here started to evoke memories of our summer trips to lake Rotorua back home which after a year abroad was very comforting.
Drive Time: 40 Minutes
Parking: Free
Kilchurn Castle
We were set on visiting this castle after seeing photos of this beautiful fortress overlooking Loch Awe (no wonder it is one of the most photographed castles in Scotland). It was a little bit of a detour to our next stop but when else would we get the opportunity! Once parked up, the castle was just shy of a mile to walk to and the trail itself is so picturesque. The castle was built back in the mid 1400’s and sits on the bank of Loch Awe.
After wandering through Kilchurn Castle we hopped back into the car and drove to the other side of the lake, were, after a short walk through some very wet and muddy farm paddocks we were able to get some great views and even put the drone up! This spot is ideal for landscape photographers, some had even camped up here for the night to get some shots with the sun setting / rising.
Drive Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Parking: Free
Castle Entry: Free however there is a donation box at the start of your walk from the carpark.
Three Sisters, Glencoe
Our next stop had us driving along Loch Lomond to the legendary Three Sisters Mountains right in the heart of Glen. Our drive here was so breath-taking as we got deeper and higher into the highlands, it really has to be one of the most scenic drives in Scotland and had us feel right at home! On your way here you will be driving along the A82 so look out for the lonely white cottage which is another famous photography shot. We only saw a glimpse of this and were on a tight schedule after our last stop so didn’t have time to pull over unfortunately.
Three Sisters is such a picturesque setting surrounded by mountains and villages we fell in love with. We were pleasantly surprised with how busy it was and just loved the fact that people were out adventuring and making the most of the good weather.
We are most definitely not experienced hikers but after reading reviews and seeing some gorgeous photos we thought we would give the hidden valley walk a go. We found maps at the carpark however found it quite difficult to read so instead followed directions off our phone… that didn’t work too well either ha! Too late to retrace our steps we decided to keep on keeping on as the path we were walking was still outstanding and we were eager to reach the snow. The track was steep, and almost looked man built with stones embedded into the mountain which was very cool. We followed a gorgeous waterfall up the mountain eventually reaching the snow before we turned around as the sun was setting. The beautiful green valley was well worth the sweat and very sore legs/bums we had the following day.
We later found out that this mountain is the second biggest in Scotland so not going to lie, very proud of our efforts with this one.
Food/Dinner Restaurant: Craving a hot pub meal we took a 10 minute drive from The Three Sisters to a local pub called Clachaig Inn which was recommended by some locals we met on our trek. The atmosphere was cosy and warm and had great food. We ordered the Chicken and bacon stuffed with Haggis (because when in Scotland right?!) and the Venison burger which were both delicious.
They have Scottish bands playing live music in the bar at the back of the restaurant every weekend so definitely worth checking out. This place also offers chalets to stay in but with it being Easter they were booked out for the whole long weekend otherwise we would have been tempted to book and make a night of it in the bar!
Accommodation: We were to set up camp at Invercoe Campsite. We were tempted to freedom camp for the night but were in dire need of a shower after our big walk. The campsite overlooks Loch Leven so we pitched our tent to overlook the lake for a beautiful morning sunrise to wake up to. It was quite refreshing being able to choose where you pitch up as we are used to assigned areas at campsites back home. The grounds were lovely, facilities clean and location perfect.I would have lvoed to of stayed here for an extra night as they have some great walks nearby (Glencoe Lochlan Trails, Ballachulish Slate Quarries Walk and the Lock Leven Ballachulish Walk)
Drive Time: (Kilchurn Castle to Three Sisters) 50 Minutes
Parking: Free
Accommodation: £26 for both of us to pitch a 2 man tent for 1 night
Day 3:
Another full on day!! Nevis Mountain Range, hunting for the Loch Ness Monster and visiting Eilean Donan Castle for sunset was on the agenda for today!
Nevis Mountain Range
A short 40 minute drive to Fort William had us arrive at Nevis Mountain Range about 11am. We purchased our Gondola tickets at the ticket box and hopped in the 15 min ride to take us to the top of the mountain. So thankful we arrived early as not long after about 2-3 coaches turned up with so many people that the line went out the door and through to the carpark.
Tip: Put a picnic together to take up the Mountain with you as are lots of picnic spots and park benches!
The range is home to UK’s only Mountain Gondola and offers experiences for all seasons from skiing, to cross country and downhill mountain biking trails and many treks for all levels. With only a couple of hours here we picked one of two short walks to the summit to get some incredible landscape shots, views and have our own little picnic.
Before heading back down the mountain we had more food.. there is a restaurant at the top of the Gondola with a gift store also we stopped by the gift store to get a magnet and postcard for our collection and brought some hot soup and a hot drink to warm ourselves up. We were pleasantly surprised with the food cost expecting it to be very expensive – each meal came to around £5-£8 so is worth fuelling the body with a good view of the mountain up here!
Drive Time: 45 Minutes
Parking: £3 (can pay by card or cash in machines)
Gondola Cost: £19.50 online or £20.50 on site
Loch Ness
Loch Ness, where the famous Nessie lives! This little town is such a tourist attraction and has a bunch of activities for all the family to get into. With a few hours to spend here we were eager to get out on the water, visit Urquhart Castle and ofcourse hunt for Nessie. With this in mind, we booked into a 90 minute thrilling Urquhart Castle Experience through Cruise Lochness.
You can also book scenic cruises through this company but after reading reviews on the thrill speed adventure we couldn’t resist. Fast pace and exciting we had a big grin across our face the whole trip – even when the Scotland weather took a turn and got us completely drenched (we just chucked on our water goggles)! The tour definitely surpassed our expectations, our guide Marcus shared so much knowledge on the lochness, Cory’s Caves, the haunted home of formerly owned by Jimmy Page and was overall a great laugh – although saddened to admit we did not find Nessie we heard some fantastic stories.
Visiting the castle by car was approx an hour away in the opposite direction to our next stopover point so doing this cruise also allowed us to get great pictures of the castle from the water which was another highlight.
TIP: If you are wanting to book one of the boat tours make sure you book in advance. Remember Loch Ness is a tourist attraction in itself so it gets very busy and time slots book out!
Food: We ate at Monster Fish & Chip Shop which was soooo good! Haven’t had fresh yummy fish and chips in over a year! The line was out the door so you could tell it’s the best in town. We took our takeaway dinner to the lock and ate with a beautiful view as the afternoon mist came through from the rain.
Drive Time: 1 Hour 35 Minutes
Parking: £3 (Need Coins) Carpark is located in front of Monsters Fish and Chip shop.
90 Minute Boat Experience: £32 per person
Eilean Donan Castle
Last drive for the day took us on a tour hour journey up north to Eilean Donan Castle. We were staying a 5 minute drive from here but wanted to get a glimpse of the castle at night while we could as looks gorgeous with the lights on and the reflections it draws out onto the loch. We recognised the castle straight away, with the many photos of it we have seen over instagram and Scotland blogs you can see how it’s a truly iconic scottish sight!
Accommodation: We stayed at Dornie Wigwams and would recommend 100%!! It was our first little glamping experience and did not disappoint! It was just a 5 minute drive from the castle so we were able to not only be close for sunset but also for sunrise. We had our own cabin situated off a quiet cobblestone road no more than a mile up from the village of Dornie. The cabin looked onto stunning views of Loch Long and mountrains above Camusluinie and the Fals of Glomach. We booked online from their website and is well worth looking up other cabions on your travels as they are located all throughout Scotland. price wise this came to £70 for the night which I felt was very reasonable.
Drive Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Parking: Free Parking at the Castle
Castle Entry: £10 per person
Day 4:
Second to last day with a lot of driving to complete as we tick off a morning visit to Eilean Donan Castle, Neist Point Lighthouse and The Fairy Pools in Isle of Skye!
Neist Point Lighthouse
The drive to Neist Point Lighthouse was stress city! It had to be one of the most frustrating roads we have driven on so make sure you have some good patience. The drive takes you in the heart of the countryside and with that means the road is basically a one way road with a passing pay every 10-15 meters. Bearing in mind you are travelling towards a tourist hotspot in the Isle of Skye and with only one route in and out (plus the fact we were travelling on Easter Weekend) it was extremely busy with many stop and go starts from all the traffic.
As we parked up the weather took a big turn – we chucked on our thermals, beanies, boots, jerseys and waterproof hackets and still struggled! It was still a lovely walk but nothing comapred to the photos we had seen of the lighthouse on a nice sunny day. For us it was blowing a gail, pouring with rain and the mist had compeltely rolled in so you could only see the lighthouse if you were up close. We had a laugh, got a few photos and ran back to the car.
We had originally scheduled to spend 2 hours here and have a picnic which would definitely recommend if you can score some good weather!
Drive Time: 2 Hours
Parking: Free
Fairy Pools
The magical Fairy Pools were one of the main reasons we had driven this far up to the Isle of Skye – the clear blue waters and aqua waterfalls surrounded by mountain landscape was at the top of our wonderful Scotland bucket list. After another windy, one road journey we had finally arrived.
They have a visitors carpark which is managed by locals for you to park up at and begin the farmland walk from. Luck was on our side again as the weather cleared up just in time for us to hop out of the car. The walk was along a gravel path which gradually inclined alongside a stream where the fairyppols are located. An easy route to dfollow with a couple of treks over waters and some rock hopping, nothing hard but would recommend wearing walking boots.
As we made our way up the path we started to hear the sound of the falls in the distance. A mix of deep and shallow pools throughout the journey which seemed to never end, this would be amazing to come to in the hot summer for a swim! After a couple of hours trekking along and taking some photos we headed back to the car for our long drive back to Ben Nevis (Fort William) for the night.
Drive Time: 1 Hour
Accommdation: Ben Nevis Leisure Centre (stayed here purely for the fact it had a swimming pool and spa which we new we would want after all our treks!) Price came to £97 for the night which also included buffet breakfast for the following morning.
Parking: £5 per car (cash only)
Day 5:
Our last day before we head back to London which has Jarrod tick off one of his ultimate lifetime bucket list ventures followed by a romantic night in the countryside glamping the night away!
Hogwarts Express
After our morning breakfast we drove to the Fort William train Station to check in for our Hogwarts Express Journey (excitment overload)!!!
Now I can’t stress enough how challenging it can be to get tickets for this. I looked into this 3 months in advance and was originally unable to get tickets with it being fully booked so make sure you plan ahead. If I were able to book us in from the beginning I would have selected this to fall on the second day of our trip so we would not have had to back track and could have visited another town on our last day in Scotland.
The experience was incredible. First class, with our own two seats, upholstered furniture with matching lamp and table between us I absolutely adored our vintage looking carriage. We definitely lucked out with our seating – we were sitting on the left hand side of the train which not only offerred the most scenic views of the journey but also meant we could get that iconic picture of the Hogwarts Express crossing the famous Glenfinnan bridge as it does on the Harry Potter film. Videoing the crossing over was truly a magical moment everyones eyes in the carriage lit up and were all smiles.
The scenery along the train is beautiful, it covers many lochs, lots of nature and ends in Malliag a beach coast which reminded me very much of home. Here we spent an hour and a half, walking to the beach and ordering Fish&Chips for lunch (second time this trip, I know!) before hopping back on for our return trip to Fort William.
On our return journey we made a plan to get a picture with our head hanging out the carriage window as we travelled across the iconic bridge home. This is obviously a top priority for anyone on this train which meant we were out of our seats for 30 minutes guarding the train windows for a great photo spot and it was well worth it! If you look closely you can see all the other travellers doing the same. The train even stopped halfway over the bridge to allow for pictures!
Drive Time: 1 Hour
Accommdation: Noted Below!
Parking: £5 per car (cash only)
Hogwarts Express Train: £60 per person (First Class Tickets)
Last Night Glamping
Just like that, our last day in the beloved Scotland was coming to an end, but the excitement didn’t end here. After arriving in Fort William we headed to the supermarket, brought some goodies for dinner and drove out to Dalmally where I had booked us into a charming glamping experience finishing off the day on a high.
This was my favourite night of them all, parking up a 15 minute walk from our accomodation (unable to drive through as the land is historic), chucking the hiking boots on and following the direction from our air bnb host through a little village and across farmland we came to our beautiful bell on the mountainside for the night. Arriving around 7pm we had the sunsetting, bbq set up and my Ed Sheeran playlist going it was absolute perfection, off grid from the modern world, very unique and special.
You will see in the photos how ‘glam’ our experience was – we had breakfast delivered in the morning and the set up was incredible. Couldn’t recommend the accomodation enough, and I really hope we will be back again sometime soon before our visa runs up! Another charming breakfast before the 9 hour drive back to London Town and back to reality #cuethetears!!!
Drive Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
Accommdation: Glamping for £86 per night
Parking: Free
What would we change?
Keeping in mind, we covered a lot of distance on this trip all within 5 days the only thing I would have changed was that we would have done the Hogwarts Express Train on the second day. That way it would have been on route as we headed North of Scotland rather than having to back track.
If we had more time, our kind of itinerary would have covered an additional 3-4 days allowing us to explore the East of Scotland on our way back down to London!
& That’s a Wrap
The landscapes in Scotland were spectacular. I am so grateful we got to visit, even if it was only 5 days. We had such a special and tranquil experience getting off the fast and frenetic wheel of life and completely back to nature which is always needed and hopefully inspires you to jump on the road and explore this incredible country!
P&J xx
