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10 1/2 Day Driving (and camping?) Tour of Scotland
Hi all... first trip to Scotland ...at least for me. My wife and I will be flying into Edinburgh from Iceland (after a 15 day ring rd trip) on Aug 23. We'll pick up car or camper van on 24th Aug, and return back to Edinburgh on September 3, to fly to Milan Italy later that evening. The reason I mention a camper van is..... we think it will give us more freedom to pick and choose the places to stay and for how long. Especially if a place strikes our fancy. An occasional B&B is not out of the question some nights, if camping doesn't fit into the area we have chosen.
Our British friends threw out a list of places that run a mostly northern and western circle from Edinburgh. Heading north, Pitlochry, Aviemore, Inverness, Kyle of Lochaish, Isle of Skye, Mallaig, Glencoe, Loch Lomond and Stirling. These places were mentioned also. Inverewe Gardens, Applecross Peninsula and Loch Torridon. Anyway.. this seems like a lot and maybe they are just on the route as we pass thru. We will want to visit some castles (for sure), hike some beautiful mountain scenery, and walk along some of the beaches on the coast. If we choose to travel the camper van route, we will likely fix breakfast and lunch and maybe a few dinners. We're not opposed to eating out dinner or visiting a pub or two when the situation presents itself. Would probably prefer it most nights, unless we are at a simply spectacular camp site.
This is not our usual way we like to travel. We usually find a couple of places to base out of for a few days, and then take day trips. In this case, we think moving everyday makes the most sense to get a good taste of Scotland for our ten days. I'd welcome all opinions and suggestions on camping (not camping), better route, castles, beaches, hiking places to eat/drink etc.....
Thanks Howard and Debbie from Colorado
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Our resident expert for this type of query is @Horizons - I'm sure she'll have some ideas and suggestions in mind for you!
Side note - I see you've mentioned Skye - if you do intend to stay here I do encourage you to book as far in advance as possible - it's very popular over summer time and gets booked up very quickly!
I'm sure you'll have an amazing trip and the amount of time you're here allows you the opportunity to see and do a lot before you move on again. Time to start preparing the bucket list
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NC 500 is a good trip for 3-4 days and the megathread has some great recommendations. Torridon is my personal favourite but mostly due to a spectacular hike in the area that I had to reserve a day for.
I very highly recommend detouring to the Orkney mainland for 2 more days. It is one of the best places to visit in Scotland IMO.
Also highly recommend taking the ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway, staying overnight on Harris or Lewis, seeing Harris' spectacular beaches and then taking the ferry to Uig, Skye the next day.
Resources: the UK campsite website to find campsites, you'll need to call a couple of days in advance atleast to find a space. CalMac to book ferry spots if you're visiting the Outer Hebrides. Orkney should have car spaces but check with Northlink / Pentland Ferries based on your choice. WalkHighlands for some spectacular walks.
Putting it all together, I recommend this itinerary, as soon as you reach Edinburgh or a day before that, check 7 day weather forecasts for all major spots on the route, decide on clockwise / anticlockwise direction based on how the weather will be favourable, make bookings as needed and only then finalize your trip. I know this seems to put everything off to the last moment but it is quite easily possible to spend your entire time sulking in the rain if you have fixed plans. OR fix a plan but if the weather turns unfavourable, try to make cancellations and make one on the fly.
Edinburgh - Inverness (see Perthshire sights on the way such as Queen's View, Pitlochry, Hermitage @ Dunkeld) - NC 500 via John O'Groats - Orkney (optional but highly recommended) - Ullapool - Stornoway - Luskentyre / Huishnish - Tarbert (Harris) - Uig - Glenbrittle campsite Skye - Eilean Donan castle - Glencoe - Stirling - Edinburgh
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
Perhaps we'll get to Harris and Lewis (really does look incredible)... actual route is still in the planning stages. And yes....obviously weather will decide whether we are hiking and exploring beaches/ mountains or.... in a museum /castle.
I've wanted to see the coast and Highlands of Northern Scotland more than any place in Europe. Getting to do both Iceland and this part of Scotland in one trip, is a huge "check" on our Bucket list. Hopefully weather in August and early Sept will work in our favor. The camper van should give us the freedom to pick and choose if the weather falls apart. I think we'll put a list together.. of all the places we want to see in each area. Then try to hit them all on the way. 10 1/2 days should give us a pretty good taste.
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
I see you are planning a visit to Loch Lomond whilst you are in Scotland in August. Loch Lomond is amazing, although I am biased as I live and work here.
My wife and I are both avid hikers and will likely feel the need to traipse somewhere for "at the least" 2 hours each day. If it looks good, we will probably need to see it up close, and get out of the car. So.....I really can't quite gauge, what pace we will travel at. Weather will likely play a big part in the speed in which we travel. Loch Lomond is high on my list, and I really hope it fits in as we head back from Skye. I also will have my fly rod, and will take an opportunity now and then, to see if I can entice a trout, salmon or char on our way thru the countryside. Doesn't really look like you can go wrong anywhere in Northern Scotland.
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
Since this is a three part trip, I have been working on my Iceland list lately and put this Scotland part on the back burner. Will still gladly take any stops or suggestions we must see and do. This site is really a gem for putting together a Scotland trip!
The more I hear about how busy the NC 500 gets in August we think perhaps a visit to Harris and Lewis might be worth a couple nights too. Wondering if we do take a ferry from Ullapool to L&H and return thru Skye, whether the section between the Kyle of Localsh and Ullapool should be backtracked and visited as I hear it is a very scenic section we will have missed because of ferry route. Obviously weather will play a part on the routes we choose.
So far I think we will just put a list of where we would like to visit and see if we can check off a bit of the list. I like the idea of visiting some of the islands. Thanks everyone for your help so far.
To find info about campsite I usually use this great website: Coolcamping. I found some great places in here.
As for Orkney, I would highly suggest staying on the island for 2 days and you should definitely drive to the islands. Also, I would suggest checking out Pentland ferries from Gill's Bay as another way of getting to Orkney, I believe it is faster.
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
@Horizons thanks for that ferry link. Discussing with my wife about making a crossing to Orkney for a couple nights. We really weren't sure we wanted to do a bus tour once on the island.
After looking at the potential ways to get to and from L&H , I'm thinking of continuing the drive from Ullapool, and finishing out the the route to Kyle, and then heading into Skye. There are probably some beaches and hikes we'd like to do in that stretch. If weather holds, we can do a RT ferry from Uig to Tarbert. A bit of backtracking in Skye.... but I always say, things look different from the opposite direction. And...I hear Skye is as pretty as it gets. I know this is still a busy time of year and may need to make some reso's a few days ahead. Will monitor weather a few days ahead. I imagine it is somewhat similar to what we'll see in Iceland for the 16 days prior. You guys are not that far away from each other.
@powderglut I would not make any assumptions about weather and natural conditions at either place. Multiple people have been swept away into the South Iceland ocean at the Vik beach as it has perennially strong currents. No place in the UK can make any such claim. And I felt Scottish winds were stronger than Icelandic winds in my limited experience.
What I can say for sure is that you should come prepared for heavy winds and rain in both spots.
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
Starting the trip from Broxburn outside of EDI on Fri Aug 24 in the AM. Once we drive north to Perth, there are options on continuing north. We haven't really chosen a destination to camp yet. Trying to decide whether to stay straight north, and go thru Pitlochry and Aviemore and spend the night along the way.....or drive around northeast, towards Aberdeen and on up to Inverness. Could even choose a spot north of Inverness to camp.
I think our 2nd night is probably Gills Bay or one of the northern towns... John o'Groats or get the ferry across to Orkney islands.. So either direction is OK. Any opinions on choosing route? Scenery? Castles? Mts? Ocean?
- Scenery: Ardgualich farm, Perthshire, not too far from Schiehallion (famous munro) and my top overall pick
My Perthshire camping notes - Castles: Braemar Caravan Park Impossible to miss all of the VisitABDN campaigning on social media and in real life (I saw hugh ads at MAN airport recently).
- Ocean: Aberdeenshire again but I'd vote Stonehaven Caravan Park. Next to Dunnottar castle and if its warm enough, a dip in the open air swimming pool is a must! My Stonehaven notes
Hope this helps. It is a difficult choice to make, isn't it?Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
I'm also told not to be completely reliant on credit cards, as may of these small rural villages, would likely prefer cash. So I'll make sure I hit one of the bank ATMs when we land.
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
Fri Aug 24: Drive main hwy north to Dornoch..... and camp. Or..... Drive thru middle of Cairngorms if the day looks ok. same camp. Or...????????
Sat Aug 25: North to John O'Groats and camp. Or...one of the other close by villages. Hike out to sea stacks and cliffs.
Sun 26: Head west across the top of the mainland to Durness or Scourie and camp.
Mon 27: Drive down to Torridon and camp. Big day hike in Mts.
Tues 28: Drive thru Applecross and then into Skye and camp where? Kinloch maybe? see beaches
Wed 29: Big day hike Skye... and camp Skye where? Edinbane maybe?
Thu 30: Get 9:30 am ferry to Uig-Tarbert. Camp Lewis and Harris. see beaches and ancient sites.
Fri 31: Camp L&H another night. see more beaches and sites.
Sat Sep 1: Sail 7:20 am ferry back to Skye and head to Eilean Donan castle. Spend night in or near Kyle of Lochalsh
Sun Sep 2: Drive to Glencoe and Camp. Hikes and fish?
Mon Sep 3: Leave Glencoe early am, Drive back to Broxburn thru Loch Lomond and Stirling and return camper by dinner time. Do dinner and fly out of EDI -Milan at 10PM.
Obviously there will be many stops on the way to each nights camp.... and hopefully some decent hikes and walks. Checkout many beaches. Maybe even toss a fly to entice a trout or salmon in a pretty river or loch on the way.
Getting into Skye midweek, I think is best, as I hear how popular it has gotten and how much busier it will be on a weekend. As much as I want to just wing this trip, it appears best, to at least have somewhat of a plan. I was thinking I'd just completely skip the East coast and peninsula of Aberdeen, and Orkney's. So...ultimately the choice to visit L&H. Too many places so little time.
But of course!!! NOW!!! a day trip to Orkney just got thrown into the fold. Ay Chihuahua!!!! (Mexican for: WTF should I do?) If the weather holds out, and we see all I have listed... then it should be epic. As some friends said, "Dude...No wrong answers!!!" So... all I can say right now, about doing different from the list I just laid out, is.... "we'll see".
Mon 27: Drive down to Torridon and camp. Big day hike in Mts.
Tues 28: Drive thru Applecross and then into Skye and camp where? Kinloch maybe? see beaches
Wed 29: Big day hike Skye... and camp Skye where? Edinbane maybe?
Thu 30: Get 9:30 am ferry to Uig-Tarbert. Camp Lewis and Harris. see beaches and ancient sites.
Fri 31: Camp L&H another night. see more beaches and sites.
Sat Sep 1: Sail 7:20 am ferry back to Skye and head to Eilean Donan castle. Spend night in or near Kyle of Lochalsh
Sleep on your current itinerary, talk it through with your partner, less might be more especially if you like big hikes (driving 3 hours and then hiking and then driving again might be rough).
The highlighted part of your current plan above might be made efficient by making some swaps. Instead of Torridon and Applecross on 27 / 28
27 - hike a part of Assynt on the 27th followed by 5:29 PM ferry to Stornoway for L&H. Try to camp in Lewis
28 - historic sites (Callanish, Uig) and drive down to Harris. See beaches / camp in Harris
29 (still a Wednesday) - Tarbert to Skye. Check in to campsite. Hike. Sleep on Skye.
30 - Drive through Skye's views (my perfect daytrip around Skye) and check in near Kyle of Lochalsh
31 - Drive to Glencoe via Eilean Donan. I saved you 2 days.
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)
So...I'll be wrapping my head around the different routes to take and where to make some longer stops. I understand there's going to be some mostly driving days, and a few other's where we can really stretch out the legs on a hike or two. Yep...I'm still learning!!! This Scotland adventure is gonna be good!
Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)
My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Dunoon, Speyside)