The Perfect Scotland Road Trip Itinerary in 10 Days

A Scotland road trip starting in Edinburgh is a dream come true. A lot of people dream about visiting Scotland. Seeing the castles, experiencing the Highlands is what most people want. So when someone asks why visit Scotland? Then it’s indeed because of the castles, the cute towns, the lochs, the whisky and the beautiful nature. Even when it’s raining the whole trip, like it was when we visited, it’s still worth it. We drove this road trip back in September of 2008.

Scotland Road Trip

Where should I go on a road trip in Scotland? Well read on to see our itinerary.

Day 1: Arrive at Edinburgh, drive to Callander (100 kilometers/62 miles, almost 2 hours).

Day 2: Visit Stirling Castle, Balloch and Luss.

Day 3: Drive from Callander to Tomintoul (238 kilometers/148 miles, about 3 hours and 15 minutes).

Day 4: Visit Culloden and Loch Ness.

Day 5: Drive from Tomintoul to Melvich (330 kilometers/205 miles, about 5 hours).

Day 6: Drive from Melvich to Ullapool (196 kilometers/122 miles, about 3 and a half hours).

Day 7: Drive from Ullapool to Edinbane (306 kilometers/190 miles, about 5 hours).

Day 8: Explore the Isle of Skye.

Day 9: Drive from Edinbane to Inveraray (317 kilometers/197 miles, about 4 hours and 45 minutes).

Day 10: Drive from Inveraray to Edinburgh Airport (163 kilometers/101 miles, about 2 hours and 10 minutes).

Day to Day Itinerary

Read on to see all the highlights on this road trip around Scotland.

Day 1: Edinburgh

This Scotland road trip starts in Edinburgh and ends there again.

Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. There’s plenty to see and do in this beautiful medieval city. Most of its attractions are within walking distance of each other. Depending on when your flight arrives you’ll have a whole or half day here. There’s enough to do in Edinburgh for 3 to 4 days. However you’ll only have this one day here.

Don’t miss Edinburgh castle and the Royal Mile. The castle houses the Scottish crown jewels. The Royal Mile is a historical road, that leads you through the middle of Old Town. It connects Edinburgh castle with the Palace of Hollyroodhouse, another top attraction in Edinburgh.

If you love ghost stories, then don’t miss Auld Reekie. It’s the old city of Edinburgh, that’s now below the new city. We visited St. Giles Cathedral with the Thistle Chapel, which is free to visit. These are just a few of the many things to do in Edinburgh.

At the end of the afternoon drive to Callander, where you’ll stay 2 nights.

Day 2: Stirling Castle + Loch Lomond

Scotland is the land of castles, so don’t be surprised that there’s a second castle on the itinerary already. More will follow.

Stirling castle is situated at the river Forth, at the meeting point between the Lowlands and Highlands. The origins of the castle lie in ancient times. The castle has impressive architecture and imposing position, making it a top attraction in Scotland.

Inside the castle is the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum. This museum tells the story of the regiment. Which is fascinating and rich.

From the town of Balloch you can make a scenic boat tour on Loch Lomond. One of the many lakes on Scotland.

Afterwards stroll around Luss, another town situated on Loch Lomond. It has quaint 19^th century cottages and a Parish church.

On your way back to your hotel take Duke’s Pass scenic drive, that takes you along Loch Katrine.

Day 3: Perth + Pitlochry

Stop in Perth to admire the St. John’s Kirk, a beautiful church with stained glass windows, or one of the other attractions in this city.

You can do a bit of shopping in Pitlochry. But that isn’t the main attraction. We had our first visit to a whisky distillery here, and we loved it. The Blair Athol Distillery is situated in Pitlochry. Do a tour and sample the whisky and buy some. That’s at least what we did.

Then onto Blair Castle & Gardens. Wander through the gardens and visit the castle or admire it’s façade.

When you’re done exploring drive to Tomintoul, where you will stay 2 nights.

Day 4: Culloden + Loch Ness

Visit Culloden Battlefield, it’s an open field and museum, so take a tour and see the battle come alive.

Afterwards try to spot Nessie at Loch Ness. Visit the Loch Ness centre to learn more about Nessie and the lake. Don’t miss the ruins of Urquhart Castle. You’ll have a splendid view on Loch Ness from amidst the ruins.

Day 5: North East Scotland

In Tain there’s the Tain & District museum, a small museum, which is nice to visit. Paul and I are historians and love visiting museums, so skipping a museum rarely happens.

Then on to Golspie to hike the Big Burn Walk, with the Golspie Burn Waterfall & Gorge as a highlight. Another attraction in Golspie is Dunrobin Castle & Gardens. Admire the gardens, visit the museum inside and watch a falconry show.

Brora has the Clynelish Distillery, which you can tour and taste the delicious whisky.

On Duncansby Head go for a hike and admire the Stacks of Duncansby Head Lighthouse.

Drive to Melvich for your hotel.

Day 6: North West Scotland

On this day explore the North of Scotland further. Visit Strathy Point Lighthouse, we always love visiting lighthouses. Admire the Kyle of Tongue. Then make the hike to the waterfall in Smoo Cave.

After the hike drive to Loch Glencoul, to take a boat tour on the lake to spot seals. You’ll see them and maybe even get to steer the ship, like I got to do. Then drive on and visit the Allt Chranaidh Waterfall. The walk to the falls is short, but challenging. If you love waterfalls as much as I do check out this Iceland itinerary.

The last attraction on the itinerary for day 6 are the Ardvreck Castle ruins. They’re castle ruins in a beautiful spot. It looks desolate and remote.

Drive to Ullapool for your hotel and to end your visit to the North of Scotland.

Day 7: Western Fjords

Start your day with a hike in the Corrieshalloch Gorge to the Falls of Measach.

Then drive to Little Gruinard to admire Gruinard Beach and Bay. Several viewpoints give excellent views on this bay.

At Beinn Eighe hike the Woodland trail and visit the Summit of Beinn Eighe.

At last on this day visit Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most famous castles in Scotland. It’s one of Scotland’s iconic landmarks and well worth your time.

Drive to Edinbane on the Isle of Skye, where we’ll be the next 2 nights.

Day 8: Isle of Skye

The Isle of Skye is beautiful and one day is actually not enough. We drove the A87 and A855 and stopped at its many highlights, such as Eas a’ Bhradain (waterfall), Old Man of Storr (a hill with rugged peaks and green grass), Mealt Falls and the Skye Museum of Island Life and Kilmuir Cemetery.

Day 9: Glenfinnan Viaduct + Ben Nevis

Today we say goodbye to the Isle of Skye. There are two very famous attractions on the itinerary today, namely the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Ben Nevis.

The first is a famous train viaduct with a bend in it. It was already famous, but the Harry Potter movies made it even more famous.

The second is the highest mountain in Scotland. Drive partly up the mountain and take a hike for the views.

Day 10: Inveraray Castle

Visit Inveraray Castle before you drive to Edinburgh Airport. Located just outside Inveraray is this fairytale castle. It’s an 18^th century Neo Gothic castle with turrets.

Where to Eat

We had breakfast at our hotel each morning. We had dinner mostly at pubs or at our hotel/inn. Since it was in 2008 I can’t find where we ate back then.

Where to Stay

Since our trip was in 2008, I’ve only been able to find two of the 6 hotels we stayed at. I sadly can’t find the other 4 names of the hotels. We had a mix of hotels, inns and b&b’s.

The first two nights we stayed in Callander. In Tomintoul we stayed 2 nights at The Glenavon Hotel. You can still stay at this simple, but clean hotel. It’s a 1-star hotel.

Then we had one night in Melvich and one near Ullapool. In Edinbane on the Isle of Skye we stayed 2 nights at The Lodge Hotel Edinbane. It’s now called Edinbane Lodge and it has a restaurant. It’s a 5-star hotel.

When to Visit

Our road trip took place in the month of September. We had a lot of rain. Overcast skies and only on our last day we had a beautiful day. On a couple of days we couldn’t go on hikes, since it was pouring down, that was a bummer. We missed out on some beautiful hikes and natural landmarks. However despite the gloomy weather, we loved Scotland. We had the same weather problem on our Switzerland road trip.

Normally June, July and August are the warmest months. May and September usually also still have Summer like weather. However from October till April the weather is unpredictable. Snowfall, freezing temperatures and gale-force winds are not uncommon in those months. The months from September till January are the wettest months. Think 50 percent chance of rain on a daily base.

Hiring a Car and Airport

We hired a car at the Edinburgh Airport. We have excellent experiences with Hertz, Stern and Alamo.

The road trip starts and ends at Edinburgh Airport. It’s an international airport and the largest airport in Scotland.

Tips

• When wondering which side of the road does Scotland drive on? In Scotland they drive on the left. If you’re used to driving on the right, like us, it takes a while to get used too. For the one driving as well as the one on the passenger seat. So when asking is it easy to drive around Scotland? Yes and no, if you have a car with the steering wheel on the correct side of the car and you’ve had your first roundabout then you’re ready to drive around Scotland.
• On a Scotland road trip packing list there should be rain gear, such as raincoat and umbrella, you’ll need it.
• For on the hikes take either rainboots or covers for over your hiking boots and pants with you. The grass was wet almost the whole time on our hikes.

That’s Everything You Need to Know for Your Scotland Road Trip

Enjoy Scotland on a road trip through the highlands!

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