Scotland: Roadtrip edition

It's hard not to fall in love with Scotland, so after my first weekend in Edinburgh & Glasgow a few years back I was very excited and eager to see more. 

Our initial plan was end of May 2020 .. so yeah imagine the disappointed when we slowly got our accommodations canceled and so had to postpone the trip. In the end all was set for end of May 2022.

We stayed a total of 12 days (including the arrival & departure day) and we rented a camper van from Open Road Scotland for most of the trip. We were a bigger group so it was a mix between camper van and car and so sleep was also mixed between actual accommodation and sleep in the camper van. Below you will find info per day including info on Hotels & Camping sites. 

Day 1: Arrival in Edinburgh

The first day was more a reunion day as we were arriving at different hours.

After we arrived at our accommodation Hannover 71 Suites we left our stuff and as it was Friday headed over to try one of the best rated pizza's in town: Matto Pizza. The place is tiny, more a take away place, but it does offer some chairs. The pizza was very good, so although a bit out of the center it was a good walk to try it out. 

After the pizza we garbed an ice cream from the locally famous Mary's Milk Bar and took a mini walk through the city to get a feel of it. 

From there we went to the supermarket as we needed supplies for the camper van and ended up with loads of beers (we are big fans of Brewdog so you can imagine :))

And after leaving all the things at the accommodation we went for some chicken wings and some beer at a Brewdog bar having an early sleep as the next day our adventure was set to begin.

Day 2: Pick up car, camper van and direction Aviemore

We first picked up the car as it was close to the accommodation and then we went for the camper van as we were picking it close to Glasgow airport. Our end destination for the day was Aviemore

Once we got the camper van we started our trip and our first visiting point was the Forth Bridge which is considered a symbol of Scotland and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

After a mini walk around to get better angles for our pictures we headed over to Loch an Eilein​ in ​Cairngorms National Park for a short circular trail you could do around. 

From there we went to our accommodation Avondale House as they had a strict check in rule and the camper van went to park the car in the Dalraddy Holiday Park.  

Keep in mind that Aviemore is pretty small, most restaurants (unless fast foods) are closed or do not serve food after about 18:00 or 19:00. We ended up taking some Chinese take away and ate it at the camper van. 

Day 3: Beach walk, Culloden, Whiskey Distillery & Inverness  

Our morning started early as we wanted to take another walk through the Cairngorms National Park this time it was a Beach Walk around Loch Morlich (close to the ​Glenmore Visitors Centre) 

From there we went to Culloden to get more details of the history bit related to the Batlle from Culloden. If you are interested in history or you watched Outlander, then this place will provide a lot of interesting details. 

From Culloden it was time for exploring another Scottish specialty namely the Whiskey. There are endless distilleries and so it was very hard to pick from them. In the end as a first one we selected was Tomatin. I enjoyed the tour and the whiskey as well was very interesting.

From here we went in search of Nessi going around Loch Ness 

Our next stop was Urquhart Castle, but when we arrived at 18:00 it was already closed :( and I was not worried not to be able to go inside as I am not a big fan of castle interiors, but the castle is placed on the river and the entrance somewhere above and you can't see the castle as its surrounded by fences. 

I did manage to get some shoots but unless you have a drone* I don't really recommend trying anything crazy (* please note I don't know if drones are allowed in Scotland, I don't have one so did not do such a research) 

From the castle we drove into Inverness with a first stop at Mcleod's Fish & Chips and from there we took a walk to the city and ended up celebrating Claudia's birthday at Gellion's Bar ​where we even had the chance to dance on some live music

After the semi party  we went to our accommodation at Winmare Guest House and at the Bunchrew Caravan Park​. ​

Day 4: Duncansby Head & Stacks and all stops in between to Achmelvich Beach

It started as a rain day (not an actual surprise as we were in Scotland), but we were lucky enough with the stops as usually it stopped every time we needed to visit things on our list to see. 

Our first stop on this long day was the Dornoch beach where we took a bit of time to walk around stretch our legs and take a few group photos. 

From there we went to the Old Wick Castle where disregard the castle as it's nothing to see BUT the views were absolutely breathtaking 

And then we parked at Duncasby Head and walked to take pictures of the Duncasby Stacks 

I really enjoyed the stop here, you could even see (in the distance) puffins which are clearly my favorite birds (so cute) 

After we left the Stacks behind we stopped at the Dunnet Bay (unplanned) and got to take several other photos of the beautiful coast from the caravan  

As we were in a super hurry to reach the  Shore Caravan Site Car Park for the night (very strict closing time policy) we had no other opportunities to stop and can only appreciate the dedication of our driver making it through the car parks door at 19:59 when we had to be there latest at 20:00. 

The location was absolutely stunning just next to the Achmelvich Beach. 

The other accommodation was at Captain Tom's wee House in Lochinver, which was a bit hard to find, but our friends that stayed there had only good feedback to hare with us.  

Day 5: It was time to start ore "island hopping" first stop on the Harris & Lewis Island 

The next morning we woke up super early heading towards Ullapool Ferry Terminal to go to the Harris Island. Keep in mind if you are with a caravan you absolutely need to book i advance and pay attention at the size of your caravan as the prices vary based on this. 

The ferry we took left Ullapool at 10:30 and arrived in Stornoway at 13:00. Once we arrived in Stornoway, we left our luggage at the accommodation Sandwick Bay Guest House and the Caravan parked at Eilean Fraoich Campsite​ (check in by 8 PM)

And look who our neighbours were next to the camping site.

We then took the car (we were only 5 left at this stage, so we could leave the caravan parked) and went to the Gearrannan Blackhouse Village which is a sort of a village museum where you can learn ore about the use of the turf and how the sheep wool is used to make carpets.

Getting back to the Outlander topic we went to visit the Callanish Stones, keep in mind that the museum closes early, but you can still reach the stones.  

As we were in a bit of a rush the next day we even stretched the day going into Gallan Head where they say you can spot whales. Now that I've been it was nice, but I would not necessarily recommend the trip unless you have loads of time. 

From here back to our accommodations and too some time to relax for the evening. 

Day 6: Moving to Isle Skye

We started our say early going towards Huisinis Beach where we heard you can see Coos and although we did not see any the beach and the drive (although supeeeeeeer narrow) was beautiful.  

In the meantime one of our friends went to the Isle of Harris Gin Distillery which looks pretty nice. From there we also took some scones so that we can snack on them at our next stop

Talking about our next stop, I am happy to share one of my favorite places from the trip, namely Luskentyre Beach, which is stunning. Although it was not hot enough for a bath I took the opportunity to dip my feet in the sea. 

From Luskentyre Beach we stopped at Seilebost beach for a mini mini walk and some pictures with a view.

It was now getting close to our Ferry from Torbert Ferry Terminal going to Uig Ferry Terminal on the Isle of Skye 

From the terminal we went to leave our things at the accommodation at Seaforth Cottage and park the caravan at Skye Camping and Caravanning Club.   

And we took the rest of the day to do the walk and enjoy the sunset at the Neist Point Lighthouse​ which is clearly one of the most recognizable pictures of Skye. 

Day 7: Full day on Skye

This day was a hiking day (imagine my joy and excitement) so after breakfast we went to pick up the rest of the crew at the camping site. 

The highlight of the morning was the chance to enjoy some close up time with the Coos pets from the camping site. the guys there were super nice to allow me to get close to the cuties and take some pictures while they were feeding them. 

Going back to the topic of the day, our first stop was at the Fairy Glen, which is super beautiful. This is an easy walk with some mini uphill here and there so it's easy for everyone to explore. 

From there we went to Quiraing this is a 6.8km circle route through gorgeous landscapes. This is a bit more medium level lets say and make sure to have good waterproof shoes as there are (were) some areas where the ground was extremely wet and easy to be pulled in. 

From there we went to the Kilt Rock (Creag An Fheilidh) which is a stone formation that looks like a kilt.

And then took a walk to the ​Brothers Point (Rubhan Nam Braithrean)which is a 2km walk which pretty views 

As it really seems complicated to find food late in the evening we decided to head to Portree for a second portion of Fish & Chips. 

And to burn the calories we took a walk to Talisker Beach right at sunset which made it absolutely gorgeous. There is no real parking here so you will need to park further ahead and walk. 

Day 8: Isle of Sky and Glencoe towards Glasgow

If you thought hiking finished, it did not, today we went to the Old Man of Storr in the morning which I mean, everything is beautiful here, so clearly we got to take some very pretty pictures 

And from here we went to the Eilean Donan Castle which was the last stop from when it comes to our experience on the Isle of Skye. We did go into the castle, but honestly I personally don't believe it is worth it. 

Getting into the Glencoe area, our first stop was at the Old Boat of Coal with a view over Ben Nevis.  

Followed by stops at some viewpoints listed below: 

Three Sisters Viewpoint

Buachaille Etive More Viewpoint 

Loch Ba Viewpoint

Ending up the day in Glasgow. Our first stop was the Paesano Pizza which is the best rated pizza in Glasgow. 

And of course went to our accommodation ​Cozy 2 bed flat (as a note before getting to Glasgow e dropped the camper van at the Open Road location). 

Day 9: Glasgow & around

We started our morning with a mini visit in Glasgow 

And then we headed to visit the Kelpies which are to massive metal horses in Helix Park. 

From there, calling  Outlander fans as we stopped at Midhope Castle (where you can't really go inside) so it's just outside and honestly not worth the stop 

A better stop being the Blackness Castle which is a far pretties castle and is also free of charge 

If you wonder why our route was so zig zagged towards this end, it was simply because we had to drop another part of our group to Edi Airport (so if you don't have such constraints, I am sure you can make this smoother) 

We afterwards went to Culross village for a walk around and also grabbed a small snack & a beer at one of the local pubs. 

From here we went back to our accommodation in Glasgow and went out for dinner at Ardnamurchan Restaurant & Bar ​ where they had a very interesting (though a bit pricy) menu

Day 10: Back to Fort William area

This was an interesting start of the day with a visit to the Clydeside Distillery which offered an interesting tour.

And to replace alcohol with some healthy vibes we went in Glencoe for the Lost Vally hike. This is an intermediate 2-3h hike. This is a back and forth route (thus not circular) 

From here we tried to catch the Jabobite Steam Train at the Glenfinnan Viaduct, but we missed it, still got to see a regular Scottish train passing over the viaduct.

And then it was time to go to our accommodation in Ardgour at the Ardgour Inn. This had to be a early bed as the next day was an intense one. 

Day 11: Ben Nevis Hike 

I am so happy I had the chance & companions to do this hike, it was great practice for other hikes that I had planned through the year. 

We woke up super early and got to the ferry around 6:40 to bring us on to the main land. 

From there we went to the parking site of Ben Nevis where we parked at 7:20 AM. 

Just some information, the max height is 1345m making it the tallest mountain in the UK. You can reach the top via 2 routes. One is for more advanced hikers and one (the mountain path) also know as the tourist route is the easier version. We followed the Mountain Path and took us 6h 10 min hike. ​

You will need
- good hiking shoes, I had a pair of waterproof Columbia Sneakers. Bare in mind that we still found snow and it was early June. 
- a very light backpack with snacks, enough water and layers to ensure a good temperature as you go up down
- you don't need, but trekking poles can come in handy as you have a very long descent. 

We finished the hike at 14:30 and went to eat something to regain power from there back to our accommodation in Ardgour. You can imagine we were pretty tired at the end of the day

Day 12: All Good Things come to an End

It was time to go back home and so we left Ardgour in the morning to drop Claudia in Glasgow as she had a flight from ​Prestwick and we continued our ride to Edinburgh where we dropped the car and went for our flight.