Highlands and Islands: Scottish Road Trip

After my graduation, my family and I set off on a road trip around Scotland.


This is the route we took.



I will be posting more specific posts about what we did during the trip, but here is our rough itinerary:

Day 1: Train from Edinburgh to Inverness. See Culloden Battlefield and Clava Cairns. Spend the night in Inverness.

Day 2: Drive from Inverness to Skye. See Eilean Donan Castle, Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing, Duntulum, Flora MacDonald's grave. Spend the night in Portree.

Day 3: See Fairy Pools, Dunvegan Gardens, Fairy Glen. Spend the night in Portree.

Day 4: Drive to Elgol to get the ferry to see the Black Cuillin range. Drive to Ullapool via the mountain pass north of Applecross and Torridon. Spend the night in Ullapool.

Day 5: Drive to Thurso via the North Coast 500. See Scourie beaches, Durness and Smoo Cave. Spend the night just outside of Thurso.

Day 6: Day trip to Orkney. Drive to John O'Groats. Get pedestrian ferry to Orkney. Bus tour to see Kirkwall, Stromness, Skara Brae and Skaill House, the Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness, and Scapa Flow. Spend the night outside of Thurso.

Day 7: Drive from Thurso to Pitlochry. See Pitlochry and stay with family friends.

Day 8: Drive from Pitlochry to Fort William with detours to see Loch Lomond, Inveraray Castle, Kilchurn Castle, Rannoch Moor, and Glencoe. Stay in Fort William.

Day 9: Day trip to Mull and Iona. Drive to Oban and stop at Castle Stalker. Take ferry to Craignure, Isle of Mull. Drive across Mull to Fionnphort. Take pedestrian ferry to Iona to see the Cathedral. Return to Fort William by the same route. Spend the night in Fort William.

Day 10: Drive to Glenfinnan to see the steam train cross the viaduct, stop for lunch in Fort Augustus, see Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness. Visit farm near Drumnadrochit. Spend the night near Drumnadrochit.

Day 11: Return car to Inverness. Train to Perth. Visit friends in Perth. Train to Edinburgh by dinner.