The Scottish Highlands are like nothing else on earth, with an astonishing magical and mystical feel to them. You can see the history in the hills, and one after another amazing view takes you by surprise as you wind your way through the glens. We used some of my cousin Matt’s itinerary from his Scotland Adventure earlier this year, and set off to explore the Scottish Highlands ourselves. We had a long weekend available before Rob had a conference to attend in Glasgow last week, and we are already planning our next trip back.
Stirling Castle
We flew into Glasgow, picked up a rental car, and headed straight to Stirling Castle, historically a Scottish royal residence. This is a wonderful castle to tour around, with a lifelike model of the kitchen from the middle ages, and views across the countryside.
Cairngorns National Park
We found a gem of a place to stay on our first night, in an old coaching inn, the Glenisla Hotel. Between the hospitality of the owners, the gorgeous countryside setting, a super talented chef in the attached restaurant, and the congenial gathering in the pub, this is a wonderful way to experience a bit of Scotland outside the normal touristy experiences. The Kirkton of Glenisla is on the Cateran Trail, and the 200-year-old Shaky Bridge is a short walk away. The Glenisla Hotel is now one of our favorite places, and we can’t wait to return.
North to Inverness
We slowly made our way north along the edge of the Cairngorm National Park, stopping many times to take photos. The mix of sun and threatening dark clouds over the landscapes was stunning, and once we saw a rainbow lying like a blanket across a glen. We stopped in Dalwhinnie not only to see the Lifting Stone, but also to eat an excellent Scottish Breakfast Roll.
Inverness, “the capital of the Highlands,” is a lovely city with a castle and a huge river, surrounded by nature. We stayed at the Corriegarth Hotel, and ate a wonderful dinner at the top-rated MacGregor’s Pub, listening to very talented live music entertainment.
The next morning, we turned southwest, for a scenic drive along Loch Ness. We stopped to see the Urquhart Castle ruins, then through more beautiful landscapes to the Eilean Donan Castle.
Isle of Skye
Continuing on, over the Skye Bridge, we reached the Isle of Skye to see even more other-worldly scenery. We quickly found that a week might be long enough for us to see everything on this island, and we only had one overnight.
On a recommendation from one of Rob’s Scottish cousins, we ate lunch at The Oyster Shed in Carbost. A spot-on recommendation! A fun experience, that does indeed include both oysters and sheds. You order in an open-air shed, oysters are shucked in front of you, then you pick up your food from the food truck, and head into another open-air shed to eat at a long community table. Fabulous oysters, food, and fellowship. They are right around the corner from the Talisker Whisky Distillery.
The Cuillin Hills Hotel sits on a hill overlooking the harbor in Portree on Skye, with outdoor seating on the front lawn. This is a gorgeous hotel in a gorgeous setting, and we loved our one night here.
The Isle of Skye is a dream setting, with seaside towns, mountains, waterfalls, cliffs, clouds, and the perfect angles of light for an artist. I very patiently waited while Rob took many photos, but after around one thousand pull-off stops, we ran out of time and had to leave the island and move on to our next destination.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
After leaving Skye, we traveled to Glenfinnan, to see both the Viaduct and the Highlander Monument. The Viaduct was built in the late 1800’s, and is featured in the Harry Potter movies with the train to Hogwarts.
Glen Coe Valley
We planned to continue south on the A82, through the Glen Coe Valley, said to be one of the prettiest places in the world. Unfortunately, the A82 was closed due to a traffic accident, so we traveled east, and then truly over hill and dale on a road no wider than a bike path, to another one of our favorite unique stops, the Mhor 84 Motel.
Right down the glen from Mhor 84 is an ancient stone church and cemetery, the site of Rob Roy MacGregor’s grave. Then, to finish the trip, we drove south along Loch Lomond, back to Glasgow.
Glasgow
Finally, back in Glasgow, we could not believe how lucky we are to get to explore the Scottish Highlands, an amazing experience. Our next Story will be all about Glasgow, and the adventures we managed to have around Rob’s Conference.
Logistics
Exploring the Scottish Highlands – Suggested Itinerary
| Day 1 | Fly into GLA or EDI, pick up rental car, drive to Stirling, park and tour the Castle – Highly Recommend! Continue drive to next stop on gorgeous scenic “B” roads Stay at Glenisla Hotel – Highly Recommend!! |
| Day 2 | Drive north, taking photos of amazing views, sheep, and highland cattle Stop at Ruthven Barracks – Recommend! Drive to Inverness Stay at The Corriegarth Hotel, walk 10 minutes into central Inverness – Recommend! Dinner at MacGregor’s, live music, wonderful food and atmosphere – Highly Recommend! |
| Day 3 | Isle of Skye Visit the Oyster Shed in Carbost – Highly Recommend! See the Talisker Distillery in Carbost Stay at Cuillin Hills Hotel in Portree – Highly Recommend! Visit the Quiraing, up the mountain for amazing views – Recommend! *See the Fairy Pools and Elgol village on Skye also, if your time allows |
| Day 4 | Drive to the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Highlander Memorial – Highly Recommend! **We planned to take the A82 south next, south from Ft William through the gorgeous Glen Coe Valley, but the road was closed due to an accident; this is a highly recommended route, include seeing Castle Stalker if you have time, and you could stay in Oban for your last night Due to the closure, we took a long scenic route to our next stop at Mhor 84 Motel – Highly Recommend! |
| Day 5 | Drive back to Glasgow / Edinburgh for further exploring, or your flight onward |
Watch our recommended Scotland Road Trip here:
General Tips
Driving:
Drive on the Left! Do rent a car, get an automatic if possible. Depending on the season, you may want to rent something robust and 4-wheel-drive.
When driving on one-lane roads, look ahead for cars and use passing pull-offs, cars are driving in both directions!
The Midges:
Midges are small biting gnats that swarm in the thousands in the Highlands from May through September. Pick up some Smidge Spray at a gas station, it does help.
Timing:
There are many, many gorgeous scenic views, as well as sheep and cows to see, and many quick pull-offs to stop and take photos. Depending on how often you stop, you can easily count on doubling the amount of time your Garmin says to get to your destination.
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