The Ultimate Guide to the Scottish Highlands

Quick COVID-19 resources for Scotland: UK travel guidance – Scottish government website

After spending about three years studying in Scotland, I finally branched out of Edinburgh and explored the beautiful Scottish Highlands. It was long overdue as people would often ask me where else in Scotland I have been and to be honest, I did not go far. Not even Glasgow, a major city only an hour away. It was always my intention to head north to Skye or Inverness, but these plans unfortunately did not make it passed the idea phase. It was only in my last week in Scotland on a family trip that I ventured north.

This trip can be made as part of a tour or by renting a car to make the drive yourself. Driving yourself gives you the most flexibility and with the long distances involved, this may be the best option giving you time to rest and take in what the north has to offer. Nevertheless, it is a very scenic drive and maybe simply driving through is enough for you. There are two routes to take depending on how you want to start. There is the northern route where you head up towards Perth, over Pitlochry, Inverness, Loch Ness and onto the isle of Skye, or you take the southern route towards Stirling upwards into Loch Lomond and Glencoe. You start/end from Glasgow or include it in the itinerary, giving you lots of flexibility depending on your time and budgetary constraints as well as what you are most interested in. Deciding whether you take the northern or southern route is just a matter of what is most convenient to start with or what you would like to see first. In our case, we started off by taking the northern route.

ITINERARY

DAY 1: Edinburgh – Lewiston via Inverness (~278km)

Starting in Edinburgh, we took a rental car from Edinburgh Waverley Train Station and made our way out of the capital. I recommend leaving no later than 09:00am as the road ahead is long and taking the northern route means starting off with the hardest stretch. After passing Pitlochry, we made a lunch stop that was unexpectedly pleasant at the House of Bruar. It is described as a department store, but it is nothing you would expect. On one end, there is a section displaying traditional Tweed and cashmere pieces and on the other end, Scottish goodness and souvenirs up for grabs with a variety of plants in the courtyard to choose from. And nestled in the middle, you will find a food hall with options ranging from seafood, soups, and salad to dessert for those with a sweet tooth.

After lunch, we continued and passed through Inverness, the Highland Capital. As we drove through all I can say is that it is a small, quaint and compact city with all the highlights within reach. I can only recommend spending more time in Inverness if you can.

THINGS TO DO IN INVERNESS, capital of the Highlands

For the arts and culture:
– Museum and Art Gallery and the Botanic Gardens (free entry)
– Inverness Castle Viewpoint, offering a 360° view of the whole city as the castle itself is not open to the public (admission: adults, £6; children up to 12, £4)

For the outdoors:
– Dolphin Spirit Inverness, a mini excursion to see the northernmost population of Bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth

Likkle recommendations:
– Wear waterproof and warm clothing
– Choose the first option for a more family friend experience and the second one if you are in search of a more thrilling experience

LOCH NESS

One of the most famous bodies of water in the world and home to the Loch Ness Monster or Nessie if you are on a first name basis. After leaving Inverness, the road curves along Loch Ness offering multiple angles of the loch along the way. As we entered Drumnadrochit, we finally arrived at our destination of the day. We stayed at the Loch Ness Inn, a small but cozy place to stay. Due to its size, reservations need to be made for dinner. Before calling it a day, we took a short drive further down the road to Urquhart Castle. There is an entrance fee, but because it was near closing time, we did not go inside and instead got a peek from the carpark.

Urquhart Castle, the remains of a site of great conflict between the Scots and the English during the Wars of Independence. Further power struggle took places with the Lords of Isles who made regular raids. During the Jacobite Risings, government troops blew up the castle before leaving. In other words, a site of great importance in Scottish history.
Admission: adult, £9.60; concession, £7.70 (seniors aged 60+, unemployed); children aged 5-15, £5.80

DAY 2: Lewiston – Sleat (~126km)

We continued the drive along the Loch ness and made a viewpoint stop in Fort Augustus. After, we continued up the A87 and crossed to the isle of Skye over the Skye bridge.

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POIs:

For sightseeing:
– Loch Duich – Eilean Donan Castle – Loch Long – Loch Alsh – Kyle of Lochalsh Viewpoint and Picnic Place
For walking/hiking:
– Five Sisters of Kintail (starting point at Glen Shiel Park – the name of the parking lot that can be entered into Google Maps)

SKYE, exploring the mystical isle of Skye

In Skye, we stopped in the capital of Portree. We entered the Antler Bar & Grill, part of the Portree Hotel, in search of some comfort. If you eat here, I recommend trying their different roll options, something my whole family enjoyed. After satisfying our hunger, we made our way up towards Old Man of Storr. We did not walk very far as it would have been hard on my parents, but this is a trail I would recommend doing. On the Skye website, it is considered medium difficulty so definitely be prepared for the climb. Where we got to, the view was still impeccable and a lot of the times, it was covered in fog or clouds making it very picturesque. Then, we continued upwards along the east of part the island.

POIs: Loch Fada, Loch Leathan, Brother’s Point, Lealt Gorge and Falls, Kilk Rock and Mealt Falls, Quiraing (walk/hike)

After several viewpoints, we ended up on the other side of the island in Uig and came back down to Portree for some hydration and stretching before heading to our hotel for the night. We stayed at Hotel Eilean Iarmain in one of their suits with a beautiful view of the Sound of Sleat. The room was spacious and nicely decorated and gave comfy vibes, a perfect combination for my family.

Likkle recommendations:
Fairy Glen – to access this magical site, you can park your car next to the Glen if you arrive early. Otherwise, park in Uig and either walk 30 mins or book a seat on a shuttle bus depending on your preference.
The Fairy Pools – a walk of medium difficulty starting on Glenbrittle road and winds along the River Brittle. If you can brave the cold, some people take a leap and swim in the pools.
Dunvegan Castle and Gardens – a viewpoint or visit (entrance fee required)
Neist Point Lighthouse – viewpoint

As Scottish weather is characterized by rain and wind, I recommend bringing good waterproof gear to keep warm, and a towel if you plan to take a swim.

DAY 3: Sleat – Glencoe (~114km)

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day, a rare occasion in Scotland, and a little later than previous days as we wanted to take our time heading over to the ferry terminal. At the terminal, we grabbed a couple of snacks from The Shed and if you arrive well ahead of your departure time, you may consider having a seat while you watch the ferry come in.

FERRY FROM ARMADALE TO MALLAIG

The crossing process is pretty straightforward – you line up your vehicle along the appropriate lane and a member of staff will come to scan your tickets. If you got them online like we did, make sure to print them. Alternatively, you can collect them at the port but my advice is to always come prepared and print it before you leave for your trip. The Caldeonian MacBrayne – Hebridean & Clyde Ferries website will help you determine which ticket will suit your journey the most and how you want to purchase it (online, over the phone or at a local post office but you already know what I recommend). We took a one-way ticket and paid £3.50 per adult (driver and passenger) as well as £9.95 for a 4×4 car. With the car parked on the ferry, we headed up to the passenger deck as no one is allowed to stay in their vehicle. On the passenger deck, you can enjoy a drink, some Wifi (though the connection was not very stable), a bathroom break and the view as you cross over to Mallaig. The journey takes about 30 mins.

Once we reached Mallaig, we continued out scenic drive on the A830. We made another unexpected lunch stop, this time at Glenfinnan House, a country house hotel on the shores of Loch Shiel. As we were travelling during one of Europe’s intense heatwaves, we got to enjoy a perfect sunny day where the rolling hills met the shoreline. Then, we continued our journey towards Fort William where we occasionally met the railways that carry the famous Harry Potter train as well as a view of Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. Finally, we arrived at our destination in Ballachulish (pronounced Ba-la-hoo-lish) where we spent the night at the Isles of Glencoe Hotel. This is a very modern hotel offering views of Loch Leven. Something that I did not know prior was that it has a pool with a sauna and jacuzzi which at the time could have been a great end to a hot day (Scottish edition). A little note for passing travellers: non-guests can also enjoy these facilities for a price that includes a meal at the restaurant.

DAY 4: Glencoe – Eidnburgh (~190km)

We reached the last stretch of our journey as we headed back to Edinburgh. The drive through Glencoe was relaxing but as we got closer, we started to feel the stress of city traffic as we merged into the M9.

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POIs along the A82:
Three Sisters of Glencoe – a beautiful, green valley set up for hikers to discover rolling hills and catch waterfalls. To find the entrance to the trail, use the ‘Three Sisters Car Park’ as a reference on Google Maps
The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park – we continued on the A82 to maximize our scenic drive through the park, but you can make this our primary destination as it holds many activities and sites for all the outdoor enthusiasts out there (cycling, kayaking, walking/hiking, camping, fishing, climbing, cruising)

And that concludes my trip through the Scottish Highlands. I am glad I got to see more of Scotland before moving; Scotland has incredible landscapes and it is definitely a place worth visiting. If I were to come back, I would spend more time doing some of the trails. An ideal itinerary would look something like this:

1. Edinburgh – Inverness – Drumnadrochit
– Lunch stop in House of Bruar
– Afternoon stop in Inverness (alternatively, I would recommend spending 1-2 days or doing Inverness as a weekend trip if you are living in Edinburgh or Glasgow)
– Viewpoints along the Loch Ness
– Sleep in Drumnadrochit

2. Drumnadrochit – Portree
– Visit Urquhart Castle; viewpoint in Fort Augustus; viewpoint in Eilean Donan Castle; lunch in Portree; hike Old Man of Storr; sleep in Portree

3. Island of Skye – Sleat
– Hike Fairy Glen; viewpoint in Dunvegan Castle; viewpoint in Neist Point Lighthouse’ visit the Fairy Pools; sleep in Sleat

This itinerary can also be reversed or start from Glasgow as well. And there you have it, the ultimate guide to the Scottish Highlands. No matter your approach whether that is driving through the landscapes, hiking to reach incredible, distant sites or something in between, you will still be able to enjoy the scenery unfold.

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