Bucket List This: SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS ROAD TRIP!!!!
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i’d never really had scotland on my radar (let’s be honest the weather isn’t really my vibe) but when my scottish bestie kirst said we should come visit, we figured, might as well make a road trip out of it… it literally turned out to be one of the BEST road trips of my ENTIRE LIFE!!!! there were parts (like all of day 3) when i could not scrape my jaw off the road!!! it’s literally the scottish storybook of your dreams, with fields of sheep lined by rock fences, lonesome castle ruins with nobody around, waterfalls, rock formations, jaw-dropping cliffs, COOS — OH, THE COOS!!!! 🐮🐮🐮🧡🧡🧡
yes the weather is dreary but you just have to lean in because the moodiness makes the magic!!!
massive shout out to Kirst for inviting us and Michael punnydunny (who came to my epic Galapagos meet-up!! #galapalustplus) for giving us all his scottish highlands recos — there were some MAJOR hidden gems on here and we could not have done this without him!!!
we spent 2 days in Glasgow which was actually a fricken blast, as the scots are!! watched one of the euros games in a pub (the scots lost, so they drank beer and acted jolly), LOVED Pollok Park (my first COOS!) and spent an afternoon at the West End (quirky antique shops & record stores, cute alleys, vibey patios). other than that not much to report lol
then onto a 4-day highlands road trip, which i would say we pretty much slayed except for i’m sad we didn’t get to go up to the northeast coast cause looks like some epic castles up there! but we did the best we could in the time we had and it was just UNREAL.
after that we spent 2 nights in Edinburgh which is an AMAZING magical city (literally everything is Harry Potter vibes) — you can see my Edinburgh recos in this video:
now onto our EEEPPIIIICCCCC Scottish Highlands road trip!!!
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS DAY ONE - Glasgow ➡️ Isle of Skye
i can’t lie, the day started off dreary 🥴 the scots are jokesters but they ain’t kidding about the rain, it’s currently mid-June and 12°, we had a LONG drive day planned, and for the first bit i was underwhelmed — beautiful, but felt a lot like Canada which i’m used to so didn’t totes take my breathe away. ⛰️🌲🌊
we drove through rolling green hills, past loch after loch, stopped at the cute Castle Stalker, spent way too much time chasing down the hogwarts express (tip: triple check the Glenfinnan Viaduct times, it’s only going past twice a day contrary to the 1:30 viewing we saw online 🙃), cruised by two deer, lots of sheep, zero coos 🥲
but then things started to shift — things started to get real SCOTTISH. the moodiness was mooding, the mountains got taller and greener and mistier, with waterfalls trickling down around every bend, Eilean Donan Castle was EPIC, and Isle of Skye brought the MAGIC. sheep, coos, and finished the day at Fairyview Glen — a fairytale hillscape dotted with sheep friends and i’m pretty sure hobbits, fairies, and pixies, getting to explore at the end of the day with zero crowds, was something out of a storybook 🐏🧚🤍 slept in a little pod called fairy glen and felt like a wee queen of the sco-ish castle 👑
>> ACCOMMODATION LINK: FAIRYGLEN VIEW POD <<
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS DAY TWO - Isle of Skye ➡️ Ullapool
did i say day one started off dreary?
i… i was unaware. 😳😳😳.
after a the torrential start to this day (come to scotland in june, they said 🙃🌧️) but when the skies cleared (aka we descended) on Quiraing hike, it was immediately obvious why this place gets its hype — absolutely breathtaking, with a scale that has to be felt irl to be understood. after stops at mealt falls/kilt rock and lealt falls, an old man of storr drive-by and of course sheep and COOs 🥰, we ventured off the ✨🧚Isle of Skye🧚✨ and higher into the Scottish Highlands, moseyed around the jaw-dropping corrieshalloch gorge, and were QUITE exhausted & damp, posting up for the night at a quaint hotel in the whitewashed coastal village of Ullapool 🤍
>> ACCOMMODATION LINK: CALEDONIAN HOTEL IN ULLAPOOL <<
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS DAY THREE - Ullapool ➡️ Durness ➡️ Scourie
an absolutely SURREAL day in the Scottish Highlands. MIND BLOWING.
one of my top 5 travel days of life. for real.
the stops were magical but the best part was just cruising through the NC500 — along the winding single-lane roads, jaw dropping more around every bend, through the mossy hills and craggy mountains and past the pristine lochs and fields of sheep, sheep and more sheep, lined with rocky rubble walls and the quaintest homes. this route is the SCOTTISH DREAM.
our first stop was my favourite stop of the trip so far: ardvreck castle. a perfect eerie castle in ruins set on the shores of loch assynt, a spectacular setting with mountains, waterfalls, greenery, set to the moodiest morning sky, i think this would have been a good place for voldemort to hang out. absolutely epic — not another soul there when we arrived so of course we had to take the drone for a whirl! 🧚♂️
had to try one of the famous pies at lochinver larder 🥧 (honestly it was ok lol)
achmelvich beach is an unusual sight here in scotland — white sand & turquoise water, and i had it allll to myself for a solo flounce 🌊
stopped at stoer lighthouse for some epic cliffside views and the drive here is just straight out of a fairytale 🦄
clashnessie falls — i'm not really fussed by falls these days, but these scottish falls are hitting different. WOW. a 30 min (muddy) walk from the road, such an epic lil stop. 💦
smoo cave near the northern tip of scotland in durness is unreal, a thundering waterfall plunging into a cave surrounded by spectacular cliffs 🤯
spent the night in an adorable tighlochan pod overlooking fields of sheep and a sun that as of 11pm never seems to set. soul so full. ✨✨✨
>> ACCOMMODATION LINK: TIGHLOCHAN PODS <<
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS DAY FOUR & FIVE - Scourie ➡️ Aviemore ➡️ Edinburgh
day 4 & 5 were much less exhilarating than 1, 2 and 3 and honestly what a relief, i’m not sure i could have handled another day that was that action packed 😅😅😅
longer drive days but less stops, we headed eastwards across the country from scourie to aviemore overnight, and then onwards to edinburgh. the landscapes relaxed from the dramatic cliffscapes of the NC500 to rolling fields and forest-lined highways, we re-entered civilization in the towns of Dornoch and Inverness, and the most shocking difference was the SUN came out!!! Scotland is that even you?!?
popped by Loch Ness to say what up to nessie and catch a bird’s eye view 🕊️ of Urquhart Castle, spent a chill night at Aviemore (which is like a ski town), woke up n did the same at Ardverikie Estate (featured in bond & the crown), and of course my highlight was visiting the tranquil gem of Kellie Castle (out of the way but as if we were gonna miss this), who knew this was obviously my parents’ inspo?! 🥹👸🏼
>> AVIEMORE ACCOMMODATION <<
honestly i want everyone to go experience this Scottish Highlands trip, it feels so under the radar and is so so beautiful. and the Scottish people are so wholesome and nice. and did i mention the sheep friends and THE COOS.
some tips for scotland:
many roads (mostly on the NC500, which is the best part) are single-lane dotted with plenty of passing places so drive carefully!
i went in june and it was 10° so bundle up and bring a rain jacket, but the good news the rain comes in spurts so if it doesn’t suit you, just wait 10 mins!
like most places, getting there early or in the later hours (it was literally light out till 11pm when i went) will help you beat the crowds — however all of these amazing spots on the NC500 were quite empty when we went! i think the tourists hover around skye and loch ness!
if you didnt listen to hozier on your scottish road trip, did you even do a scottish road trip? SO PERFECTLY HAUNTING!
service is spotty in the highlands so have your offline maps downloaded!
a lot of these towns are V SLEEPY and places dont open till like 11 so check hours and plan your breakfast accordingly! same goes for bathroom planning if you are looking for a cafe to stop in (hotels made great pee stops though)
any questions? leave a comment below! happy travels!!