Road trip Scotland: itinerary for 10 days and two weeks in Scotland!

Click here to see the itinerary of our 10 days in Scotland and to see an alternative route for 14 days in Scotland. This travel overview also shows the hotels and campsites where we slept, how much we paid for this, and our travel hours.

Map of Scotland with 10-day itinerary

Edinburgh – Cairngorms – Culloden – Loch Ness – Wester Ross – Isle of Skye – Fort William – Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park – Edinburgh Airport

We made a 10-day itinerary for this road trip in Scotland in advance, but it was not set in stone. We would spend our first two days in Edinburgh, after which we would get our campervan and have seven days to visit the highlands of Scotland. Our wish list for Scotland was big, and because the distances are sometimes quite long, we had to make choices. In the end, we saw a lot in seven days road-tripping through the highlands of Scotland!

Tip: Did you know that you can also come to Scotland by ferry? This way you can bring your car. There is a daily ferry from IJmuiden to Newcastle, from where it is only a few hours drive to Edinburgh. Click here for more information!

We start this Scotland trip with two days in Edinburgh. The weather is beautiful, and we climb Calton Hill, Arthur’s Seat, and of course, visit the Royal Mile. There are several museums and castles in Edinburgh. However, we skipped these because the weather was too good.

Edinburgh is not a big city, you can see the majority of it in two days. An extra day is not a bad idea, the city is beautiful and has many nice bars and restaurants. Read about our time in Edinburgh here. 

Tip: is the weather good? Then do just like us and watch the sunset from Arthur’s Seat. Bring a bottle of wine and baguette and you will have a wonderful evening.

On day three, we pick up our campervan and drive north via the picturesque village of Falkland to Cairngorms National Park. The Cairngorms National Park is the largest in Scotland. There are several beautiful mountains that you can climb here, as well as beautiful hikes that you can do. We walk the Ryvoan Trail and climb the Meall a’Bhuchaille. We also climb a part of the CairnGorm Mountain.

* Extra day * Cairngorms National Park is very large, this time we only saw a part of the west side. We advise you to allocate an extra day for this park. Do you have more time? Then, consider visiting the east side, which is less touristy and perhaps even more beautiful! Read about our time in Cairngorms National Park.

We camp at the Glenmore Campsite, on Loch Morlich near the village of Aviemore. It is a beautiful campsite next to the lake, highly recommended! Price: £18 (without electricity).

A visit to Scotland is, of course, not complete without a visit to Loch Ness. The lake is long and vast and runs from Inverness to the west. It lies in a narrow valley surrounded by the Great Glen Fault mountains, which form the Great Glen.

* Extra day * The area above Loch Ness is very beautiful. If you have more time, stay an extra day here and visit the following places: Reelig Glen, Glen Affric, Tomich, Plodda Falls, or Glen Strathfarrar.

We drive via the A833 to the north and then towards Ullapool. The rolling landscape of the east is slowly changing into the whimsical environment of the west. We end at Little Loch Broom. Read more about our time in the Central Highlands.

We camp here at the Northern Lights campsite, with a beautiful view of Little Loch Broom. Price: £17.50 (without electricity).

Today, we drive a large part of the Wester Ross Coastal Route. First, via the A832 along Little Loch Broom, where we see the Summer Isles in the distance. Along the ever-changing coast, we drive towards Mellon Udrigle, with a beautiful beach and more sheep than residents. Almost the entire Wester Ross Coastal route is a one-lane road; occasionally, oncoming cars pass by, which we pass via mini passing lanes.

Via the sleepy town of Gerloich, we descend further and further south, where we make a stop to hike at Beinn Eighe.

We drive via the A896 to Kishorn, where we have lunch at the Kishorn Seafood Bar, then we cross the Bealach Na Ba Pass. This is an exciting (because dangerous) mountain pass that ends at the village of Applecross. With good weather, there are beautiful views of the Isle of Skye, among others, unfortunately, we didn’t have good weather.

Eventually, we drive the Bealach Na Ba back south again, after which we end up at the Isle of Skye. Read here everything about our route over the Wester Ross.

Tip: *Extra day* Make sure you take at least two days for the Wester Ross Coastal Route. It is a beautiful and peaceful area with few tourists.

Isle of Skye is, of course, a must when visiting Scotland. However, we were thinking of switching the Isle of Skye with the Isle of Mull. The latter does not seem very logical on the route, and so it will be two days Isle of Skye.

Here we visit the Neist Point Lighthouse, take a boat trip, and be cursed by the fairies ;-). At the end of day eight, we take the ferry to Armadale, the mainland. That evening, we drive on to Fort William.

The first night on Skye, we free camp in the parking lot at Neist Point Lighthouse. The second night we slept on Torvaig Caravan & Camping Site. Price: £20 per night (no electricity).

We do a hike around the mountain, the North Face or Ben Nevis Hike. A nice hike where you always have a good view of Ben Nevis. In the afternoon, we visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct. You’ve probably seen this viaduct in a Harry Potter movie. A steam train comes over four times a day, which is a nice picture. Tip: Check the schedule of the trains on the website of The Jacobite and take the short Glenfinnan Viaduct Trail hike to the viewpoint (start your hike at the old train station).

* Extra day * At the end of the day, we continue via Glencoe to the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. We visited the Glencoe area a few months ago, but if you have not yet done so, we recommend that you stay here for an extra day.

In the evening, we sleep at Strathfillan Wigwam Village, in the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. A very nice campsite, price £17 per night (no electricity).

Today is our last day again. We get up early and drive to Ben Arthur, a mountain in the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Here you can go for a nice hike, provided you have good weather.

After a sporty morning, we get back in the car and drive to Edinburgh, where we return the car and fly back home in the evening.

Tip: We have already been to Glasgow and are, therefore flying back from Edinburgh. Have you not seen Glasgow yet? Then it is worthwhile to end your journey with a few days in this beautiful city.

We had a pretty fast pace and can advise you to do the above route in two weeks instead of ten days. You can stay a day longer in Cairngorms National Park, in the Central Highlands above Loch Ness, take the time for the Wester Ross and finally visit the beautiful mountains of Glencoe.

Click here to see a detailed travel overview of this route.

Map of Scotland with 14-day itinerary