You can find the ultimate itinerary for a road trip through Scotland in this blog. This route is perfect for a 10 day to 14 days road trip through Scotland. Do you like camping? Then take this road trip through Scotland by campervan or with a tent in the back, we have already added information about the best campsites in Scotland. You will also find a travel schedule and a handy map of Scotland in this blog.
Itinerary Scotland: 10 days or two weeks in the highlands
Click here or on the image below 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 days 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. Our first two days we would spend 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: do you know that you can also come to Scotland by ferry. This way you can bring your own 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!
I recommend that you take a little more time for the above itinerary, to have just a little bit of a slower pace. In case you have more days, there are suggestions made in the text below of how to spend those extra days (indicated by an asterisk (*)).
We drove north from Edinburgh to just above Inverness. We then crossed the country to the west where we drove part of the Wester Ross Coastal Route. Via Isle Of Skye and the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park we drove south. Finally, we ended up again in the east in Edinburgh….
Road trip Scotland day 1-2: Edinburgh
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 skip these because the weather is 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. We stayed in this apartment via Airbnb. Price € 45 per night.
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.
Scotland tour day 3: Cairngorms National Park
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 National Park 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).
Mega budget tip: currently the campervan rental company Spaceships had an Early Bird discount deal which gives you 10% discount on renting a campervan when you travel before the 20th of June 2023. Click here for more information and to book directly!
Road trip Scotland day 4: Culloden and Inverness (Black Isle)
After camping for the first night, we head to Culloden. But not before we do a whiskey tasting and tour at Tomatin. A nice activity and definitely recommended! We drive on to Culloden to visit the battlefields. Here the Jacobites were defeated by the British army on April 16, 1746. If you want to know more about the history of Scotland, a visit is a must.
We skip the city of Inverness and decide to drive to the slightly more northern Black Isle peninsula. Here we look for dolphins, which are common here. We camp at the Fortrose Bay Campsite, a nice campsite by the sea. Price: £20 (with electricity).
Scotland itinerary day 5: Loch Ness and the Central Highlands
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).
All about money, expenses and prices on travelling can be found in our Scotland budget blog!
Road trip Scotland day 6: Via the Wester Ross to the Isle of Skye
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 all the way to Kishorn where we have lunch at the Kishorn Seafoodbar, 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.
Itinerary Scotland day 7 and 8: Isle of Skye
Isle of Skye is, of course, a must when visiting Scotland. However, we in advance we were thinking of switching Isle of Skye with 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 sleep on Torvaig Caravan & Camping Site. Price: £20 per night (no electricity).
Read more in this blog with Isle of Skye tips!
Itinerary Scotland day 9: Fort William
After free camping overnight at Braveheart Carpark, we get up in time for a hike. Fort William is a fairly large city, popular with tourists because it is the beginning (or end) of the West Highland Way. We are here to take a hike around Ben Nevis. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland, but with 1345 meters it seems not to be that high. The hike to the top of Ben Nevis is, however, a hard and dangerous one. It is not advisable to do it without a guide and good equipment.
Scotland itinerary 10 days: Ben Nevis
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 have already 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).
Free guide: all you need to know about road tripping and camping in Scotland!
Road trip Scotland day 10: Loch Lomond & The Trossachs – Ben Arthur – Edinburgh
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 do a nice hike, provided you have good weather.
After a sporty morning, we get back in the car and drive on to Edinburgh where we return the car and fly back home in the evening.
Tip: We have already been to Glasgow (read our blog on 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.
Itinerary 14 days in Scotland road trip
We had a pretty fast pace and can advise you to do the above route in two weeks instead of ten days. You 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 days itinerary
Other highlights and road trip itineraries in Scotland?
Absolutely the most difficult thing to do when planning your trip through Scotland is making choices. There are so many beautiful places to visit. The next time we would like to drive the North Coast 500, where you drive the entire north coast in 516 miles. You start and end in Inverness.
Furthermore, Scotland consists of more than 790 islands, almost all of which can be visited. I would love to visit the Shetland Islands as well as the Outer Hebrides. Finally, the lowlands of Scotland, on the border with England, seem to be beautiful and attract few tourists!
Click here for more blogs on Scotland!
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