One Week in Scotland + Highlands
Our first trip to Scotland came after the most magical week in Ireland, and I remember at the time thinking, "we might as well go home". Nothing could top our time in Ireland so Scotland surely would be a let down; but tickets were already booked and it was our honeymoon, so we persevered.
Needless to say, we were not disappointed.
Scotland is gritty, dramatic, romantic and maybe one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is easy to visit, hard to leave and worth every pound you spend. So, if you are going to Scotland for the first time, and like us are more interested in the outdoors than castles and shopping, then I think this one week itinerary is for you.
Day 1: Land Edinburgh
With one week in Scotland, and a focus on the outdoors you have to cut corners somewhere and for me, that somewhere is Edinburgh. This is a beautiful city, where both new and old worlds collide and it is worth at the very least one day. If you have more time you could add a second day here and maybe do a day tour like Gilmerton Cove, Holyrod Park or Edinburgh Castle (if that's your thing). We've only ever spent one day in Edinburgh, and don't plan anything other than walking around both Old Town Edinburgh and the Royal Mile as well as maybe a hike up Calton Hill or Arthur's Seat. A lot of people will tell you NOT to bring a car into Edinburgh. The bus system is really well organized so you do not need a car in the city, but the most convenient place to get your rental car is from the airport, so if you don't get one the day you land, you will have to backtrack to get it the morning of day 2. We've done both and I don't know which one I prefer. The bus to/from the airport is cheap and easy so it's not as much of an inconvenience as you might think, plus then you're not paying for parking or trying to navigate a rental car in the city.
This looked like something out of Harry Potter and as a result, I have an embarrassingly high number of photos of it.
Edinburgh Castle.
Calton Hill
The view from Calton Hill.
Day 2: Cairngorms to Inverness, Stopping at Culloden
Kayaking in the Cairngorms
A little under 2 hours away from Edinburgh, Cairngorms National Park is in the heart of the Scottish highlands and literally has something for anyone. Even adult women who want to jostle children aside to get a closer look at the white reindeer. It was my first time seeing a reindeer, and yes I WOULD like to feed it some snacks. The only organized tour we've done here has been the quad trekking, which was fun, but to me, the true beauty lies in just exploring the park and doing some hiking. To each their own though, just figure out what you want to do and backtrack your time table from there.
For some people Stirling Castle is a must-see, so if this is something you want to do, you could plan it for first thing in the morning (it opens at 930), but just know that this will cut into any time you have for the Cairngorms. It is a bit of a detour from your route, so unless it is something that you are dying to do, I would give it a miss.
Here you go Diana Gabaldon fans.
Days 3-5+: Inverness to the Isle of Skye
I have already written about spending a couple days on the Isle of Skye. Consider this my love letter to you. If you have any extra time in your itinerary, pack it here - just let me know when so I can come too.
Day 6: Skye to Glencoe
I know that you're not going to want to leave Skye, but Glencoe makes up for it, trust me. Glencoe is about 3 hours away from Skye, but the drive is BEAUTIFUL so expect to spend extra time stopping and taking pictures. Unless I just totally missed it (and it's possible) there really isn't anything to do apart from the amazing and awe inspiring landscape and scenery. All this means is don't expect some cosmopolitan city with several restaurant choices and options. We stayed in a beautiful little B&B and ended up eating dinner at a nearby hotel which worked perfectly fine, if you are ok with local Scottish teenagers giggling at your accent and only having french fries and mystery meat for dinner (we are ok with that). There is actually a fancy hotel in Glencoe, and I bet you can get some amazing food there, but their restaurant was booked the night we were there. If you feel the need to party, get it out of your system in Portree or Inverness because it's probably not happening here.
Between Skye and Glencoe, there will be several historic points of interest that you can visit if you're interested. Or, you can head straight to Ft. William and tackle one of the hikes like Ben Nevis (if you leave ass early, this is an all day hike) or if you want something shorter, the Three Sisters.
This picture makes me laugh because it reminds me of that scene in A League of Their Own when they took the shot of Marla Hooch from far away, and this picture is posted for the exact same reason. After 16 days of eating carb heavy breakfasts and deep fried brie, Jorge was only allowed to shoot me from 100 ft. away.
The Three Sisters.
This is not appropriate hiking footwear. Learn from my mistakes.
Day 7: Glencoe to Glasgow
Our B&B host in Glencoe was amazing. Not only did he make a mean bowl of oatmeal, he disappeared for about 15 minutes during breakfast and came back with a large butcher block paper with a handwritten map and itinerary for our drive from Glencoe to Glasgow. THIS is why you stay in a B&B instead of a hotel. So here is mine, but really, Alan's advice for your Day 7.
If you didn't already, spend a little time exploring Glencoe Village before you leave. It is tiny so won't take you long but there are some little shops and important historic landmarks that you shouldn't miss.
Once you leave Glencoe, there are many places of interest to stop along the way to Glasgow. I should stop here to say that Alan's suggested itinerary skipped over Oban. Oban is a port town that acts as a gateway for a lot of day tours to the Western Isles. If you have an extra day, or are very ambitious, you could plan a full or half day tour from here. Or if you want to give the town a look see, it does have plenty of shops and restaurants. Personally, unless you have a specific reason for visiting Oban I don't think it's worth it in the interest of time.
One stop that is worth it is Kilchurn Castle.
He heard my siren song.
There are also several little mountain walks and places of interest off the side of the road that you can stop at if they interest you.
From here, we have always just made our way to a hotel near the airport, and then gone into Glasgow itself for dinner or drinks if we were up to it, returning our rental car to the airport in the morning on our way out.
Glasgow is a big, metropolitan city, but don't detour your whole trip around it. If it works out to do an open jaw flight, then plan to leave from Glasgow and stop in for dinner and drinks before your early AM flight. Spend the majority of your daylight hours on the road, in the highlands and exploring some of the best Scotland has to offer. You won't regret sacrificing some time in Glasgow for an extra hour in Glencoe, I promise.
Needless to say, we were not disappointed.
Scotland is gritty, dramatic, romantic and maybe one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is easy to visit, hard to leave and worth every pound you spend. So, if you are going to Scotland for the first time, and like us are more interested in the outdoors than castles and shopping, then I think this one week itinerary is for you.
Day 1: Land Edinburgh
With one week in Scotland, and a focus on the outdoors you have to cut corners somewhere and for me, that somewhere is Edinburgh. This is a beautiful city, where both new and old worlds collide and it is worth at the very least one day. If you have more time you could add a second day here and maybe do a day tour like Gilmerton Cove, Holyrod Park or Edinburgh Castle (if that's your thing). We've only ever spent one day in Edinburgh, and don't plan anything other than walking around both Old Town Edinburgh and the Royal Mile as well as maybe a hike up Calton Hill or Arthur's Seat. A lot of people will tell you NOT to bring a car into Edinburgh. The bus system is really well organized so you do not need a car in the city, but the most convenient place to get your rental car is from the airport, so if you don't get one the day you land, you will have to backtrack to get it the morning of day 2. We've done both and I don't know which one I prefer. The bus to/from the airport is cheap and easy so it's not as much of an inconvenience as you might think, plus then you're not paying for parking or trying to navigate a rental car in the city.
Old Town Edinburgh. If you're interested, you can organize a day tour while you're here. They have underground caves and city walking tours just to name a few.
This is a monument to Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott. You can walk to the top for about £5 per person.
St. Giles Cathedral.
We usually take a nap before going back out in the evening for dinner and drinks, and if my drunken memory serves me right, belgian waffles, somewhere on Queen Street.
A little under 2 hours away from Edinburgh, Cairngorms National Park is in the heart of the Scottish highlands and literally has something for anyone. Even adult women who want to jostle children aside to get a closer look at the white reindeer. It was my first time seeing a reindeer, and yes I WOULD like to feed it some snacks. The only organized tour we've done here has been the quad trekking, which was fun, but to me, the true beauty lies in just exploring the park and doing some hiking. To each their own though, just figure out what you want to do and backtrack your time table from there.
For some people Stirling Castle is a must-see, so if this is something you want to do, you could plan it for first thing in the morning (it opens at 930), but just know that this will cut into any time you have for the Cairngorms. It is a bit of a detour from your route, so unless it is something that you are dying to do, I would give it a miss.
I organized the quad trek ahead of time, booking through the National Park's website. I liked that it gave a bigger overview of the park than you can get under your own steam, but at the same time you can only go where motorized vehicles are allowed. I don't think you can really go wrong with nearly anything you choose to do here, so think about what would work best with the amount of time you have.
Depending on how late it is when you leave the Cairngorms, you can plan on stopping at Culloden Battlefield before checking into your hotel for the evening. About 1 1/2 hours away from the Cairngorms, Culloden is only a 20 minute detour from Inverness, where you will probably be spending the night. We arrived shortly before it closed, and it was beautiful seeing it as the sun was setting with very few other tourists around. There are informative signs and pamphlets at the visitor center, but this is definitely something you should research a little before you go. The history is heartrending and it will help give you perspective when you visit this battleground/graveyard.
Inverness is a short detour from Culloden, and it would make sense to spend the night there since there are plenty of places to sleep and eat and the city is worth a stroll in the morning before you leave.
Days 3-5+: Inverness to the Isle of Skye
I have already written about spending a couple days on the Isle of Skye. Consider this my love letter to you. If you have any extra time in your itinerary, pack it here - just let me know when so I can come too.
Day 6: Skye to Glencoe
One of the most beautiful stretches of road in the world.
I know that you're not going to want to leave Skye, but Glencoe makes up for it, trust me. Glencoe is about 3 hours away from Skye, but the drive is BEAUTIFUL so expect to spend extra time stopping and taking pictures. Unless I just totally missed it (and it's possible) there really isn't anything to do apart from the amazing and awe inspiring landscape and scenery. All this means is don't expect some cosmopolitan city with several restaurant choices and options. We stayed in a beautiful little B&B and ended up eating dinner at a nearby hotel which worked perfectly fine, if you are ok with local Scottish teenagers giggling at your accent and only having french fries and mystery meat for dinner (we are ok with that). There is actually a fancy hotel in Glencoe, and I bet you can get some amazing food there, but their restaurant was booked the night we were there. If you feel the need to party, get it out of your system in Portree or Inverness because it's probably not happening here.
Between Skye and Glencoe, there will be several historic points of interest that you can visit if you're interested. Or, you can head straight to Ft. William and tackle one of the hikes like Ben Nevis (if you leave ass early, this is an all day hike) or if you want something shorter, the Three Sisters.
This picture makes me laugh because it reminds me of that scene in A League of Their Own when they took the shot of Marla Hooch from far away, and this picture is posted for the exact same reason. After 16 days of eating carb heavy breakfasts and deep fried brie, Jorge was only allowed to shoot me from 100 ft. away.
We originally planned on hiking Ben Nevis, but the weather was terrible the only day we could do it, so we spent our time exploring sites along the road, checking into our hotel in Glencoe later in the afternoon, and then hiking the Three Sisters before sunset, when the rain had moved out.
Day 7: Glencoe to Glasgow
If you didn't already, spend a little time exploring Glencoe Village before you leave. It is tiny so won't take you long but there are some little shops and important historic landmarks that you shouldn't miss.
Once you leave Glencoe, there are many places of interest to stop along the way to Glasgow. I should stop here to say that Alan's suggested itinerary skipped over Oban. Oban is a port town that acts as a gateway for a lot of day tours to the Western Isles. If you have an extra day, or are very ambitious, you could plan a full or half day tour from here. Or if you want to give the town a look see, it does have plenty of shops and restaurants. Personally, unless you have a specific reason for visiting Oban I don't think it's worth it in the interest of time.
Oban.
One stop that is worth it is Kilchurn Castle.
Next, stop in Inverary for lunch and to stretch your legs. This is where I got my Scottish bunny christmas ornament.
From here, we have always just made our way to a hotel near the airport, and then gone into Glasgow itself for dinner or drinks if we were up to it, returning our rental car to the airport in the morning on our way out.
Glasgow is a big, metropolitan city, but don't detour your whole trip around it. If it works out to do an open jaw flight, then plan to leave from Glasgow and stop in for dinner and drinks before your early AM flight. Spend the majority of your daylight hours on the road, in the highlands and exploring some of the best Scotland has to offer. You won't regret sacrificing some time in Glasgow for an extra hour in Glencoe, I promise.
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