The Ultimate Two Week Itinerary For Scotland
We recently spent two weeks touring through Scotland during the month of May, and it was everything we were hoping for and MORE. We decided to take a campervan which we highly recommend, however a rental car and accomodations would 100% work for this route aswell. We do recommend campervanning through Scotland – it was our first experience with campervanning and it is now our favourite way to travel.
This post doesnt focus on the campervanning aspect but moreso on the activities in each location but it is, ultimately, a roadtrip. This is more about our personal experience during our roadtrip and what we chose to see, with links to the main spots along our trip.
From the moody weather to surprise sunshine, the mountains to the beaches, and the whiskey to the pints, here is our two week itinerary throughout Scotland.
- Day 1 – 3: Isle of Skye
- Day 4 – 5: NC500
- Day 6: The Cairngorms
- Day 7: Aberdeen
- Day 8 – 10 Glencoe
- Day 11 – 13: Edinburgh
- Day 14: Glasgow
DAY 1-3: ISLE OF SKYE
The first day we picked up our campervan and drove from Edinurgh to Isle of Skye. This drive is usually between 4-5 hours (to the beginning of the Isle of Skye – our destination was further in the Isle of Skye). After the first few hours of the drive, the route becomes very scenic and you start to see why Scotland is so popular. I recommend doing this drive in the daylight! We arrived at our destination late, so the first day was mainly a travel day for us.
The next morning we woke up and the weather was rainy, and windy. After travelling we had a slow morning, grabbed some snacks for the road, and headed to the Fairy Glen. The Fairy Glen is the perfect way to shake your legs out and see some great views (and Scottish wildlife!). We went mid-afternoon and whilst there were many people about there was still parking (for a fee) and enough land that you could still capture some pictures without a crowd of people.
After this, we visited the Edinbane Lodge for a fancy michelin star dinner! It is a bit pricey, but the menu is a combination of so many flavours and in our opinion, was worth the splurge for a special occasion.
The next day, we went hiking at the Quiraing. This honestly wasnt super high up on my bucket list to begin with, but after our day, it was definitely our number one spot that we visited – the views are insane. I unfortunately do not have any pictures as we took a break from our phones for the day, but its a must do! Everything you would expect from Scotland can be found in this little piece of paradise (dramatic sweeping views of the Isle of Skye!). The Quiraing hike can be as short or as long as you want it as the area is quite large but views can be seen just a short walk in.
We then went straight to the Old Mann of Storr – a classic tourist location on the Isle fo Skye. This is a shorter (approximately 5km, 1-2 hours of hiking) hike, but with a steeper incline and is probably one of the more popular hikes in the area (for good reason). We went there at the end of our day (around 5pm) and we only ran into a few other people – this place gets busy so i recommend going early or later.
To end the day we headed to the cutest town in the area called Portree where we picked up some Indian takeout food and started our drive off the Isle of Skye for our next adventure. The town of Portree is a great town to stay in a hotel or grab food in (lots of restaurants in the area) but parking was a nightmare during our stay because there was a festival going on. Be prepared to walk into town a bit if you visit during a busy time!
Key Locations for Isle of Skye (linked):
Day 4-5: NC500
The NC500 is the ultimate route to take around the North Coast of Scotland. During this part of the trip, we really felt like we got to see some more isolated parts of Scotland and get more of a feel for the country.
We started our journey in the Scottish highlands (as we had to drive off the Isle of Skye and stop for the night before starting our NC500 road trip) and were woken up in the most amazing way. Usually if theres a bunch of tourists waking you up you may be annoyed, but when its to see the Highland Coos right outside your campervan you might think differently! This was the best surprise as one of the things I was most excited about visiting Scotland was the Coos.
We started our way up the NC500 and along the way you will see so many sights just by driving – wildlife, ruins, castles, mountains, lochs, etc. Our first stop was a long hike in hopes of seeing a waterfall – the highest waterfall in Britain.
The hike, Eas a’ Chual Aluinn Waterfall Hike, was a long one. It takes you to a vantage point to see the waterfall (but you cant see the ENTIRE waterfall). Its a 10-12km hike with over 500m elevation and will take anywhere between 4-6 hours.
We accidentally turned around before getting to the end as we thought the view we saw was the end view, which was underwhelming so make sure you really follow the map until the end. Its a little muddy at times, and I recommend having your all trails map (Loch na Gainmhich and Eas a Chual Aluinn Waterfall on the application) ready as the trail is unmarked and can be easy to get lost. The trail itself sees some of Scotlands great back country and lochs so overall was a great hike!
After this we continued driving until we hit the small town of Durness – one of the end spots of Scotland along the coast. This was a favourite spot along our road trip as we ended up finding a quiet beach (Balnakeil Beach) to pull up next to for the evening and had it almost to ourselves for the night and next morning. We didnt stay in Durness for long but would recommend exploring the area more as not that many people come up here and it seemed there was so much more to see there!
The next day we continued on our road trip on Northern Route and headed towards the Cairngorms. On the way we passed a Scotch Distillery so decided to stop in. If you drink, going to a Scotch tasting or tour in Scotland is definitely a must do in Scotland!
We hopped on a tour at the Balblair Distillery last minute and they took us through their facilities and processes. If you are in the area and looking for a tour we really enjoyed this one!
We then finally made it to the Cairngorms were we stopped in at a pub for the night to grab a drink and food before our next days big adventure.
NC500 locations (linked):
- Car park near the trail head for the Loch na Gainmhich / Eas a’ Chual Aluinn Waterfall hike here (Recommend you use Alltrails to find the exact trail)
- Balnakeil Beach
- Balblair Distillery
DAY 6: THE CAIRNGORMS
We woke up and were ready to head on a LONG adventure in the Cairngorms that turned out to be one of our favourites yet! The hike started in the Cairngorm Mountain Upper Car Park.
We decided to do an extra long hike which led us up to Ben Macdui peak, and then back down to the parking lot in a loop through Loch Avon which made the hike very interesting. It was approximately 19 kilometres long with over 1,000m elevation gain and will take somewhere between 5-7 hours.
The middle of the hike literally feels like you are in the middle of nowhere with the peaks of Scottish mountains in a 360 degree view around you. The peak of Ben Macdui, Loch Avon (theres even a sandy beach down by the water), and the scramble up the rocks on the side of the waterfall made this a memorable hike.
This hike can be found on All Trails under Ben Macdui – Loch Avon. The first part of the trail to Ben Macdui was really popular, but after we took the route to Loch Avon we only ran into a few other people. We had the whole Loch to ourselves.
As you can imagine, we were pretty tired by the end of this hike and found a place to sleep on our way out to the East Coast until the next days adventures.
Cairngorms locations (linked):
- Old Bridge Inn
- Cairngorm Mountain Upper Car Park (start of Ben Macdui / Loch Avon hike)
DAY 7: ABERDEEN
We started our journey out to the East Coast the right way – with a traditional Scottish Breakfast (including blood pudding and hagus!).
After filling up, we headed out east, and the east coast has so many beautiful quick stops to fill up your days! We started at Cullykhan beach which was the cutest beach cove overlooking the nearby town. There was only one other couple when we went and with an iced coffee in hand, it was a perfect quick stop to enjoy the views. There is parking and its less than a 5 minute walk down to the beach.
We decided to drive over to the town we could see in the distance called Pennan. We had a large campervan so we stopped at the top of the road and walked down as the roads were very small and steep. The town was nestled in the cliffs along the shore and was a great morning stroll.
Next up was a walk in the sand dunes in Forvie National Park. Here you could spot birds, seals, and sand that stretches along the coast with some sand dunes to top it off. There are multiple walks that can be done in this area to see the Sand Dunes and get to the beach. This was a relaxing walk which was a great way to stretch the legs and enjoy the sounds of the ocean! You can park at the visitor centre or the waterside parking lot (which is where we departed from).
The last activity of the day was a quick visit to the Donnottar Castle. Whats left of this castle stands on the edge of a cliff right on the ocean – the castle and surroundings are a sight to be seen!
We visited after the tour operating hours but were able to walk up to the castle and tour the area including the beaches below which was what we really wanted to see anyways – and we missed the crowds! It was a great way to end a busy day whilst we headed back to the Scottish Highlands.
Aberdeen locations (linked):
- Rustic Grill (Turriff – on the way to Aberdeen from Cairngorms)
- Cullykhan Beach
- Pennan
- Forvie National Park (Sand Dunes)
- Dunnottar Castle
DAY 8 – 10: GLENCOE
We had driven through Glencoe in the beggining of our road trip on our way to Isle of Skye and we were SO excited to come back. Glencoe looks like what most people envision when they envision Scotland!
We started our morning off with a hike in the Lost Valley (which you can find on All Trails). Its about 4 kilometres (there and back) with 260m elevation. It is rated as a higher difficulty as there is some rock climbing and the trail isnt clearly marked so you have to get creative. However, the views in the valley are worth it once you get there! We parked on one of the many side pull-off parking lots on your drive through Glencoe and walked down to the trail. We stopped once we got into the valley and the trail ended, however you could venture further in and even camp overnight if you were willing! Glencoe is a popular area in general so you will see people on this trail.
After this we decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. We stopped in at a local pub for a bite and a drink (a common theme for us in Scotland). The pub was called the Clachaig Inn and was just a short drive away.
Afterwards it was still relatively early, so we found a parking spot further away from the crowds. I cant remember the exact location but I THINK it was around Loch Lochy (near Fort William) and it was our little slice of heaven for the night! We grabbed our camping chairs, made some dinner, and looked out onto the Loch and mountains for the evening. We were on a main road, but it wasnt too busy and no other campervans joined us so we had the place to ourselves.
As a Harry Potter fan myself, no Scotland trip would be complete without a trip to the Glenfinnan Viaduct to see the Hogwarts Express drive by!
We made sure to look up the timings (can be found on the West Coast Railways website). The train will pass over the Glenfinnan Viaduct about 30 minutes after it departs from Fort William so plan accordingly! You may want to arrive early to snag a parking spot (it was very busy when we went), make the 20-ish minute walk over to the viaduct, and secure your spot to see the train.
This took up our morning, so in the afternoon we headed into Glen Nevis – the drive itself was worth the time! We drove as far as we could into the park (on the Glen Nevis road) then embarked into Glen Nevis and stumbled upon amazing scenery. We ended up taking the Steall Falls path (can be found on AllTrails) which was only 3.5 kilometres (out and back) with 130m of elevation.
We ended up seeing sheep, highland coos, climbing a rope bridge, walking through the river, and seeing the waterfall all within one hike.
After a rainy day hike, we headed to a close by town (Fort William) for a drink and pizza at the Black Isle Bar before settling in for the night. We settled in for the night nearby before starting our way back to Edinburgh.
Glencoe locations (linked):
- Lost Valley (to the carpark to start the trail)
- Clachaig Inn
- Loch Lochy
- Glenfinnan Viaduct
- Car park for Steall Waterfall hike (Glen Nevis Rd)
- Black Isle Bar
DAY 11 – 13: EDINBURGH
En route from Fort William to Edinburgh, we decided to do a quick stop in Oban – it was a great spot to stretch the legs! We visited a local distillery and found a cute fish and chip shop – there is TONS there.
Once we got to Edinburgh we returned the rental vehicle and headed to a hotel downtown for the night. Our hotel was the Cheval Old Town Chambers which is right on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.
We started the Edinburgh trip off right with a traditional Sunday Roast – a must in the UK! You can get a good roast dinner in most places but we had ours at Hawksmoor Edinburgh and would recommend it.
We spent the rest of the day wandering around Edinburgh (especially the old town and around Edinburgh Castle) and visiting some speak easys such as Panda & Sons and Hoot The Redeemer – they both had great ambiances and more importantly great drinks!
After a big day, we started the next morning off slow. You will get some crazy steps in walking around the city but its the best way to see the sights! The next day we hit up some more great restaurants (such as the Devils Advodate for lunch – burger and a pint, and the Jolly Judge and the Voodoo rooms for drinks), and walked to Deans Village. Deans village is such a cute little area that feels less busy than the Old Town and is a another must in our opinion.
We were also able to see the Edinburgh Castle from the Princess Street gardens we walked through (which was enough for us). We also ended up on Victoria Street which had an old and colourful feel to it.
For dinner we went to a restaurant called Noto and it was amazing – they have a bunch of smaller plates to share and experience more. The restaurant was also in a cute area.
Edinburgh locations (linked):
- Oban Whiskey Distillery (en route to Edinburgh)
- Cheval Old Town Chambers
- The Royal Mile, Edinburgh
- Panda & Sons
- Hoot The Redeemer
- Princess Street Gardens
- The Devils Advocate
- The Jolly Judge Pub
- The Voodoo Rooms
- Dean Village
- Victoria Street
- Noto
DAY 14: GLASGOW
On our last day, we took the train to Glasgow for our flight out. We really didnt see much of Glasgow, but the train was super easy to take (we booked our tickets on the spot at the station) and not a long train ride (especially after such a big road trip!). However we felt like we saw so much of Scotland despite missing this big city and wouldnt have changed that!
