Magical Scotland, something we heard all along as we planned our Scotland roadtrip and with this trip being one of our finest driving experiences, we can only agree about how truly magical the place is!
the journey begins… London to Edinburgh
First Day – Our journey started from the King Cross station in London at 0730 hrs via LNER and after a 4 hour relaxed train journey across the England country side, we arrived at Edinburgh by 1230 hours. We had a quick lunch before picking up our ride from Enterprise Rental Car to start our Scotland Roadtrip by 1430 hours. Couple of hours into the journey and we were driving on some amazing winding roads in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, where we halted at The Broch Cafe.
Rest of our journey involved driving through Glencoe upto Fort William as we halted at various viewpoints. Its like you stop anywhere and you are bound to get stunning views in almost any direction you look at. Some of the view points we checked out were the Etiv Mor, Glencoe and Three Sisters Viewpoint.
Visiting the stunning Isle of Skye!
Second Day – Starting our journey early by 0600 hours, today we were off to Isle of Skye. After some small halts to capture some quick images, we stopped at the famous Eilean Donan Castle followed by another halt for breakfast at Cafe Sia & Siaway – a lovely breakfast place in the quaint town of Broadford. Continuing the journey, we visited the Portree town, Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock & Mealt Point, Dunvegan Castle, Neist Point Lighthouse and the Eilean Donan castle again, this time post sunset.
Hogwarts Express (Glenfinnan Viaduct), Ben Nevis & more…
Third Day – Starting at leisure by 0730 hours with a soumptous breakfast at JJ’s Cafe, we drove to the see the famous Hogwart’s Express at Glenfinnan Viaduct, and was followed by the amazing Gondola ride to Ben Nevis which offered some stunning views of mountain ranges. We spent rest of the day just driving through the Scottish Highlands towards North and checking out the famous Loch Ness, Bridge of Oich and Fort Augustus town.
Note: To reach at the best viewpoint to click the Hogwart’s Express, one has arrive at-least an hour before the time it cross the bridge (~1045 hrs). We were there by 1000 hrs and still missed the best viewpoint as we did not get parking and had to park further away. Here is one of the best blogs while planning the same:
How to See Hogwart’s Express at Glenfinnan Viaduct
Buzzing streets of Edinburgh!
Fourth Day – final day and it was time to head back marking the end of our amazing Scotland roadtrip. Starting early by 0600 hrs, we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow just as we exited our hostel. We returned via Perth and reached Edinburgh ahead of time which meant we got some time to explore the beautiful streets of Edinburgh before heading back to London.
Yet another fantastic road trip, especially the drive through the Scottish Highlands being one of the best driving experiences for me. Apart from the amazing views we came across, the quaint local cafes are something we fell in love with. And above all, the calmness of the place is something to be experience which cannot be described in words. Winding it up with few of the birds I managed to see during the trip.
Planning trips
- Complete Isle of Skye Guide is one of the best blogs we came across. Ideally, you need at-least two full days to explore Isle of Skye alone.
- If you are planning to visit in summer (July-Aug), book your accommodation at-least 2 months in advance.
- Drive safe, make sure you get to know the local ways of driving in Scottish Highlands. Reference – Driving in Scotland.
- Always plan for extra time as there will be viewpoints you will want to spend extra time at.
- Best way to explore Isle of Skye is via a Road Trip!
- Keep around half a day if possible to explore Edinburgh. Most of the key points are around the Edinburgh Waverley Station.
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– Rudraksha & Shraddha