Scotland - 2 week itinerary that is NOT the NC500
- Jordan Sinclair
- Jul 17
- 13 min read
This itinerary is better than the NC500. Yes, the north coast is beautiful, but for first time visitors to Scotland, this is the ultimate road trip as a better all round overview - think cities, mountains, lochs, food, scenery, castles. This route has it all!
How do we know?
Having lived in Glasgow for 5 years, and Perth for 6 months, Scotland is absolutely one of our favourite countries. We still have lots of friends in Scotland so we tend to gravitate back several times a year and know our favourite spots well. This 2 week road trip is an accumulation of many trips we’ve made over the years, and we think it gives an overview of Scotland to rival the NC500, incorporating cities and rural areas alike.
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Overview:
Day 1-2: Edinburgh
Start in the capital - a picturesque, yet hilly, city with plenty to do. While I don’t always recommend an open top bus tour, there are definitely some cities which lend themselves well to a bus tour as a start point, and if it’s your first time, Edinburgh is one of these.
Hop off at Edinburgh castle to explore. The Scottish Whisky Experience is right next to the castle if you fancy this too - but there are more opportunities to visit individual distilleries later on in the road trip. Continue on your bus tour, hopping on and off as you please.
The Royal Mile - walk along Princes Street (there’s often a bagpiper playing), and wander through Princes Street Gardens.
You have to experience a Ceilidh (traditional dance) in Scotland. Participation is essential, but trust me, you’ll love it! The Edinburgh Ceilidh Club runs public ceilidhs every Tuesday and some Fridays - check the website for more information. Alternatively, Ghillie Dhu run regular events with a 3 course dinner and Ceilidh. We’ve done both (and many other ceilidhs throughout the years) - the Ceilidh club is probably marginally more beginner friendly, but either will make for a great evening.
If you’re into live music, end your evening at Stramash, with bands on every night. Check out what’s on here.
On your 2nd day, take a walk up Arthur’s Seat, the famous Edinburgh hill. It’s a rite of passage and will reward you with panoramic city views at the top. If you want an easier/shorter viewpoint walk, try Calton Hill instead.
Explore the Old town area - Grassmarket and the iconic Victoria street.
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, this walking tour covers relevant filming locations.
For spooky vibes, take one of the many ghost tours in the city, like this one.
Where to stay
We have often been lucky enough to stay with friends when we’ve been to Edinburgh. However, the trams and buses are good, so if you want to save on accommodation costs by staying out of the centre, there’s plenty of transport options.
Where to eat
For brunch, Montpelliers is one of our favourites (it’s out of the centre but entirely worth it), and Mimi’s bakehouse cakes are to die for. Dinner options are unlimited, but The Palmerston comes highly recommended (booking is advised).
Day 3-4: Aviemore/Cairngorms
Start by driving from Edinburgh to the Cairngorms (2.5 hours total, without stops).
There’s an excellent coffee shop in Dunkeld, called ARAN bakery, - it’s worth the stop if you want to break the journey up.
Otherwise, stop off in pretty Pitlochry for lunch. There’s also a beautiful hike here - Ben Vrackie, if you fancy an adventure (approx 4 hours).
Things to do
Visit the Cairngorm Reindeer Herd - do the hill trip, walk amongst and feed them. Book in advance directly here.
Hiking
Meall a’ Bruachaille - a 5 hour hike including The Green Lochan. This can be done straight from the campsite. If you want a shorter alternative, you can just hike there and back to the Green Lochan.
Ben Macdui - if you’re ticking off munros, add the second tallest mountain in Scotland to your list. Otherwise, I’d skip it - it’s not particularly rewarding and if you hate boulder fields, like me, you’re not going to enjoy the final stint near the summit! The hike above is much prettier and easier.
Where to stay
We camped at Glenmore campsite, which was ideally located and has direct access to a loch for paddle boarding or swimming. There’s a great little pub right next to the campsite called the Pine Marten bar.
Places to eat/drink
The Pine Marten bar is a cute little pub and does offer food. There’s lots of amenities a short drive away in Aveimore, and a very good Fish and Chip shop there - the Happy Haggis.
Day 5: Whisky Trail en route to Inverness
Take a slight detour through Speyside before continuing on to Inverness. Drive via Glenivet and Dufftown and pick your favourite distillery (or more than one) to take a whisky tour (we stopped at Glenfiddich), and visit the Speyside Cooperage to see the casks being made. For more info on the Malt Whisky Trail, click here.
Alternatively, if you don’t have a “designated driver” and want to sample the whisky, take this tour, based from Inverness.
Arrival in Inverness - depending on the tide times, spend the evening or early morning the next day watching out for dolphins in the bay at Chanonry point.
Where to stay
We had intended to camp when we last visited, but the weather turned very cold so we very last minute booked a self contained chalet, which turned out to be ideal - Kilcoy Chalets - click to book
Day 6: Loch Ness drive
Drive the length of Loch Ness on the way to Skye, making stops along the way. We even had a paddle on the SUP (launched from a lay by which is now closed, but you can launch from Fort Augustus).
All stops are optional - you can start your day with a short hike at “Dog Falls”, near Cannich (about 1 hour total). Then continue on to Drumnadrochit for a boat trip (book here) or the Loch Ness Visitor centre in Drumnadrochit, if you’re really keen on the legend of Nessie, book here. (We skipped these).
Next, check out Urquart Castle - you can go in if you wish (we didn’t). Pause at Invermoriston at the old bridge (built in 1813) before heading on to Fort Augustus. Here, watch boats navigate the canal staircase, take a boat trip, canoe (find out more here) or paddle board (like us) if conditions allow!
Stop at the Glengarry viewpoint before continuing on towards Eilean Donan Castle (probably the most photographed castle in Scotland). Finally, go over the Skye bridge and arrive on the Isle of Skye.
Alternatively, you can stay an extra night near Inverness and do the full loop around Loch Ness, stopping at the Falls of Foyers and the Dores Inn. Then drive straight to Skye (a slightly more direct route) and stop at Eilean Donan on the way.
Day 7-8: Isle of Skye
On your first full day on Skye, drive the Trotternish loop - Start from Portree, hike up to the Old Man of Storr (if visibility is good), see dinosaur footprints at An Corran beach, hike in the Quiraing, and find the fairy glen (if you have time) - see more detail on this route in our Isle of Skye itinerary blog.
For day 2, visit Talisker for a whisky distillery tour (if you haven’t done one in Speyside), before going on to the fairy pools - this can be combined with a slightly longer hike, or the Coire Lagan hike can be done in the same day - see here for more details.
Where to stay
We camped at Sligachan campsite with our roof-top tent. Campervan hire is very popular for Skye as hotels/guesthouses are certainly more pricey than on the mainland. However, we do have some suggestions:
Budget
Mid Range
Luxury
Cuillin Hills Hotel, Portree
Food and drink on Skye
Pizza in the Skye - takeaway pizza van which is based in the Skye Shinty Club car park. Shinty is a Scottish sport - look it up, and maybe even try to catch a match here. Fun fact, Jordan played this at university! The pizza was amazing, but you do have to book a slot on their website - we tried one day and it was fully booked, but managed to order the day after and it was definitely worth it! Order here.
Cafe Cuil - Make sure you find time for lunch or brunch here - award winning food and rightly so. It’s open 10-4pm and not all weekdays, so be sure to check online.
The Oyster Shed - a must if you like seafood - this is very close to Talisker and is a family run oyster farm. Here, you can buy fresh or cooked seafood. We had the lobster, soft shell crab and oysters - they were to die for!
Coffee on Skye
We were blown away by the number of really good quality coffee places on Skye. A mixture of roadside takeaway cabins with minimal outdoor seating and actual coffee shops, the quality was incredible. Here’s our favourites:
Untethered Skye Co. - a well placed stop en route to Old Man of Storr, with the added bonus of friendly highland cows.
Caora Dhubh - opposite Talisker Distillery. Great coffee and views from the seating area.
Lean to Coffee - near Broadford. Fantastic coffee and pastries. The toasties looked awesome too. Note, there are no toilets here (but there are public toilets in Broadford)
Birch, Portree. While we didn’t actually visit Birch, Lean To serves Birch’s roast so the quality will be on par!
See our Isle of Skye blog or the full Isle of Skye guide for more info.
Day 9: Skye to Fort William via Glenfinnan
Instead of departing Skye via the road bridge, get the boat from Armadale to Mallaig. Get a morning boat, so you can time your drive to Glenfinnan to see the Jacobite steam train cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct - a must see for die hard Harry Potter fans (or train fans!). Check the train times here. Coming from Fort William, the train will cross the viaduct about 30 minutes after departure. In the other direction, coming from Mallaig, it will cross between 50-60 minutes after departure.
En route, don’t forget to stop at Eilean na Mòine viewpoint - this is Dumbledore’s resting place on Loch Eilt. When you’re at Glenfinnan, the loch opposite, Loch Shiel is also used in the films as scenic shots of the Black Lake.
Whether you’re a Harry Potter fan or not, the area is absolutely beautiful in it’s own right.
Continue on to Fort William for the next 2 nights.
Day 10: Fort William
Climb Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland (and the UK). The main trail (the “mountain track” is straightforward and not technical (no scrambling required) but it is long and steep (allow 6-8 hours). Even if you hike on a warm day, its is very cold and exposed at the peak so you must be prepared with suitable clothing layers.
If you don’t fancy the famous hike, but still want some epic mountain views, you can ride the Nevis Range Gondola (it doesn’t climb Ben Nevis but you still get scenic views of the area), or an easier walk to Steall falls (1 hour) and cross the 3 cable bridge if you dare! 3 miles north of Fort William lies Neptune’s Staircase - a series of eight lochs that allow boats to continue along the Caledonian Canal - on a clear day, this location offers great views of Ben Nevis.
Where to stay
We stayed here before and after our Ben Nevis hike - the warm apartment with an excellent hot shower were very much appreciated after a long damp hike! Self contained with some cooking facilities.
Day 11-12: Glencoe
The scenery in Glencoe is unreal, arguably one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland.
Hiking
The Lost Valley hike - this is one of our all time favourite hikes, and we do it every time we visit Glencoe. It’s a moderate 2-3 hour hike with a river crossing and a little easy climbing (there’s ropes bolted into the rocks for the small climb section), and you’re rewarded with a secret glen at the end. Park at the 3 sisters carpark - this can be busy but it’s mostly tourists taking a photo of the 3 sisters then moving on so spaces will usually open up quickly.
Pap of Glencoe - I have a bit of beef with the Pap. It’s known as an easy hike in Glencoe. Yes, it probably is easy compared to takling the beastly other peaks nearby, but it’s not that easy. It is still a gruelling steep hike. I’ve attempted this 4 times, and gotten lost twice, even with the help of Alltrails. If the trail isn’t busy, the path can be unclear in places and it’s easy to go off track. The views are worth the strife though!
Aonach Eagach - “the ridge” - reserved for experienced hikers only, a grade 2/3 scramble and known as the hardest scramble on any “Walk Highlands” route. Even with experience, only recommended in perfect weather (which can change in an instant in Glencoe). We haven’t braved this yet but I would love to one day.
Other things to do
Where to stay
Burnside cottage - very cute self contained cottage - I stayed here with friends as a group of 4 but it’s also ideal for couples.
Camping
Our first choice - Red Squirrel Campsite - very picturesque with the three sisters backdrop. It’s ideal for the Pap of Glencoe hike, as you can walk to the start of the trail easily. It’s also a 15 minute walk from the very popular local pub, The Clagaig Inn.
We have also camped at Blackwater hostel, glamping and campsite in Kinlochleven, which had the advantage of a large drying room for wet hiking gear, but it’s a bit further from our favourite hikes, so it depends on where you’d like to be located.
Eating/drinking
The Claigaig Inn is popular with hikers/climbers - hearty home cooked food in the restaurant, but the atmosphere in the bar at the back is great, and they often have live music or a Ceilidh band playing.
Day 13: Loch Lomond
The drive from Glencoe to Loch Lomond is stunning - we often stop along the way at the Artisan Cafe for coffee and cake in the converted church.
Things to do
A day of hiking and exploring an island: Conic hill is a short but steep hike with stunning views of Loch Lomond - a high reward vs effort payoff. You can also get the little boat across from Balmaha to Inchcailloch and spend an hour or two wondering this uninhabited island. We have done this once, and have also used paddleboards to go right around the island on another occasion - only possible in low winds.
Choose your own adventure:
If you’re bagging munro’s, try Ben Lomond (not one we’ve attempted yet!)
The walk around the Baloch country park on the shore of the southern tip of Loch Lomond is beautiful (and flat) if you’re after a slower paced walk.
Loch Lomond boat cruise - see options and book here.
Sea life aquarium at Loch Lomond.
Loch Lomond Bird of Prey centre.
Where to stay
We stayed here and cannot recommend it enough - excellent breakfast and friendly owner. There are also a number of campsites around Loch Lomond.
Day 14-15: Glasgow
Our favourite city in Scotland (don’t tell Edinburgh!), but maybe we’re biased because we did live here for 5 years. As with any big city, the possibilities are endless. I would probably spend a day in the West End and a day in the city centre depending on your preferences.
Ok, I realise I've gone a day over, but you'd really struggle to cut this down anywhere!
Things to do (West End):
Kelvingrove Museum - beautiful museum in the west end
Glasgow University Cloisters - you can visit the main university building courtyards for free - the Hogwarts-eque cloisters are a must for Harry Potter fans, and the city view from the south of the main building is excellent.
Glasgow Transport musem.
Byres road - the heart of the west end, home to boutique shops.
Botanic Gardens - watch out for the squirrels, they aren’t afraid of people at all!
Ashton Lane, lots of great places to eat and drink, the best Irish bar - Jinty McGuintys, and the cutest cinema you’ve ever seen, the Grosvenor - small “big” screens and comfy sofas.
Drinks: Hillhead bookclub for laid back cocktails (the food is good too!), Inn Deep - a cool bar tucked into the tunnels by the river, Curler’s Rest for a traditional Scottish pub feel.
Live Scottish Music - The Park Bar often has traditional ceilidh or Gaelic music at weekends. Check out what’s on here.
Oran Mor, late night drinking - an institution.
City Centre:
Glasgow City Chambers tour - they run FREE tours twice a day - you can’t prebook, just turn up on the day. Find more information and times here.
King Tuts Wa Wa Hut - if you can time your visit with a gig here, I’d highly recommend. This tiny venue has hosted many huge bands “before they were cool” and is infamous if you’re into live music.
Visit the statue of the Duke of Wellington wearing the infamous Glasgow traffic cone atop his head. He’s situated outside the Museum of Modern Art.
Glasgow Green - the people’s palace and winter gardens. We’ve only every been to Glasgow Green for music or events, but I’m told these are worth a visit.
Shopping - Buchanan Street - this bustling high street has many of your large brand shops and chains, but the magic lies in the street entertainers, live music and general atmosphere, particularly at weekends in sunny weather. Sauchiehall street also has many high street shops.
There are endless places to eat and drink in the city centre, depending on what you fancy. I can highly recommend Bread Meets Bread for burgers (Scottish chain) and Paesano Pizza. Both of theses have city centre and West End locations.
If you didn’t manage to go to a Ceildh in Edinburgh, Sloans in Glasgow host them every Friday night. Get more info here.
Where to stay
Glasgow is extremely well connected with buses, the subway (just one underground line in a circle!) and trains, so no matter where you stay, there’s plenty of transport. That said, we like the West End and tend to gravitate towards that area when we’re back (unless we’re staying with friends).
Missy’s Place - We’ve stayed at this lovely place a few times - it’s a self contained apartment with an incredible skyline view from the bathtub! Just be aware - it’s at the top of a tenament building so there are a fair amount of stairs up to the room.
This room is also in a great location in the West End.
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