1100 KM ROAD TRIP THROUGH SCOTLAND
- Dina Cvek Zubaj
- Mar 23, 2019
- 9 min read
Updated: Oct 15, 2021
Scotland was on our bucket list for a very long time. Somehow, we saw England, Ireland and Northern Ireland before we managed to go to this beautiful country. I will not lie, Scotland, as I thought it will, left me speechless. We decided, for the first time ever, to rent a car. We were very skeptic at first due to the fact that in Great Britain everything is on the other side. You sit on the other side of the car and you drive on the other side of the road. So, it was an adventure. I drove 1100 km through beautiful parts of Scotland. Overall we saw a lot. Of course, not the very north and not every inch of the country but we truly did see a lot of Scotland. In one week. And it was mesmerizing.
We started with Edinburgh where we spend day and a half. We are used to walk a lot so for the whole day we walked through the Old Town and saw the "new part" of the city too. The Old Town is beautiful, full of history, with amazing medieval Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Edinburgh speaks stories and beauty. Wherever you take a picture, the background will be gorgeous.
My favorite parts of the town are the Royal Mile and definitely the famous Victoria Street, with colorful buildings and amazing architectural lines. It was a wise choice to start with this wonderful city. We felt truly welcomed from the moment we stepped in the city. The people were nice and polite all the time and we chatted a lot, which always gives another, beautiful dimension to travelling. Also, we had half a sunny, half a snowy day. Wonderful. It was a perfect and proper way to experience Scotland and the best part was that this was only the beginning of our trip :)
Very pleased with what we saw in Edinburgh, day after we took the car and continued towards Glasgow. Still, before Glasgow, there was one place I wished to see, Midhope Castle. To be completely honest, I knew about this tower house/castle because of the TV series Outlander. The place is used as one of the most important locations and it's fictionally called Lallybroch. I am a huge fan mainly because the plot is situated in Scotland but also because the series is amazing. No, this is not a sponsored story, I am just speaking truthfully. :)
Midhope Castle is a tower house built in the 16th century and it's beautiful. It's not being used anymore but you can visit the castle when it's open (it is a private house) or at least see the exteriors.
It is situated in a beautiful and quiet area, half an hour drive from Edinburgh.
After Midhope, we continued with our journey and arrived to Glasgow. We spent the afternoon and the evening in the city. Glasgow has its hidden beauties and it's truly very big. You can see a lot if you like to walk a lot. But it's also an urban environment, with lots of stores and restaurants, clubs and bars. It's interesting but a day there was enough for us. We spent a night there too.
Day after (beautiful sunny day) we continued towards Stirling, a beautiful small town and also the formal entrance to the Highlands, which we were looking forward to very much. Stirling is a peaceful and gorgeous town. It's known for its castle, church, the Stirling Bridge and The National Wallace Monument, a 67meter monument which commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish hero. So, we saw the old town and climbed a small hill to see the Wallace Monument in person.
To be honest, it is special to see a monument so big and to know that it was built in honor of one person. The monument is surrounded with beautiful nature and viewpoints so you can really enjoy a walk and already feel the presence of the Scottish highlands. The Stirling Bridge it's very important because that is a place where the First War of Scottish Independence happened - The Battle of Stirling Bridge.
It was where William Wallace and Andrew Moray defeated the combined English forces. The river under the bridge is River Forth. There is a truly interesting story behind this battle so don't be lazy and google it :)
After Stirling we continued towards Caol in Fort William and entered the highlands. It was where my favorite part of the journey began. We passed Loch Lomond, Crianlarich, River Orchy, beautiful Glencoe Mountain (covered in snow!), Onich, Loch Linnhe and came to Fort William, to a small village called Caol, where we spent a night.
We were lucky enough to see everything before the storm which happened in the evening when we needed to rest. So, we were lucky indeed. :) That whole day we had snow, ice, rain, wind, sun and rainbows. It was crazy and amazing at the same time. 4 seasons in one day.
The next day we visited the ruins of the old Inverlochy Castle (13th century) and afterwards went to Glenfinnan Viaduct which, I need to say, it's an amazing thing to see in person. It's a 380meter and almost 120 year old viaduct which is still in use. Also, the viaduct is very famous because of its appearance in Harry Potter films, where you can see Hogwarts Express crossing the viaduct.
During the season, even before, Jacobite steam train operates along the Glasgow Queen Street and Mallaig line. The viaduct is, of course, the major attraction of the line.
So, that is where we saw Loch Shiel and the Glenfinnan Monument where the 1745 Jacobite rising began. After Glenfinnan, we continued west, which was a surprise turn, after we explored and found out what we could see if we go that way, not immediately towards Loch Ness which was the first draft of our trip. And it was an amazing decision. We passed Letterfinlay, Glenmoriston, Glenshiel (along with River Shiel and the Eas Nan Arm Bridge built in 1815 by Thomas Telford). Finally, we came to Eilean Donan Castle, the main reason we went this way. Also, we got a chance to see all the beautiful glens on the way, it was a nice surprise indeed.
The Eilean Donan Castle was built in the 13th century. During history, Eilean Donan offered the perfect defensive position and it changed size several times. The castle also played a role in the Jacobite risings of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Besides its look and history, the castle is famous because it is situated on an island (with a bridge) where the three lochs meet, Loch Alsh, Loch Duich and Loch Long. It is truly an amazing landscape - this beautiful old castle, a stoned bridge and the Lochs surrounding the castle. A true live Scotland postcard. Our decision to visit this part of the country was a true jackpot. It is one of the highlights from our trip. That's why we love adventures, spontaneous decisions and from now on, a rented car. It can take you anywhere and the thing is, there is nothing better than just driving and stopping whenever you feel like it. Amazing.
After the castle we went to cross the Skye bridge, made a short turn on the other side and went back so we could see Loch Ness. We drove beside it for a while and stopped to see the famous ruins of the Urquhart Castle (13-16th century).
The next destination was Inverness where we came after a long and beautiful day. We enjoyed a relaxed evening with a nice walk near the river Ness, through the city center and with a nice refreshing beer in a pub, to end a perfect day in a perfect way. Also, we spent the night there. Not in the pub but in an airbnb room, of course. Inverness has some interesting points to see but one afternoon and evening were truly enough for us to breath it all in.
The next day we visited the Culloden Battlefield, where the Battle of Culloden took place. That was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. The Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart were defeated by Hanoverian forces. On our way to our next destination, Aberdeen, we visited Cawdor Castle, a true fairytale to see. It is a 15th century tower house and it's also often associated with Shakespeare's Macbeth. The castle is private and it's not always opened for public. We also saw the Brodie Castle, near Forres, in Moray, the home of the Brodie clan for more than 400 years. However, it's a fact that their family seat has been there since the 12th century. Now the castle belongs to National Trust for Scotland. We continued to Elgin to see the famous ruins of the Elgin Cathedrale. The Cathedrale is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and it was established in 1224.
After Elgin, we wanted to make a short turn to see the Castle Fraser. The castle is located in Aberdeenshire. While driving towards the castle, we passed The Parish of Blairdaff War Memorial which stands in front of the ruin of old Blairdaff Church, near the tiny road north of the village of Grantlodge. Castle Fraser was a nice surprise. It's big, tall and has a massive garden surrounding it. The colors of the nature are wonderful and everything is very tidy and neat. The castle was completed in 1636. After the Frasers, the castle was passed down to MacKenzie family. In 1921, the widow of the last male Fraser, sold the castle to the The Pearson family who gave the castle to the National Trust of Scotland in 1976.
In the late afternoon we arrived to Aberdeen. It is a nice city. It has a few very pretty streets, a lot of wonderful pubs and it is situated on the east side of Scotland, near the North Sea. So, it was interesting being near the sea, after all the lochs and rivers. We took a long walk through the center of the city and found a perfect spot to have a snack and a drink, in Belmont Street. To me, the most beautiful tiny part of the city. We spent a night in Aberdeen and the next day we continued towards Dundee and St. Andrews. Still, we wanted to see more of the east coast, cliffs and sea so we decided to visit the small town Stonehaven, at least for half an hour. And it was a good decision.
We went for a short walk along the beach, enjoyed the fresh air a little bit and than decided to visit Dunnottar Castle, which is near Stonehaven, on the coast, located upon a rocky headland and surrounded by beautiful cliffs. Well, that was an amazing view. The location is so unique that when it's windy, which it was of course, the castle is closed. It's to dangerous. But it's still a landscape a person should see live. Spectacular.
After the castle we continued with our road trip and came to Dundee, an interesting coastal town.
We wanted to see Discovery, a very famous ship. A steamship, to be precise. It was built in Dundee for Antarctic research and it was launched in 1901. The ship undertook a long expedition and recorded valuable information concerning oceans and marine life. Also, the ship is one of only two surviving expedition ships from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. The 2nd one is the Norwegian ship Fram. Discovery is now a visitor attraction and she is still famous.
After Dundee, we crossed the Tay Road Bridge and shortly after arrived to St. Andrews, a town on the east coast of Fife and a home to the oldest university in Scotland. The town is also very famous because of St Andres Cathedral, built in 1158. The Cathedral was the center of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland. After the Scottish Reformation, the church became a ruin and it is now a monument. The building was around 390ft long which makes it the largest church ever built in Scotland. St Andrews is a beautiful town, with gorgeous architecture and lot of history. We spent a few hours there is it was a beautiful day indeed.
We spent the night near St. Andrews, in the beautiful countryside. The next day we had to go back to Edinburgh to catch our flight. We woke up and it was snowing, which made the ending of our journey perfect. After coffee and breakfast, we continued towards to capital.
Still, we wanted to use the couple of hours we had constructively, so we still managed to see Falkland. It's a small village, very picturesque and beautiful. Also known for playing the part of the old Inverness in Outlander. An amazing place indeed.
We drove further and had enough time to see Aberdour Castle too. It was still snowing so all the tiny roads and the highway were partially covered in snow which made Scotland's nature even more special. Aberdour Castle is one of Scotland’s two oldest castles with part of the building dating back to the 12th century. This castle was also used as a location in the TV series Outlander.
One part of the castle is still very well preserved and if you are interested, you can visit the gardens too. We said goodbye to the castle and soon after we arrived in Edinburgh.
That was the end of a perfect journey. It was an adventure full of discoveries, beautiful landscapes, fresh air, crazy weather with 4 seasons in one day, beautiful people, lots of surprises and wonderful atmosphere. Also, we felt very safe on the roads, which made our trip even more special.
Scotland, I knew I would like you but I didn't know I will fall in love with you. You stole my heart. Thank you for everything and I will see you someday again, that's a promise. :)
I made a 3minute video of our adventure. All the Scotland's beauty can't be put in this short story but it is a good teaser for everyone who's interested in this amazing country.
All the photos with me on them were taken by my boyfriend and travel buddy.
If you are interested in his professional work, visit:
Thank you for reading and watching. If you have any thoughts or questions, please write on dinatravelblog@gmail.com
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