Scotland road trip: From Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye to Glasgow
By Michael Visontay
The scenery becomes postcard beautiful as we head towards Glencoe.Credit: VisitBritain/Arianna Petrovan
The beauty of driving around Scotland is how close the cities are to the countryside. Castle, lochs and lush mountains abound, the traffic is light and there are no tolls. Our road trip in June was from Edinburgh, centre of Scottish sophistication, to the windswept drama of the Isle of Skye. You can do it in a day; we give ourselves a week to get there and back down to Glasgow.
First, we sample the pleasures of the capital. The castle looms large over Edinburgh's city centre. We walk up to see it but don't go in, put off by the queue and expensive entrance fee. There would be other castles to enjoy later. The adjacent Royal Mile is also full of tourists lured by endless tartan and cashmere shops.
The central grid of Princes and Queen streets, its elegant sandstone buildings and majestic thoroughfares unspoiled, offers a more authentic taste of royal grandeur. On Queen Street the National Portrait Gallery takes us on a vivid tour of Scotland's bloody history. Our visit coincides with an exhibition with a series of photos on hair colour – 13 per cent of Scots have "ginger" hair.
Down the hill from Queen Street, we walk down to New Town (as opposed to Old Town in the city centre), which has a vibrant array of cafes, quirky bookshops, markets and bars. Think Sydney's Paddington or Melbourne's Fitzroy but cooler (I mean temperature; Scotland's summer is mild, drizzly and occasionally sunny).
DAY 1 EDINBURGH TO STIRLING (60 km)
Credit: iStock
An hour out of Edinburgh, we pull over at Falkirk. There are two compelling reasons to stop here: one is the Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift that shifts small craft from a lower canal to a higher one in a huge ferris wheel instead of having to use the traditional series of locks. We sit at the adjoining cafe and watch the slow revolve of the engineering marvel.
Nearby are The Kelpies, two massive steel sculptures of horses' heads rearing out of the ground that pay homage to the role of the heavy horse in Scottish industry. Stunning to behold, they have an otherworldly impact when you catch sight of them from the highway.
From here it's on to Stirling, with a castle high above the town that was the childhood home of Mary, Queen of Scots. Stirling Castle has become a symbol of Scottish independence for the many battles it saw over the centuries, including William Wallace's victory over the English in 1297, which Mel Gibson immortalised in his Oscar-winning film Braveheart.
DAY 2 STIRLING TO GLENCOE (132km)
The scenery becomes postcard beautiful as we head towards Glencoe, a gorgeous ski resort village on the banks of Loch Leven and the mouth of the famous glen. The drive winds through undulating mountains, separated by wide plateaus, that look like gentle hills until you get close and see how steeply they rise out of their valleys. In summer Glencoe is a mecca for walkers of all types. Blessed with a warm sunny day, we go for a gentle stroll through the woods.
DAY 3 GLENCOE TO PORTREE (200 km)
The road north follows the edge of the loch, up through Ballachulish to the larger town of Fort William. At scenic lookouts along the way, we find buskers in kilts playing bagpipes for the cars that stop for a squiz of the loch views. Just before we cross the bridge to Skye, and off a scratchy side road, lies the tiny town of Plockton, often mentioned in the lists of Scotland's most scenic villages. Normally that sets you up for disappointment. Not this time. Plockton is magical, especially on the sun-soaked day of our visit (two in a row!). Nestled on one long street that bends around the coast, it radiates an intimate charm.
We stop in for a quick nip at the local whisky tasting room and the owners send us to a seafood truck down an alleyway for a memorable lunch of prawn tail rolls and seafood chowder, while Loch Carron glistens before us.
From Plockton, the bridge takes us on to Skye and the town of Portree, with a colourful port and handy location that makes it a popular base for exploring the rugged beauty of the island.
DAY 4 PORTREE
Credit: iStock
It's an easy drive north through to the lush Lealt Falls and the jagged cliffs of Staffin, which are at their best in more surprising sunshine. From here we cut across the island on a hair-raising road, wide enough for a wheelbarrow, down to the port of Uig. Just off the main road here lies the Fairy Glen, a series of lush, tiny hills that feels like a home for the Hobbits, so popular the locals took down the road signs to deter tourists.
One of the signature Skye experiences is a visit to Neist lighthouse, on the western edge of the island. From the carpark a vast, dramatic headland beckons you down a steep path, past soaring cliffs to the lighthouse. The wind is howling and it's bitter cold, even in June. But what an adrenaline rush to rug up and strike out into this landscape.
DAY 5 PORTREE TO OBAN (245 km)
Our drive back to the south takes us to Oban, full of grand buildings and the grit of a working harbour. Oban is the gateway to the isle of Mull, with a busy ferry service to a host of smaller islands along the way. Mistakenly, we think we can just drive on to whichever ferry we want. But there is not a single space left. As with everything in Europe in high season, you have to book.
Instead, we walk up to McCaig's Tower, known locally as "the folly", an unfinished structure based on the Colosseum in Rome, which offers breathtaking vistas of the harbour and the islands. Only the arches were built, but the view through them is well worth the climb.
DAY 6 OBAN
A few minutes' walk north of town lies the small but perfectly deformed Dunollie Castle, built on a headland by the MacDougall clan. We walk up a ramp to the ruins of the keep (lookout tower) where the space within is grim and dank, and the shadow of ancient battles is palpable.
After that it's off to a tour of the local distillery where we are regaled by a retired chemist whose gift for storytelling turns us into instant whisky afficionados.
We eat at the Green Shack at the ferry terminal, a no-frills seafood heaven where we devour oysters and mussels straight from the sea outdoors around a wooden table.
DAY 7 OBAN TO GLASGOW (160km)
It's a short drive down to our final destination, Glasgow, scene of countless crime thrillers, Celtic and Rangers football teams and some sensational museums.
Glasgow's mix of working-class toil and cultural flair is encapsulated in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, a magnificent building which has a bit of everything. Its most famous work, the stunning Dali masterpiece, Christ of Saint John of the Cross, rubs shoulders with a Spitfire suspended from the ceiling, Egyptian artefacts and stuffed kangaroos.
Just outside town is the Burrell Collection, housed in a sprawling manor. Thanks to a recent renovation that provides an abundance of natural light, the building itself is as much of an attraction as the eclectic mix of art and sculpture inside.
Back in the city, you can wander through the Necropolis, visit the football museum or enjoy the buzz of Sauciehall Street. Glasgow punches well above its weight, we agree, once we're in the train back to London.
FIVE MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO
LAUGH
The Stand Comedy Club, in Queen Street, Edinburgh, has an open mike night on Mondays for £5 ($8.75). Arrive early if you want a seat.
STROLL
Walk down from Stirling Castle to the King's Knot, an octagonal stepped, grassy mound that dates back to the 17th century.
DINE
The Laroch restaurant at Ballachulish, out of Glencoe, serves delicious French cuisine, including huge scallops. In Portree, the scallops at the Rosedale Hotel are even bigger.
DRINK
The Talisker distillery on Skye offers a tour and is a major destination for lovers of this iconic Scotch.
SIP
Visit the Willow Tea Rooms in Glasgow, designed by Charlies Rennie Mackintosh (Glasgow's answer to Frank Lloyd Wright).
THE DETAILS
FLY
Qatar Airways (qatarairways.com) and British Airways (britishairways.com) fly from Sydney and Melbourne to Edinburgh, via Doha.
STAY
Edinburgh's Native Apartments cost from $318 a night (nativeplaces.com); Glasgow, Dakota Hotel, $227 a night (dakotahotels.co.uk/glasgow); Portree, Rosedale Hotel, $358 a night (rosedalehotelskye.co.uk); Oban, Bay Hotel, $340 a night (crerarhotels.com/oban-bay-hotel).
CAR HIRE
A Volkswagen Passat (manual) or similar from £389 ($680) for seven days with Avis. See avis.com.au
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