[Closed] Scottish road trip

Where you coming from ?

All the way from Exeter so will probably spend a couple of days in the lakes on the way up and down .

As someone who spent every childhood summer holiday camping in the west Coast / Highlands i'll offer the following advice:

Bring a jacket! 😀

...and Midge repellant..... and proper Scottish money..... and midge repellant.... and wellies...... and Avon SkinSoSoft...and some midge repellant.

Also, shave the dog.

It makes it easier to apply the midge repellant

Crikey that's a decent drive. Lots of nice places which is no help
Roesmarkie
Dornoch
other side Ullapool and nw of there lots of good camp spots
Gairloch poolewe
But thats a decent drive

First point to note - it's Scotland, not scottland.

Second - it's pretty big, so you can spend ages there. Try East Lothian for starters as you can camp, there are loads of beaches and it's close enough to travel easily into Edinburgh.

Very quickly and with lots of significant omissions:

[u]Beaches + Camping (in order of South to North to help planning)[/u]

Port Appin (near Oban, big stone arch to explore, short hike from road for best spots at tip of Peninsula)

Calgary Bay, Mull - Semi official wild camping beach

Arisaig (countless beaches beside road, subtle wild camping probably best, plenty of official sites)

Barrisdale Bay (a day's hike to get to from Inverie (short ferry from Mallaig) or Kinlochhourne (Britain's longest dead-end road!)

Glen Brittle (Skye, good access to Cuillins)

Achiltiebuie/Achmelvich - Inverpollaidh area, stunning wee hills dotted around, good pies in Lochinver.

Sandwood Bay (far north, prob too much driving)

Kearvaig (further north, can't drive all the way as part of Cape Wrath peninsula, exciting wee trip out and awesome bothy at beach)

Durness (furthest north, great beachs and nice wee village).

Head to the Cairngorms, then cross over to the west coast and visit one or two of the islands.

May be a bit far, but check out Northcoast 500 route. Plenty hills to walk and some cracking beaches. Interested in History, there is always Edinburgh and Stirling. Plenty of visitor attraction in Glasgow New transport museum, Art Galleries, Burrell Collection - plenty places to eat!

Most places on the west coast (once you're past Glasgow) will be great, as mentioned above, head north of Ullapool towards lochinver, there's some really good beaches there and furthermore, there's a campsite at Clachtoll right by the beach (about 5miles north of Lochinver)

Dornoch and the surrounding area, Golspie etc, is really nice, although that's on the east coast.

If you're heading for Oban (and I would), you might want to check out [url= http://www.visitcruachan.co.uk/guidedtour/ ]Ben Cruachan.[/url] It's a mountain which was hollowed out to house a 440MW hydro electric power station - prices not over the top.
The [url= http://www.waverleyexcursions.co.uk/ ]Paddle Steamer Waverley[/url] does some decent trips, from Glasgow is the best, but you might want to check the prices for when you're around. parking is at the science center and is a couple of quid for the day
Fine beaches with wild camping? You'll be looking at Arisaig and the last few miles to Mallaig. the point on the left hand side is a camp site (Silver sands IIRC, cheap and decent but exposed.)
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Mallaig also gives you the option of a ferry trip to one of the Small isles which makes a cheap day out - my choice would be Rum for Kinloch castle, but you might want to try Eigg for it's "Singing Sands" (quartz sand which squeaks when you walk on it - no youtube at work but I think there's a video)
[img] [/img]
[url= https://westernislescruises.co.uk/ ]A ferry trip from Mallaig to Tarbet and back[/url] is reasonably priced with amazing scenery and a good chance of interesting wildlife (whales, dolphins that sort of thing). And impressive scenery
[img] [/img]
You can leave mallaig via the Skye ferry (check prices if with car, otherwise it's back down toward Fort William then north toward Skye and Eilean Donan Castle.
If you're up north (via Achiltibue as someone else mentioned, then [url= http://www.smoocave.org/ ]Smoo Cave is on the north coast [/url]. From Dunnet head (most northerly point on UK mainland, you can head south down the east coast.
lastly, once you've more or less got your plan together, see if you can't fit in a game of [url= http://www.shinty.com/fixtures-live/upcoming-fixtures/ ]Shinty[/url] (Hockey wi' nae rules). A truly mental game, and free unless it's something big like the Camanachd Cup Final
[img] https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQijLZITotpnVb75V7ylh-7E5cN8GystZAtSBEqXx8KgLa4_711sg [/img]

Try Fife but just the East Neuk - St Andrews, Crail, Pittenweem. Coastal walks, generally drier and a lot less midges. And only 1h.20m from Edinburgh.[img] http://www.visitscotland.com/cms-images/5x3-large/regions/fife/crail [/img]

http://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/fife-the-east-neuk-p316831

What age are the children?

and proper Scottish money

pardon?

Around edinburgh/fife/east lothian is probably a good call for plenty of places to go with out having epic distances between them. Its not the epic scenery of the north west coast but up there the distances between 'things-to-do' are greater and its another 3 or 4 hours drive (at least) on top of the distance you'll have already travelled from home.

East coast is pleasant and quaint and looks like exeter but west coast is spectacular and is totally different from exeter.

whale watching power boat adventures and loads of free castles for weans to run about in.

Try Fife but just the East Neuk - St Andrews, Crail, Pittenweem. Coastal walks, generally drier

... with some slightly more adventurous walking
[img] [/img]
[url= http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=610 ]Elie Chain Walk[/url]

In fact, if it's a proper "road trip", up one coast, along the north then down the other would be good. The islands are fine, but cars on ferries tend to be expensive so day trips only. If doing a Coast trip, you'll pass Stonehaven and I can recommend the open air pool.
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I lost count of the number of family camping holidays in Scotland that we abandoned because of the midges or the weather. Take waterproofs, midge repellent, mosquito coils to burn around the tent, insecticide spray, midge nets and Avon Skin so Soft Forest Fern perfume oil. Have a plan B ready.

Once you're there, pray for breezes and sunshine, which midges hate. Go to Skye, drive to Elgol and take the boat to Loch Coruisk, one of the wildest and loneliest places in Britain. With luck you'll see basking sharks and eagles. Take the kids bothying, which they'll love, especially as no midges go in bothies. There's easy access to bothies at Camasunary on the way back from Coruisk (requires a steady nerve walking over the Bad Step) and at Suadarlan near Glenelg, though having told you this I will be shot by the MBA.

Do bring wellies waterproofs midge repellent
Don't try to fit it all in it'll just end up being one long round of packing driving and pitching.
Dont rule out the south west Southerness,Kirkcudbright Portpatrick http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/forest-parks/galloway-forest-park

Having said all that I live in Lochaber which is just stunning

Don't try to fit it all in it'll just end up being one long round of packing driving and pitching.

Good point!

Very good point - and remember that you travel much more slowly in the Highland than you do in Civilization

This might be worth a look for some inspiration:

[b]19 Epic Road Trips through Scotland[/b]
http://www.motogoloco.com/blog/19-epic-road-trips-through-scotland-routes/

15 - google maps for bealach na ba - drop the wee man anywhere near the bendy bits

Kids are 10 and 11. Both boys.
How bad are the Midges and is it any better on the islands or by the coast .

North coast elgin - etc and East coast areas have a lot less midges than the highlands or West coast, but any sort of breeze can take care them, they like it damp but not raining. Lochsides or forested areas are usually the worse - which is all relative - buy midge nets and some fat cigars!

jamesmio - Member
This might be worth a look for some inspiration:

19 Epic Road Trips through Scotland
http://www.motogoloco.com/blog/19-epic-road-trips-through-scotland-routes/

One assumed he'd be cycling them... 😉

Epic? I don't think any of those routes is longer than 30 miles?

One assumed he'd be cycling them...

They are neither long enough or interesting enough to be epic.