Plan the Ultimate Road Trip for Scotland
Seeing all that Scotland has to offer is much enhanced by the freedom of road traveling. From budgeting to car rentals to en route entertainment, here is everything you need to help you arrange your road trip throughout Scotland.
There is no better way to see Scotland than by embarking on an epic road trip from the always green Scottish highlands to the islands filled with vibrant fishing communities to the great wide beaches of the north coast.
Originally motivated to visit this nation following binge-watching Outlander, we were persuaded that although we wanted to tour famous towns like Edinburgh and Inverness, we also wanted to be able to properly explore the Scottish countryside.
And a road trip throughout Scotland is definitely the finest approach to accomplish that.
We looked over the ideal two-week itinerary for Scotland for many hours.
And when I talk about many hours, I mean it. For months on end, I was poring over blogs, maps, and movies in the small hours of darkness. Dreaming and organizing our own journey.
The good news is I am about to condense what I learnt for you so you avoid spending months organizing like I did.
With expert advice and everything you won't miss along the journey, this is a one-stop shop for the absolute finest Scotland road trip.
We have also developed a few alternative itineraries for you to consider so you have a quite nice starting point for your ideal Scotland road trip!
Grab a pen and paper; this is rather information-packed, so let's go straight in!
Want To Save Effort And Time In Planning?
About two weeks of travel across Scotland allowed us to see most of the highlights of the nation, including most of the best spots to visit.
After our two-week vacation, we developed the ideal Scotland road trip schedule. We will provide to you our whole two-week schedule with suggestions and pointers. To obtain your 2-week Scotland road trip schedule right now, just click here!
When Would Be Ideal For A Road Trip From Scotland?
Planning a Scotland road trip at any one time of year is not inappropriate in any sense.
Scotland boasts four seasons, each with lots of offerings. With the exception of the Highlands, most activities in Scotland are accessible year-round in terms of weather; it never truly gets really hot or very cold.
Therefore, the optimum time to arrange your road trip to Scotland mostly relies on your intended sights and activities.
Including seasonal weather trends and other considerations to help you determine just when to travel, we compiled an in-depth guide on the best times to visit Scotland.
Advice For Scottish Drivers
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In Scotland people travel on the left side. Remember this especially if you want to hire a manual vehicle: if you have never driven on the other side of the road.
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In certain areas the roads are really small. Like highly narrow. Remember this especially if you drive a campervan or bigger car.
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The nation is dotted with roundabouts.
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Big cities can present challenging parking conditions. We would suggest looking "public parking" on Google Maps to be directed to the closest lot or ensuring your accommodation has parking in the larger cities (such as Edinburgh or Glasgow).
We assembled a whole guide on driving in Scotland loaded with extra driving tips and recommendations regarding vehicle rental. One clever thing to watch for while parking also helps you avoid a ticket! Make sure you check it out while you arrange your road trip to Scotland.
Finding Internet On Your Road Trip Through Scotland
How then can one obtain mobile service or Internet on a road trip throughout Scotland? Excellent inquiry.
We advise acquiring an e-SIM. After utilizing the Airalo app to get ours, we were really pleased with the support we received over our whole travel. It's also really inexpensive and simple; you merely download the app and pay for the required data.
Our experience was each receiving 10G for our two-week trip. On day 10, we had to buy another 5GB; this was really easy. Most individuals should be good with the 10G bundle since, during the trip, we were using our phones for work-related activities, hence consuming more data than a normal person.
Where on your road trip throughout Scotland should you lodge?
Where you stay along the road will mostly rely on your choice to drive a campervan or a vehicle.
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Advice on locating guesthouses and hotels around Scotland
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Should you be hiring a car, you probably wish to stop at motels or guesthouses along the road. We would advise following your overall path then utilizing Airbnb or Booking to locate accommodation; there are some quite lovely and unusual places to stay all throughout Scotland.
On A Tight Budget? Traveling?
Use the booking systems' filter feature if you have a budget in mind to see just homes within your range. This will keep you under your means and save time.
Searching For Unusual Lodging Options?
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If you're searching for somewhere somewhat unusual, here are three ideas as there are some rather amazing choices for lodging.
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We enjoy looking through the "Unique Stays" filter on Airbnb for truly unique locations.
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Get a room in an inn. All around Scotland, there are classic inns most of which have a tavern in addition to lodging. Along your road journey, this might be a nice and comfortable spot to stay.
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Consider glamping! We believe you would still enjoy glamping even if you are not into camping! For some reason, Glasgow has a lot of glamping sites around. You will be sure to discover a glamping pod that suits your taste as they can vary from somewhat rustic to really bougie! You may alos read this: Activities in the State of Washington
Advice On Locating Scottish Camping Sites
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Whether you have a vehicle and a tent or you are in a campervan or motorhome, you will be happy to discover that there are plenty of campsites all throughout Scotland.
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Including what to anticipate at caravan parks and a map of some of the top campsites in the nation, we have produced a Scotland camping guide so you have all the information you need right at hand!
Outdoor Camping
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It's worth noting that wild camping in Scotland (also known as park someplace not known as an established campsite) is feasible if your budget is limited and you do not want to pay for campsgrounds every night.
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You cannot, however, just park wherever. We have a page on wild camping in Scotland so you know the ins and outs and are sure not to unintentionally breach the law (yikes!). Your road trip will be safe.
What To Pack For A Scotland Road Trip
Although we have a complete checklist of things to take for your road trip to Scotland, here are some broad items you shouldn't overlook.
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Driver's licence
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Mount the dashboard first, safety foremost. Many areas forbid using your phone while driving; furthermore, it's plain dangerous; hence, connect your Google Maps to your dash.
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Sunglasses: Well, this is quite essential. Not a need for an explanation.
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Travel Lumbar Pillow: This would be critical if your back is like Ben's! He was wishing we had included his lumbar cushion as he had some back problems on our vacation. It's far too heavy to fly with, hence I discovered this cushion for next time!
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Road travel calls for a water bottle. Hydro Flasks are our preferred as they keep your water so cool!
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Aeropress: Clearly pack this if you drink coffee.
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Bring your own coffee cup into cafés to cut waste (and perhaps a few pennies!).
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Everyone should carry a simple travel tool called a universal outlet adaptor so you may plug in your gadget anyplace.
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Charge your bigger gadgets, such cameras and computers, using a portable inverter plug-in into your vehicle while you're driving.
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Optional portable jumper cables have a power pack that efficiently jumps your automobile (without another vehicles).
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Travel insurance We NEVER go without it, however it's a nice idea to arrange especially on a road trip.