Travel to Scotland if you love the nature, outdoor activities and try to avoid crowds. Rent a car for more flexibility and book in advance for accommodations as they can get pretty pricey over the summer. Remember they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, eg. left. For driving tips, see driving FAQs. Here are my 5 places to visit when you go to Scotland.
1. Hiking in Loch Lomond National Park
If you want to stretch your legs after your flight to Glasgow, Loch Lomond Trossachs National park is just 45 min away from Glasgow by car. The village of Balmaha offers a great entrance to the National Park. It has a visitor center where they can point you to your preferred length of hike. You can boat on the lake, hike around it but I would recommend to go up for a view. Along the path you will go through a section covered with fern, which was the most unique part for me along with the view from top: the lake with the different size of islands in it.
2. Whiskey tasting in Oban
If you are in Scotland, you need to visit at least one Distillery. Even if you are not a big drinker, the whiskey making process is very interesting and you can pick up a gift for your loved ones in the store. A visit to The Oban Distillery can be booked here but you may be lucky even if you are just walking in. Cost is £12 for adults and £6 for kids
Oban is known as the ‘Gateway to the Isles’. If you are spending a few days in the islands, you may want to do your food shopping here.
3. Visit Isle of Mull & Turus Mara
Isle of Mull offers a great get away to the nature where at every stop you can see animals and gorgeous nature. You can see bunnies hopping on the grass, Scottish cows, otters and birds and sheep.
My personal favourite was a day trip we took from the Isle of Mull with Turus Mara (not sponsored). They brought us to 2 locations: Staffa and Treshnish Isles. Staffa an island made up of basalt columns is a Natural Reserve and its large cave Fingal’s has been an inspiration for many travelers among the famous ones: Mendelssohn and Jules Verne. The island is also home to many birds, between April – August you can see puffins as well.
After an hour in Staffa the boat goes to Treshnish Isles, which is a famous puffin nesting place. Along the boat ride you may see dolphins and seals.
On the island you enter a puffin heaven – or how the locals call, the puffin therapy. Puffin therapy provides instant boost of happiness and awe. They are not afraid of people, come and go while you are watching and snapping pictures like crazy. The island hosts an amazing array of sea birds. Do walk up to the end of the island to see a huge colony of guillemots as well.
4. Glenfinnan viaduct & The Jacobite train
A must see, if you are a Happy Potter, train, steam engine or viaduct fan. There are couple of ways how you can visit. If you want to enjoy the train ride, the steam engine Jacobite goes between Mallaig and Fort William. It is quite expensive and you will need to book in advance. Or if you just want to visit the viaduct and see the train, you can go to the visitor center. They provide information on train schedule as well as possible view points. The train goes only 2x a day in both directions so if you just missed it, still walk around the viaduct. Even without the train its a very impressive construct. It was used first in 1898 and has been functioning since. It is built of mass concrete (no steel in it) and is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland.
5. Isle of Skye
Top destination for any hiker and due to that – do make sure to book accommodation in advance (for Jun/July trip at least 3 month in advance) – it can get extremely expensive during summer (think of £400+ a night). There are 2 ways to get to the Island – via the ferry at Mallaig or via a bridge at Kyle of Lochalch. For one of the direction, choose the bridge – the views are stunning.
Skye offers unique alternatives to any nature lover. Our trip was to Quairing and learned a big lesson on the weather appropriate clothing. Isle of Skye can get very wet, and the hike can get tough in the rain. Even in rain, the experience was great and a must see for next time as well.
Plan to spend a few days on the island, discover the beaches, lighthouse, waterfalls. There are artists living and working on the island and you can get unique gifts here.
+1 I wish I had seen
Scotland is home of the biggest dolphins on Earth and Inverness is a great location to go dolphin watching. If I had a few more days – this were next on my itinerary.
Have you been to Scotland? What was your favourite sight / experience?
