Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Two Weeks
Best of Scotland
From
Edinburgh
head north across the Forth Road Bridge to Fife and turn east along the
coastal road through the delightful fishing villages of the
East Neuk
(pause for a seafood
lunch at Anstruther or St Monans) to the home of golf,
St Andrews
. Stay a night or two -
heck, play a round of golf - before continuing north across the Tay Bridge to
Dundee
and
Glamis Castle
, with its royal associations. From here the A93 leads through the Grampi-
an Mountains to reach
Braemar
, a good place to spend the night.
A feast of castles lies ahead as you make your way east along Royal Deeside - take
your time and visit (at the very least) the royal residence of
Balmoral Castle
and the
fairy-tale
Crathes Castle
on your way to the granite city of
Aberdeen
. Plan to overnight
here.
Now strike west again along the A944, making small detours to visit
Castle Fraser
and
Craigievar Castle
before turning north to
Dufftown
in the heart of Speyside. Base your-
self here for at least a day while you explore the many
whisky distilleries
nearby - there
are two excellent restaurants to try, plus the Quaich whisky bar at the nearby Craigellachie
Hotel.
Head northwest to
Elgin
and its magnificent ruined cathedral, then west on the A96 vis-
iting
Fort George
and
Culloden
on the way to Inverness (you'll probably need a stopover
in Nairn).
Inverness
itself is worth a night or two - there are some excellent hotels and
restaurants, and the opportunity for a side trip to
Loch Ness
(Drumnadrochit for monster-
spotters, Dores Inn for foodies).
Now for a glorious drive from Inverness to
Torridon
via
Kinlochewe
through some of
the country's finest mountain scenery; try to spend a night at the Torridon hotel. Then
head south via Applecross and the pretty village of
Plockton
to Kyle of Lochalsh and the
bridge to
Skye
.
Spend two days exploring Scotland's most famous island before taking the ferry from
Armadale to Mallaig, and follow the
Road to the Isles
in reverse, stopping to visit
Glen-
finnan
, where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his Highland army in 1745. Overnight at Fort
William, and drive back to Edinburgh via the scenic road through
Glen Coe
and and
along the bonnie banks of
Loch Lomond
.
