This year, we needed a new travel challenge. We had become pros when it came to rental car trips with hotel stays. So we needed something new: a road trip in a campervan. Two weeks through Scotland. With our hotel always with us.
It was an experiment that paid off. We got to know (and love!) a different way of traveling. Here are a few impressions from our trip that will hopefully inspire you to discover Scotland in the same way.
Our road trip in a campervan
The main points on our route: Edinburgh - Blair Castle - Loch Morlich - Spye River - Aberlour Beach - Portsoy - Loch Ness - Highlands & NC 500 - Ullapool - Applecross Pass - Eilean Donean Castle - Isle of Skye - Glen Nevis - Glenfinnan Viaduct - Inveraray - Stirling - Eastcoast - South Queensferry - Edinburgh
On day 1, we were glad we had booked a campsite near the city. We first had to get used to a few things: driving on the left, the narrow streets, and the many switches in our hotel on wheels. Fortunately, our initial feelings of being overwhelmed quickly gave way to great enthusiasm for this type of road trip. And strangely enough, I found myself really enjoying washing up by hand—and even emptying dirty water or toilet tanks! :-)
Although Edinburgh is a great city, we were happy to head out into the countryside the next day. We started our road trip heading northeast towards the sea. Our first stop was Blair Castle, a beautiful castle that is open to tourists. We then continued to Loch Morlich, a wonderful lake in which you can go for a refreshing swim - if you dare!
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| Blair Castle |
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| Loch Morlich |
Next, we explored the Speyside. This area is known for its high density of whisky distilleries and winds its way along the River Spey. Naturally, we also wanted to learn about the art of whisky making. At the Glendronach Distillery, we were given an exciting private tour — followed by an extensive tasting, of course! :-)
The next day, we changed course and steered our hotel on wheels westward toward the Isle of Skye. At Aberdour Beach, we found the most beautiful place to sleep on our trip. A secluded beach that we had all to ourselves. We spent the evening right by the sea. With a campfire, a barbecue—and, of course, a few more sips of whiskey. We were gradually getting used to our van life. Would we ever travel any other way again? I wasn't sure.
What would Scotland be without Loch Ness? Of course, we couldn't miss out on visiting this legendary place. We didn't find Nessie, but we did find Ness-Café, great views, and a wonderful place to sleep right by the lake.
Now we were really immersed in picture-perfect Scotland. We were driving through the Highlands, heading east on the legendary NC 500 towards Ullapool. The landscape was spectacular and one of the big highlights of this trip. On top of that, there was my personal highlight: the realization that you can take a siesta anytime, anywhere with a van. Which we took full advantage of.
Another highlight followed the next day: the Applecross Pass (or Bealach na Bà in Gaelic). Right at the start, a sign warned that this mountain road was not for beginners. We realized this pretty quickly—the road was the ultimate driving test, and quite a thrill in our campervan! The Applecross Pass is known for its tight hairpin bends, steep gradients (up to 20%) and breathtaking views. After what felt like thousands of bends, we reached the top of the pass. But instead of a view, there was thick fog. Views: zero. Adventure: 10/10. Inside, I sent little prayers to heaven. “Please no oncoming traffic. Please no oncoming traffic”. The roads were narrow and we filled them completely with our van.
It was slowly getting dark, foggier, and windier. On top of that, it started to rain heavily. Luckily, we found a small lay-by on a bend in the road that was reasonably sheltered from the wind (or so we thought at the time). We decided to spend the night there. Little did we know that we would be shaken all night long and hardly get any sleep for fear that our car would either be washed away or blown over...
Fortunately, we survived the stormy night—and so did our four-wheeled hotel. We left the pass and drove to another highlight of this trip—the world-famous Eilean Donan Castle, which has been used as a setting in films such as James Bond and Highlander. We were thrilled!
We crossed a bridge to leave the north-west coast and drove over to the Isle of Skye, the largest island in the Inner Hebrides. Wonderful, rugged landscapes that reminded me of films like "Lord of the Rings", cute little fishing villages, lots of sheep, narrow roads and a thousand opportunities for hiking. We were a bit sad to leave after only two days, we could easily have spent our two weeks just here, there was plenty to see!
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| Old Man of storr |
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| The capital city of Portree |
We drove on, slowly heading inland and south towards Edinburgh. We passed more spectacular landscapes, old castle ruins, and sheep. The idea of soon being back in the city seemed very strange to us. Had we become real van lifers and nature freaks in such a short time?
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| Inveraray Castle |
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| Inveraray |
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| Kilchurn Castle |
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| Overnight stay at Loch Lomond |
On our way to the east coast, we stopped in Stirling, a picturesque city where we stuffed ourselves with Indian food and visited the prison (don't worry, completely voluntarily!). But soon we were drawn back to the sea. The east coast is lined with charming little fishing villages such as Crail and Anstruther (known for the best fish and chips in the country). Here, you could simply stroll along the sea for hours and let the wind blow around your ears.
We had grown so fond of our van that it was sad to give it back. We took a taxi to our final destination, where we had booked a night in an Airbnb: South Queensferry. We hadn't expected anything, so we were all the more delighted when we discovered that South Queensferry is a very beautiful, cozy little town right by the sea. We ended our last evening with drinks and a view of the Firth of Forth.
Unfortunately, even the most wonderful vacations come to an end. The next day, we flew back to Switzerland, happy with all the memories. Scotland is the perfect country to explore by van. You can camp freely in many places, which gives you a great sense of freedom. I found the people to be incredibly friendly and talkative. The landscapes were so varied and spectacular. Two weeks were far too short to discover everything. As a result, the list of destinations that I would like to visit more than once has become a little longer.