After spending a day in Edinburgh, we picked up our rental car and set off for our week-long road trip around Scotland! On the first day of our road trip, we drove to the Isle of Skye (where we were staying), visiting a few spots, including Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle along the way!
Blair Atholl
One of the things I was most looking forward to seeing in Scotland were the Highland cows! Can you blame me? They are so cute! When researching sites to visit along the way to the Isle of Skye, I saw that Highland cows are frequently spotted at Blair Castle, so I added it to our itinerary! We didn’t visit the castle itself, but we were able to spot two black Highland cows just outside of the castle grounds. I was so happy we got to see them!
After visiting the cows, we stumbled upon the nearby Atholl Arms Hotel where we grabbed a quick lunch from their restaurant. The food was really good (try the mac and cheese!) and it’s a cute and cozy spot. Then we were onto our next destination!
Loch Ness
When researching destinations to visit in Scotland, I read a lot of mixed reviews about Loch Ness. Many thought that it was a skippable destination or a tourist trap due to the popularity around the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. However, as it was in the direction that we were driving, we decided to visit. The Loch itself is huge and there are many picturesque spots to pull over and take photos!
Urquhart Castle
While Loch Ness itself is pretty, the main highlight for us was visiting Urquhart Castle, which is situated right on the Loch. It’s an iconic site in Scotland and one that shouldn’t be missed! We had a great time wandering around the castle and exploring the ruins. The only downside was that it was absolutely freezing on this day and extremely windy! It was actually much colder in Scotland than in Ireland! Our bodies were shivering and our teeth chattering as we climbed around the damp rooms and up into the towers. But braving the cold was well worth it! It was fascinating to learn the history of the castle and see how the inhabitants lived.
We timed it so that we arrived at Urquhart Castle just before 5pm, which I had read was the last entry time. However, upon arrival, we were told that the castle was open until 8pm that night! That was great news for us as it gave us plenty of time to explore without having to keep an eye on the clock. If you’re visiting in the summer months, double check the closing times!
Driving to the Isle of Skye
From Urquhart Castle, we drove straight to the Isle of Skye, which took around 2.5 hours. The views along the way are absolutely beautiful! Scotland is incredibly green and lush and we enjoyed driving through the valleys. We also drove right past Eilean Donan Castle. We didn’t have time to visit it on this day, but if you’re making good time, you could make a pitstop here on your way to Skye! Instead, we decided to include it on our return journey.
As we spent longer than originally expected at Urquhart Castle, we didn’t make it to our Airbnb in Portree (on the Isle of Skye) until around 9pm! We would soon learn that as Portree is very small, most of the local restaurants fill up quickly and close early. At this late in the evening, we had a very hard time finding a restaurant that was still serving food! After having no luck at several places, one bartender recommended the Taste of India, so we went there. We actually enjoyed the food and it’s a good option if you need to grab something late at night.
We had a great first day on our road trip throughout Scotland! I would definitely recommend visiting both Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle! The views are very beautiful and they are both iconic spots in Scotland that are worth seeing.
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