The Scottish Highlands are an area of unspoilt natural beauty. The scenery is simply spectacular around every corner, making it a perfect place for an epic road trip. You really can’t go wrong and pick a bad route. Sure, some are quicker than others and may appear less scenic, but you undoubtedly will cross beautiful lochs (lakes), glens (valleys) or bens (mountains). To give you a taste of the stunning drives that the highlands have to offer, below we present our guide to some of the Best Scenic Drive Routes Through the Scottish Highlands, which we hope will help you plan the perfect road trip through this beautiful region of Scotland.
Disclosure: This page (Best Scenic Drives and Routes Through the Scottish Highlands) may contain product affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. More details can be found on our disclosure and policies page.
You might also be interested in these pages (coming soon):
Best Day Trips From Edinburgh
Best Things to See and Do in Edinburgh
Best Things to See and Do on a Road Trip Between Edinburgh and Skye
Best Castles to Visit Near Edinburgh
Orientation – About the Scottish Highlands
The Highlands are the perfect place for a prolonged roadtrip or short weekend getaway, with abundant natural scenery to keep you in awe the entire time.
Getting to this region of Scotland is fairly simple — you can fly into Edinburgh or Glasgow and make your way from either city. It’s definitely simpler to visit the Highlands with your own vehicle, as this region isn’t well suited for travelling by public transit, aside from reaching a few of the larger towns.
For advice and tips on how to drive in Scotland, check out our Scotland Roadtrip Driving Guide.
If you haven’t booked your rental vehicle yet, we highly recommend using Discover Cars to get the best rates on your rental in Scotland.
There are many, many different scenic routes you can take in the highlands. As we mentioned above they all have spectacular scenery, but some have more of a jaw-dropping effect on you than others. Below we cover our 5 favorite scenic routes.
Best Scenic Drives and Routes Through the Scottish Highlands
The Drive Through Glen Coe (A82)
Glen Coe is a valley (glen) of volcanic origin located in the southern Scottish Highlands, just north of the county of Argyll. The Glen is about a 35 km drive (30 min) from Fort Wiliam. From Oban, it is about a 65km drive (60 min). Getting here from Glasglow or Edinburgh will take a bit longer, roughly 2h and 2h30, respectively.
Although Glen Coe is a paradise for hillwalkers and hikers, the area can still be appreciated from your vehicle while occasionally stopping to appreciate some of the more scenic spots. All you really need to do is follow the two-lane A82 road. Though Glen Coe mostly refers to the section of the A82 that runs east-west (roughly between Glencoe village and Loch Ba), we’ll include the north-south portion of the road as well since you will have to drive it anyway and the scenery is quite beautiful there as well with several viewpoints.
Distance (one-way): 50km
Drive Time (one-way): 40 minutes (without stops)
As you can see below, there are several viewpoints and signposted parking areas where you can stop to admire the scenery, with the most famous viewpoint being the Three Sisters of Glen Coe viewpoint. Several of these parking areas are also the starting points for some of Glencoe’s most beautiful hikes.
If you do undertake this drive, we recommend early in the morning or late afternoon. During the middle of the day, particularly during peak tourist season, the road can become congested. Now this isn’t necessarily a bad thing if you don’t mind the slow down to prolong your time enjoying the scenery, as long as you take into account the longer drive in your itinerary planning. Note that finding parking spaces in your preferred areas might also be more difficult during mid-day.
Glen Coe – Oban Loop (A82, A828, A85)
You can turn the Glen Coe drive described above into a 2h30 loop route connecting with the beautiful coastal town of Oban. It combines the stunning Glen Coe mountain scenery described above with the beautiful lakeside views of Loch Awe, Loch Leven and Loch Linnhe. It’s a great route to take when visiting Glencoe from Oban to see different scenery on your way there and back.
Distance (full loop): 160km
Drive Time (full loop): 2h20 minutes (without stops)
If you don’t have time to include Oban in your itinerary, cutting it out of the loop will save you about 20 minutes. In addition to the added lakeside scenery, this loop itinerary will allow you to see some beautiful castle ruins and a stunning lakeside church.
Along the shores of Loch Awe, you will find the beautiful St Conan’s Kirk, built in 1886, and the ruins of Kilkurn Castle, originally built in the mid-1400s and abandoned since 1770. Along the shores of Loch Linnhe, you will find the stunning Castle Stalker, beautifully set on an island just off the coast.
Glen Shiel & Loch Duich (A87)
The start point of this drive is roughly at the midpoint between Fort William and Fort Augustus. As soon as you leave the A82 in Invergarny to head west, the scenery is stunning as you’ll pass several lochs on your way to Glen Shiel.
Distance (one-way): 65km
Drive Time (one-way): 55 minutes (without stops)
Glen Shiel is a beautiful and dramatic valley in the Northwest Highlands. It’s one of the most beautiful sections of the drive to Skye and one of the shortest (it’s only a 9km long stretch of the A87 road, between Loch Cluanie and Loch Duich), making it all the more special. If you would like to stop to walk around and take some pictures, we recommend doing so at this small car park. It’s a few hundred feet from the Eas-Nan-Arm stone bridge (pictured below) and a scenic river.
As you exit Glen Shiel, you will start to follow the eastern shoreline of the Loch Duich. As you near the northern tip of the loch, you will start to see the stunning Eilean Donan Castle. It is without a doubt one of Scotland’s most photogenic Castles. Sitting beautifully at the intersection of three lochs, this castle was originally built to protect the region against Viking invasions several centuries ago, however, the version you see today was reconstructed as a family home in the early 20th century.
For more information on when and how to visit this stunning castle, check out our Eilean Castle Visiting Guide.
Skye Bridge to Portree (A87)
In many ways, this is the continuation of the previous drive (in fact, you will still be driving on the A87). Shortly after you pass Eilean Donan Castle (described above), you will reach the Skyebridge and enter Skye. Even though you are driving the same road the scenery has started to take a more dramatic look.
Distance (one-way): 52 km
Drive Time (one-way): 45 minutes (without stops)
Although some of the more popular attractions in Skye are located deeper in Skye, the initial drive between the Skye Bridge and the isle’s main town of Portree is quite spectacular. Noteworthy stops include the Eas a’ Bhradain waterfall, the Highland Cow Parking Area (where you might see some highland cows), the Sligachan Bridge, and the Allt Dubh View Point (where some of the pictures below were taken from).
One of our favorite stops to make along this route is at the Sligachan Bridge. The Sligachan Old Bridge was built between 1810 and 1818 by engineer Thomas Telford. Today, the bridge is for pedestrians and cyclists only following the construction of a new road bridge parallel to it on the A87. Before 1818, you had to fjord the river in order to get to the other side!
You can also combine your stop with a visit to a scenic waterfall, a short 10-minute walk from the car park.
For more information on the bridge and how to reach the waterfall, you can check out our Sligachan Bridge and Waterfall guide.
At the end of the route you will be greeted by the colorful Portree, Skye’s largest town.
Trotternish Peninsula (A855, A87)
Continuing the theme of the drive being a continuation of the previous one, this route starts and ends at the same point the previous drive ended, in Skye’s largest town, Portree.
Distance (loop): 80 km
Drive Time (loop): 1h25 minutes (without stops)
This is one of Skye’s most epic drives that pacts several attractions into one. It’s definitely a must-do activity on Skye if you have a few days on the island. At its shortest, it’s a half-day roadtrip but it can easily turn into a full-day trip depending on how many hiking trails you want to do along the way.
You’ll pass by Loch Fada.
You’ll see waterfalls.
If you are willing to hike a bit, you can get to this epic Old Man of Storr viewpoint.
A slight detour will take you to the otherworldly landscapes of the Quiraing.
And so much more.
For more information on all the sites and attractions along this drive check out our Trotternish Loop Travel Guide.
More information on the Scottish Highlands
If you are interested in learning more about visiting the Scottish Highlands, you might be interested in the following guides we put together:
Best Things to See and Do in Skye
Best Things to See and Do in Glen Coe
Best Walks and Hikes in Glen Coe
Best Things to See and Do in Oban
Preparing a trip to Scotland?
You might be interested in these Scotland pages:
Top Things to See and Do in Scotland
Two-Week Scotland Itinerary
We also highly recommend these guidebooks:
Rick Steves Scotland
Lonely Planet Scotland’s Highlands
Photography Gear
If you like our photography, you might be interested in some of the gear we use to shoot our travel and hiking destinations.
Camera Body – Nikon Z 6ii Fx-series Mirrorless Body
Main Lens – NIKON 24-120mm F/4G ED VR AF-S
Zoom Lens – Sigma 745-306 150-600mm f/5-6.3
Polarizing filters – Urth Circular Polarizing (CPL)
Camera Tripod – K&F Concept 64-inch Camera Tripod
Mini-tripod – Lammcou Flexible Camera Tripod
Camera/hiking backpack – Vanguard Alta Rise 48 Backpack
Universal Travel Adapter – VYLEE Universal International Power Travel Plug
Other Travel Essentials
Travel Insurance
SafetyWing is a travel insurance company that offers comprehensive coverage for travellers. Includes Medical Insurance and Travel Insurance. Primarily geared towards long-term travellers, digital nomads, and expats.
e-Sim cards
Airalo is the world’s first and largest eSIM store with eSIM plans for 200+ countries and regions worldwide. With Airalo eSIMs, travellers can get connected the moment they land at their destination and avoid nasty data roaming charges
eSIMS are a sustainable alternative to single-use SIM cards – they are 100% digital, require less energy to produce and be re-used rather than disposed of.
Car Rentals
Discover Cars is our go-to website for car rentals. We almost always find our preferred rate there.
Transfer from Airport
Welcome Pickups is our favourite private transfer service, which you can pre-book at a fixed price. Currently available in 220 cities all over the world (mostly in Europe, but with several major cities in Asia, the Middle East and the US).
Kiwitaxi is another private transfer service – we haven’t tried it yet, but it’s currently available in a few more countries (102 as of 2024).
Hotels and Accommodations (coming soon)
Photography Prints
If you found this blog useful, you can help support our blog by purchasing low-cost digital prints. Printed physical prints are also available for purchase.
—–
Well, that wraps it up! We hope you enjoyed our Best Scenic Drives and Routes Through the Scottish Highlands and that it will prove useful for planning your trip to the beautiful Scottish Highlands.
—–
You might also be interested in these related pages:
