Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to visit Scotland for a magical, whirlwind 10-day tour of Edinburgh, the Highlands, and the Isle of Skye. And all I have to say is WOW. I’ve been home for several weeks now, but I’m still thinking about how amazing it all was and scheming ways to get back there and explore more of that incredible country sooner rather than later. What started as a reel I posted about this on Instagram (see reel below with lots of fun pictures) got me wanting to share more of the details of the amazing things I saw and did while I was there so that others wanting to craft their own magical Scottish adventure can learn from my experiences.
I highly recommend Scotland as a destination to anybody who loves history, nature, and general outdoorsy adventures. However, for those of us who love fantasy novels, movies, and shows, Scotland has even more to offer. I’ll take you through my journey so you can get some ideas, tips, and tricks for your very own Scotland adventure!
Planning Your Journey
If you’re going to visit Scotland, I highly recommend getting out of the cities of Edinburgh or Glasgow and into the Highlands if you have the time. Not that Scotland’s cities aren’t amazing, because they are absolutely incredible. But because it’s a very different experience and you won’t really get the full Scotland experience unless you see the Highlands as well! That being said, if you’re like me and you’re from a country where you may be used to driving on the left side of the car, and on the right side of the road, it can be a little intimidating to rent a car and strike out on your own on Scotland’s roads given that the driving there is flipped to the other side of the road. I’ve actually driven on the other side of the road before, in Australia, but after seeing some videos of the single track roads and often rugged road conditions in places like the Isle of Skye, I decided on skipping the drive and taking tours and transit options instead. Whatever you decide is a very personal choice, and there is no wrong choice to make as long as you pick whatever works best for you and your comfort level, but it is definitely something to consider when visiting Scotland.
Here are some different transportation options you could consider:
- Transit: Scotland’s cities are well-connected by a train system, so if you are traveling between cities, you may want to go with the convenient and affordable option of just taking the train between cities, and trams and buses in town to get where you want to go. That being said, there are a lot of incredible places in Scotland you might want to see which are not easily accessible via public transit. Depending on where you want to go, you may want to combine transit options with tours and/or taxis in order to reach some of the incredible places the highlands have to offer.
- Tours: If you have some money to spend, you may consider taking a guided tour or stringing together several different tours to get you where you want to go in Scotland. There are a variety of tours to suit different budgets, from larger group tours which will tend to be more affordable, to private tours which are more expensive but offer the same flexibility you would have with a self-drive option. Definitely some pros and cons here. The group tours will allow you to see various places around Scotland for a more reasonable amount of money, but where you go exactly and how much time you end up having to explore in each location will be limited by the itinerary of the tour. In major cities, there are also often “Hop on, Hop off” bus tours you can purchase which will take you around to many of the main attractions of an area, which is a great option if you don’t have a lot of time and want to see the city (or if you’re tired and want to spend a day cruising around and getting your bearings).
- Self-Drive: By far the most flexible option, but you will need to spend a significant amount of time on your trip thinking about driving (especially if you’re used to driving on the right side of the road), road rules, parking, and other such considerations. I should also mention that the weather in Scotland can be somewhat unpredictable, so you’ll need to be comfortable driving in different conditions as well. Also consider that some of the suggested drive times you may see in your maps app may actually end up taking longer than anticipated, so you’ll want to leave yourself ample time if choosing this option.
Personally, I opted for a combination of transit, tours, and my own two feet (when walking around a city) as if offered the most flexibility without the stress of a self-drive. A special shout-out to some of the tour operators I worked with (and had a great experience with)…
Tour Companies I Traveled With
Highlander Private Tours.
I found this company when searching for ‘Transfer Tours’ while trying to solve the problem of wanting to stop at some cool places on my journeys to and from Edinburgh and Inverness without self-driving. The problem was that there are a lot of great places between those two cities, but the train doesn’t stop in any of them. This fueled a lot of debate about what to do, and I ended up finding Highlander Private Tours. What I love about this company is it is a small, family-owned business which is run by two brothers, not a big tour company. They will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel directly, and will work with you to customize a transfer tour that matches your interests. We used them twice. Once on our way from Edinburgh to Inverness, and then again several days later on our return from Inverness to Edinburgh. On the journey to Inverness, we were picked up at our Edinburgh hotel and went on a journey that took us to see The Kelpies, Stirling Castle, a stop for lunch at a very cute little town, and an incredibly magical afternoon doing the Cairngorms Reindeer Herd Hill Trip.
Lawrence was incredibly helpful working with me on timing and itinerary to design a day that not only got us to where we wanted to go, but also made sure we made our stop at the reindeer center on time. It was a pleasant journey, and he was a great guide for the day. At the end of the day, he dropped us off at the door of our Inverness hotel. Then on our return journey, we spent the day with Billy, who brought us back to Edinburgh on a different route, down Loch Ness, and through Glencoe and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, which was absolutely beautiful. We also stopped at Doune Castle where we got to live out our Monty Python dreams with a couple of coconuts (if you know, you know) before dropping us off at the door of our Edinburgh hotel. I highly recommend them. Both brothers are extremely personable and knowledgeable about Scotland and will help you customize any tour you have in mind. Check them out!
Timberbush Tours.
This is one of the bigger tour companies in the area. We decided to go with Timberbush for our 2-day Isle of Skye tour departing and dropping back off in Inverness simply because the timing was convenient and the tour was going to hit up a lot of the places on the Isle of Skye we were interested in seeing. There are a lot of options out there when it comes to Isle of Skye tours, but I do recommend maybe taking a tour unless you’re going to dedicate a significant amount of time to your trip to the Isle of Skye because the roads are a little difficult to navigate, the distances are far, and there is a lot to see! Plus, it’s a very popular destination so parking at popular places on the island can be a little tricky sometimes. Taking a tour took out all of the stress for us and allowed us to just hop on a mini bus and enjoy the views. While there are one day Isle of Skye tours you can do, I recommend at least 2 days if you do have the time because there really is a lot to see and the days will be long. I liked that this tour took care of our hotel accommodations in Portree for us, which can be notoriously hard to book given the popularity of the place. Our guide was a nice guy, and although I’m not usually a “group tour” type of person in general, I enjoyed the experience of traveling around with others for a couple days and seeing some truly magical places on the Isle of Skye .
Highland Legends Private Tours and Transfers.
We did the half-day tour of Inverness with them. This was another private tour and our guide, Donald, was an nice guy who had some very interesting stories about his previous life as a police officer in Scotland and as protection for the royal family. The tour took us around Inverness which included Loch Ness, a gin distillery, Whisky Distillery, highland cows, Culloden Battlefied and the Clava Cairns, where I got to simultaneously learn about the history of Scotland while at the same time geeking out because I’m an Outlander nerd. As the tour was private, it was relaxed and customized according to our interests. He also took us to the Beauly Priory and to see some adorable highland coos at the Robertson’s Farm Shop (where I also bought delicious marmalade and lemon curd to take home with me)
Ok, so on to more specific locations…
I’m sure you clicked on this because you want to get some tips on things in Scotland fantasy lovers would enjoy. I’ll share everywhere I went that I think fantasy lovers should see! I’ll break it up by location so you can help map it all out when planning your own Scotland adventure.
Edinburgh
The whole city feels like the setting a moody, beautiful, dark academia novel. So, you can’t go wrong just wandering around Edinburgh and discovering hidden gems along the way. In fact, I highly recommend doing just that. It’s a magical place! That being said, you should definitely check out Edinburgh Castle while you’re there (and book the afternoon tea ahead of time if you can. What’s better for a fantasy lover than drinking tea in a castle?). If you’re looking for one of the coolest cemeteries around (I was, because I’m a goth at heart), you can’t go wrong with the Greyfriars Kirkyard. There are some gravestones of interest, such as Tom Riddle, but I was just there to soak up the vibes and atmosphere of the place. I know cemeteries can feel a little morbid, but I promise you it was magical. And if you’re an Outlander fan and you happen to be strolling the Royal Mile (which I’m sure you will be if you’re in Edinburgh), don’t forget to stop by on a quick visit to Bakehouse Close (just a very quick detour and you’re there). It’s Jamie’s print shop!
One place I wanted to visit, but ran out of time to do so was Dean Village. It’s an amazingly beautiful part of town and can be seen as part of the Water of Leith Walkway, which is a beautiful 12-mile walking and cycling path that runs through part of Edinburgh. I missed it, but that’s ok because I definitely plan on coming back for another visit sometime, so I’ll make sure to check it out then.
Day Trip From Edinburgh – Midhope Castle (Lallybroch!)
Take me home to Lallybroch! If you’re an Outlander fan like me, you probably don’t want to pass up the chance to see Midhope Castle, which is where they filmed the Lallybroch scenes from Outlander. There are a few ways to get to Midhope, but I must warn you it’s definitely out of the way and you can’t just take a train or a bus there. Most people either self-drive or take a tour there (and if you’re an Outlander fan, there are a lot of specific Outlander tours of Scotland. I didn’t do one because I was traveling with my husband and I didn’t think he would want the whole trip to be Outlander focused, but if that’s something you’re interested in, seek one out!). Anyway, it is possible to go to Midhope Castle without a car or a tour, but it takes a little preparation. Here is how we did it. First, we booked our ticket ahead of time for the day we wanted to visit. The ticket was good for the whole day, so timing wasn’t as important. Then, we went to Edinburgh Waverley station and took the train to Linlithgow (you can also stop at Dalmeny). From that station, we called a taxi (the man who worked at the train station was very kind to give us the number of the local taxi company). We asked the taxi driver to take us to Midhope Castle, but to wait for us with the meter running while we explored. Then, we got back in the taxi and he took us back to the train station where we caught the next train back to Edinburgh. The whole taxi journey cost us about £35, and the train tickets were £17 each. So it was much more economical than doing a whole Outlander tour, and we still got to see Lallybroch! If you do this option, it is very important you have the taxi wait for you instead of calling another one, as it can be hard to get another taxi to come and pick you up at the castle due to poor signal. But all in all it was very easy to do, and the driver was used to doing this exact journey from the station from others who wanted to go to Lallybroch. The whole thing only took a couple hours total, and we were back in Edinburgh in time for lunch.
Cairngorms National Park
If you’re looking for something truly magical to do in Scotland, do the Cairngorms Reindeer Herd Hill Trip. If you’re reasonably fit enough to do a small hike and you have the time, I highly, highly recommend the reindeer hill trip to see the UK’s only free-ranging herd of reindeer. It is by far the most magical experience I have had in a very long time. They do daily tours (not sure if it’s only certain times of year or not, so check their website). You’ll need a pair of hiking boots and a good rain jacket at minimum, and they also recommend waterproof pants because you will be hiking into a bog, and Scotland’s weather can be a bit unpredictable. Once on the hill, the reindeer will come to the group, because they know they will be fed their afternoon snack. You’ll even get the opportunity to feed them a little bit of a treat yourself, which was such an amazing experience. The reindeer’s muzzle was so soft and fuzzy. What a cool thing to be able to do! Availability for the hill trip is limited, so if this is something you’re interested in doing, make sure to check the Cairngorms Reindeer Herd Hill Trip website early and regularly to snag those tickets when they become available during your travel dates!
I didn’t have time to explore the Highland Folk Museum or do the Hairy Coo Safari, not to mention Balmoral Castle and the amazing landscapes of the Cairngorms themselves since I was visiting on my way through on a transfer tour and had a specific time I had to be at the reindeer center, but there is a lot in the Cairngorms I would still like to have seen had I had more time. Oh well, that’s ok. It just gives me more reasons to plan another trip to Scotland!
In and Around Inverness
Inverness is a much smaller city than Glasgow or Edinburgh, but it was actually one of my favorites. For such a small city, it packs in a lot of very interesting sites, history, and nature in the area. Plus, the city itself has a very enjoyable, walkable downtown area with a beautiful river running through it. I recommend giving yourself at least a couple days to explore the city of Inverness itself as well as some of the surrounding things to see such as the Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns (both of which will be of particular interest to Outlander fans, but quite honestly they are both historically interesting anyway so everybody should go see them). There is also the famous Loch Ness of course. Silly tourist attractions aside, the Loch is quite beautiful and interesting in its own right, and the Nessie legend is a lot of fun! On the banks of the Loch, we also visited the Great Glen Distillery which is Scotland’s smallest gin distillery. We did a gin tasting and of course bought a few bottles to take home with us. We also visited the Singleton whisky distillery. I’m personally not a whisky person, but my husband enjoyed it and it was still interesting for me to learn a little about whisky and take a look at a distillery. I recommend visiting at least one while you’re in Scotland just because it’s pretty interesting. And of course, I can’t leave out the smaller town of Beauly, which is very close to Inverness. We visited the Beauly priory, which had a lot of interesting history and Outlander inspiration, and of course the hairy coos at Robertson’s Farm Shop (one of which is named Jamie Mackenzie Fraser)!
In the town itself, I had some absolutely amazing Indian food at Rajah. It was so good! Apparently, it’s a hard place to get a table, but we were lucky and they had one available to us as a walk-in. Still, some locals I talked to later were surprised I got a table so easily, so best to make a reservation if you want to try it. I also recommend you check out Leakey’s bookshop if you’re in Inverness and a fantasy book (or any type of book) lover like myself. It’s one of those very cool little independent bookstores that just feel magical inside. Definitely worth a visit.
Isle of Skye
What can I say about the Isle of Skye other than WOW? If you are looking for a place that feels magical, with incredible landscapes, lush waterfalls, otherworldly fairy glens, and rugged rock formations, look no further. But seriously, if you’re an outdoor lover, you won’t want to miss the Isle of Skye . It’s quite popular these days (and for good reason), so if you want to visit, you’ll want to plan well in advance. There are a few options when visiting the island. You can, of course, rent a car and drive yourself around. This would offer the most flexibility for your trip. However, I must warn you that there are a lot of single track roads, some of which are not fully paved, so if you’re not comfortable driving in those kinds of conditions, you may want to consider a tour. There isn’t really a lot of good public transportation on the Isle of Skye , so really your only options are a tour or a self-drive adventure. We debated about this a lot prior to our trip but ultimately settled on a tour for convenience sake and maximizing our visit. Although there were some things we gave up by going on a tour, I will say it ended up being the better option for us. There are a number of different tours to choose from to the Isle of Skye , but if you have the time, I would recommend doing at least a two-day tour. There are one-day tour options if you are short on time which will pick you up and drop you off from accommodations in cities such as Inverness (and I believe even Glasgow or Edinburgh as well), but it will be a very long day and you will miss a lot. As it was, our two-day tour was absolutely jam packed with activities and sights, and both days were very long. We were picked up by Timberbush Tours in Inverness on a small 20-seater bus.
The tour took us all around the island as well as some interesting sights on the way to and from the island before dropping us back off in Inverness. The nice thing about this tour as well is that they reserved a room for us in Portree for the night, which can be a notoriously difficult place to secure a hotel room due to the popularity of it. We did lose out a little on the freedom to stay as long as we wanted at various places, but the tradeoff is we ended up seeing a lot more of the island than we probably would have managed to see on our own, and we even had time for several hikes while we were there. I left the tour feeling like I had gotten a really good sense of the island, viewed several castles, had a great dinner in Portree overnight, and left with a lot of memories (and inspiration for the fantasy novel I’m writing). Ultimately, whether you choose a self-drive or a tour is a personal decision, but if I had one piece of advice for the Isle of Skye , it is to plan your time there well ahead of time to ensure you are able to get hotel and dinner reservations.
Glencoe
I sadly didn’t get to spend a lot of time in Glencoe. If my trip had been longer, I would have absolutely spent at least a couple full days there, hiking and exploring the landscapes. Just as the Isle of Skye is an incredible destination for nature lovers, Glencoe is equally as incredible. Definitely something I will do more of on my next trip to Scotland! Still, I wanted to at least see it as much as possible on my trip, and my driver with Highlander Private Tours was more than happy to pick us up at our hotel in Inverness and drive us the long way through Glencoe (as well as Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park) on our journey back to Edinburgh. What I saw was breathtakingly beautiful and I’m already planning my next trip where I’ll spend a good amount of time hiking on those amazing trails!
Stirling/Doune
I’m including these two locations together since I didn’t get to spend a lot of time in either, and they are also fairly close to one another. So, if you’re in the Stirling area, Doune should be a fairly easy day trip for you. I personally visited both Stirling and Doune castles on my transfer tours with Highlander Private Tours (highly recommended if you don’t want to drive in Scotland), but on the Doune Castle website and the Stirling Castle website it looks like both castles are fairly easy to get to by public transit as well, so that will be an option for you if you are choosing to take public transit and don’t mind walking about a half a mile or so at the end.
And I can’t forget some general travel tips…
A few things that I thought were helpful when getting ready for my Scotland trip were…
- If you’re planning on visiting a lot of different Historic Scotland sights (such as many of the castles around the country), you might want to consider getting a Scotland Explorer Pass for your trip. Not only did it save me money, but it also made it really easy and convenient to visit many places such as Doune Castle, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Urquhart Castle, and so, so many more. During busy times of year, reservations are still recommended for some sights (such as Edinburgh Castle) so check the websites of the places you’ll want to visit, but with an explorer pass you just make the reservation and you don’t need to purchase separate tickets.
- For a lot of the more limited experiences or popular places, such as the Cairngorms Reindeer Herd Hill Trip, or a visit to Edinburgh Castle for example, reservations are recommended (or often required). Also, popular restaurants, especially in popular or crowded cities, also require reservations. I highly recommend making a list of your non-negotiable things you would like to do and checking to see if reservations are recommended for those experiences or restaurants. Make sure to do it early so you don’t miss out!
- I can’t speak for flying into other cities like Glasgow or Inverness, but if you will be arriving or departing in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh tram is a very convenient way to get into the city center from the airport, or vice versa. It has stops which will drop you off very close to a lot of the hotels in the main part of town, so something to look into instead of spending a fortune on a taxi to or from the airport.
I hope you found this guide to be helpful, and I hope it inspires you to start planning your own Scotland adventure. I absolutely plan on visiting again as soon as possible. Who knows, maybe I’ll see you there!
Everyday Enchanted Life 
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