Scotland 2025

This was our first trip to Scotland. We flew to Glasgow where we spent a few days, before heading north to Inverness to drive the North Coast 500 anticlockwise.

Glasgow

Glasgow is an interesting city that saw better times, when it was at the forefront of tobacco, cotton and other goodies trade to Europe, or when the ship building industry was quite big. It all went downhill towards the end of the twentieth century, when many industries closed and crime rate was pretty high. In the last few years the officials have been trying pretty hard to revamp it as an artistic and cultural hub.

The Scottish Events Campus is fairly big and has several venues. It is close to several touristic attractions and close to the River Clyde. The Rotunda that has scaffolding on it is the North Rotunda – a historic building that used to host a lift to haul up pedestrians, carts and cars when the under-the-river tunnels were built.

There is a fairly long but handy pedestrian tunnel crossing the motorway to Finnieston – a funky multicultural suburb now, that used to be a fishing village. We walked and took in the views along Argyle St until we reached Kelvingrove Museum.

The museum had some interesting things, including Dali’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross (and a short video about how it was damaged and then repaired), some interesting paintings by Dutch artists as well as by some local painters that created a local movement, The Glasgow Boys. We also learned about some local architect designers, Charles Rennis Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald.

From the Kelvingrove we walked to Byres Road, the main street in west end, with lots of restaurants and cafes. And barber shops – so many of them! Apparently they are used for money laundering (same as the nail saloons!) or at least this is what the locals told us. We also noticed that matcha is very popular here, but soy milk not so much, they have oats and coconut milk.

We walked past Glasgow University to Ashton Lane – which is actually really small but very famous for its restaurants and atmosphere. It didn’t impress us much as it was middle of the day and most places were either closed or had no customers – allegedly it comes alive in the evenings.

Next attraction was the Botanical Gardens, and its many glass houses. The weather was really nice so there were lots of people on the grass enjoying the sunshine.

We quite enjoyed the Hop on Hop off bus as it we were able to see quite a bit of Glasgow that we wouldn’t have thought to go and see otherwise. We did the yellow tour first, which showed us more of eastern and southern Glasgow, then the red tour, which covered more of the University area. We learned about the soccer fans here and the many accidents related to poorly designed stadiums. We got to see from really close the Science museum and its Observation tower, as well as the Riverside museum with its impressive design. We also got to admire murals by an Australian artist, Sam Bates, and the M8 Bridge that had to be reinforced as the traffic ended up being much heavier than initially predicted.

Port Glasgow is where the ship yards used to be – there’s not many left today. The Port Glasgow timber ponds, where they used to store timber brought from America until they could use it to build the ships, are barely visible today, especially at high tide. A video explaining their past use can be seen at https://youtu.be/_-0lHyYImf8?si=mwdrROZjC5aYmxI4 .

We admired the views from Newark Castle (the castle was closed) towards the estuary of River Clyde; the Shipbuilders statue in Port Glasgow from the car as it was pouring down with rain, drove along the coast, stopping in Inverkip Bay, famous for witch-hunting and later on smugglers, and then we stopped for a walk and lunch (and ice cream) in Largs.

Loch Lomond

Loch Lomond is a beautiful lake in the Southern Scotland, part of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. We visited it as a day driving trip from Glasgow.

Duck Bay Marina has a really nice restaurant right on the shore of the loch, and they do an excellent breakfast.

Next stop was Auchentullich Farm shop where we sampled some really nice icecream, but they sell a lot of other different produce and supplies.

Next stop was Luss, advertised to be the prettiest village in Scotland. There were quite a few tourists (with the appropriate shops to cater for them), and some obviously annoyed locals with signs not to park in many places and not to rest on their cars. We walked past the war memorial, along the beach; saw the famous pier which is the start point for boats doing cruises on Loch Lomond. We went to the parish church as well – unfortunately it was not open to admire its stained windows which are apparently very nice. It was built by a local who lost his uncle and other family members in a ship wreck as they were coming back from a hunting trip. Interestingly it contains some Viking tombs as well.

From Luss we stopped briefly at Firkin Point to take in the vista – it was raining but the views were still very nice. There is a cycling route very close and there were lots of nettles and foxglove nearby.

We then went to The Cruin to enjoy views towards Inchmurrin. Then kept driving through Aldochlay, Tarbet, then at Drovers Inn which is allegedly the most haunted inn in Britain.

The first proper stop where we went for a bit of walk as well was to see the Falls of Falloch.

Then we got going again through Crianlarich to Tyndrum where we stopped and had a cup of tea and scones at the Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum (the other option being the Green Welly Stop).

Despite the morning rain, by lunchtime it was pretty warm and sunny so we stopped at Faerie Hollow, Loch Lubnaig beag, close to the Highland boundary fault line.

At Loch Katrine visitor centre, we walked to the viewpoint to admire the steamship Sir Walter Scott coming back to the jetty.

From there we drove the famous Duke’s Pass which is an amazing road. Got close to doing the 3 lochs forest drive but we’ll have to come back another day with a car that has a bit more ground clearance.

A short video with parts of these beautiful roads can be seen here.

The last destination point was Balmaha, where we had dinner at the Oak Tree Inn and then did a nice walk on the loch shore, admiring the local boats and forests, and learning about its history and local mountaineer Tom Weir.

The drive from Glasgow to Inverness is not very long, but there are quite a few attractions on the way. Our first stop was in Castlecary, where we did a short walk to see some remains of the Antonine Wall. It is a turf fortification that was built by the Romans quite a few years earlier than Hadrian’s Wall, during the reign of Antoninus Pius. It was built across central Scotland between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde, to prevent attacks by the Caledonians which were north of it. It is quite different to what we expected, with a ditch on its northern side and the actual wall made of mud and turf, not stones.

From there we drove to Bonnybridge where we read a bit about the local history, then walked to see the lock on the Forth & Clyde Canal.

The Falkirk Wheel is nearby as well, where we watched a boat being lifted in the upper canal (the wheel replaced 11 locks on the original canal).

Next stop was the Kelpies sculpture which is even bigger than I imagined. There were 2 model sculptures as well, which were used for testing in a wind tunnel before the real ones were built. When we first heard ok “The Kelpies” we expected them to be brown dogs with big ears, but they are not!

The Scone Palace in Perth was our next attraction. It was quite a show as they had a garden festival on, so it was pretty busy. The castle was very interesting – it has a huge collection of porcelain pieces among other things. Of course we had to enjoy another scone here – although the name of the palace has nothing to do with the baked delicacy.

We stayed very close to Loch Ness, at Highland Bear Lodge, where we admired the birds and a red squirrel munching on seeds from the bird feeder in the garden.

A short video with parts of the Glasgow to Inverness drive is here.

Loch Ness

We did a Jacobite Cruise on Loch Ness, starting (and finishing) in Dochgarroch. It was a typical day for Scotland, foggy, grey and wet.

We started on the Caledonian Canal which was built in the early 1800s to connect the east and west coasts of Scotland. First thing to notice was the start of River Ness, which is only 6 miles long – and apparently was back to the usual size on the day we visited after being pretty dry in the last couple of weeks as they’ve had a drought here (who would believe that!). Fishing is a popular sport in Scotland – but the UK bureaucracy and taxes means that one, of course, needs a permit in order to hold a rod in their hands.

Bona lighthouse was on our starboard side as we entered Loch Ness – used in the past to guide vessels into the Caledonian Canal. Interestingly it used a paraffin light that burned in the keeper’s bedroom which initially didn’t have a chimney, but a few years later they added one coming out through the bedroom window. 130 years later they replaced it with an electric light.

Queen Victoria enjoyed visiting this area but didn’t really like to mingle with normal people. The Dochfour House is where she stayed, and they built a jetty off Loch Ness so she could disembark here, away from the crowds. In the garden they have two real cannons pointing towards the loch, and which were used in the past to defend against any potential attacks from water.

We had some glimpses of Aldourie Castle Estate which can be hired for 35,000 pounds a day and we saw the local version of the blue boatshed. We later learned that Aldourie Castle belongs to a rich Danish couple, Anders & Anne Holch Povlsen who bought a lot of land in Scotland.

Once on Loch Ness we learned some figures about the lake and its famous resident (as well as the efforts to spot it). The scenery around the loch is just amazing with the rolling hills and yellow gorse bushes. We saw a rescue helicopter doing some training exercises as well.

The final point was Urquhart Castle where some people got off. We stayed on the boat and just came back the same way.

Back on shore, we went for a short stroll along the canal to have a look at some of the local boats.

And we sent the drone to have a look at the loch as well.

North Coast 500

There are lots of websites, blogs and books describing North Coast 500. We chose to do it anticlockwise and only had 5 days to cover the whole thing – not a lot, and we missed many of the attractions, which means we will just have to come back.

The first day we drove from Inverness to Lybster.

Portmahomack is a quaint, forgotten fishing village which apparently is the driest place in Scotland due to a unique microclimate. They have an interesting discovery centre next to it (Tarbat Discovery Centre), built on the grounds of an ancient Pictish church of St Colman, where there is a lot of information about the Picts who used to live in that area, and the Pictish artefacts that they’ve discovered. The roads to and from here were very interesting – quite narrow but the speed still 60 mph (about 100 kph) and having to slow down when meeting another car.

We passed through Tain, the oldest royal burgh in Scotland (since 1066) and next stop was Dornroch. We wanted to visit the Cathedral but it was closed, so we had a hot chocolate at the Cocoa mountain cafe, walked around the town and visited a few shops. There is a stone in Dornoch marking the spot where the last witch (Janet Horne) was burnt in Scotland in 1727 but we didn’t see it.

Next attraction was Carn Liath which is a broch – an Iron Age era structure that was used to house and protect a family. The location is very nice with amazing views towards the North Sea and Dunrobin Castle in the distance (which we chose not to see this time around). The owners of Dunrobin Castle, the dukes and duchesses of Sutherland, are quite controversial as they triggered the Highland clearances. It was a good opportunity to learn a bit about this historical event which has affected the life of so many people (quite a few of them now call Australia home). Back then the British aristocracy thought that sheep are worth more than people and looking at “The Mannie” standing proud on top of Ben Bhraggie one would struggle to believe that this view has changed.

Next stop was Helmsdale, another pretty fishing village with a very secluded harbour, with two walls protecting it from what can probably be very rough seas. We didn’t get to see the Timespan museum as it was already closed by the time we got there.

We drove past Badbea historic clearance village but didn’t stop as it was pouring down with rain. We stayed at The Antlers, a B& B place in Lybster, that had amazing views back along the coast but also towards Beatrice offshore windfarm.

On our second day on North Coast 500 we drove from Lybster to Tongue.

Our first destination was Hill o’Many Stanes, an interesting place that they don’t really know what it was used for – dating from the Bronze Age, some theories are that they were used as burial grounds or astronomical observatory.

From there we drove to Whaligoe Steps, another interesting place where the legend of Sisyphus could have originated. In the early 1800s, fishermen would bring their catch into this somewhat sheltered area and the wives would carry it up the 365 steps and then on to the markets in Wick. By the time the fish made it to the markets it was often spoilt!

Next stop was Wick. We wanted to visit the Heritage museum but it was closed being a Sunday. We walked around the harbour and learned about its rich fishing history – and tried to imagine hundreds of steam ships (and the pollution they would cause) in the quaint quiet harbour that Wick is today.

From Wick we drove to John O’Groats, the northernmost town in mainland UK. The scenery was amazing both driving towards it, but also once we got there, as we could see the Orkneys but also the troubled, conflicting ocean waters forming a strong whirlpool not far from shore, that caused a few maritime tragedies.

We had a cup of tea and a scone while we waited for a shower to pass, had the obligatory selfie with the signpost, and then drove to Duncansby Head Lighthouse where we had some amazing views back towards the coast.

We drove past Castle of Mey which we weren’t particularly keen to see knowing that it belongs to the royals. Next step was Dunnet Head, the northernmost point in mainland UK. There were lots of bird collonies (puffins, terns, gulls, fulmars, shags) on the steep rock faces, and we spend quite a bit of time admiring the flying skills of these birds which would come and land using the air currents.

Brough Bay / Pier was the next interesting surprise, a secluded bay accessed by a small, well-hidden road just off the main road.

We drove through Thurso, but being Sunday afternoon everything was closed and the place looked pretty deserted. We made a detour to see Strathy point lighthouse but the wind was very strong and it was raining so we saw it from the car. On the way there, it was interesting to see peet on the side of the road which is used to dry the malted barley when making whisky, giving it the specific Scotch flavour.

The road continued to wind through some amazing landscapes with yellow gorse bushes and some brown bushes, lots of sheep and occasional cattle, though Bettyhill, past some sandy beaches that we admired from a distance. We stayed the night at the Tongue Hotel in Tongue.

The third day of our North Coast 500 trip we drove from Tongue to Ullapool.

We started our morning with a walk to Castle Varrich which is in ruins but has amazing views over the Kyle of Tongue and also the village of Tongue.

I had chosen to do NC 500 anticlockwise as the guide books mentioned that the views on the west coast are nicer than on the east coast and the previous days we were wondering how that could be, considering how amazing the landscape had been up to this point. But today we understood – rolling valleys with bens, glens, rivers and lochs of various sizes. We drove past Loch Eriboll which just came into view ad we turned a corner on the very windy, one lane road.

First (longer) stop (that was not just a photo shoot) was Smoo Cave where we did a short tour. It is a very interesting place – a fresh water cave that eventually opens to the ocean. It is very small and they run tours in summer while in winter they keep digging as they think there is another (much bigger) room that was used during prehistoric times, and has been closed off by debris. It has a temporary waterfall that one of the guides managed to film running only a couple of days before. Just outside the cave there is a midden of shells and fish bones, again marker of human occupation thousands of years ago.

From Smoo Cave we drove to Balnakeil Beach where we went for a walk on the beach and also managed to see a golf course nearby (apparently voted the best 9 hole golf course in Scotland!)  and an old church with a cemetery. We wanted to see Faraid Head but the road was closed to cars and it would have been too long a walk in that rain and wind.

Balnakeil Craft Village was the next stop where we were hoping we would be able to get some food but we only managed to find a hot chocolate place (same company as the one in Dornoch) where we got some cakes and hot chocolate. The village is an artist place – initially it was built by the military as an early warning station in the 1950s (built to detect and warn of a nuclear attack during the cold war), but then was abandoned and the various artists got the homes for free. We continue to be amazed by the fact that dogs are allowed inside restaurants and they are also so well behaved!

We crossed the Kylsesku Bridge, through North West Highland Geopark.

After a longer stint with beautiful vistas, next stop was Ardvreck Castle and Calda House next to it – again, just ruins, but places to reflect how life might have been when people lived there. The castle was originally built by Clan Macleod in 1590 but was captured by Clan Mackenzie in 1672, who then built Calda House in 1726 (but burnt down in 1737). We were surprised to see that so many buildings burned down back then, when they all appear to be made of stone – but then we learned that the roof and some of the walls were actually made of peat, the same one that was used for heating.

We continued driving through the picturesque villages of Lochinver and then the tiny Inverkirkaig before we reached remote Achitibuie with amazing views towards the islands. There was a very interesting looking hotel there – Summer Isles Hotel, where we will try and stay next time we come here.

We intended to hike Stac Pollaidh but changed our minds because of the weather.

Last place to admire was Ardmair Beach before we arrived in Ullapool, where we stayed at Westlea House, a cosy, boutique bed & breakfast place.

After dinner we walked along Ullapool harbour where we saw a huge ferry waiting to go to Stornoway (and that we later found out had been cancelled due to severe weather), and also an otter that hid in between the rocks on the foreshore.

The last leg of our North Coast 500 journey was Ullapool back to Inverness.

First stop was Corrieshalloch Gorge and the Falls of Measach which are accessible / visible via a suspension bridge – and they were impressive!

From there we continued the detour from A835 on A832. The landscape continued the same pattern from yesterday with the added bonus of multiple rivulets and waterfalls on both sides of the road as it was quite a rainy and very windy day.

We came across and went to visit the Arctic convoy museum in Aultbea, near Loch Ewe – very interesting little place with a lot of information about the convoys that transported stuff from the UK to USSR through the North Sea.

We drove past the Inverewe Gardens and initially planned to stop, but then decided against it as it was raining.

Beauly is a neat, picturesque little town where we visited the priory and learned more about its history.

We stayed at the Cnoc Hotel, about 10 miles from Beauly, in a nice, remote location. The hotel has seen better days, but we had a nice warm, comfortable room with very nice views towards the surrounding pastures.

We visited Culloden, to see the famous moor where the Battle of Culloden took place. It was a very impressive place and much better organised that we thought it would be. We went with a tour and the guide was really good (sounded very kiwi as well, a recurrent theme on this trip) and explained to us very well the background and what happened. She also mentioned that the museum building had 50 + 1500 bricks sticking out, which was the official count of the victims on both sides.

Back in the museum, we had a look at the displays, then had a live demonstration about how the tartans were wrapped up and worn – they are so much more than just skirts!

From Culloden we drove all the way to the Singleton of Glen Ord distillery hoping to have lunch and do a tour, but none of that happened as they didn’t really have a restaurant and the tour was not till quite late and also pretty dear.

So we drove back east past Inverness, to see Fort George. It houses the Highlanders museum and is also a working military barracks, and overall it is a very impressive building.

At the top of the defence wall, as we were looking towards Chanonry Point, we saw a couple of dolphins as well as the crowd on the other side of Morray Firth, keen to see them. It was very interesting to read how the allies trained in this area next to Fort George to prepare for the landing in Normandy.

Last stop for the day was Clava Cairns, some bronze age (assumed to be) burial cairns with surrounding stones in a circular pattern as well.

We came back to Inverness and parked very close to St Mary’s Church, crossed the river and had a very nice dinner at McBain’s by the River, then went for a walk along River Ness, past Inverness Cathedral, before returning to the Cnoc Hotel in Beauly where we stayed another night.

There’s plenty more things to see on North Coast 500 and we will come back another time, when we will have more days available.

On the way back from Inverness to Glasgow, our first stop was Fort Augustus, where we arrived when the bridge was up to allow boats through, and then we watched these same three boats going up through the locks.

We went inside the Caledonian Canal centre to read a bit more about it. Then we went to the Clansman Centre which was meant to have a museum and some demonstration about the clansmen, but it turned out to be just another gift shop. So we had an ice-cream, looked at some other shops, then got going again.

Next stop was Dalwhinnie distillery where again we were hoping to do a tour but had no luck. But at least we got to hear and see an F16 that flew past and quite low.

Next stop was Pitlochry, where we tried to do a tour at one of the distilleries (Blair Atholl) with no luck again, so we just went for a walk (and an icecream with fresh strawberries) around the town

before continuing our drive on to Glasgow, where we stayed at Mille & Brae in Paisley, very close to the airport.