Scotland road trip ideas: perfect 3-day weekend guide

With stunning scenery, historic highlights and easily accessed attractions, Scotland is the perfect place for a long weekend campervan holiday. A 3-day Scotland road trip gives enough time to pack lots in, especially if you focus on a particular highlight like the North Coast 500 or famous destinations like Loch Lomond, Edinburgh or the Cairngorms National Park.

The beauty about these road trips is that different routes give different experiences – Scotland is definitely not a country where one size of trip fits all! So we’ve put together a variety of trips for three days in Scotland, leaving from different starting points and taking in lots of the country.

Let’s start in Edinburgh!

A 3-day road trip from Edinburgh

Scotland’s capital is a top pick for road trips – it’s easy to get to the city and back out onto the road; there is heaps to see before even setting off; andhiring a campervan in Edinburgh is super easy.

Our favourite road trip goes north from Edinburgh to ancient Pitlochry, then back south on a looped route to pass Inveraray and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park. Here’s how:

Day 1 – Edinburgh, Perth and Pitlochry (71 miles)

Have a few hours in Edinburgh in the morning then drive to Pitlochry in the afternoon via Scone Palace and/or Perth. Arrive in Pitlochry in the evening.

Day 2 – Pitlochry and Inveraray via Loch Tay (82 miles)

Start Day 2 with a couple of hours in Pitlochry to take in its stunning views or go hiking nearby. Then drive to Inveraray via Aberfeldy, the banks of Loch Tay and the northern edge of the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park – all are top spots for lunch or an afternoon picnic. Arrive in Inveraray in the evening.

Day 3 – Inveraray, Loch Lomond and Glasgow (66 miles)

Begin the day with a look around Inveraray and Inveraray Castle; then drive 31 miles south for brunch around Loch Fyne. Alternatively, drive straight to Loch Lomond from Inveraray (also 31 miles) to spend a couple of hours around the loch. Then drive on to Glasgow (33 miles) for an evening in the city.

A 3-day road trip from Glasgow

Prefer to set out from Scotland’s second city instead? Hire a campervan from Glasgow to take this fab three-day trip to the Isle of Skye and Loch Ness with an optional stop at Edinburgh:

Day 1 – Glasgow to Skye (207 miles)

It's a long drive but through some breathtaking scenery. Day 1 of your Glasgow road trip cuts across the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park as well as passing through beautiful Glen Coe: time your breaks/meals to stop at these if you can.

Day 2 – Skye, Loch Ness and Inverness (105 miles)

Spend the morning on the Isle of Skye, then drive the 105 miles to Inverness via Loch Ness for a few hours of Inverness sightseeing. Alternatively, drive to Loch Ness from Skye (100 miles) for an afternoon on or around the loch, then drive on to Inverness (14 miles) in the evening.

Day 3 – Inverness to Culloden and Glasgow or Edinburgh

Depending on how much you want to see, there are a couple of options for the final day of the trip. Either way, start Day 3 with a six-mile drive from Inverness to Culloden Battlefield, the site of the National Trust for Scotland’s interactive visitor centre on the 1745 battle that ended the Jacobite Rising.

It’s 167 miles back to Glasgow from Culloden, driving through the Cairngorms National Park. As with our Inverness trip, options on arrival back at your starting point include dropping off your campervan then staying a night in the city, or keeping the van for a third night and staying at a Glasgow campsite.

If you’re keen to see as much of Scotland as possible, why not drive on from Glasgow to Edinburgh? The 46-mile trip is well worth it if you’re able to extend your holiday to sightsee in the capital.

Or drive straight to Edinburgh from Culloden, for a total trip mileage of 473 miles. ****

A 3-day road trip from Inverness

Of course, Scottish road trips don’t have to start in Edinburgh or Glasgow! An Inverness road trip takes in the Scottish Highlands and some of the most beautiful sections of the world-famous North Coast 500 (NC500) driving route in Scotland’s far north:

Day 1 – Inverness to Skye (114 miles)

Hire an Inverness campervan and set out towards the Isle of Skye, via a morning at Loch Ness for a boat trip or a tour of Urquhart Castle. Then drive to Wester Ross, passing Eilean Donan Castle before crossing the bridge to Skye.

Day 2 – Skye and Gairloch (92 miles)

Day 2 allows for a morning on the island and an afternoon hiking or boating around Gairloch. Alternatively, spend the full day around Skye then drive to Ullapool (111 miles) in the early evening.

Day 3 – Ullapool and Inverness

Depending on where you spent the night, drive from Gairloch to Ullapool (55 miles), or start exploring Ullapool right away. There is lots to see and do around this arty little port town: you could stroll around the harbour, hike the shores of surrounding Loch Broom, or take a ferry to Stornaway and the Outer Hebrides.

From Ullapool, it’s 58 miles back to Inverness; try to get there in time to drop your campervan off and spend a night in the city (or keep your campervan for a third night and look for an Inverness campsite).

A 3-day road trip in Aberdeenshire (100 miles)

Our final road trip meanders along the spectacular Aberdeenshire Coastal Trail in Scotland’s northeast, passing traditional harbour towns, beautiful beaches and rugged coastline. Pack up your van and embark on this amazing three-day trip:

Day 1 – Stonehaven to Aberdeen (16 miles)

Start in Stonehaven for a stroll around the town and a visit to Dunnottar Castle, then drive north for a few hours sightseeing in Aberdeen and a night at an Aberdeen campsite. There’s plenty to see in Stonehaven if you’d prefer to spend the full day there: the working harbour, Stonehaven Tolbooth Museum, Dunnottar Castle and the RSPB Fowlsheugh reserve to the south of the town are all well worth a visit.

Day 2 – Aberdeen to Fraserburgh (49 miles)

It’s 45 miles on a direct route from Aberdeen to Fraserburgh, but take a slight detour via Peterhead to remain close to the coast. Arrive at Fraserburgh as early as possible to take in its many sights including Kinnaird Head Lighthouse, the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, Fraserburgh Golf Club and the town’s award-winning beach and busy harbour.

If you spent the entire Day 1 at Stonehaven, use the morning of Day 2 for a look around Aberdeen, then drive to Fraserburgh in the early afternoon, again via Peterhead (69 miles).

Day 3 – Fraserburgh to Macduff, Banff and Portsoy (31 miles) The final day of the trip takes you to the town of Portsoy on the Moray Firth, with stops along the way at Macduff and the Macduff Marine Aquarium (21 miles) and Banff for Duff House (1.5 miles from the aquarium).

Stay at a Moray Firth campsite on your last night, or round off Day 3 with a drive back down to Stonehaven and Aberdeen, a 55-mile journey if cutting inland via the B9025, A947 and B999 rather than coming back along the coast.

Also in Aberdeenshire:

Aberdeenshire has over 260 castles, ruins and stately homes perched around its landscapes. Take a 55-mile road trip west from Stonehaven to pass/visit highlights such as Dunnottar, Tolquhon and Delgatie castles, Fraser House, Spynie Palace and Duff House, finishing up at Braemar Castle in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.

Hire a van for your 3-day Scotland road trip

Now that you’re equipped with the best 3-day Scotland road trip ideas, we havevans for hirewherever you wish to start your adventure – you can kick off a weekend road trip at a pickup point anywhere in the country! Our campervans, motorhomes and caravans for hire suit all budgets and all types of trips.

Need more inspiration? Check out our recommendations for longerroad trips around Scotland! We've also put together a list of the best family campsites in Scotlandso that you can set up camp somewhere incredible.

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