Edinburgh to Isle of Skye: best road trip stops

Scotland is an amazing destination for campervan holidays – and a road trip from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye is one of the best around! Driving from the Scottish capital to the biggest island in the Inner Hebrides includes many wonderful highlights that are the very best Scotland has to offer. Here’s how to do the best road trip from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye in five days or more!

Best road trip from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye – 7 places you can’t miss

The mostdirect route from Edinburgh to Skye is around 227 miles, going north from Edinburgh towards Perth then passing the Cairngorms National Park. Another option is fromEdinburgh to Skye via Loch Ness (267 miles), passing Inverness.

We’ve opted for a route going west from Edinburgh– that way you get to see Glasgow as well as Loch Lomond! Here’s how to do it and where to stop on the way.

Total distance : about 333 miles | Recommended days : 5 days | Best time to do the route : summer | See route in Google Maps

1. Glasgow

Our first stop is Scotland’s second capital, Glasgow, a lively city with heaps of history and lots of nightlife as well as museums, galleries and gardens.

Glasgow highlights include the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Scotland’s most visited attraction; the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA); the Glasgow Science Centre; and the social history museum People’s Palace and Winter Gardens. By night, Glasgow is a bustling haven of traditional pubs, modern bars, nightclubs and theatres. The legendary King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut is a must for music fans – Radio 1 called it “the best live music venue in the UK”.

This is also a city of festivals, and unlike Edinburgh has a festival calendar spread throughout the year. The Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Glasgow International Festival of Visual Art, Glasgow Film Festival and the World Pipe Band Championships are all top highlights.

Take at least a day in Edinburgh if possible to see sights such as Edinburgh Castle and Arthur’s Seat, then drive fromEdinburgh to Glasgow on a 46-mile journey west. (If this is your first time in the UK, remember to drive on the left!) The best time to visit Edinburgh is in August for the festivals, or June/July if you prefer to avoid the crowds.

2. Loch Lomond

Next is one of Scotland’s best known and most beautiful destinations, stunning Loch Lomond. Marking the informal boundary between central Scotland and the Highlands, this is the jewel of the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs, one of Scotland’s two national parks.

The journey fromGlasgow to Loch Lomond is 25 miles, arriving at Balloch on the loch’s southern shore. This is the perfect spot to start a Loch Lomond day – Balloch is the gateway to Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park, and the Loch Lomond Shores centre has shopping, restaurants, an aerial adventure zone, and the Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre.

Elsewhere around the loch, kayaking, paddleboarding, wakeboarding, waterskiing and wake surfing are all available, along with golf and fishing. Another option is to bike the 17 miles of the West Loch Lomond Cycle Path from Balloch to Arrochar and Tarbet.

3. Oban

The port town of Oban on Scotland’s west coast is a popular stop on Highlands road trips because of its scenic setting on the Firth of Lorn and its lovely horseshoe-shaped bay surrounded by mountains and coastline. It’s also a departure point for ferries to the Isle of Mull, Colonsay, Coll, Tiree and Barra, run by the ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which also runs summer day trips for whale watching and wildlife spotting.

Make for the North Pier on arriving in Oban to visit the Oban Visitor Information (iOban) is in the Columba Buildings. Options include Oban Distillery tours, diving, sea kayaking, visiting the Oban War and Peace Museum, or seeing the blaze of flowers at the National Trust for Scotland’s Arduaine Garden.

Drive fromLoch Lomond to Oban (77 miles) alongside the loch’s western shore. Our route detours via Inveraray, where you can visit Inveraray Jail and courthouse, now an award-winning museum.

4. Glen Coe

Probably the best known of the Highland Glens, Glen Coe is a mountain valley in a setting that’s ideal for hillwalking and climbing in summer and skiing in winter. The breathtaking scenery has seen Glen Coe a film location for movies including James Bond and Harry Potter – if you don’t fancy any of the more strenuous activities around the glen, take a stroll with your camera!

Glencoe village, the only settlement in Glen Coe, is on the southern bank of the River Coe. It has a well-run visitor centre with information on the local wildlife and area, plus ranger-led walks around the glen.

It’s just 34 miles fromOban to Glen Coe, following the western shore of Loch Linnhe.

5. Ben Nevis

How about climbing Britain’s highest mountain while on your Edinburgh to Skye trip? The 1,345 metres (4,413 ft)-high Ben Nevis is our next stop, just a short drive from Glen Coe – it’s easily spotted as it’s the highest land in any direction for about 450 miles!

Climbing the mountain is of course the most popular activity here – if you’re up for it, take the Mountain Track from Glen Nevis. The cliffs of Ben Nevis’s north face are popular for scrambling and rock climbing (and ice climbing in winter).

Glen Coe to Ben Nevis is only an 18-mile drive, leaving plenty of time for a full day tackling the mountain! There’s also the option of stopping at Fort William, Scotland’s outdoor capital.

6. Glenfinnan Viaduct

Parts of the Harry Potter films were shot in this part of Scotland, and the Glenfinnan Viaduct is the most famous of all. This early 19th-century viaduct on the West Highland Line between Fort William and Mallaig is shown in the films as the location where the Hogwarts Express steams north, in a beautiful setting overlooking the waters of Loch Shiel.

The train going over the viaduct is the Jacobite steam train, which was used in the films as the Hogwarts Express. It runs in summer – a must for Harry Potter fans! Drive to Glenfinnan station to take the train from there on a return journey to and from Mallaig, or drive on to Mallaig and take the full journey to Fort William.

Ben Nevis to the Glenfinnan Viaduct is 18 miles. If you want to take the full train journey, the drive fromBen Nevis to Mallaig is 43 miles.

7. Eilean Donan Castle

Our final stop before Skye is iconic Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most recognisable and most photographed castles in Scotland and one of the most popular visitor attractions in the Highlands. Founded in the seventh century as a monastic cell and later built as a defensive castle, Eilean Donan is on its own small island overlooking the Isle of Skye, surrounded by forested mountains.

The castle today has a fine collection of historic artefacts and weapons, period furniture and fine art in its many rooms and grand banqueting hall. It’s open to visitors from the beginning of March until Christmas Eve.

There are two ways to get from theGlenfinnan Viaduct to Eilean Donan Castle, both stunning. The shorter route (62 miles) goes west via Mallaig, crossing the Kyle of Lochalsh to reach the castle from the north. The longer route is 79 miles, going from Glenfinnan back to Fort William then heading north via Inveraray.

And now it’s time to arrive on Skye! Cross onto the island via the Skye Bridge and aim to spend at least a day there – the Fairy Pools, Dunvegan Castle, the Old Man of Storr, capital Portree and the munros of the Cuillin Range are all top spots. It’s a 43-mile journey fromEilean Donan Castle to Skye, arriving at Portree.

Check out the best motorhome campsites on the Isle of Skye .

Hire a van in Edinburgh for your Isle of Skye road trip

Camplify makes it easy to arrange any road trip. Start organising this one by checking out our listings forcampervan hire in Edinburgh, where you’ll find a wide range of unique vans to choose from.

Looking for another alternative route from Edinburgh to Skye? Our 235-mileEdinburgh to Skye via Perth journey goes north from Edinburgh and takes in the Cairngorms National Park.

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