Road trips
Ireland & Scotland road trip: complete epic itinerary
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Two stunningly beautiful countries – one unforgettable road trip! Our mega road trip route through Ireland and Scotland takes in top highlights of both countries, on a lengthy but leisurely tour starting from Edinburgh. Take up to three weeks for the trip if you can.
Discover the best places to visit on a road trip through Ireland and Scotland below. We've also included ideas for Scotland and Ireland campsites too!
10 places you can’t miss on a road trip through Ireland and Scotland
1.Edinburgh
The Royal Mile, Princes Street, Edinburgh Castle, and the biggest arts festival on the planet in the Edinburgh Fringe… vibrant and arty Edinburgh draws tourists of all types from all over the world. It’s a city of long and varied history too: if this is your thing, the castle and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Old Town are must-visits; while if you’re in Edinburgh with kids, Edinburgh Zoo and Portobello Beach are sure to be hits.
Visit outside of August if you’re not going to the Edinburgh festivals; otherwise, Edinburgh is perfect at any time of year. For winter trips, Hogmanay (New Year’s Eve) is one of the most famous events on the Edinburgh calendar, along with Burns Night every 25 January.
Whatever time you visit, there are plenty of options for Edinburgh campsites.Mortonhall Caravan & Camping Park (postcode EH16 6TJ) is a four-star park just four miles from Edinburgh and open all year. Prices start from £27.50.
2. Loch Ness (distance from Edinburgh: 169 miles)
Up next is a long but well worth it driving day to Loch Ness, the deep lake in the Scottish Highlands and the second-largest Scottish loch by surface area after Loch Lomond. Best known for its supposed monster “Nessie” (monster-hunting is a must around here), the loch is also an awesome spot for boat trips and shoreside walks among its spectacular scenery.
Urquhart Castle, the ruins of a fortress that played a significant part in Scotland’s war for independence, is also on the shoreline. The Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition is at Drumnadrochit on Loch Ness’s western side.
For a Loch Ness campsite, tryLoch Ness Bay Camping (postcode IV63 6XN), a short walk from the shores of Loch Ness and 15 minutes’ walk from Urquhart Castle and the Loch Ness Exhibition Centre. Hardstanding pitches with an electric hook-up start from £23 per night.
You could of course take a few days to get from Edinburgh to Loch Ness: our top picks of many recommended destinations along the way include the city of Perth; Victorian Pitlochry and lively Inverness, the start of the spectacular North Coast 500 route. (More info on the latter is at ourNorth Coast 500 road trip guide.) Driving northwest from Pitlochry to Loch Ness also skirts the Cairngorms National Park to the east.
3. Isle of Skye (distance from Loch Ness: 109 miles)
From Loch Ness, head towards the stunning west coast of Scotland and the country’s biggest island, Skye, arriving at its capital Portree. Although only 50 miles long, Skye has enough to see and do to fill a holiday in itself, from boat trips, bus tours and wildlife safaris to hillwalking, climbing, mountain biking and sea kayaking.
Have a more restful time at Skye’s galleries, craft shops, visit Raasay Distillery or Dunvegan Castle, or treat yourself to one of the island’s many fine restaurants including Michelin starred Kinloch Lodge.
Stay overnight atTorvaig Caravan & Camp Site (IV51 9HU) just north of Portree, where campervan and motorhome pitches start from £26 per night, including electric hook-up.
4. Glen Coe (distance from Portree: 124 miles)
The glens of Scotland have long been acclaimed for their spectacular scenery and wild feel, but Glen Coe is the best known of the lot. This eight-mile-long – but very narrow – glen formed by an ice age glacier has featured in films including James Bond and Harry Potter, and is a popular centre for hillwalking, climbing and skiing.
Its village, Glencoe, is on the northwest end of the glen on the southern bank of the River Coe. Options nearby include the outdoor centre Fort William or a ride on the “Harry Potter train” over stunning Glenfinnan Viaduct.
For a Glen Coe campsite,Invercoe Caravan & Camping Park (PH49 4HP) has motorhome pitches starting at £29, on a peaceful, family-run park just half a mile from Glencoe village.
5. Loch Lomond (distance from Glencoe: 60 miles)
Another must-visit Scottish loch is Loch Lomond, heading south from Glen Coe to the Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park. Loch Lomond is one of Scotland’s most visited attractions and it’s easy to see why: like our other stops, the scenery here is breathtaking and the choice of outdoor activities is wide and varied. It’s also only 14 miles from Glasgow.
Stay overnight around Loch Lomond atCashel Campsite, a shorefront, dog-friendly park where pitches start from £13.60. Dogs (maximum of three) stay for free.
From Loch Lomond, drive south and west to Cairnryan and the ferry to Larne in Northern Ireland, just outside Belfast. Optional detours on the Lomond to Cairnryan route include Glasgow, Ayr and the gorgeous Galloway Forest Park.
6. Belfast (distance from Loch Lomond: 166 miles including ferry)
Onto the island of Ireland now, and the first of its capitals in Northern Ireland’s Belfast. It’s 23 miles from Larne south to Belfast, or you could drive directly to a Belfast campsite then take public transport into the city from there.Loughshore Caravan Park (BT37 0PY) on the shores of Belfast Lough is five miles north of Belfast on the Causeway Coastal Route, which is the next route on our list. Standard-rate pitches start from £25.63.
From historic to modern, Belfast has plenty to see and plenty of pubs, cafés and restaurants to chill out at afterwards. Titanic Belfast, the Botanic Gardens, Cave Hill, the Ulster Museum and black-taxi tours of the Falls and Shankill are among the most popular tourist activities in Belfast; for food and nightlife, it’s the Cathedral Quarter and the streets around Queen’s University.
7. Donegal/Bundoran (distance from Belfast: 183 miles)
From Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland on our next stop, from Belfast to the gorgeously green county of Donegal. It’s a 113-mile drive from Belfast to the seaside town of Bundoran, going directly west beneath Lough Neagh and driving via Omagh and Belleek. But the 183-mile detour for ascenic drive via the Causeway Coastal Route is an absolute must, meandering along the north Antrim coast via spectacular highlights like Giant’s Causeway; this route allows for a stop in Derry too.
As the most southerly town in Donegal and home to a Blue Flag beach, Bundoran is a much-loved tourist spot, popular for its golf club, coastal walks and wild Tullan Strand. Bring your board too: Bundoran is well known for its surfing and was listed by National Geographic as one of the world's top 20 surf towns.
Combine a Donegal stopover with Donegal surfing, cycling or hiking atLakeside Caravan and Camping Park (Belleek Road), an activity centre on the shores of Assaroe Lake a five-minute walk from the town of Ballyshannon (just over four miles from Bundoran). Pitches start from €26.
8. Cliffs of Moher (distance from Bundoran: 194 miles)
Your next stop is one of the best known in the emerald isle, the wildly rugged Cliffs of Moher running for about nine miles of County Clare and the Atlantic coast. The Cliffs are one of the most visited tourist sites in Ireland, part of the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark and the setting of an 11-mile cliff walk. They’re also one of many breathtaking stops on the Wild Atlantic Way, the 1,553-mile driving route from Donegal's Inishowen Peninsula to Kinsale on the Celtic Sea coast.
As with the Belfast to Donegal route, we recommend taking a scenic route to the Cliffs rather than driving direct (155 miles). This also allows for a stop in Galway, the festival capital of Ireland.Bundoran to the Cliffs of Moher, via Sligo, Castlebar, Westport and Galway is 194 miles.
There’s plenty of choice for both Galway and Cliffs of Moher campsites. Stay close to the Cliffs atNagles Camping & Caravan Park, only 100 metres from Doolin Pier, where you can take a ferry to the Aran Islands as well as the Cliffs. A pitch for one unit and two adults starts from €25.
9. Wild Atlantic Way – Kinsale (distance from the Cliffs of Moher: 234 miles)
Any road trip around or near Ireland’s west coast should include as much as possible of the Wild Atlantic Way, for a leisurely coastal drive among some of the best scenery in the country on
Our route from the Cliffs of Moher continues south and west on the Wild Atlantic Way to Kinsale, the historic Co Cork port and fishing town 16 miles south of Cork City. Walks around Kinsale Harbour or a hike out to the Old Head of Kinsale headland, castle and lighthouse are top picks here.
Again it’s possible to drive direct (the Cliffs of Moher to Kinsale is 127 miles via the N20), but we suggest detouring via Dingle, Ireland’s largest Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) town as well as a fishing centre and a lively setting for pubs and live music. Day trips around the Dingle Peninsula and to the Ring of Kerry are also popular tourist options.
Like most of the Wild Atlantic Way, there’s plenty of choice for overnight stays in Kinsale. TryGarrettstown House Holiday Park, a family-friendly, family-run park on the grounds of an 18-century manor house, a short walk from Garrettstown Beach and Garrettstown Woods. Pitches start from €30 per night.
10. Dublin (distance from Kinsale: 173 miles)
Our final stop on our Scotland and Ireland road trip is vibrant Dublin, Ireland’s capital city. Dublin Castle, St Stephen’s Green, Phoenix Park, the National Museum of Ireland, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery, and the nightlife and arts around Temple Bar are all long-established parts of the tourist scene; while Grafton Street, Henry Street and the Moore Street Market are the top places to shop.
Finish up your trip with a night or two at Dublin campsiteCamac Valley Tourist Caravan and Camping Park, on the shore of 300-acre Corkagh Park Demesne and with fishing lakes, rose gardens and an animal farm. It’s open all year and charges from €26 per night.
When you’re ready to head home, the 3.5-hour ferry crossing from Dublin back to the UK arrives at Holyhead in Wales, on the Isle of Anglesey. From there, it’s a 5-hour drive to London via the M40. But if you want to extend your trip, here are ourplaces to visit on a west coast of Wales road trip!
Organise your road trip through Ireland and Scotland with Camplify
Because it covers so much terrain, it’s easy to set off on a Scotland and Ireland road trip from anywhere along our route. Our many Scotland campervan hire andNorthern Ireland campervan hire listings will give you loads of choice on both sides of the Irish Sea – or browse our entireUK campervan hire fleet for maximum options!
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The information in this blog is accurate and current as of the date of posting. Please be aware that information, facts, and links may become outdated over time.