Driving tour of Scotland

From Halal Explorer

[[file:Glasgow WV banner.jpg|1280px|Glasgow}} For a full list of itineraries, please visit our Halal Food and Travel website. The Driving tour of Scotland is in the United Kingdom. It would take about two days to drive this route non-stop, but it would be best to allow 7 - 10 days to have a relaxed tour, seeing the sights on the way.

Driving tour of Scotland Halal Travel Guide

One way of looking at Scotland is to think of it as divided in two parts: the first is the Highlands whereas the second has been known as the Lowlands and contains the industrial heartland. Traditionally the Highlanders spoke Gaelic while the Lowlanders spoke Scots. The "central belt" cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh house the vast majority of Scotland's population. They're worth a visit for their culture, architecture and history. Heading up into the Highlands there are relatively few people, small villages, just the occasional town, and great sights to enjoy.

Prepare

Rainy days and midges are the main threats to your visit. Both are annoying rather than dangerous - the small flies don't carry diseases but will bite you leaving an itchy spot for a few days. The rain is what makes the landscape so lush and green, so try to be philosophical about it!

It is best to plan your stops in advance, as there are limited places to sleep in some locations, and it would be best to book lodging a month or two in advance.

Muslim Friendly Travel TO Driving tour of Scotland

See also: Scotland#Get in - 56.72|-4.11|zoom=6}}

This itinerary starts in Glasgow, so the directions below are for this city, however, you could start anywhere along the journey, so see the individual guides for these places for information on how to get there.

By car

From England, take the M6 and then the A74 (M) and M74 (from Birmingham) or the A1/A1 (M) and then the M8 and A8 (from London) to get into the Glasgow.

By Plane

There are airports throughout Scotland, and Glasgow Airport GPS 55.8645, -4.4320 - GlasgowAirportFromAir - (IATA Flight Code: GLA) has regular international flights. However, nearby Edinburgh Airport GPS 55.94838,-3.36398 - Edinburgh Airport Terminal.JPG (IATA Flight Code: EDI) is the busiest in Scotland, again with regular international flights.

There are also other airports in Scotland, with services from international destinations or England:

  • Aberdeen Airport IATA Flight Code: ABZ 57.201944, -2.197778 - Aberdeen Airport - Aberdeen Airport Control Tower - - 707216 AAA
  • Glasgow Prestwick Airport IATA Flight Code: PIK - 55.509444, -4.594444 - Glasgow Prestwick Airport - GPAirport mainly serving Spain and Italy.
  • Inverness Airport IATA Flight Code: INV}}| 57.5425, -4.0475 - Inverness Airport - Inverness Airport - A431553

Travel by train to Driving tour of Scotland

eHalal has a guide to Rail travel in the United Kingdom

The East Coast Mainline comes from London#Main London terminals|London King's Cross to Edinburgh#By train|Edinburgh Waverley GPS 55.9521,-3.1893, with trains running throughout the day. Getting from Glasgow#From Edinburgh|Edinburgh to Glasgow is easy, as there are many trains running regularly. There are also trains which run from London#Main_London_terminals|London Euston to Glasgow#From_London_and_the_South|Glasgow Central GPS 55.858,-4.258}}.

Drive

Lagangarbh cottage with Buachaille Etive Mòr - Buachaille Etive Mòr viewed from the A82 which runs through Glen Coe, with the white cottage of Lagangarbh next to the river Coupall

  • From {{marker* Glasgow GPS 55.856, -4.246 head north-west up the A82 towards Fort William, along the side of {{marker* Loch Lomond GPS 56.083, -4.566. At the visitor centre at {{marker* Balloch GPS 56.003, -4.581 admire the view down the loch. Stop off at the small kiltmaker's cottage, signposted off the road near
  • Luss GPS 56.102, -4.639 . At
  • Inveruglas GPS 56.251, -4.708, just after the hydro-electric pipelines, park up for more loch views.
  • Just beyond {{marker* Crianlarich GPS 56.394,-4.617 , at
  • Tyndrum GPS 56.436,-4.711 stop and try your hand at gold panning.
  • After {{marker* Bridge of Orchy GPS 56.517,-4.770 and the A82 heads out across {{marker* Rannoch Moor GPS 56.6, -4.6, one of western Europe's largest remaining wilderness. Barren, spectacular landscapes!
  • At the {{marker* Kings House Hotel GPS 56.6514, -4.8411, head into the lounge and admire the view through the picture window - framed like a portrait is the view out to Buachaille Etive Mor and the great herdsman of Etive, an archetypal mountain.
  • The road descends into {{marker* Glencoe GPS 56.669,-5.026 . Admire the waterfalls at the Meeting of Three Waters. Admire the stone bridges on General Wade's military road. And more than all of these, admire the skyline above - a line of mountains to the left, and to the right the snaky spine of the Aonach Eagach ridge. Finally, at the bottom of the glen, stop and look out across the loch at mist-covered islets.
  • From {{marker* Fort William GPS 56.819,-5.105 you can climb {{marker* Ben Nevis GPS 56.796,-5.003 and the highest peak in the UK.
  • Take the Road to the Isles and the A830, to the {{marker* Glenfinnan|Glenfinnan Monument GPS 56.8692, -5.4370 - an atmospheric spot at sunset. Optionally carry on to {{marker* Arisaig GPS 56.911, -5.842 (interesting museum), view the {{marker* White Sands of Morar GPS 56.9691, -5.8283, or visit the port at {{marker* Mallaig GPS 57.003, -5.827, with options to continue on ferries to the islands, including the Template:Marker* Small Isles GPS 56.9, -6.2.
  • Backtrack to the A82 and take the A87 to {{marker* Kyle of Lochalsh GPS 57.28, -5.72 . Cross the bridge to the {{marker* Isle of Skye GPS 57.30, -6.23 for a tour of the island.
  • Head north to {{marker* Torridon GPS 57.545313, -5.51651 and walk some of the fine mountain paths here.
  • Head north via {{marker* Gairloch GPS 57.728, -5.691 and
  • Poolewe GPS 57.765, -5.604 , maybe stop off at Poolewe Gardens. This coast enjoys warms waters from the gulf stream, and on a sunny day the beaches seem tropical. Ullapool is a small pocket of civilisation in this wilderness.
  • Keeping on northwards along the coast there's a spectacular landscape of mountains rising from a rumpled blanket of ground - evocative names like Suilven and Stac Polly. See bananas growing in northern Scotland at the um.com/ Hydroponicum at Template:Marker* Achiltibuie GPS 58.02, -5.34.
  • Return south and eastwards along the A835 toward the highland capital of Inverness. Perhaps stop in on the Victorian spa resort of {{marker* Strathpeffer GPS 57.5832, -4.5457 for a break to enjoy the architecture.
  • |type=city* Muir of Ord GPS 57.52, -4.46, on the Black Isle (so named for its peaty soil) offers excellent (and free) distillery tours.
  • In {{marker* Inverness GPS 57.4718, -4.2254 , walk along the mighty river Ness, cross the pedestrian suspension bridges, stroll by the cathedral.
  • Drive east along the A96 to visit Moray. The sheltered waters of the
  • Moray Firth GPS 57.75, -3.5 offer dolphin spotting boat trips, or visit the
  • Findhorn Foundation GPS 57.653, -3.592 - an eco-community complete with houses built from recycled barrels and a hobbit-hole meditation room built into the ground. At the market town of {{marker* Elgin GPS 57.65, -3.315 see the statue of the Wolf of Badenoch.
  • Down again from the hills and you're at {{marker* Balmoral Castle GPS 57.040833, -3.23 near
  • Braemar GPS 57.006, -3.399}}. Take a historic castle tour. Or time your visit right and visit the Braemar Highland Gathering in early September.
  • Optionally, head down the Glen Muick road from {{marker* Ballater GPS 57.0448, -3.04942 and take a walk through the Balmoral Estate to the summit of Template:Marker* Lochnagar GPS 56.95993, -3.24478. (Remember Prince Charles' book "The Old Man of Lochnagar"?) Anyway, thit is a fine Munro to climb - much more rewarding than nasty old Ben Nevis. An easy ascent via estate track and good path leads you to a dip in the C-shaped summit ridge, giving fine views across the Grampians.
  • Drive south through the {{marker* Spittal of Glenshee GPS 56.813859, -3.45944 pass, to
  • Blairgowrie GPS 56.592023, -3.340137 }}.
  • Optionally detour to {{marker* Scotland#Castles|Glamis Castle GPS 56.6204, -3.0020 (pronounced "Glaarms"), childhood home of the Queen Mother and a great castle to tour. Returning back onto the A93 you pass the
  • Meikleour Beech Hedge GPS 56.5335, -3.3643 and the tallest row of trees in Britain.
  • From {{marker* Perth (Scotland) | Perth GPS 56.397, -3.437 continue down the A9 to {{marker* Stirling GPS 56.1172, -3.9397 - turn off beforehand into {{marker* Bridge of Allan GPS 56.155, -3.942 and visit the
  • Wallace Monument GPS 56.138611, -3.920278 , a grand memorial to William Wallace. (And learn how inaccurate Braveheart really was!)
  • Visit {{marker* Edinburgh GPS 55.953056, -3.188889, Scotland's capital. Take a walk up
  • Calton Hill GPS 55.955278, -3.182222 to view the city, see the {{marker* Edinburgh/Old Town|Old Town GPS 55.947572, -3.191631 around the
  • Grassmarket GPS 55.947572, -3.195997 (try the eerie pubs) and the {{marker* Edinburgh/New Town|New Town GPS 55.956247, -3.198928 just to the north of {{marker* Edinburgh/New Town#Princes Street|Princes' Street GPS 55.951314, -3.200878 - together a World Heritage Site, or walk up
  • Arthur's Seat GPS 55.944167, -3.161944 - an extinct volcano and now a public park.
  • Finally, an hour's drive back to {{marker* Glasgow GPS 55.858, -4.259 , renowned as the second city of the British Empire, and use any spare time enjoying this city's architectural sights. See some Charles Rennie Mackintosh buildings -
  • House For An Art Lover GPS 55.84739, -4.31394 ,
  • Glasgow School of Art GPS 55.866111, -4.263889 , or the {{marker* Hill House GPS 56.017056, -4.728056 at {{marker* Helensburgh GPS 56.0166, -4.7333 are a good starting place. For some Victorian splendour visit the free museum at the
  • People's Palace GPS 55.851111, -4.237222 at Glasgow Green GPS 55.850264,-4.239283, or take in the free museums at
  • Kelvingrove GPS 55.868581, -4.290506 }}.

Alternative tours

  • North Coast 500

Stay Safe

Other than basic precautions like locking your vehicle and not leaving items in view and the Scottish Highlands are safe and friendly.


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