Highlands & Islands Loop
A scenic loop through the Scottish Highlands and islands, starting and ending in Carlisle.
Carlisle → Glencoe → Fort William → Applecross → Isle of Skye → Inverness → Cairngorms → Carlisle
The Gateway to the Highlands
Grab some snacks in Carlisle and head north. The drive is easy until you hit the Loch Lomond area, where the roads start to twist and the views get "moody."
Luss
Luss in Argyll and Bute is the first sizable village that you reach while heading north along Loch Lomond; 3 miles further north is Inverbeg. Although nowadays bypassed by the A82 main road, they're both busy and touristy, especially Luss where every coach excursion stops for photos and the gift shop, disgorging tourists asking if this is the loch that contains the Loch Ness Monster.
Glencoe Visitor Centre
You’ll feel the atmosphere change as you enter the glen. It’s hauntingly beautiful and quite grand. Stop here to learn about the clan history and get a high-vantage view of the "Three Sisters" peaks.
Peaks and Steam Trains
Spend your morning in the "Outdoor Capital of the UK." If you're feeling energetic, walk a portion of the Cow Hill Circuit for views of Ben Nevis. It’s much shorter than climbing the mountain but gives you a great perspective of the town and sea loch.
Fort William
Fort William is a town at the foot of the Great Glen, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. It's the main transport, commercial and visitor hub for the area: its attractions include Ben Nevis, Nevis Range ski resort, the Caledonian Canal, and "The Jacobite" steam train. The town in 2021 had a population of 5630.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Highland Line at Glenfinnan, in the Lochaber district of north-western Scotland, built from 1897 to 1901. Located at the top of Loch Shiel in the West Scottish Highlands, the viaduct overlooks the Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel.
Neptune's Staircase
Neptune's Staircase is a staircase lock comprising eight locks on the Caledonian Canal. Built by Thomas Telford between 1803 and 1822, it is the longest staircase lock in Britain. The system was originally hand-powered but has been converted to hydraulic operation.
The Bealach na Bà Adventure
The Bealach na Bà Adventure
Eilean Donan Castle
Eilean Donan is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs in the western Highlands of Scotland, about one kilometre from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainland by a footbridge that was installed early in the 20th century and is dominated by a picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs, film and television.
Bealach na Bà
Bealach na Bà is a winding pass through the mountains of the Applecross peninsula, in Wester Ross in the Scottish Highlands. It is traversed by a single track road, which passes through several corries. The road links the village of Applecross on the west coast with Loch Kishorn to the east.
Applecross
Applecross is a peninsula in Wester Ross, in the Scottish Highlands. It is bounded by Loch Kishorn to the south, Loch Torridon to the north, and Glen Shieldaig to the east. On its western side is Applecross Bay and the Inner Sound. The peninsula is mountainous, sparsely populated, and has only two small roads joining the mainland. One of these roads traverses the famous Bealach na Bà.
The Misty Isle
Cross the bridge to Skye and head straight for the Trotternish Ridge. The hike up to the "Old Man" takes about 45 minutes and offers that iconic jagged skyline view. Wear sturdy boots; it’s often muddy.
Old Man of Storr
The Storr is a mountain on the Trotternish peninsula of the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The hill presents a steep rocky eastern face overlooking the Sound of Raasay, contrasting with gentler grassy slopes to the west.
Kilt Rock
A quick but spectacular stop where a waterfall drops straight over the cliffs into the sea. The basalt columns actually look like pleats in a kilt.
Portree
Portree (Gaelic: Port Rìgh) is the main village on the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. With a population of 2300 in 2022, it's the obvious base for exploring the island. The name means "King's Port", probably a reference to James V.
Monster Hunting & Highland Capital
Head back to the mainland towards Loch Ness. These ruins offer the best vantage point for spotting "Nessie" and have a great collection of medieval artifacts.
Urquhart Castle
Urquhart Castle is a ruined castle that sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is on the A82 road, 21 kilometres (13 mi) southwest of Inverness and two kilometres east of Drumnadrochit.
Inverness
Inverness (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Nis, "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in The Great Glen and Strathspey area of the Scottish Highlands, at the point where the River Ness flows out into the Moray Firth. Inverness is the only city of any size in the Highlands, and is the region's commercial and administrative centre.
Culloden Battlefield
The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby ending the Jacobite rising of 1745.
Into the Wild Cairngorms
Into the Wild Cairngorms
Tomatin Distillery
You can't do the Highlands without a distillery. This one is tucked away and offers a very authentic look at whisky making. (Remember: Scotland has a zero-tolerance drink-drive limit, so do the "driver's dram" to-go!).
Cairngorms National Park
The Cairngorms are a range of mountains between the Highlands region and Aberdeenshire, plus smaller areas of Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Moray.
Highland Wildlife Park
The Highland Wildlife Park is a 105-hectare (260-acre) safari park and zoo in Kingussie, Scotland. The park is located within the Cairngorms National Park. The park is run by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
The Road South
A charming Victorian resort town. Stop at the Fish Ladder to see if any salmon are jumping, or just grab a final Scottish fudge for the road.
Pitlochry
Pitlochry is a town in Perth and Kinross with a population in 2021 of 2950. It's 27 miles north of Perth in the valley of the River Tummel, long a major route between the Lowlands and the central Highlands. It grew up as a tourist resort in the Victorian era, especially after the coming of the railway in 1863.
The Hermitage
A beautiful woodland walk featuring some of the tallest trees in Britain and a picturesque bridge overlooking a crashing waterfall. It’s the perfect "final breath" of fresh Highland air.
Carlisle
Carlisle is a city in Cumbria, in northwest England 10 miles from the border with Scotland, with a population of 74,200 in 2024. Most visitors are just making an overnight stop on a long motorway journey, but reasons to linger include the cathedral, castle and museums. You could also use Carlisle as a base for exploring the northern end of the Lake District, and Hadrian's Wall.
- Pack a waterproof shell even in summer.
- Single track roads mean you must use passing places—always pull into the one on your left, or wait opposite the one on your right.