Round trip Scotland - Discover our ultimate itinerary and tips!

To give you a good idea of what our trip looked like, we have created an overview below. This will help you get an idea of the pace of travel, how many nights we stayed in each place and how you can keep a nice balance between travelling and relaxing. Use this schedule as inspiration and adapt it to your needs and available time!

In our opinion, the best way to travel around Scotland is by private transport. This gives you maximum freedom to decide where to go and how long to stay in one place. Especially remote sights, which are common in Scotland, are easiest to reach this way.

Campsites: Thanks to its vast nature, there are an awful lot of beautifully located campsites. A camping holiday is therefore ideal, also because hotels are often pricey. During the summer holidays, we paid around €30-€35 per night for a camping pitch and €80-€100 for a mid-range hotel.

Tip: A campervan or rooftop tent on your car is perfect for a road trip. The great thing about Scotland is that you can wildcamp here. So you can get out into nature! Apps like Park4Night help you find the best spots.

Travelling by train across the UK, and therefore Scotland, is also a fantastic alternative if you prefer not to travel by car or motorhome. You will find stations even in the smallest villages and deep in nature reserves. Several buses go from each station, making most places easily accessible.

So although you do have a little less flexibility, on the other hand, you can simply stare out of the window all day. A perfect way to enjoy the beautiful landscapes! Check out the options on NSInternational.

Tip: Our bucket list still includes crossing the entire UK by train one day. If you want to do this too, we recommend a Interrail pass to take, otherwise it is very expensive.

Travel time: +/- 16 hours
Price: From €150 for a one-way trip with a car and driver. A cabin is mandatory
Handy: Ideal if you want to start in the north of England or Scotland. Book early for discounts, especially in holiday periods.

Are you a seasoned hiker? Then this is the place to be. The park offers numerous challenging hiking trails, where you can stay overnight in a bothie, a wooden cabin in the middle of the wilderness. Bothies are free, but as a result they fill up quickly. So always make sure you have an alternative. You can easily find the bothies via Google Maps.

If you are less fanatical, like us, there are also shorter walks available or you can take the car to the Old Military Road which runs right through the park. On the way, you can stop each time at a nice viewpoint, for example at the Glenshee Ski Centre.

A nice stop in the middle of the Cairngorms is the charming town of Braemar. It is just about the only town in the area, so perfect for refuelling. Highly recommended is The Bothy Braemar, where you can enjoy delicious lunches and cakes. The area around Braemar used to be a favourite of Queen Victoria and Elizabeth. Want to follow in their footsteps? Then take a walk along Linn's Dee or visit Balmoral Castle.

View here all tours and activities in and around the Cairngorms National Park via GetYourGuide.

The western side of Cairngorms has a lively atmosphere, especially around Aviemore. This is because of the many activities you can do here, from various water sports to beautiful walks. Highly recommended is the Cairngorm Mountain up and take a walk from there, or the Glenmore Forest at Loch Morlich to explore. Do you follow the route from the visitor centre? Then you will walk a route with breathtaking views of the surrounding area and arrive at the emerald green An Lochan Uaine, one of our favourite walks!

A visit to Loch an Eilein and Uath Lochans should not be missed. Loch an Eilein is a lake with a mysterious ruin in the middle of the water, while Uath Lochans consists of three lakes that are best admired by following the red path. This path leads you to an insane viewpoint over the lakes. For a delicious lunch, visit the nearby Old Post Office Cafe Gallery, a perfect stop to take a break.

View here all tours and activities in and around the Cairngorms National Park via GetYourGuide.

The western part of the North Coast 500 often attracts all the attention because of its rugged beauty, but the eastern part also has a surprising amount to offer. Due to lack of time, we only did the ‘boring’ eastern part, but this allows us to make this part of the route more enjoyable for you with our tips!

This is how we discovered the idyllic, somewhat hidden Embo Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches we have ever been to. This beach has even been voted the most beautiful in the UK. Oddly enough, it is not officially part of the route, so you often have it all to yourself.

Another must-see on the east coast is Dunrobin Castle, which is actually more of a country house, right on the coast. Unlike many other castles in the UK, a ticket here is relatively affordable, around £16 (€18.53). So a visit is well worth it.

Also a stop at John O'Groats should not be missed. This north-eastern point of Scotland introduces you to a stretch of rugged coastline. Drive to Duncansby Head Lighthouse and continue your way to the Duncansby Stacks, for impressive rock formations in the sea. With a bit of luck, you will even spot puffins here!

Finally, it is worth making a diversion to the latest Scotland's UNESCO nature reserve: Flow Country. This is the world's largest and most intact peat landscape, also known as ’blanket bog‘. Especially at Forsinard Flows you can hike beautifully through the golden-purple landscape.

Want to take this tour but don't have your own car? No problem! Retrieved from GetYourGuide you will find complete tours of the Highlands, so you can discover the best of this spectacular area without driving yourself.

There are two ways to reach the Orkney Islands by car: the Northlink ferry runs between Scrabster and Stromness and takes about two hours. A ticket costs around £20 (€23.24) per adult and £60 (€69.48) per car per trip.

The Pentland ferry runs between Gills Bay and St Margaret's Bay, takes about an hour and costs £17 (€19.69) per adult and £40 (€46.32) per car.   

Although the islands may not seem large, it can easily take more than an hour to drive from the east to the west side of the main island. It is therefore smart to choose accommodation that is centrally located. Kirkwall, the capital, is the ideal base for this: a cosy town with plenty of amenities and a nice atmosphere.

We ourselves slept outside Kirkwall at Murray Arms Hotel and Seafood Restaurant in St Margaret's Bay. So this was a bit more remote but a very nice place!

Orkney consists of several islands. In our opinion, Hoy one of the most impressive. This island gives real ‘at the end of the world’ feeling. Highlights are Betty Corrigall's Grave, the mysterious Dwarfie Stane and Rackwick Beach. The iconic Old Man of Hoy is both accessible on foot and can be admired beautifully from the ferry.

The towns of Kirkwall and Stromness are ideal for wandering around. Kirkwall is the capital, with a pleasant shopping street and sights such as St Magnus Cathedral and the Bishop's and Earl's Palaces. Stromness is a charming fishing village, perfect for a leisurely stroll through.

Orkney is full of impressive historical sites. Everywhere you go you come across Cairns, ancient tombs, whose Unstan Chambered Cairn is the best known. The Standing Stones by Stenness and the Ring of Brodgar are iconic; these impressive stone circles were once used for rituals. The absolute highlight is Skara Brae, a prehistoric village and Europe's oldest settlement more than 4,000 years old.

But Orkney does not only tell stories from prehistoric times. The island also played an important role during World War II; find out more here at the Italian chapel and the Churchill Barriers.

View here all Orkney Islands tours and activities via GetYourGuide.

Orkney offers breathtaking landscapes and beautiful coastlines. Waulkmill Bay is highly recommended: its white beach and clear blue waters are framed by green hills and purple heather. Windwick Bay in contrast, is beautiful at sunrise and you regularly see seals. At Weddell Bay you have an impressive view of an old shipwreck that served as an additional barrier during World War II.

For walking enthusiasts, Orkney has a lot to offer. For example, start at Mull Head, where you can see the Gloup can admire, an impressive collapsed sea cave. Walk on to the Brough of Deerness for panoramic views of the rugged coastline. Along the route you will also come across the Yesnaby Stacks encounter, impressive stone pillars rising from the sea. Another must-see on this route is Birsay Bay, a hidden gem that you can reach at low tide and spot puffins if you are lucky.

There are two ways to reach the Shetland Islands by car: Take the ferry from John o'Groats to the Orkney Islands (1-2 hours) and then continue your route by boat to Shetland (6 hours during the day or 8 hours at night). Or opt for the overnight ferry from Aberdeen (about 14 hours).

Lerwick is the capital of Shetland. Although the town is small, you will find the largest selection of accommodation, shops, cafés and restaurants here. From Lerwick, you can also easily explore other parts of the islands.

We stayed at Solheim Guest House In Lerwick. A simple but nice accommodation 350 metres from the city centre.

In Lerwick you will find the Shetland Museum, a perfect place to learn more about the islands' history, culture and nature. The second city, Scalloway, is smaller and quieter, but offers access to beautiful bays such as the Sands of Meal and Minn Beach.

For impressive sandy beaches, you can St Ninian's Isle and Beach visit, on the south side of the main island. Connected by a sand bridge, the island forms a spectacular split bay with white sand and clear blue water. Here you can spot birds, rabbits and sometimes even a stray seal.

On the southernmost tip of the mainland are two iconic spots: Jarlshof and Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. Jarlshof contains highly visible remains of prehistoric and Norse settlements and is unique in Europe, having been continuously inhabited for more than 4,000 years.

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse is one of the best places in Shetland to see puffins. Get up close and admire these fascinating birds, and with a bit of luck you might even spot an orca!

Shetland consists of several islands, some connected to the main island and others accessible only by ferry. Yell is known for its vast beaches, while Unst famous for its large bird populations. If you don't have much time, you can already get a good idea of Shetland by staying on the central island.

Either way, the landscape is beautiful and varied: soft green hills, clear blue water, rugged red cliffs and colourful moorlands. For hiking enthusiasts, the area around the lighthouse of Eshaness an absolute must. The volcanic rock here creates dramatic cliffs and spectacular sea views, including the famous Dore Holm, a rock formation in the shape of a horse.

Shetland is an outdoorsman's dream. Besides Eshaness and Sumburgh Head there are countless hiking trails and viewpoints to discover. From soft green hills to rugged cliffs, the colours of the moors and the vastness of the sea make every view special. Here you can truly escape the daily hustle and bustle and immerse yourself in the rugged beauty of the islands.