Scotland is one of those countries you’d wish you could go back to and explore it even more. It rarely happens to me that I feel like I want to go back to a place, just after I have been there. You know; that feeling that you seem to need more time to truly appreciate a country. Scotland does this to me.
Where to stay:
Wildcamping
Wildcamping is legal in Scotland, meaning you can just stay overnight in nature wherever and whenever you want (with a few guidelines of course).
Glamping
Have you ever fancied giving glamping (glamorous camping) a try? Scotland is the perfect place for that. One of the best places would be on Isle of Skye like the Skeabost View Pods or close to Loch Ness at the BCC Lochness Glamping Campsite.
Cottages
When it comes to staying in Scotland, what better place to stay than a lovely cottage. Check out the Lusa Bothy Holiday Home on Isle of Skye. This place has the perfect cozy atmosphere.
Castles
If you ever dreamed of staying in a castle then Scotland is the place for you. Apart from the many Castles you can visit, there are also some you can even spend the night at. One of these amazing CastleHotels (close to Inverness) is the Tulloch Castle Hotel.
What do do:
Harry Potter Places
For all those Harry Potter Fans out there; visit Scotland! A lot of the famous Harry Potter Places are filmed in the Scottish Highlands, such as the Hogwarts Express! You can see the famous train pass by the Glenfinnan Viaduct and right on the other side of the hill you will get a great view over Loch Shiel from which you should have a great view of Hogwarts’s lakeside (if you where in the movie).
Hiking
Of course Hiking or just simply going for a walk through nature are a must when you are in Scotland. We went hiking on Isle of Skye and Glen Coe.
Castles
Scotland has over a thousand castles and the five castle we visited where the Eilean Donan Castle, the Kilchurn Castle, the Cawdor Castle, the Inverness Castle and of course the Edinburgh Castle.
If you want to know more about what we did head over to our 4 Day Road Trip Guide.
When to visit Scotland:
We visited Scotland at beginning of Autumn. I would recommend to visit Scotland during the end of October since this is the right time for the warm Autumn colours and also because the crowds start to disappear, so you can visit sights without being bothered by so many tourists. Spring and Autumn are the two seasons where most people tend to visit Scotland. So it should be less crowded during summer than it is expected to be during Spring. Let’s not forget about the winter as Scotland will turn into a winter wonderland and makes for the best season to spend time in a cozy cottage.
Useful Tips:
Camping and fire
It is allowed to start a camp fire as long as you leave no traces of it.
Roads
In the UK you drive on the left side of the road and some roads tend to be very narrow, so it sometimes might be better wait at one of the many passing places when you see a car coming your way.
Drone
It is allowed to fly a drone as long as you follow the guidelines (not flying over cities, close to airport and so on…). But be aware that many touristic places, where you might wish to fly with your drone, have signs that will show you that it is not allowed there.
Scotland Packing list:
– Raincoat (or at least a windproof umbrella)
– Hiking shoes (waterproof)
– An awesome playlist for the car
– Different kind of layers – the weather changes all the time
– Power adapter
– Mosquito (and Midge) repellant – yes even in autumn and especially on Isle of Skye
– A personal credit card (not a commercial / business card) for renting a car
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