Scotland in 14 days
Two weeks is enough to reach the Outer Hebrides without rushing. This route crosses to Lewis from Ullapool, drives south to Harris, returns to Skye by ferry and finishes on the west coast with Mull and Iona.
At a glance: Edinburgh (2) → Aviemore (1) → Inverness (1) → Stornoway (1) → Tarbert, Harris (2) → Portree, Skye (2) → Fort William (1) → Oban (2) → Glasgow (1). Ferries: Ullapool–Stornoway, Tarbert–Uig, Mallaig or Skye Bridge, Oban–Craignure, Fionnphort–Iona. Book all vehicle ferries as early as possible for summer.
- Days 1–2: Edinburgh.
- Day 3: Edinburgh to Aviemore. Dunkeld, Pitlochry and Blair Atholl on the way (about 2 hr 30 min of driving). Afternoon walk at Loch an Eilein.
- Day 4: Aviemore to Inverness via Speyside. A distillery morning in Speyside (about 1 hour from Aviemore), then Inverness (about 1 hr 15 min). Culloden in the late afternoon.
- Day 5: Inverness to Ullapool and the ferry to Lewis. Corrieshalloch Gorge on the way to Ullapool (1 hr 15 min). Ferry to Stornoway (about 2 hr 30 min). Evening in Stornoway.
Check the sailing time: if the ferry leaves early, drive to Ullapool the evening before. - Day 6: Lewis to Harris. Callanish Standing Stones (30 min from Stornoway), Dun Carloway broch and Gearrannan blackhouse village, then south into the mountains of Harris to Tarbert (about 1 hr 15 min).
Driving about 2 hr 30 min; day about 8 hours. - Day 7: Harris. Luskentyre and Seilebost beaches, the west-coast road to Leverburgh and St Clement's Church at Rodel, back by the Golden Road. If this is a Sunday, expect most places to be closed; beaches and walks are still open.
- Day 8: Tarbert to Skye. Ferry Tarbert to Uig (about 1 hr 40 min; check the current route, as Uig harbour has had closures for works). The Fairy Glen and the Quiraing on the way to Portree.
- Day 9: Skye. The Storr, then the west: Dunvegan and Neist Point. Or the Fairy Pools in the Cuillin.
- Day 10: Skye to Fort William. By the Armadale–Mallaig ferry and Glenfinnan, or by the Skye Bridge and Eilean Donan (about 2 hr 30 min).
- Day 11: Fort William to Oban via Glencoe. Glen Nevis or the Nevis Range gondola in the morning, Glencoe at midday, Castle Stalker and Oban by evening (about 1 hr 30 min of driving in total).
- Day 12: Mull and Iona. Ferry to Craignure, drive to Fionnphort, cross to Iona, and return to Oban. A long day of about 10 hours, much of it on ferries; or stay a night on Mull and make it two easy days.
- Day 13: Oban to Glasgow. Kilchurn Castle and Inveraray, then Loch Lomond to Glasgow (about 2 hr 45 min of driving in total).
- Day 14: Glasgow. Kelvingrove, the West End or the cathedral before your flight.
Variations
- Orkney instead of the Outer Hebrides: from Inverness, drive north to Thurso (about 2 hr 30 min) and take the ferry from Scrabster, spend three nights on Orkney, then return and follow the west coast south via Ullapool and Assynt to Skye.
- Slower: drop Mull and Iona and add a second night in Harris and a third on Skye.
Notes on ferries
This itinerary depends on three vehicle ferries. If one is cancelled, there is usually a next sailing, but it may be the next day. Build the trip so that a one-day delay does not cost you a flight, and see our ferry guide.