The Best Driving Routes North of Hadrian’s Wall

Scotland is a country full of great places to visit. The West Coast gets a lot more traffic, and is thought of as having the most spectacular routes, although the East coast has some hidden gems, too.
The Great Glen has some absolutely breath-taking scenery and the only hindrance is that you will want to stop to take photographs every few minutes. The A82 takes you from Inverness on the east coast to Fort William on the West. It lies on a fault among spectacular scenery of lochs and mountain peaks.

You will travel along the Caledonian Canal, which extends into the famous Loch Ness, which is a must to visit. There are two visitor centres and you can visit the ruins of Urquhart Castle at the side of the loch.
Drive along to Fort Augustus, then onto Fort William, passing along Loch Oich, Loch Lochy, and the beautiful Loch Linnhe. When you get to Fort William, you can go and enjoy the awesome scenery around Scotland’s tallest mountain Ben Nevis, maybe even climb to the top.

Take the A82 to Spean Bridge and stop off to have a look at the inspiring Commando memorial, then via Invergarry, turn left and take the A87 to drive on to Kyle of Lochalsh. You will see the impressive Five Sisters Hills, then, when you get to Dornie, look out for Eilan Donan Castle, one of the most picturesque castles in Scotland, set in Loch Duich. If you have the time, visit Plockton, a beautiful little village, the film set for the popular TV series called Hamish Macbeth, starring Robert Carlyle.

You will be able to drive over the Bridge to Skye, where there are some fantastic views like the Cuillins and look out for the rock formation, the Old Man of Storr, for some great photo opportunities.

When you drive back to Ft William, take the A828 to Oban, a pretty little town, and the gateway to the isle of Mull. You can take the car on the ferry, or leave it behind and go on a day trip coach. You can pick the trip that also takes in the pretty and historic isle of Iona, graveyard to many Kings and Queens.
If you get the chance, you really must visit the uninhabited island of Staffa. You can take a little boat in good weather only, so you are able to land. It is just wonderful to see the basalt rock rise dramatically from the sea, with puffins dotted on its rock formations, which are hexagonal columns.

Visit the famous Fingal’s cave, which inspired Felix Mendelssohn to write the beautiful Hebrides Overture.

James Christie is a content editor for GEM Motoring Assist.

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Category: Travel