The Scottish Highlands – Glencoe, Isle of Skye, the Lochs and Inverness #adeoOnTheRoad
In the run up to Christmas, as part of our ongoing reconnaissance program, we decided to treat ourselves early with a trip up to the Scottish Highlands and the breathtaking Isle of Skye.
A hazy Tuesday morning saw an extremely early start with adeo Travel’s manager Darryl Walters taking Danielle Litton and Lucas Eisele (me) to Bristol Airport to fly into Glasgow to begin a 4 day familiarisation trip of Scotland, doing show-arounds with our hotel partners and following an abridged route of the highlands and beyond following the same route as our Skye and the Highlands Self Drive Tour. We followed the same steps our guests would to make sure we know that are providing the best possible experience. You are all welcome.
Day 1 – Glasgow, Loch Lomond and Glencoe
Step one saw us collecting our rental vehicle from Arnold Clark, one of our key car hire partners in this part of the world; it was a quick and easy experience that resulted in us driving away in a Large Automatic transmission vehicle. Quite a shift (pardon the pun) for us manual transmission British drivers, but the vehicle would be perfect for a family travelling together with ample luggage space.
Our first leg took us to sweeping mountains of Glencoe, on our way there we passed by Loch Lomond and through the Trossachs National Park. The route alongside this famous loch offered many pit stops for some incredible photos, which we certainly took advantage of.
As the sun was setting (around 4pm at this time of year), we arrived into the Glencoe area, enjoying the stunning views of the many peaks including Buachaille Etive Mòr, famously used as a filming location for the James Bond film “Skyfall”.
We stopped for quick a show-around of the stunning Kingshouse Hotel which offers beautiful interiors and some truly jaw dropping views of the Glencoe peaks.
Before we left, we had an individual who wished to introduce themselves to us, a local deer who was not shy and seemed to want to come back to Wales with us, sadly despite the leniency of Scottish customs we decided that would pose a bit of a struggle.
With the sun going down so early, we made our way to our hotel for the night, the Isles of Glencoe. This cosy hotel was an enjoyable mix of stunning views of the nearby Loch (where some lunatic was cold-water swimming in the sub-zero temperatures) and incredible service by truly friendly staff.
Day 2 – Fort William, Eilean Donan Castle and the Isle of Skye
Waking up refreshed after a good nights’ sleep, we enjoyed a gorgeous Scottish breakfast in the Isles of Glencoe, where I tried Haggis for the first time which I believe now makes me an honorary Scot.
Our second day saw us to take a show around Inverlochy Castle which despite its incredibly elegant and lavish décor, provided a relaxed atmosphere. Even as locals, we would envy anyone staying in this character filled 19th century structure.
With Inverlochy Castle, very sadly behind us, the day saw us make our way to the iconic Isle of Skye. Driving past the snow covered peak of Ben Nevis, we decided to make a stop near the Glenfinnan Monument and the Viaduct, sadly due to the snow we did not make it up to the Viaduct but this not stop us enjoying some spectacular views regardless and definitely not having a snow ball fight…!
Along the way we made a lovely pit stop at Eilean Donan Castle, a 13th century site where 3 lochs meet and an absolute must see landmark and a great photo opportunity, as we have proven.
Resuming our journey, we crossed the Skye Bridge to the Isle of Skye and towards the technicolour fishing village of Portree. This charming location which is only 200 years old (young for any location in Britain) and surrounded by hills saw us enjoy a stay at Marmalade Hotel.
With some downtime, we enjoyed a relaxing sit down in the hotel’s serene relaxation room and outside sauna, perfect for couples or someone looking for some time to themselves. I occupy the latter category.
Day 3 – Plockton the Highlands and Dornoch
Our third day saw us enjoy a couple more of the island’s hotels included the petite but charming Bosville Hotel and the Cuillin Hills Hotel, a spacious and modern property that offered jaw dropping views of Cuillin Mountains.
From here, we made our way back to the mainland and over to Plockton, famously considered to be the “Jewel of the Highlands”. Even with an inch of snow covering it, this picturesque Highland village was still a joy to explore and offered stunning views overlooking Loch Carron – a great spot for walks or water sports on the loch in the Summer months.
Our journey from Plockton was where things started to get a bit interesting – snow was falling heavily and make some the narrower roads a fun challenge. Along the road, we spotted two Americans whose vehicle had edged off road, got stuck in the snow and were unable to contact their rental agent. We helped as much as we could, but all we could think was “if only they booked with adeo”.
With the sun setting, we made our way to our final overnight stay at the opulent Dornoch Station Hotel, to camp out for the night. Dornoch was a beautiful and peaceful property, not to mention a haven for golfers (in less snowy times). Although it may also be haunted but that simply just adds to the character of the property.
Day 4 – Loch Ness and Inverness
The final day of our journey took us along Loch Ness, the largest loch in the Scottish Highlands and the deepest. Sadly despite our best efforts, we did not see Nessie but it was terribly cold so we certainly could not blame it for hibernating.
Following this incredibly scenic drive us towards Inverness with a pit stop at Urquhart Castle. Whilst it was closed due to the snow, we were offered a stunning view of the castle ruins sitting alongside Loch Ness. A fun fact that when the site is open, you visit an on-site cinema that shows a two minute film on the history of the castle before lifting the projection screen to view the castle as is stands currently.
Once we were done here we made our way to Inverness to explore the historic town and visit some of our other favourite hotels in the Highland capital, before making our way to the airport and back to Wales to share our Highland tales with our colleagues. Once we finally got some sleep. We were ready for some rest after an action-packed few days!
Final Thoughts
Visiting the Highlands in the Winter offered some spectacular snowy views and Glencoe in particular was absolutely breathtaking as it would be any time of year. The Highlands are certainly a magical destination and very much deserve a longer time-frame to explore (if you’re not visiting for work purposes!). But don’t just take my word for it – why not visit yourself!? Read over our recommended highland Skye and the Highlands Self Drive Tour or contact one of our friendly consultants to discuss your Scottish travel plans further.
Lucas Eisele
December 9, 2024