Western Scotland Road Trip: Isle of Mull, Isle of Skye, and more!
With our “city” part of the trip behind us, we headed out west for a week of western Scotland. Thank god Kayla is an amazing driver - this trip literally could not have happened without her!
We picked up our car from Hertz at 8:30am in Glasgow and then headed out to Inveraray Castle. Luckily this was mostly all on one motorway with lots of roundabouts and minimal traffic since we were heading out of Glasgow instead of into it. We arrived at Inveraray around 10am.
The castle and the grounds were really pretty, but they had some inexplicably terrifying dummies of butlers and maids all over the castle placed perfectly to make you jump out of your skin when you turn the corner. Fair warning lol. We had soup and sandwiches at the castle cafe and then continued our journey.
Our next stop was another castle, but this one was in a very different condition. Kilchurn Castle is more of a ruin than a castle but its placement on a little peninsula makes it absolutely stunning. Technically it was “off season” since it was October 1 so the castle was closed, but you were able to walk around the grounds for free and you could easily peak inside.
In the parking lot there was a sign for “Trip Advisor’s #1 church in Scotland” that was just down the road so we figured, why not? We stopped at a hotel for a cup of tea and a bathroom and then visited St. Conan’s Kirk. It’s most interesting because it is a mix of a bunch of styles with gargoyles and a flying buttress but also some more modern touches. There was even a piece of Robert the Bruce there! It’s worth a visit for the view alone, but it actually was a really nice church :)
After the Kirk we made a beeline to Oban, where we were spending the night before we visited the Isle of Mull. Turns out, Oban is an adorable town! It had so many cute shops and cafes and a stunning harbor. We wished we had more time to just enjoy this town but our time here was short and sweet. We had dinner at Cuan Mor and then went to sleep to prepare for our day of more travel tomorrow. We were also treated to a gorgeous sunset!
The next day we woke up early to board our ferry to Craignure. You buy your tickets at the Oban Ferry Terminal and there are plenty of seats on the ferry to choose from. There is also a cafe so if, like me, your tummy gets a little nervous on boats, you can get a cup of tea!
When you get off the ferry, right in front of you will be a bus stop. There should be a huge bus number 95 waiting to take you to Tobermory. Be sure to check the time tables to make sure you can get to the last ferry on time! The ride is about an hour and the fee is 12.50 round trip.
The ride was a little terrifying because the roads were most definitely not built for a large bus, but we made it there in one piece! The town of Tobermory is a small one but it has a distillery, a small museum, lots of cafes, shops, and a very friendly dog.
We had breakfast of quiche at the Tobermory Bakery and Tea Room, then wandered in and out of all the shops. The Mull Museum felt like a little school project with all the signs being handwritten or on cute poster boards. It’s definitely interesting if you are interested in treasure! Apparently there are a ton of shipwrecks on Mull still waiting to be explored :)
We visited the dog that spends all day on his garden wall watching passerbys, then had a delicious soup and scone at the Gallery Cafe located inside an old church. We took our bus and ferry home, had fish and chips and the Oban Inn, and then went back home to sleep and do laundry.
The next morning we started our journey north. We left early to arrive at Glen Coe in time for breakfast and a quick walk through the woods. We had quiche and soup at Crafts & Things, a craft store/cafe, and then took the easy path around the Lochan Trail. It was a very easy stroll and we got to see all kinds of lichen, trees, and wild berries. The view of the mountains was absolutely breathtaking.
We took a bit of a detour to go deeper into Glen Coe and the drive was worth it! We even pulled off on the side of the road to get a better look at this little lonely house. When our eyes couldn’t absorb any more beauty (it’s seriously overwhelming) we turned back and headed north again.
Our last stop on the mainland was Glenfinnan, famous for being the viaduct that the “Harry Potter Train” passes over. We ended up not sticking around to see the train but if you do want to, definitely come early! The small parking lot fills up and they will turn you away unfortunately. We wanted to be on the Isle of Skye before sunset so we headed out early but the view of it was worth the pit stop (plus the bathroom was very clean haha!)
We arrived on Skye, got groceries, and had a dinner of pasta and chocolate. Heaven!
The next day was one of the wildest days of my life. We woke up early and made eggs and toast, then headed across the island to visit the Storr. The hike wasn’t too difficult except for the fact that it was very rocky and muddy so you had to be strategic about where you put your feet. We got there before 10am and on the way down there were swarms of tours coming up so I ‘d suggest getting there as early as possible!
We continued up the east coast and stopped at an unassuming parking lot which ended up being next to an insane waterfall. Scotland is full of surprises! We had some tea and a brownie (a scone for Kayla!) at a nearby tea house and then made our last leg of the journey to the Quirang which we horribly mispronounced until a few hours after the hike when we heard a tour guide say it correctly: “kweh-rahng”
The Quirang was stunning but not a hike I could have done alone. The “easy” trail still had a few spots where we had to climb on all fours to cross a small waterfall, with a hundred foot drop on one side. The climb is an absolute no-no for anyone with a fear of heights or without proper hiking boots.
If you can do it (thank god Kayla was there with me) the views are completely insane and will blow your mind.
After that hike, we took a breather in the car for a moment and then drove out to the Fairy Glen. The atmosphere was really peaceful and fun, with kids rolling down the hill and people enjoying the sunshine. There wasn’t much to see but it was a really beautiful site :)
We had some more fish and chips at a local pub near our cottage, then passed out.
The next day was another early one, and our first stop was the Fairy Pools. It was set to start raining around 10am so we arrived at 9am and had the place almost completely to ourselves. The hike was really easy and the water was breathtakingly clear. The dark mountains in the distance made me feel like I was in the Lord of the Rings or something. Definitely something magical about this spot :)
As we turned back to head to our car (parking is 5£ by the way!) we saw a stream of tour buses pull into the parking lot. Definitely come before 10am if you want a private tour of the place, it seems like 10am is when the hoards of people arrive. It was perfect timing because just as we got in the car it started to rain.
Because of the rain, we looked for an indoor activity and decided on Dunvegan Castle. I usually get sick of castles after going to 3 or more of them, but this one was really worth it. The information was all cleverly written and the decor was to die for. This castle also has a legend involving fairies attached to it so if you’re into that kind of thing it is really fun to read about (and see the “fairy flag”)
The gardens were incredible too! I had to pry Kayla out of the walled garden, she didn’t want to leave.
Overall it was a really nice little spot to visit and I was able to find Kurt the perfect souvenir scarf in their gift shop :)
We had a lot of books we wanted to read, so we had a quick tea at the Dunvegan Bakery then grabbed groceries for dinner and had a night in. It was just the recharge that we needed!
It was still raining the next morning but that didn’t stop us from visiting Edinbane Pottery which was suggested to us by our AirBnb host. The little shop was filled with cups, candle holders, bowls, vases, and more. The man running the shop at the time was busy making more tea cups while we were browsing. I really wanted to buy some of the mugs but because of lack of space in my luggage, I opted for a really beautiful incense holder that came with a pack of incense!
We then headed into Portree to pop into all the shops and do our last minute souvenir shopping. I got a cute little calendar by a local Scottish artist from the Òr shop. Lots of things were closed because it was Sunday but at least the cafe was open and had quiche ready for me :)
We stopped at home for a bit to drop off our treasures and then headed back out for cake, which ended up being one of the best things we ate the entire trip. Jann’s Cakes in Dunvegan is a teeny tiny bakery that has homemade chocolates, cakes, and sandwiches. The people running it were adorable and the cakes we had were amazing. I had a fresh plum cake and Kayla had a decadent chocolate mouse cake with blueberries. It was such a sweet experience and they stayed open after closing time to let us and a few more people in :)
Then, we had the craziest night of our lives. Kayla loves lighthouses and she really wanted to see the Neist Point Lighthouse. The drive out there was absolutely mental. It was a single track road that we had grown somewhat used to by now, but this road was in total disrepair. The run off from all the rain left the road covered with deep puddles that hid all of the pot holes in the road and the rain was coming down so hard that our windshield wipers couldn’t keep up. The passing points also had huge drops on the side which would have left our short little car stuck on the side of the road in the rain (can tow trucks even fit down there?)
Amazingly, we made it to the parking lot thanks to Kayla’s incredible driving, where we could see clear blue skies out above us. Scottish weather is wild.
The walk down to the lighthouse is a lot of steps but the view is really lovely. We didn’t spend much time there because we wanted to be back on the other side of that horrible road before sunset but it was definitely an…experience haha
We got dinner and calmed our nerves at the Old School Restaurant in Dunvegan and then headed home to get the chill out of our bones and to pack for our drive back to Edinburgh the next day.
Our drive was uneventful with a quick stop at Eilean Donan Castle, lunch at the Snack Shack and then arriving in Edinburgh around 4:30pm. We grabbed some Indian food at Passage to India and then passed out. I flew to Helsinki the next day and had a 19 hour layover which you can read about here.
Overall, this was truly the trip of a lifetime and I’m so thankful I got to share it with my best friend (and that we lived to tell the tale!)