Escape to the Highlands: The Ultimate Scotland Day Trip
Our day trip with the Highland Experience tour company was hands down our favorite part of our UK trip. We booked their 13-hour tour from Edinburgh, which took us into the beautiful Scottish Highlands. From the charming town of Callander to Fort William, the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct (aka the Harry Potter train bridge), and even a date with some Hairy Coos, it was an absolutely magical day. If you’re short on time but want to experience the best of the Highlands, this is the ultimate Scotland day trip!
Scotland Day Trip Itinerary
We started early for this trip. We left our hotel by 6:15 that morning, that way we would have enough time to walk to the pick up location, and pop into a coffee shop to grab a latte and a pastry. The night before, we made sure we knew where our pickup location was, that way we weren’t scrambling the morning of the trip. Definitely recommend doing this, always!
Our particular tour itinerary including these top locations that we stopped at, our tour guide also stopped at a few other spots along the way which was nice to see her favorite sights as well.
Tour Itinerary
- Start in Edinburgh
- Callander
- Glen Coe
- Loch Shiel
- Fort William
- Glenfinnan Viaduct
- Hairy Coos
- End in Edinburgh
We booked this tour directly from the Highland Experience. Here is the exact tour we went on.
Our group loaded onto a small bus, and we were off! Robby and I were so excited for this day. Little did we know that it would become our favorite part of the whole trip. As we drove out of Edinburgh, our tour guide shared various stories and facts about the buildings we passed on our way.
Our first stop was seeing the Forth Bridges spanning the Firth of Forth—a collection of 3 bridges spanning 3 centuries.
After we saw the bridges, we were off to the town of Callander – the gateway to the Highlands. Along the winding roads from outside Edinburgh to Callander, we noticed that road signs were displayed in both the English language and the native Gaelic.
A little Scottish history we learned…
Following the Jacobite rising of 1745, the British government banned the practice of Highland culture. Part of this included suppressing the native language. Though the language was never truly forbidden, in 1872, schools were pushed to teach English as the primary language, leading to punishment for teaching Gaelic. However, in recent years, Gaelic has made a come back and is now a living language. Many Scottish locals feel that their culture and heritage is important and want to bring it back.
Callander
Our first official stop was the town of Callander. This town is known as the gateway to the Highlands and is situated in the area that divides the Highlands from the Lowlands. We had a 30-minute stop here, and we fast-tracked to a local coffee shop we saw as we were driving in. We stopped by Mhor Bread for a treat and a hot coffee. It was a chilly 50 degrees on this day.
It was a charming little bakery offering a variety of hearty breakfast options and sweet treats! The fresh bread smelled divine. I regret not grabbing a loaf to snack on later.
After we finished our coffee, we headed to an alley that Robby spotted on our drive into town. It was a scene out of a movie! It was tucked behind the buildings on the main street and truly was a diamond in the rough.
We climbed up the hill, and the views were breathtaking. Here are some of my favorite photos I took in Callander. I used the Fujifilm X T30-ii. I bought this camera before our trip, and I am so happy I did. I have already printed some of the photos and displayed them in our home. Well worth the investment!
Glen Coe
After our stop in Callander, we were en route to Glen Coe. While we were underway, our tour guide told us about the Scottish Law, The Right to Roam. Essentially, anyone in Scotland can explore the land. If you are hiking, you have the right to access any land, within reason. If you were to come across a gate that is closed, you may enter it, but make sure to close the gate behind you.
During our drive through the Highlands, we saw many people exercising their right to roam. We took a few screenshots of our maps to mark places we wanted to come back and visit. Hopefully, one day soon!
The scenery was beautiful. The stories and history we were told along the way were also fantastic. That is one of the key factors that makes us prefer guided tours. Sure, you can Google anything, but hearing stories from locals while you are on your adventure is invaluable.
Glen Coe is known for an abundance of things: beautiful, dramatic scenery, the multitude of hiking, biking, and scenic drives, as well as the Glen Coe Massacre that took place in the late 1600s. This was a pivotal event in Jacobite and Scottish history.
After a quick photo stop at Glen Coe Valley, we got back on the road and headed towards Fort William.
Fort William
As we drove into Fort William, we could see Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest mountain, through the fog. This would be a great home base for anyone wanting to explore the Highlands on the western side. All of my Outlander fans will remember Fort William, but it was nothing like the show portrayed it. The original fort was constructed in 1654, and later dismantled to accommodate the railway.
We stopped here for lunch, and Robby and I quickly ate so we could explore the fort. We only had about 20 minutes to explore, so we tried to make the most of it.
As I was walking around, I saw this little broken piece of a plate. I wanted to keep it as a bit of treasure, but with all of the folktales of the Highlands, I decided to leave it there.
The Scottish Highland skies are ever changing, it is amazing to see how different the skies are throughtout the day.
Once the hour was up in Fort William, it was time to head to the Glenfinnan Viaduct
Glenfinnan Viaduct
We were pushing for time to get to the Glenfinnan Viaduct. The Jacobite Steam Train crosses the viaduct twice a day and only during the spring to mid-fall months. There are two different viewing places, and unfortunately, we did not have time to visit the area we had seen advertised. But it was still pretty cool to see either way! Both viewing points require some climbing.
After the train had crossed, we walked back down the hill and headed towards the water (Loch Schiel) and the Glenfinnan Monument. The monument is a tribute to the Jacobite cause. You can purchase tickets to climb to the top if that interests you.
We spent some time by the water and even spotted some Scotland red deer in the woods. There is a cafe and a gift shop at the main car park. I wish we had shopped around this one. Soon after, it was time to get back on the bus and head to our next location.
Cairngorms National Park
As we drove through the national park, we saw so much more of the Highlands. Our driver told us different stories and the area’s history. There was a small viewing point where we could stop, get out, and see some little sheep in a field. The scenery was breathtaking.
Our tour guide also stopped at a small walking trail to a waterfall. It is called Pattack Falls. Our guide said she had discovered it in her free time and said it was well worth the stop – it was. So much magic in this place!
After a short stop to see the waterfall, we made our way through the park and headed to Perth to see the Hairy Coos!
Perth
This was our final stop of the day. The shop sells food you can feed to the coos, but we had purchased apples at a gas station we stopped at along the drive beforehand. On this day, there were only two coos, a mama and a baby. We got to feed them and it was so fun. However, I would say be sure to be the first one off the bus because everyone wants to feed them, and the line can be long.
We did a little shopping in the gift shop, but at this point, we were tired from adventuring all day.
Back to Edinburgh
We were dropped off at a different location in Edinburgh, which was nice because it was in the New Town area and closer to our hotel. This tour gave us just a taste of the Highlands, and definitely left us ready to visit again!
Overall, I would say this day trip is a phenomenal way to see the Highlands if you are short on time. I cannot wait to go back, and maybe book their Outlander tour!
