10 Perfect Scotland Road Trips for summer 2021

Whether you are planning a summer holidays staycation or just a weekend getaway, these are the best Scotland Road trips from summer 2021!  All of them can be done as one off road trips, but most of them can also be brought together and blended as part of planning the ultimate summer road trip!  If you are looking for a great summer holiday staycation, get this pinned as you will  definitely want to include some of these. If you are looking for alternative ideas for the holidays, we have 12 fun Scotland Staycations you will love here.

Where is the best Scotland road trip?

This is a super popular question and of course everyone wants something different from a road trip, but there is one that is fast earning itself a world wide reputation as one of the most iconic road trips.  The North Coast 500 takes you along the highland coast, through fascinating history, across famous landmarks and gives you the chance to both adventure in the forest and relax on some of the UK’s most beautiful beaches.  You can enjoy the best of Scotish food, trying out glamping and even stargaze from a hot tub on the coast.  This road trip has everything a perfect road trip should have and it is right here in Scotland! If we had to pick one as the best, this would be it.

Is the summer a good time for a Scotland Road trip?

Eeek, this is such a good question and the answer is mostly yes, with a tiny bit of no.  Summer is perfect for a Scotland road trip in so many ways, especially the further North you go.  As Scotland tends to be a wee bit more chilly than the rest of the UK, when summer hits, everything comes to life.  You get those long summer evenings that are both beautiful, but also make for great driving conditions.  It is warmer enough (with a blanket!) to enjoy both the sunrises and sunsets.  You may even feel like braving loch and oceans swims.  The only downsides to a Scotland road trip in the summer is the infamous mosquitos and that some areas can get pretty busy during the summer holidays.  If possible, try to plan your Scotland road trip for either June or september.  If you have to visit during July and August it will still be beautiful, you may just be sharing it with a few more people. 

1. North Coast 500

Starting and finishing in Inverness this stunning exploration of highland costal highlight has become the most Iconic Scotland Road Trip.  Along this amazing route you will get to stop off at John O’ Groats, Cocoa Mountain, local hearty Scotish diners and smoo cave.  There is also the chance to zip line across a beach and if you’re really lucky you might get to swim with dolphins.  

As the name suggests, this Scotland road trip is a 500 mile long loop around the North coast.  It is a bit too much for a weekend getaway, but if you are looking for summer holiday ideas we have created a 7 day North Coast 500 Itinerary.  It tells you all the best stops and includes a very handy map.  If you have less time or indeed more time, this post also includes a 4  and a 10 day North Coast 500 itinerary.   If you love glamping we have also put together all the best glamping spots in the highlands, perfect for this route.

2. The Whiskey Route

Juuuuust to be clear we are not suggesting you drink and drive! Haha, ok, but we are suggesting you test out some of Scotland’s finest whiskeys first hand from the source.  Depending on how you want to enjoy this Scotland road trip you could have a designated driver, in which case you will definitely owe them a bottle or two. Another popular option is to take this road trip really slowly and choose a few stops and mix it up with local walks.  Anyone who understand fine Scotish Whiskey knows it’s not about getting drunk.  Many just visit the breweries and distilleries to buy bottles to take home; they’re actually quite interesting to walk around.   This route can be done as a little loop starting  Edinburgh and taking in as many as 10 stops if you go as high as perth.  This Scotland Road trip could be done as a weekend getaway or if you want to include cultural exploration, hikes and many fine dining spots you could easily make it a week long holiday.

3. Harry Potter Spotter Scotland Road Trip

This Scotland road trip is best started in Edinburgh, which you Harry Potter fans will know is home to many cafes where JK Rowling wrote her masterpieces.  Although we have listed this as a road trip, it is popular to do all or part of it by train.  Fort William is the next natural stop from here you can organise the Jacobite train across the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct, yes that bridge in the movie! You can actually ride the train (aka Hogwarts Express!) to Mallaig and back where you get to cross the bridge; even if you’re not a potterhead, this is still stunning. 

This whole area is steeped in Harry Potter magic; you can also include a trip to the famous Loch Morar and Loch Arkaig.  You could squeeze this Scotland Road trip into a weekend getaway, but this part of Scotland is so beautiful you may want to take a week or two and make it a summer holiday to remember.  If so a stay in Edinburgh and stay in Fort William would be perfect. If you are a true Harry Potter fan, then you will adore this epic post on every Harry Potter location in Scotland.

4. South West Coastal 300

This stunning 300 mile Scotland road trip loops round the beautiful Galloway forest park.  Dumfries is a great start and end point for the route and 5 days is ideal for this road trip.  If you love adventure, beautiful woodlands and stunning coast line this is the perfect road trip for you.  Dumfries and Galloway offers some of the best mountain biking in the world and is set up for everyone from beginner to pro.  There are also endless hikes, water sports activities and opportunities to explore and truly connect with nature.  There are also of course some great castles and actually the best castle gardens in the country at Castle Kennedy Gardens. 

5. Argyll Coastal Road Trip

If you love a sea breeze, ocean sounds at night and the best seafood in the UK, this is the Scotland Road trip for you.  The  Argyll Coastal Route is on the west coast and runs between Tarbet and Fort William.  Another great thing about it running up the west coast of Scotland is it offers stunning sunsets.  The landscape lends itself to some of the best sunsets in the UK followed by clear nights for stargazing.  This 130 mile long road trips takes you though some of the most spectacular mountain and coastal scenery in Scotland.  You could do this Scotland Road trip as a weekend get away or make include in part of a bigger trip round Scotland if you are planning a summer holiday.

6. Fife Coastal Route (St. Andrews)

This Scotland road trip is based in the famous Fife Coastal Path which is a long distance hiking route that runs from Kincardine to Newburgh along the coastline of Fife.  It is a clear well marked footpath with stunning views all along the way and can of course can be enjoyed in either direction.  Though a very long walk, the road trip is only around 80 miles, which makes it an ideal weekend getaway if you want a short staycation.  As mentioned earlier you can also build it as part of a bigger DIY Scotland road trip.  The Kincardine Bridge and the Tay Bridge mark the beginning and end of this beautiful costal road trip.

If you are wanting to explore St Andrews this is a particularly perfect route for you!  St Andrews itself is beautiful; if you are looking to plan the perfect staycation you will definitely want to see our post on the best luxury lodges with hot tubs around St Andrews.  St. Andrews is a deeply beautiful town with fascinating history and even if history isn’t your thing, everyone can agree on how pretty the town is! This Scotland coast road trip also takes you though some beautiful little fishing villages, picture perfect in every way.

7. Highland Tourist Route (Cairngorms NP)

Despite being named the Highland Tourist Route, this particular road trip is actually much quieter and lesser known than the others we have shared so far.  It really is one of the most perfect Scotland road trips for the summer.  It is a relatively new route designed by visit Scotland.  It is a 116 mile route that takes you from Aberdeen to Inverness.  The perfect warm up route if you have time and are heading up to do the North Coast 500 road trip.  This little gem of a road trip is great for people who love to explore Scottish history,  Cawdor castle is an especially beautiful stop.  For us though, the biggest highlight is that it takes you through the spectacular Cairngorms National Park.  Everything about this adventurous national park makes for the perfect staycation; hiking, watersports, mountain biking.  A beautiful and unique thing to make time for has to be the Loch Garten Osprey Centre.

8. North East 250 Route

North East 250 Scotland Road Trip is another well designed road trip by Visit Scotland.  As the name suggests it is 250 mile of Scotland awesomeness in the North East of Scotland.  1 week would make for the perfect Scotland staycation, but if you have longer you could spend more time in Cairngorms National Park.  This route takes you to the best parts of the Cairngorms National Park, some of these roads are sp spectuarly you will want to have a picnic and cup of tea to stop and take them in mid journey.  As well as the spectuartly and adventure filled Iconic Scottish national park, there are also beautiful castles such as Royal Deeside and cheeky local whisky distilleries.  As always with this area, there is also endless spectacular coastline and hearty Scottish food to enjoy.

9 .Galloway Tourist Road Trip

Galloway Forest Park is the perfect place to reconnect with nature on a much needed staycation.  Forest bathe in arguably Scotland’s most beautiful forest.  Enjoying so glamping and camping as you unwind and reconnect with that peace nature brings.  This Scotland road trip is around 100 miles and can be done as a weekend getaway, but if you can please take longer to slow down and enjoy this beautiful part of the world, it really is the perfect Scotland road trip for the summer if you love nature and adventure.  It starts in Gretna and finishes in Ayr and there are beautiful lochs,woodland and towards the end coast line to enjoy. Perhaps plan for a longer stay when you hit the coast.

10. The Grand Tour : Ultimate Scotland Road Trip

If you have 3 to 4 weeks and truly want to explore the very best of Scotland, what many refer to as the grand tour of Scotland is an epic way to make a summer holiday staycation you will never forget.  Essentially you are just matching up all the very best parts of all the road trips we have been sharing.  Starting and finishing in Edinburgh, you make your way along the Fife coast, head towards the Cairngorms National Park and work through the North East 250 route before taking time in Inverness, possibly enjoying a castle stay. Then, embark upon the iconic North Coast 500, stopping at John O groats and all of Scotland’s best beaches along the way.  As you make your way back down you venture into the Isle of Skye.  Then make time to enjoy Loch Lomond National park, before looping back to Edinburgh.  During your time in Loch Lomond definitely take time for a hike! We have put together the best Loch Lomond hikes and Lodges with hot tubs, because, well, it doesn’t get better than a hike followed by an evening in a hot tub!

Eco Friendly Travel Tips for Travelling through Scotland

If you are enjoying a Scotland road trip as a staycation, in many ways you have already made a great Eco Friendly decision.  Travelling more locally is one of the best ways of ensuring more sustainable travel.  For a start, you have of course cut out flights.  What you may overlook as an Eco friendly choice is that you are probably more familiar with the culture than if you travelled further, which means if you are conscientious you are more likely to know how best to respect the culture and what rules are in place.  This is one of the best ways of avoiding overtourism.  Often if you are travelling more locally you are less likely to just hit the famous spots and leave, which spread people and the positive impacts of tourism out more evenly across the country.  Exploring less known areas mentioned in some of these Scotland road trips gives smaller local businesses the chance to grow and thrive.  

We always always encourage slower travel where possible, which again is much more likely on a staycation. We have given you many options for the best stops on these roads, but where possible try to choose a few and spend more time in the few you have chosen rather than whizzing through them.  Minimising travel obviously helps minimise your carbon footprint.  Where possible try to have a full car.  Glamping, responsible camping and staying in small locally run guesthouses all contribute to travelling more sustainably.  Please always clear up after yourself and dispose of rubbish responsibly.  Please also respect the countryside code wherever you go.