Grand Tour of Scotland

Holiday Ratings
Recommended days	7
Budget	£
Difficulty	Easy

Why Scotland

A Grand tour of Scotland offers opportunities to see scenery, castles and abbeys among other things. If the weather is good the countryside is fantastic, if not then you probably won’t see anything at all!

This tour was a week long and covered 1400 miles encompassing the borders, lowlands and highlands. Some of the places we visited we had seen before on previous visits such as this, some were new.

The Scottish Borders

Roads in the UK are such a delight. After extensive travelling I still believe we have the worst maintained and most heavily regulated road network in the world. Almost every motorway consists of huge numbers of traffic cones, average speed cameras and almost no work going on in the coned areas with an anticipated finish date two years away to replace a portion of central reservation.

In the same time the Chinese could have built an entire motorway and a parallel train track before we have even finished investigating the potential impact on a rare type of moss.
Anyway.

We started with a long drive to Scotland yesterday, 6 hours listening to audio books. Our first couple of nights were spent in Jedburgh, a beautiful little town in the Scottish Borders.

We’ve been here a few times before and seen the highlights but it is nice to have a bit longer this time. We had a great meal in the Clock Tower Bistro – well recommended if you are visiting – and our hotel is within walking distance of all the sights.

Which is lucky because I woke at 6 today so went out to take some photos of the sunrise that was sadly unco-operative due to poor navigation and a range of hills being in the way. It was still nice to have a walk before breakfast and give Deb the chance of a peaceful lie in.

Smailholm Tower

Our first port of call was Smailholm Tower, along some very interesting roads but at least this time we were in my car rather than a motorhome. The tower was built as a defence against border raids or a base from which to launch them and is very well preserved. The views from the top were understandably great although Deb had to stay on the ground floor as she hates spiral staircases.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Melrose Abbey

Next stop Melrose. Another lovely border town and there were a couple of gardens Deb wanted to go to as well as the Abbey. The gardens were however both unexpectedly closed, one due to a wedding and the other for some other reason that they didn’t see fit to advertise.

The abbey was open and was impressive but has been pretty thoroughly looted and destroyed, the stone work that is left is impressive but even the bagpipe playing pig didn’t boost its ratings enough.

Dryburgh Abbey

We stopped at a couple of viewpoints on the way to our last stop, Dryburgh Abbey. We’d never been there before and it was a huge building with some great carving and also the burial place of Field Marshal Haig and Walter Scott. We spent a while there, I don’t think I have ever been anywhere more peaceful.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Jedburgh Castle Jail

We then headed back to Jedburgh and visited Jedburgh Castle Jail – a superb museum that covered both the history of the town and the story of the jail itself. It was quite interesting looking at how the concept of crime, accountability and punishment has changed in the last few hundred years.
So, a productive and enjoyable first day, learned some new things, had some time with Deb and took some photos.

• 

Jedburgh Abbey

It’s not really possible to visit the town without also visiting the Abbey. We’d been there several times before but it is a fantastic building and it is still possible to climb the stairs to get an idea of the scale and majesty of the place.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Hermitage Castle

On Sunday I had intended to go to the local gym but when I got there I found out it opened at 9.15 so that was pretty pointless, too spoiled by 24 hour access in Bristol I guess. After breakfast we left the hotel and headed for our first destination. This was a castle and actually chosen by Debbie, not me!

The drive was pretty spectacular, single track roads with some impressive views, despite the rain. By the time we arrived there the rain had stopped and the castle did look quite amazing although it was in a valley rather than on a hill.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The guy in the ticket office was a mine of information and we chatted for a while before going for a wander. The outer walls had been restored in the 19th century but the lack of a roof combined with Scottish weather meant the stones were green tinged with moss and very slippery. The place was very austere and imposing – a suitable base for border reivers.

Crichton Castle

After lunch in Hawick we continued to our next stop – another castle! I had been to this one before but not when it was open, I’m bright like that. Another fun drive along almost deserted for a reason B roads and we arrived to a packed carpark – 4 other cars!

The castle was again very impressive. A lot more ornate than the first but in an equally obscure location. Built in the Fourteenth Century the castle was remodelled in the late Sixteenth Century with Italian design features.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Torphichen Preceptory

Our last stop was the preceptory of the Knights Hospitallars, the base from which they sent men and money to defend the Holy Land, Rhodes and finally Malta. There was a great exhibition on the history of the Order and the work they still do, both in the UK and abroad. After that we drove to our B&B for the next two nights. A more involved day than expected but worth the effort.

• 

• 

Scottish Lowlands

Lochleven Castle

Monday was spent in the lowlands around Stirling. We’d already been to the infamous castle so first stop was the fourteenth century Lochleven Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner. We took the boat across to the island – which is a lot larger than it used to be as the Victorians lowered the water level in the loch – and had a wander.

• 

• 

• 

Due to boat times we spent longer on the island than intended, the castle is pretty small but it was relaxing, although damned cold! Luckily my daughters were on hand to tell us how warm it was in Bristol!

Burleigh Castle

After the obligatory coffee and carrot cake we then made a short stop at Burleigh Castle, mostly because it looked weird. The castle is a Jacobean construction and the gabled tower room was what caught our attention.

• 

• 

Castle Campbell

Our main visit was to Dollar Glen and Castle Campbell. We spent a couple of hours walking around the glen and watching the waterfalls. The area is incredibly pretty and it was a nice change to do some sustained walking, although we did stop for photos frequently.

• 

• 

• 

• 

At least we both warmed up with the climbing! On our return from the glen loop we went in to Castle Campbell. This is a 19th century reconstruction and looked impressive with views across to the new Queensferry crossing.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The Kelpies

We had a quick dinner in Stirling before heading to the Kelpies as Debbie had never seen them! We got there too early really as we left before it got truly dark to see them lit up but we were damned cold by then.

On the plus side, it is the only place I have remembered my tripod for recently! I would also like to have the person executed who decided not to bury the power cables that blight the view of these sculptures. Another busy day and late night!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Scottish Highlands

We left our B&B in Stirling in bright sunshine the next morning for our long drive to Aviemore. We stopped off for coffee with one of our friends and then visited the nearby Roman fort.

Ardoch Roman Camp

We parked in a layby and walked to the site. I’ll be honest, now it’s just humps, dips and bumps in the ground but the scale is still pretty impressive. Ardoch was at one time able to hold 30,000 soldiers and any of the Scottish castles would have occupied a small corner of this site.

My picture below is just what we saw at ground level but the one below that is from a drone to give an idea of scale, taken from this site.

Ruthven Barracks

For a complete change of period, our next stop was Ruthven Barracks. Built to control the Highlands after the 1715 rising we had often seen these ruins as we drove past on the A9. The sunshine was spectacular and we had a pleasant walk around, the views were impressive too.

• 

• 

• 

We were staying at the Hilton in Aviemore again, nearby so we spent the later afternoon evening walking around the town. It seemed a great base for exploring the area and an ideal stop for this leg of our Grand Tour of Scotland. The town is obviously quite touristy but after the isolation of most of the other sites we have visited that was actually quite nice.

Cawdor Castle

After an excellent breakfast and gym visit we headed to Cawdor Castle. The current castle was actually built 300 years after Macbeth died but there is no need to let facts get in the way of a good story! We spent most of the day here and only went inside for lunch! The gardens and walks were great, if a little more effort than expected!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Old Inverlochy Castle

On Thursday we left the joys of the Hilton gym and unlimited breakfasts to head for dark Glencoe. The weather brightened up once we started driving so we popped into Old Inverlochy Castle (whose owners Robert the Bruce had murdered on his power grab for the Scottish throne).

The castle is quite small although the walls and towers are mostly intact and it was a nice little pause on our drive south.

• 

• 

• 

Loch Leven

Continuing on towards Glencoe, we pulled over a couple of times after Fort William to stop on the shores of Loch Leven. This was what Scotland is all about – if the weather is good it is one of the most photogenic places I have ever been. It’s just a shame the weather is rarely reliable.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Glencoe

We checked in to our hotel at Glencoe village, right on the shores of the loch and then drove through the pass of Glencoe. I have been here a few times and it is one of the most evocative drives I have ever been on. We stopped a few times and did some walking although nothing serious as it was already late afternoon. We came back to the hotel and then sat and watched the sunset. It was amazing how tidal the loch was – I took some photos and ten minutes later where I had been standing was under water!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Glencoe Mountain

The next day was dismal and wet because two days of sunshine in a row just wouldn’t be Scottish. After breakfast (fresh Scottish salmon – lush!) we headed to Glencoe Mountain, intending to take the chairlift and then do some walking but by the time we got there the rain was in full swing.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Ben Nevis Distillery

We had a quick stop and then drove back to Fort William so Deb could do the tour of the distillery. This was actually quite fun and informative.

• 

• 

Glencoe

After lunch we headed back to the hotel and did some local walks just to while away the time. I was a bit lost with no gym, no internet, no books (finished them already) and bad weather so we consoled ourselves in the evening with a ridiculously calorific dessert!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Conclusion

We travelled about 1400 miles on our Grand Tour of Scotland and added more things to my list of places to see than I crossed off! Next time I must do more research – there were a couple of one day photography workshops in the Highlands that I would have liked to do but I didn’t find them until we were already there.

I think we’d also have to just go on more walks and accept that you are going to get wet but hopefully the rain won’t last too long and buy some more battery packs for the camera – used 4 completely and almost finished the last one! The scenery is just so gorgeous though we will have to return soon, maybe next time with the dogs.

There is so much to see and do in Scotland I could do another Grand Tour next week and see completely different places. Roads are good and usually quiet, there is an excellent ferry network for visiting the islands. Just be prepared for changeable weather and wear good walking boots!