If you are planning a Scottish campervan or motorhome holiday in 2016, here are 10 great Scotland tours 2016. If you only manage a few this year, why not add them to your lifetime bucket list? Everyone needs a holiday bucket list…
North Coast 500
Acclaimed as Scotland’s answer to America’s famous Route 66, the North Coast 500 has been gaining great popularity since it was launched in 2014. The Daily Telegraph has also called it “One of the World’s Best” road drives.
As the 500 indicates, the route is 500 miles or so long (516 miles to be exact) and offers a fantastically scenic circuit in the north west of Scotland, starting and finishing at Inverness. See NC500
Road to Applecross
A National Geographic “best drive” and part of the NC500, the road to Applecross in the far north-west of Scotland is certainly a spectacular drive. Also known as the Bealach Na Bà, the Alpine-style pass zig-zags from sea level to 626m. It is a go-slow-and-soak-up-the-views type of drive.
Glasgow to Fort William
The A82 road was voted Britain’s best in 2010. Enjoy wonderful views across Loch Lomond and the drama of the high rise mountains of Glencoe, among many other scenic wonders.
Road to the Isles
This beautiful route stretches from Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, in Fort William, to the west coast port town of Mallaig. The road takes in Glenfinnan, where Bonnie Prince Charlie famously raised his standard in 1745, Loch Morar and remote Camusdarach beach between Arisaig and Morar.
Rest and Be Thankful
This is a famous pass on the A83 that takes drivers close to the Arrochar Alps in Glen Croe to the Rest and Be Thankful pass. There’s a roadside viewpoint that allows you to stretch your legs and fully take in the stunning vistas.
Perthshire to Royal Deeside
This route follows the A93 from Blairgowrie in Perthshire to Braemar on Royal Deeside and takes in a delightfully twisty climb up to the pass of Glenshee – and the amazing descent down the other side. Depending on when you do this drive, you’ll see the hills in the southeastern corner of the Cairngorm National Park in various shades of colour thanks to the abundance of heather.
Edinburgh to St Andrews
This drive will take you across Forth Road Bridge to the Kingdom of Fife where you can follow a stunning coastal road through an area known as the East Neuk, including the pretty fishing villages of Anstruther, Elie and Pittenween before arriving at St Andrews and The Home of Golf.
Stirling Castle & Best of the Trossachs
A popular one-day tour of Scotland, you’ll visit the town of Aberfoyle at the eastern edge of Loch Lomond & the Trossachs national Park. The scenic drive also takes in the wonderful Duke’s Pass, a road named after the Duke of Montrose, who built it as an access route to the his land. It was later improved to accommodate the tourists who were drawn to the area during Victorian times following the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s poem, The Lady of the Lake. Other highlights include picturesque Loch Katrine and Stirling Castle.
The Borders to Edinburgh
If you prefer to feast your eyes on beautiful Borders scenery, bypass the M74 and A1 for the A68. The winding road takes you from Carter Bar (sometimes there is a lone bagpiper at the English-Scottish border) through the Eildon Hills and on to the rolling countryside of the Scottish Borders before reaching Edinburgh.
Glasgow to Loch Lomond to Lochgilphead
Lochs, hills, mountains and coast provide the stunning backdrop for this drive westwards from Loch Lomond. The route can be busy with coaches at the height of the summer season so be prepared to take your time. Take the A82 from Glasgow to reach Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park at Balloch. Then turn on to the A83 at Tarbet to reach Arrochar at the head of Loch Long. The drive climbs over the Rest and Be Thankful before arriving at Inveraray on Loch Fyne and then along the loch-side to Lochgilphead.
Also see Scottish castle tours and Britain’s top beaches.