View of Loch Lomond from Conic Hill featuring a Highland Cow
England, Road trip, Scotland, Travel, Travel Guides, UK |

Ultimate 12-Day England & Scotland Road Trip Guide

I took this trip in 2019 but I feel like it’s relevant now more than ever for anyone living in the UK. With travel restriction changing left, right and centre, UK-based holidays are becoming more and more popular and what better way to explore than with a road trip through England and Scotland! Make sure you check the local restrictions before planning your trip.

With my best friend from Australia set to be visiting for 3 glorious weeks, we were faced with the difficult decision of where to travel together. We’d both dreamt of exploring Scotland for years (Outlander may or may not have played a big part in this dream), but also wanted to see some of the beauty that England has to offer. And so it was decided that we would set off on a 12-day road trip that would take us from London, up through both the Peak and Lake Districts’ and then onto glorious Scotland.

Now, I realise that calling this the ‘Ultimate 12-Day England & Scotland Road Trip’ may be slightly presumptuous, but for us it truly was! It ticked all of the boxes for places we wanted to visit and suited the style of trip we were wanting to take (not too fast-paced, lots of hiking, stunning scenery a must).

Getting around

Road tripping is truly one of the best ways to see both England and Scotland, especially if you’re wanting to visit places that aren’t major cities with good train/public transport connections. Having a car to scoot around in also allows you more freedom to decide what you want to do day-to-day. We started our trip by picking up our hire car from London Victoria and returned it to Edinburgh Airport at the end.

Scotland has lots of wild camping spots so hiring a camper van could be a great way to travel around if that takes your fancy. We opted for a standard car and stayed in AirBnB’s along the way.

Driving Itinerary

Day 1: London – Peak District (3-4hrs)
Day 2: Peak District – York (2hrs)
Day 3: York – Lake District (3hrs)
Day 4: Lake District – Edinburgh (3.5hrs)
Day 5: Explore Edinburgh
Day 6: Edinburgh – Glasgow (1hr) – Loch Lomond (1hr) – Glencoe (1.5hrs)
Day 7: Day trip to Oban (50mins each way)
Day 8: Glencoe – Glenfinnan Viaduct (1hr) – Portree, Isle of Skye (2.5hrs via Mallaig ferry)
Day 9: Explore Isle of Skye
Day 10: Isle of Skye – Fort Augustus & Loch Ness (2hrs) – Inverness (1hr)
Day 11: Inverness – Edinburgh (3hrs)
Day 12: Last day, fly or train back to London 🙁

Click on the destinations above to drop straight down to the recommendations.
You can also check out my Scotland Roadtrip tags on Google Maps.

What to See, Eat & Do

I’ve split this section up into the areas we stayed in overnight and have included stops we took between destinations and sights to see along the way.

Peak District

  • We stayed overnight in Buxton, a very cute spa town in the heart of the Peak District. We spent a few hours wandering around town, stopping into local boutiques and shops along the way
  • The Roaches & Lud’s Church trail walk. Allow 3-4 hours to complete this loop trail, but trust me the scenery is worth it. The best place to park is along Roach Road in Upper Hulme, right near the Don Whillans Memorial Hut
  • Reward yourself with tea and scones after The Roaches walk by visiting Roaches Tea Rooms & Restaurant, you’ll have earned it!

York

  • Start your day off with a coffee at Brew & Brownie or Spring Espresso
  • Explore The Shambles, one of the best-preserved medieval shopping streets in Europe! Lined with overhanging timber-framed buildings, The Shambles is a must-see when visiting York and is rumoured to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter (although I feel like I’ve heard the same thing about many quaint streets throughout the UK, so who really knows!)
  • Clifford’s Tower is quite a sight to see, sitting on top of a high mound in the city centre. Fun fact, it was originally built by William the Conqueror
  • No UK city is complete without an impressive cathedral – swing by York Minster to take in the beautiful building (it’s one of the largest of it’s kind in Europe) and it’s amazing stained glass windows
  • Spend some time wandering through York’s picturesque Museum Gardens. You’ll find St Mary’s Abbey in the gardens, a medieval church that now houses a contemporary art gallery, which is also worth a visit
  • Last but not least, before heading off to your next destination take a walk along the York city walls, which run most of the way around the town

Lake District

  • We stayed in Ambleside, which was so picture-perfect and I would highly recommend. Windemere and Grasmere would also be good places to base yourself (or to visit and explore) when visiting the Lake District
  • Make sure you take time for at least one walk while in the Lake District, the scenery is stunning. We chose The Tarns Walk, which takes you through some of the beautiful lakes (aka. tarns) in the area. The best place to park and start the walk is near the Windemere Ferry terminal.

Edinburgh

  • I absolutely fell in love with Edinburgh on this trip, there is so much to see and do throughout the city – I could have spent a week exploring! I found it very romantic and loved just wandering the cobbled streets, stopping for warm drinks along the way.
  • Speaking of warm drinks, pay a visit to Cult Espresso for a delish coffee. It would also be a great place to set up shop with your laptop for the day if you’re working along the way.
  • No trip to Edinburgh is complete without walking through Holyrood Park and up to Arthur’s Seat, you’ll be treated to the most amazing views of both the city and the harbour.
  • The famous Edinburgh Castle sits right in the centre of Edinburgh city and is (another) must-see. I’d recommend spending the money to enter the castle and get the audio guide, you’ll see some of the best views over the city and learn a little while you’re at it.
  • After touring the castle, grab a (second, or third, no judgement) coffee from either Cairngorm Coffee or Wellington Coffee and then wander through the Princes Street Gardens
  • Victoria Street is lined with lovely, quirky local shops and is one of the most photographed streets in Edinburgh. It’s another street that was *apparently* JK Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley
  • The Devils Advocate is a whisky lovers dream! We stopped in after dinner one night and had a few whisky sours, delish.
  • Any gin fans in the house? You can book into a Gin Tasting Experience at the Edinburgh Gin Distillery for just £25.

Glasgow

  • Wandering through Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is a great way to spend a few hours, especially if you’re hit with some rainy weather (which, lets face it, is quite possible in Scotland)
  • Stop by Tchai-Ovna House of Tea to try the chai tea and a slice of carrot cake, you won’t regret it!
  • Right next to Tchai-Ovna, you’ll find a wonderfully eclectic second-hand bookshop, Voltaire & Rousseau Bookshop. Pop in for a browse and pick up a read for your trip
  • I can never say no to a botanic garden, so visiting the Glasgow Botanic Gardens was a must! The greenhouses were my personal favourite.

Loch Lomond

  • One of the best walks we did on the whole trip, the Conic Hill walk is a 3.2 mile loop walk that boasts incredible views over Loch Lomond and the surrounding Trossachs National Park (complete with with Highland cows). There’s a public car park at the start of the walk for easy access
  • After the walk, stop by the lakeside town of Luss for a quick walk around and a bite to eat

Glencoe

  • The drive from Loch Lomond through the highlands to Glencoe was truly breathtaking, the road winding through towering mountains on either side. I could drive this stretch over and over and still love it
  • The Laroch Restaurant and Bar may look like your average country pub from the outside, but believe me it is so much more. With a Michelin star chef in the kitchen, the food is out-of-this-world good – we ate there every night we were in town
  • Take a stroll around Loch Leven and soak in the beauty of the Scottish highlands
  • If you’re looking for a really challenging hike, then Ben Nevis is for you. It’s the highest mountain in the UK and has a summit of 1,345m above sea level – woah! Make sure you do your research (and probably a spot of training) before taking on this summit
  • On your way from Glencoe to Isle of Skye, you’ll pass by the Glenfinnan Viaduct, the bridge from a classic shot in Harry Potter with the Hotwarts Express. If you’re lucky, you might even see the train itself go along past

Oban

  • If you’re visiting Oban, there is really only one lunch spot you need to know about and that’s the Oban Seafood Hut. Walk along the pier towards the Oban Ferry Terminal and you’ll find the green seafood hut. I highly recommend trying the oysters and the mussels cooked in garlic, onions and wine – truly to die for
  • The Modern Croft is a modern gift shop filled with homewares and crafts from local Scottish designers
  • Sitting above the town of Oban is McCaig’s Tower, a stone tower that dates back to the late 1800’s, there’s a lovely walk up to the tower and you’ll get a great view over the town too
  • Oban is home to a huge amount of wildlife including seals, otters, eagles and falcons. You can take a 1hr boat tour from Oban for around £12 to see these animals in their natural habitat
  • Before heading onto your next stop, pay a visit to Oban Chocolate Company and pick up some sweet treats for the road

Isle of Skye

  • If you’re heading the Isle of Sky from Glencoe, then the fastest and easiest way to get to the island is to take the Calmac ferry from Mallaig. A one way car ticket will set you back about £16. We caught the ferry over and then drove back to the mainland via the Skye Bridge at Kyleakin
  • If you have some spare time before your ferry over to Skye, I’d recommend stopping by the Silver Sands of Morar. With crystal blue waters and white silky sand, you’ll feel like you’re in the Caribbean and not the coast of Scotland! There’s plenty of parking available at the Morar Beach Car Park
  • We stayed in Portree, which was a great base for our few days in Skye. It’s fairly central and has a lovely town centre with everything you’d need for your stay. It’s also home to Dulce and Brose, which is 1000% worth booking into for dinner if you can, we had one of the best meals of our trip here
  • On your way from the ferry to Portree, you can take a short detour to see the Fairy Pools, cascading and crystal clear waterfalls that are another of Skye’s famous sites
  • Arguably Skye’s most well-known natural landmark, Old Man of Storr is a must when visiting the island. You’ll feel like you’re standing in a giants playground!
  • Skye truly feels like something out of a fairy tale and The Fairy Glen lives up to the magical hype, with roads winding around grassy hills and cone-shaped hills.
  • The friend I was travelling with has a bit of a thing for lighthouses, so seeing the Neist Point Lighthouse was a must for us, and it did not disappoint! Nestled on rocky clifftop at the westernmost point of Skye, it truly took our breath away (and not just because it was windy as hell)

Fort Augustus & Loch Ness

  • This just wouldn’t be the ultimate Scottish road trip without a mention of Loch Ness. If you have time, it’s worth booking onto one of the boat trips around the loch to take in the stunning scenery (and try to spot Nessy of course)
  • We did part of the River Oich walk while in Fort Augustus, which was a lovely forest track that snakes along the river. You can park in the Fort Augustus Chalet Park and head off from there

Inverness

Well, that was a blog and a half! If you’ve made it this far then I am very impressed, a huge thank you for taking the time to read the post. It may have taken me over a year to write but I’m so glad I finally got there – it truly was one of my favourite trips to date. Hopefully these tips will come in handy when planning your England and Scotland adventure. I’d love to know if you do explore the area so feel free to get in touch!

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