There’s a moment somewhere on the A82, driving south along the Great Glen with Loch Ness stretching out to your left and mountains rising on both sides, when you think: I can’t believe we nearly didn’t do this. The Scottish Highlands had always felt like a trip for pre-kids or for with children who were better walkers, more patient in the car, and able to appreciate it properly. We went anyway, with R at 15 months old, and it was such a wholesome, switched off week that I didn’t want to come home and back to reality!
We spent four nights on Skye, one night near Glenfinnan on the drive back east, and four nights based at Loch Ness (near Inverness), with the beaches near Mallaig, Eilean Donan Castle, Fort Augustus, and plenty of highland cows woven in between. This is a proper road trip, but a very easy one. Here’s how to plan it.
Is a Scottish Highlands road trip doable with young kids?
There will be more time in the car than on a typical family break, and the roads could be slow if you go during a busy period, but it’s very doable. Providing you don’t mind that the weather may bring four seasons in one day – for us it was frequently wet and on one memorable day, properly snowy, but more periods with sunshine and blue sky then we we’re expecting.
What the Highlands gives you in return is pretty extraordinary: scenery so dramatic that driving along with some Scottish folk music playing (Dougie MacLean was our choice!) is an absolute pleasure — and we spotted Rabbies’ small green tour buses at various stops along the way, a reminder that if you’d rather leave the driving to someone else, their Highlands tours cover much of this route.
A sign of a good road trip for me is whether the car time can be broken up by stops that are interesting. Glenfinnan, the spectacular steam viaduct featured in Harry Potter is exactly that, but the abundance of lakes and busy canal locks offer plenty of other enjoyable car breaks, not to mention the ruined castles right on the loch (we saw Urquhart and Eileen Donan). We came home feeling more rested than when we left, which almost never happens with children!
Which Scottish highlands road trip route to take?
We flew into Inverness, picked up a hire car and drove a clockwise loop with the longest drive first: Inverness arrival, four nights on Skye (based in Portree), then back east via Eilean Donan Castle and the Glenfinnan area, a night near Fort William (but not in the town), and finally four nights overlooking Loch Ness, based in Drumnadrochit.
We’d recommend driving this direction – Skye first means the longer driving is at the start while everyone is fresh (and we had a morning flight), but you can do it however suits.
If you are driving to or from Inverness, stopping off at Farm Ness or The Loch Ness Experience will help make the travel days much more fun. We thoroughly enjoyed both, and Farm Ness even has a small cafe if the grown ups need a caffeine fix!
Isle of Skye with a toddler: four nights
Skye is unlike anywhere else in the UK. The landscapes are pretty otherworldly in places and it’s remote and slow-going. That’s what makes it unique, but be prepared to spend most your time outdoors.
We based ourselves in Portree on the east of the island, which is the most practical choice for families — it has a harbour, a handful of good restaurants, two Co-op supermarkets and easy access to the main sights on both the north and south of the island. Four nights gives you enough time to cover the highlights without rushing: the Fairy Glen and the Quiraing loop in the north, the Fairy Pools and Oyster Shed in the south, seal spotting from the holiday home window, and a lazy morning or two. Some planned walks didn’t happen because the weather simply wasn’t right for a 15-month-old, and none of us minded.
We’ve written a full guide to the Isle of Skye with kids with everything you need: where to stay, where to eat, what to do in bad weather, and an honest take on an itinerary with a toddler.
Eilean Donan Castle and Manuela’s Wee Bakery
Leaving Skye, the drive east along the Kyle of Lochalsh road is beautiful and worth taking slowly. Eilean Donan Castle (arguably Scotland’s most photographed building), sitting at the convergence of three sea lochs, is a natural pit stop. Even if you don’t go inside (we didn’t), it’s worth pausing for the view and a leg stretch. The public toilets a short drive further along are a good place to pull in.
Just around the corner is Manuela’s Wee Bakery, a quirky little spot that’s worth visiting. It’s a tiny, characterful setup with outstanding bakes (the chocolate cinnamon buns were another level!). There’s no loos but it’s a 2 minute drive from the public toilets I mentioned above.
Scottish road trip to Glenfinnan and Fort William
I wasn’t sure whether Glenfinnan would earn an overnight stop, but with our plan to get the ferry from Skye to Mallaig it was in a perfect position to break up a fair bit of driving. We’d planned to stop at Camusdarach Beach near Arisaig, between Mallaig and Glenfinnan, which a friend had said in the sunshine looks nothing like Scotland. In the end the Mallaig ferry wasn’t running due to the weather so we had to take the longer bridge route off Skye around round to Glenfinnan. It was very much worth the detour!
We ended up making a lunch stop at Fort William, which is a functional outdoor town rather than a charming one (at least before Easter) and didn’t inspire us to linger. What it does have is the Highland Soap Company, which has a café, a play park and free parking, making a good lunch stop with a toddler.
We then drove to the famous viaduct, with its sweeping 21-arches and active railway on top, and it ended up being a really lovely part of our overall holiday. Starting with Glenfinnan itself, the best viewpoint is a short uphill walk from the car park and if you keep going underneath and round, you can turn the other way and see some decent views of Loch Shiel too. In the car park there’s a shop and cafe, plus a small museum.
We stayed right on the loch at the historic Glenfnnan House Hotel which reminded us of Lough Inagh Lodge in the Connemara (Ireland – another equally scenic destination). I was a little worried we would stand out with a toddler but there were families of all ages there, and the staff were so friendly to R. The hotel is well regarded for its dining, and so guests can choose between the restaurant or a more informal bar area. Downstairs there’s multiple lounge areas to sit in, with our favourite being the front sitting room which became entirely ours as everyone else went to dinner (one perk of having ours at 6pm!).
Breakfast was excellent, with multiple menu items to choose from including Scottish pancakes and a full Scottish fry up. Before leaving the area we walked around Loch Shiel (muddy shoes at the ready!) and saw a couple of deer up very close, totally unbothered by people passing. It was a very wholesome stay!
Fort Augustus: Scottish highlands road trip
On the drive from Glenfinnan to Drumnadrochit we stopped for lunch at Fort Augustus, which sits where the Caledonian Canal meets the southern tip of Loch Ness. It’s a lovely village with more traditionally British tourist vibes, and a staircase of canal locks that descends through the centre. We rented bikes and pottered along the canal path, had lunch at one of the waterside cafés, and arrived at Drumnadrochit later that afternoon feeling like we’d made the most of a travel day.
Four nights at Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit
Drumnadrochit is the main village on the north shore of Loch Ness and was a great base for us, with Urquhart Castle right on your doorstep, Farm Ness nearby for a brilliant toddler fun morning, Abriachan Forest for woodland walks and an adventurous outdoor play park, and Inverness just 25 minutes up the road for a day out or the airport. In warmer weather you could easily stretch to a week and fill it without trying.
We’ve written a full itinerary for Loch Ness and Drumnadrochit which covers everything from the toddler-friendly walks we did to where to eat. I really recommend the chalet-style holiday home we stayed in and this part of the trip included a few proper attractions (which actually was a nice change), particularly meeting highland cows at Farm Ness or hearing all about the legends and myths at The Loch Ness Experience.
Practical tips for driving the Highlands with a toddler
Getting there: Fly into Inverness. It’s a small, easy airport with car hire right there, and it’s the natural start and end point for this loop. We hired through National at Inverness airport via Expedia and they were great. If you’d rather not self-drive the whole thing, Rabbies run small-group Highlands tours from Inverness and Edinburgh — we spotted their distinctive green buses throughout the trip. Their scheduled tours don’t take under-5s, but private tours do. A friend has also used them for day trips from Edinburgh and raved about the driver-guides as brilliant storytellers — they’re very highly rated.
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How long do you need: Ten days is a comfortable minimum for the full loop, twelve to fourteen if you can accommodate it.
The driving: The A82 along the Great Glen is one of the most scenic roads in the country and a pleasure to drive. Skye involves single-track roads in places but for the most part were wide open roads. There is an abundance of signposted passing places so allow extra time if you’re on a tight schedule (unlikely in thos part of the world!).
Time of year: We went the week before Easter and it was a good option with quiet roads. The tail end of the trip was noticeably busier once the school holidays began, and we saw rain, snow and sun. The summer months are warmer and the longer days give more flexibility, but Skye in particular gets very busy at the main sights in July and August.
Buggy and carrier: A backpack carrier is worth its weight in hold on this kind of trip. We used our trusted LittleLife Cross Country carrier throughout and it was brilliant (but definitely buy the rain shield).
Our Scottish Highlands road trip score
Getting there: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inverness is an easy airport and a logical start and end point for the loop.
Pramability: ⭐⭐⭐ Variable throughout, but nothing is impossible with an off-road buggy or a carrier.
Adult fun factor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the most dramatic landscapes in Europe, but there’s limited organised entertainment.
Cost: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Car hire and accommodation are the main outlay and most of the attractions and scenary are free (except for the odd car park charge).
Allie, Jack & R x
This post contains affiliate links. Some activities during our visit were kindly gifted. As always, all opinions are our own.
