I’ve never liked planning my vacations very far in advance. So, it wasn’t out of the norm for Martin and I to be sitting in Edinburgh and suddenly decide to go on a road trip through the Scottish Highlands at the end of the week. We found a rental car, bought a tent and a camping stove and drove off with only a vague idea of where we wanted to go.
The rental car proved to be a bit of a surprise since my driver’s license had expired a year ago, unbeknownst to me. After frantically searching for Martin’s license, we breathed a sigh of relief when it was found and it was still valid. Whew!
We drove west from Edinburgh toward Glencoe and Fort William first.
In Scotland you have the “right to roam” which is so different than in the US where you have the “right to shoot.” But this meant that we could camp anywhere as long as we were respectful of the land and a mile from anyone’s house.
There are also free shelters that you can stay in; they are usually a few hours hike from where you’d park the car. We found probably the best one in all of Scotland near Arisaig called Carlotta Eyre’s Bothy. We parked the car in Arisaig and hiked two hours. The hike was spectacular!
The bothy (or shelter) was on a cliff overlooking the water. This meant we had to climb up to get to our shelter. Fortunately there was a rope to assist us!
There are so many fantastic hiking paths in the highlands; it feels unlimited! The weather was a bit spotty, often raining in the evening and periodically throughout the day. However, we were still able to get some amazing blue sky pictures. The walk to Peanmeanach was one of our favorites, even though we only made it halfway.
The Scottish Highlands have some of the most beautiful and majestic sites I have ever seen. It is also quite remote and sparsely populated. We spent a night on Knoydart, one of the remotest places in the UK. My next post will have a vlog from our night there. Stay tuned!
Gorgeous!