5 Day Trip Ideas From Edinburgh
Listen to the podcast episode here. Watch our travel vid from Scotland here.
Note: All of these day trips were done via rental car, except the Glencoe/Loch Ness excursion, which was booked through a tour company via Get Your Guide.
Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park
Conic Hill- A popular hike with an overview of Loch Lomond. It was closed for construction when we were there, unfortunately.
St Mocha Shop and Ice Cream Parlour
Loch Lomond
Maid of the Loch- There was a parking area near this old historic ship that is now resting on land.
Duck Bay- Head this direction on your Google Maps and there will be places to pull over and look at the lake. Pull outs and parking areas seemed to be very rare in the National Park, much to our frustration.
Loch Achray
Cows - It was said online that there would be many highland cows in this area. We only saw a couple from a distance. If you want to find highland cows close up, check out Swanston Farms south of Edinburgh.
There are steep, winding roads leading up to this lake that offer beautiful overviews. Keep your eyes open for wild stags!
Loch Katrine - This was our favorite stop in the Park. We were able to park and follow a beautiful footpath along the lake. There was even a small trickling waterfall at one point.
On the way:
Kelpies statue in Falkirk - The largest equestrian statue in the world
Callendar - This charming and quaint town was recommended to us at the rental car agency. We went in the off-tourist season early in the morning, so there was not much to see, but we can imagine how cute it would be during the summer months.
Stirling
Castle
Wallace Monument - We wish we had had the time to visit this. Watch Braveheart before coming to Scotland to learn some history!
2. Driving south down the coast - Castles galore!
From Edinburgh to the southernmost point on this coastal trip, we drove about 1.5 hours. We did not pay admittance fees to go inside any of the castles. We just wanted to drive along the coast, seeing the castles from the outside and visiting the quaint coastal towns. This day was pure magic!
Tantallon castle - The castle was technically closed for upkeeping, but the maintenance man let us back for a quick look from the outside. Since we were the only ones there, and we weren’t even supposed to be there, it felt really special.
North Burwick - The town alone where you find Tantallon Castle is worth a visit. Every one of the small villages on this day trip south along the coast was magical, really. This town had great beach access and there was a street that satisfied Allie’s door obsession. Every door was a different color with a different nautical-themed knocker.
Bamburgh Castle - In the course of one hour, we saw the castle under rainy skies and beautiful sunny skies. The weather in Scotland is always changing!
St Aidan’s Church - We actually popped in here seeking shelter from the rain, but it was an interesting visit with lots of random history and signs to read.
Holy Island - You have to make sure to check the tide times online, because you do not want to be stuck on the island with your car during high tides. You will be stranded and your car may be washed away - no joke!
Lindisfarne Castle - The most photogenic castle that we saw- right along the water, surrounded by flocks of sheep grazing on the luscious green grass. You’re free to walk along the grass by the sheep - just wear boots and watch your step!
St Abb’s
Ebcarr’s Café - A charming quaint stone café by the shore. You can try a bowl of Cullen Skink- a traditional Scottish fish soup. The rolo cheesecake was to-die for!
Park at the head of the St Abb’s Head Nature Preserve and hike the trail until you get to Pettico Wick Bay. You will see sheep along the way and beautiful views of the ocean up from some cliffs. Protect yourself from the wind!
Dunbar - We were losing daylight (and energy) at the end of our day. We stopped for dinner at Hector’s Artisanal Pizza. Like everywhere in Scotland, the people there were wonderful.
3. Glasgow
George Square - A main square with a lot of statues of famous Scots, such as the notable Sir Walter Scott
Contemporary Art Museum - a free but underwhelming art museum
The Duke of Wellington statue has a traffic cone on his head. Apparently residents kept putting the cone up there and the city eventually gave up taking it back down, so now it is a quirky aspect of local culture. Residents of Edinburgh have taken to copying them and putting traffic cones on a statue by St Giles Cathedral.
Tea hour at the Willow Tea Rooms - Our tea hour bundle allowed us each a hot drink of our choice, scones with clotted cream, petit four sandwiches, and we each got to choose a dessert. This was our favorite part of our stop in Glasgow.
The Tollbooth - This was the site of public executions in the past. We read up a bit on local legends that paint a grisly tale of criminals having their ears nailed to the wooden door, being left to tear their own ears free. There are metal loops on the side of the building which supposedly chained criminals to the side for citizens to come by and throw rotten fruits, veggies, and even excrement at them. Yikes!
4. Driving North up the coast
Crail - Another charming coastal town worth a lunch visit
Crail Harbor Gallery - a 17th century cottage café with a lovely patio along the ocean. Enjoy a wonderful affogato (espresso poured over ice cream) and amazing sticky toffee pudding! There are nautical decorations and artwork that you can purchase, as well.
Pittenweem - If you enjoy history about witches, check out this town. Scotland has a very gruesome past related to witches. The Salem Witch Trials are nothing compared to what happened in Scotland. Upon passing a mural of a witch and stopping to take a picture, an older local gentleman told us to go visit the witch’s cave, if we dared. Supposedly this is where witches were imprisoned. You have to go get the key to the cave from the chocolate/coffee store around the corner (The Cocoa Tree Shop). For $1/person, you will get access to the cave and a printed pamphlet that talks about the history of the cave.
5. The Highlands and Loch Ness
Glencoe/ The Highlands - With the tour company, our bus stopped for photo ops throughout the Highlands on the way to Loch Ness, and the bus director shared a lot of historical information throughout the day. This made the area come alive, and it was clear how much information and places we missed the day we went to the Trossachs National Park on our own.
Loch Ness
You can take a 1-hour boat cruise along the lake and try to find the allusive Nessie hiding in the Loch. If you want to try some Scottish whisky, what better way to enjoy the cruise than with a hot chocolate + whisky.
Urquhart Castle - You can pay extra to visit the castle or just view it from the boat cruise.
Pitlochry - The tour ended with a short visit to this town. The highlight was getting ice cream made with real Scottish whisky. The storefront even had a sign claiming itself as Scotland’s smallest distillery. It was delicious! Check out the Scotch Corner of Pitlochry to try for yourself - but be ready to wait in line!
