The Perfect Scotland Road Trip – Part 2

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This is part two of a series detailing our perfect Scotland road trip! I’ll share what we did, what we liked, and what we would do differently. If you are thinking of planning a trip to Scotland, you will want this information! If you haven’t read Part 1, THAT is where you want to start. Click HERE to see Part 1.

Dingwall (2 nights) & Drive to Arnisdale

Where We Stayed

Tulloch Castle:

I really wanted to stay in a castle for at least part of our trip. Unfortunately, I waited a bit too long to reserve lodging and most were booked up. I did manage to find this one. It was fairly close to the things we wanted to see in the area. It’s a smaller castle (as far as castles go) and needed some TLC, but the room was cozy, the bathroom was nice & clean, the food was good and the beer was cold. They have kept a lot of the original charm of the castle.

What We Did/Saw

Tulloch Castle Ghost Tour:

In the evenings, you can accompany a castle staff member (in our case it was the bartender) on a ghost tour of the castle. I should just tell you now that I am terrified of even the thought of ghosts and had no intention of going on this tour. Then I had a few adult beverages and my husband wanted to go, so off we went. I am not kidding when I say that I’m pretty sure I did not sleep at all during our two nights there (And I MAY have made my husband leave a light on all night). You’re probably thinking “Whoa, that must have been a really creepy scary tour!” Um, probably not actually that bad (no ghostly encounters). What can I say…I have issues.

Anyway, one thing (and only one thing) I DID enjoy about the tour was that he took us into several areas of the castle that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise and some of the rooms were really pretty and interesting to see and hear about. So, if you can take the ghost thing with a grain of salt or if you’re just really into that kind of thing, knock yourself out! My husband thought it was no big deal, by the way.

Culloden Battlefield:

This one is an absolute must in my opinion. Outlander fans will know all about this battle, but for those of you who do not know, this is where the last battle of the Jacobite rising of 1745 happened. I don’t feel like I can do justice to the description of the battle. You can read a brief story of the battle by the National Trust for Scotland here or if you want more information, consider getting this book about Culloden. You’ll get much more out of your trip if you know the story before you arrive.

If you know anything about the history of the rising or Bonnie Prince Charlie, you are sure to enjoy walking through the museum, gift shop and the field itself (they also have a cafe). It costs 27 pounds for family entry. Once in, you can go on a free walking tour of the battlefield, which I highly recommend, and see all the clan stone markers. This was one my favorite things we did – it was just so interesting after reading the Outlander books (as well as all the googling I did in the middle of all that to read about the real events) and so strange to be standing right there where it all happened.

The highland clan members that died there were buried there as well. There are stone markers with the names of each clan scattered around the battlefield.

Clava Cairns:

Located just down the road from Culloden. This is an ancient burial ground, estimated to be 4,000 year old! It's outdoors, free and open all year. This is the only place on mainland Scotland where you can see standing stones. Outlander fans…Craigh na Dun isn’t a real place, but this is said to be her inspiration. Just keep in mind that this is a burial ground (no matter how old) and be respectful.

Streets of Dingwall:

We took some time and just walked the streets of this cute town.

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Where We Ate/Drank

Tulloch Castle:

We ate most of our meals at The Turrets Restaurant in the castle and everything we had was good.

The Legion:

This is a restaurant and pub. This is by far the friendliest place we had a bite or a beer. Everyone (staff and patrons) were super friendly. The walls are lined with some really great pictures of Scotland. My husband started asking about them and found out one of the guys at the bar took the pictures. The guy asked for my husband's information and offered to send him some of his pictures. We kind of thought…oh sure…that’s not going to happen, but sure enough, he sent them! Like many Scottish pubs, there was also a very friendly big black lab hanging out at the bar.

On To Arnisdale

The drive from Dingwall to Arnisdale takes about 2 1/2 hours driving straight through. We made a day of it and saw some sites along the way. This was a gorgeous drive that just got prettier and prettier with every mile (just part of what made this the perfect Scotland road trip).

Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition:

If you have tons of time and can’t leave Scotland without a Nessie souvenir, then go. If you have kids with you that want to learn all about how there is no monster, then go. Otherwise, I’d skip this one. It’s a really big lake and the area is pretty around it, but driving along it would have been enough for me. If you are pressed for time, I’d skip it all together. Yes, it’s a big lake, but there are over 30,000 lakes (aka lochs) in Scotland. They all look about the same, so you really aren’t missing much if you need to leave this off your itinerary.

Eilean Donan Castle:

This is the most photographed castle in all of Scotland and a great one to stop and see.

Mistakes We Made

Urquhart Castle Ruins:

I really wanted to see this one, but we only saw what you could while driving by. It gets VERY crowded later in the day (like parking several miles away kind of crowded) so we had to skip it. If this one is a must see, go early – they open at 9:30am.

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The Old Forge:

This is known as the most remote pub in Scotland. It is not accessible by road. We thought we would be able to get there by boat from Arnisdale, and I guess technically, we could have. When we arrived at our Airbnb in Arnisdale and discussed it with our host (we rented a room), we realized there really wasn't an option to get there. He did offer to ask a friend of his to take us on her boat, but it would be about an hour one-way. The other option was to hike 25 miles to it.

Obviously, we did not want to inconvenience her and, although we love to hike, no pub is worth all that! If you’d like to try it out, you need to go to Mallaig and take a boat over. Because Arnisdale ended up being my absolute favorite place I have ever been, I can’t really call this one a mistake.

Helpful Hints

Arnisdale is REMOTE and stunningly gorgeous! I highly recommend you go, but not before reading all my Arnisdale tips HERE. It’s a very relaxing place and absolutely breathtaking.

CONTINUE TO PART 3…You definitely don’t want to miss my favorite place!

Don’t miss these other posts about Scotland!

• 17 Fun Facts About Scotland You Never Knew
• Today’s Travel Advice – Read Outlander!

Until next time…

Until next time…

About The Author

My mission is to inspire and empower families to prioritize travel now, creating unforgettable memories and deeper connections with their loved ones.

I provide guidance and practical solutions to help busy parents integrate travel into their lives, fostering joy, fulfillment, and stress-free adventures. Don’t wait until it’s too late; the time to travel is now.
Learn more about me & My Travel Obsession here.

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