This is the final part of a 4 part series detailing our awesome road trip through Scotland (aka the perfect Scotland road trip)! I’m sharing what we did, what we liked, and what we would do differently. If you haven’t read the previous parts, then THAT is where you want to start. Click HERE to go to part 1.
Ballaculish (2 nights)
This is another gorgeous area of Scotland and should definitely be part of your road trip! Just a short drive away is the area of Glencoe – those stunning mountains used at the backdrop of Hogwarts!
Where We Stayed
RiverBeds Luxury Wee Lodges with Hot Tubs
These little cabins are so stinkin’ cute! They are cozy and had everything we needed. Most cabins have a private hot tub (which is PERFECT at the end of a long day of hiking) and are located right next to the creek. As a bonus, they are on the Dragon’s Tooth Golf Course property, so you can fit in some golf in Scotland where the sport began. The location is very convenient to everything in town as well as all the trails and hiking in the area.
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Like much of the highlands, the midges can be pretty bad in this area. Luckily, you’ll be provided with midge spray so you can enjoy having your coffee on the patio overlooking the creek. The cabins come complete with your own wee bathroom and a kitchenette.
What We Did/Saw
National Trust for Scotland Glencoe Visitor Centre
I would highly recommend any visitor to this area begin here. You can grab a map of the area trails and things to see. There is a cafe and gift shop – I found this especially helpful since the raincoat I brought was, in fact, not water resistant and it rained our entire day in this area. Luckily I was able to pick up a raincoat in the shop that actually kept me dry!
We took a walk around the short trail around the property where The Massacre of Glencoe took place in February of 1692 where, 38 of the MacDonalds of Glencoe (men, women and children) were murdered by soldiers that had lodged with them for 12 days prior. A few of the MacDonalds escaped into the hills. As I walked through the area imagining the weather on that day and the thinking of the remoteness of the village surrounded by those looming mountains, it seemed that none of them could have survived.
On the trail, you can see the ruins of Inverigan House. Although the ruins are from a house built later, it marks the site of an earlier house that was there during the massacre. Though the history of this place is a bit depressing, the beauty that surrounds it is undeniable. In this particular spot, moss covers the trees and it is stunning! If you’d like to read more about the massacre, I recommend getting the book: Glencoe The Story Of The Massacre.
Hike to Signal Rock
This is a short easy hike, only about a mile. There is some debate as to the significance of Signal Rock. Some say the druids use to view sunsets and sun rises here. Some say the MacDonalds used it to signal trouble coming. Others say it was where a fire was lit at 5am to signal to the soldiers to begin the massacre. Who know which legend might be true? Regardless, it is a beautiful place for a stroll. It’s a nice walk through the forest with ferns and moss covering the ground. It feels a bit magical.
Hike the Devil’s Staircase
This trail is part of the much longer West Highland Way (96 miles). The Devil’s Staircase takes you to the highest point on the West Highland Way and you will definitely be rewarded with amazing views of the gorgeous and gigantic (SO much bigger in person) mountains.
As I said, it rained on us all day and it was a bit chilly (even in August). Make no mistake, this hike is not long, but it IS steep. You will need good hiking shoes. I wasn’t in the best shape at the time and I had to take several breaks as we got closer to the top.
Eventually we made it and got to help ourselves to a drink from the Honesty Tuck Shop – a tent supplied with some snacks and drinks for sale. Just put your money in a bucket and take what you bought. We paused at the top to enjoy our surroundings and eat the lunch we brought along.
I wrote about this hike in more detail in my 3 Can’t Miss Places To Visit In Scotland post.
Ballaculish Slate Quarry
Slate roof tiles are used all over Scotland. You can take a walk through the old slate quarry which ran from 1692 until 1955. There are several information boards that tell about the quarry.
Where We Ate/Drank
We had breakfast in our cabin and had a snack lunch while hiking, so we didn’t visit too many restaurants or pubs in this area.
Laroch Restaurant
We ate dinner both nights at Laroch. The first night we ate in the pub area and the second night we ate on the restaurant side. They have really good tomato soup and fish & chips.
On To Slamannan (1 night)
On our drive to Slamannan, we stopped at these places:
What We Did/Saw
The Devil’s Pulpit/Finnich Glen
This is absolutely one of my favorite places in all of Scotland! It is not easy to find and a bit treacherous to get to (ok, maybe a lot treacherous), but 100% worth it. There isn’t much to do there and you won’t need to spend a lot of time there, but it is absolutely stunning. These are pictures I took on my phone (no filters needed).
The Kelpies
Although the biggest attraction here is the giant horse head sculptures (the largest equine sculptures in the world), there is also a visitor centre, cafe, walking trails, guided tours and more.
Falkirk Wheel
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde canal with the Unions Canal and it’s the only boat lift of its kind in the world. It’s not just any boat lift. It‘s a work of art and it’s pretty cool to watch it move the boats. You can also take a boat ride and there is a big gift shop.
Where We Stayed
We rented a private room through Airbnb which came with our own private bathroom as well. The cottage was built in 1860. Kim, our host was very nice and the room was clean & comfy. We didn’t visit too much. We had a long day and an early flight the following morning, but it was a great place to end our trip.
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Mistakes We Made
- We didn’t really plan out our last full day and we barely got to see The Kelpies. We actually arrived about 2 minutes before they closed. So we basically got there, took a couple of pictures and that was it. They are open 9:30am – 5:00pm daily.
- Water shoes would have been a good idea at The Devil’s Pulpit. We had our hiking boots on and kept them on while going through the knee deep water to get to the pulpit. It was rocky so we weren’t comfortable going shoeless (though we did see other doing just that and they seemed to be fine). Not a huge deal, but water shoes made for that purpose would have dried out faster.
Helpful Hints
- Finnich Glen is not super easy to find. I wrote detailed directions in my 3 Can’t Miss Places To Visit In Scotland post. That information will definitely come in handy.
- Don’t forget to take some cash when you go to hike The Devil’s Staircase so you can reward yourself with a treat at the top!
Well, there you have it – the end of my 4-part series outlining the perfect Scotland road trip. I hope you enjoyed it and found it helpful. If you haven’t already, make sure you sign up in the “Don’t Miss Out” box below and get an email every week with the latest from My Travel Obsession!
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