This is part three of a series detailing our awesome road trip through Scotland (aka the perfect Scotland roadtrip)! I’m sharing what we did, what we liked, and what we would do differently. If you haven’t read parts 1 & 2, then THAT is where you want to start. Click HERE to go to Part 1.
Arnisdale (2 nights) & Drive to Ballaculish
If you’ve read other posts, you probably already know that Arnisdale is my all-time favorite place! This area is beautiful beyond words.
Where We Stayed
Arnisdale House
We rented a private room in Arnisdale House through Airbnb. This was a first for us. It was the first time we tried Airbnb and the first time we rented a room in someone’s house. I’m not going to lie, we were a little nervous about it, but we decided to try it out and who knows, maybe we would end up getting some tips from the homeowner and possibly more of a feel for the culture of the place.
We had a private bedroom and private bathroom all to ourselves. The views out of our bedroom window and bathroom window (who needs a mirror with that view) were to die for.
I cannot say enough about what a great experience it was staying with Andrew. Andrew’s father and his father’s friend were there and also staying at the house. They were all there the first night and then we had the house to ourselves the second night.
What We Did/Saw
Hung out with the locals
Although it is not the norm, we ended up hanging out with Andrew and his guests our first night there (I think they felt sorry for us because we showed up hungry and completely unprepared – see “mistakes we made” below). We all hung out in the kitchen drinking wine, listening to music, talking and telling stories while Andrew fed us all throughout the night (he’s a scallop farmer and made us fresh scallops, among other things).
We all went for a walk at sunset – which was absolutely breathtaking. It was such an interesting and fun night. We ended the evening with a dram of whisky Scotland style! We could not have asked for a better first experience renting a room through Airbnb. The husband and I took another sunset walk the next night & saw highland stags. This area is so gorgeous and we really enjoyed the scenery and the slow pace.
Glenelg-Skye Ferry
We took the Glenelg-Skye Ferry over to the Isle of Skye. It is the last manually operated turntable ferry in Scotland. There was a bit of a wait, but there is a friendly dog that hangs around to keep you company. You can also browse through the ferry t-shirts and other souvenirs they have for sale inside the tiny lighthouse. No one manning the shop – just a bucket to throw your money in. A ferry t-shirt was the only souvenir my husband wanted the entire trip.
Once we got off the ferry, it was a VERY narrow and winding road through the hills to get to our next stop.
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Clan Donald Center/Armadale
Some of my ancestors were part of Clan Donald. Armadale Castle and the surrounding estate is owned by the Clan Donald Lands Trust. There are beautiful gardens to wander through with trees from all over the world, castle ruins and a museum. Of course, I had to get a Clan Donald tartan souvenir!
Portree
We headed to the town of Portree after lunch at Kenloch Lodge (see below) after our bartender told us there were Highland games going on there. Who doesn’t want to see the Highland games while in Scotland? Unfortunately, we rushed to Portree only to arrive just after the games ended (but the drive was gorgeous). All we saw was one guy in a kilt ☹️.
We could see “The Old Man of Storr” in the distance on our drive in (a seriously big rock on one of the most well-known hiking trails on the Isle of Skye). We enjoyed wandering around the town for a bit and would have loved to have hung out longer (and do some hiking), but we had to get back to catch the ferry.
The Hunt for Highland Cows
Despite what you may think, highland cows are not easy to find in Scotland. At this point, we had been in Scotland for many days and driven all over the place and hadn’t seen any. Our host Andrew told us where we might find some close by. So we followed his directions: Head down the road to Corran. Take a left just before the bridge and go through the red gate (no you’re not trespassing). Follow the river. It took us a bit, but we finally found them!
Where We Ate/Drank
Kenloch Lodge
We just stumbled onto this place – on the Isle of Skye. Marcelo Tully is the head chef (2017 Michelin star chef). The location of the lodge was beautiful. It’s pretty fancy. Our meal came in several courses and ended with popcorn ice cream (yes, it tasked exactly like sweet popcorn). It was all delicious.
The Glenelg Inn
We planned to stop in and grab a bite to eat, but they were packed and we didn’t feel like waiting, so we just had a drink or two sitting outside (which was lovely, but the dang midges were everywhere). We ended up just eating at the house (we did stop at a grocery store in Skye to grab some essentials).
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Sheena’s Tea Hut
This is teeny tiny tea house & cafe in Corran (another tiny village just steps from Arnisdale). The quiche is excellent and, of course the views are amazing. It looks like they have added a nice outdoor seating area since we were there. It’s a charming place to visit and the food and tea are great!
On To Ballaculish
The drive from Arnisdale to Ballaculish takes about 2 1/2 hours and the scenery is awesome!
Glenfinnan Viaduct
We stopped and hiked around Glenfinnan Viaduct on our way to Ballaculish. I mean, you can’t come all the way to Scotland and NOT go see the train bridge from Harry Potter can you? It was a really cool spot and definitely worth seeing. You can also ride the train, but nothing I read in preparation convinced me that it was a must.
Mistakes We Made
- Arnisdale is a VERY remote village. There are no hotels, no stores, and only one LITTLE place to eat (that closes at 5). You do NOT want to arrive unprepared. We thought we’d come into town that evening, get settled in and then find a place to eat. NOPE. If we had it to do over again, we would have stocked up on drinks, food, etc. BEFORE arriving.
- Ken Loch Lodge is pretty fancy (as I said above). We were in full on hiking clothes (comfy, but not the nicest) and were a little out of place. If you plan to go there, dress up a bit so you don’t stick out like a sore thumb like we did.
Helpful Hints
- Buy some midge spray! Midges are tiny (like seriously tiny) flying insects that bite. They won’t leave a welt or itch for days like mosquito bites, but it stings when they bite and they can be super annoying!
- Pay attention to the ferry running times. If you go to Skye and miss the ferry back over to Glenelg, you have to drive the long way around. Unless you are used to these roads, you will NOT want to do that!
- The roads are so narrow and they wind their way through the mountains. It is not unusual to come up on sheep in the road. It will take you longer to get from point A to point B, so just be prepared for that and give yourself plenty of time.
- There isn’t a ton of parking at Glenfinnan Viaduct, so you don’t want to pass up the main area hoping to see somewhere else to park. You’ll end up driving several miles before you can find a good spot to turn around.
CONTINUE ON TO PART 4…You definitely don’t want to miss it! 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!
Check Out These Scotland Posts As Well!
- The Perfect Scotland Road Trip – Part 1
- The Perfect Scotland Road Trip – Part 2
- 17 Fun Facts About Scotland You Never Knew
Until next time…
Until next time…
About The Author
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