If you’re looking to spend some time in Scotland and explore everything the country has to offer, it’s a good idea to prepare properly. There’s so much to see and do there, and if you’ve not spent much time in Scotland before now, you won’t be short of options. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Don’t Try to See Everything

The first thing to note is that you’re not going to fit everything into your first trip to Scotland. You might think of it as a relatively small country, but there are lots of beautiful places with so much to offer. There’s a wealth of great cities, lots of stunning landscapes and so many small islands off the coast of the mainland that are worth your time to visit. Some of those things will have to be saved for future trips.

Explore the Highlands

The Scottish Highlands are famed for their landscapes and beauty, and they won’t let you down. If you love to walk and hike, you’ll have no shortage of trails to follow up there. And you should definitely take the time to make the most of everything the experience can offer you.  You can immerse yourself in nature during the day and in the evening taste the fine whisky and locally produced salmon or beef in a village pub.

The North Coast 500 is a 500 mile circular route which starts and finishes in Inverness. You should take time to visit J0hn O’Groats the northern most tip of the British Isles.

Make Sure Your Car Can Deal with Hills

If you’re planning a road trip in Scotland and especially if you’re planning on heading up to the Highlands, you’re going to need to make sure your car can cope with those kinds of hills. Some cars are better at taking on that kind of task than others. So it might be a good idea to swap your car or hire the right one ahead of your trip.

Spend Some Time in Edinburgh or Glasgow

As well as exploring the natural side of Scotland, you’ll also want to spend some time in its great cities. It’s hard to say which of Glasgow or Edinburgh is better or more worth your time because they’re both so wonderful and so different. Edinburgh is more historic and Glasgow feels more like a modern city, so it depends on where your preferences lie. If you would like to include some of the other cities such as Aberdeen or Dundee you can find a suggested 4 day Scotland itinerary here

Enjoy the History of Scotland

There’s a lot of history in Scotland and you can see it through the many castles and old buildings that are found across the country. So, if you’re going to travel to Scotland, you might want to plan to explore some of those places and learn more about the history that led the country to become what it is today. It’s all very interesting, especially for history lovers like me.

As you can see, there are lots of things to think about and consider if you’re about to start planning your road trip in Scotland. The sooner you start thinking about these things, the better your trip will ultimately be. In just a short time you could be exploring the lochs, mountains, glens and beaches of this beautiful country.

(collaborative post)