Explore breathtaking Scottish beaches on a 4×4 adventure, combining rugged terrain with serene coastal beauty. This itinerary includes recommendations for a registered campsite on each night, for those on our 4×4 camping package. You’ll also find links to helpful apps and What3words accounts, designed to assist you when out exploring.
DAY 1 – PITLOCHRY, AVIEMORE, DORNOCH (DRIVE TIME: 3HR)
DAY 2 – LOCHINVER / CLACHTOLL (DRIVE TIME: 1HR 50)
DAY 3 – ULLAPOOL, GAIRLOCH (DRIVE TIME: 2 HR 30)
DAY 4 – SKYE (DRIVE TIME: 3 HR 15)
DAY 5 – GLENFINNAN, GLENCOE (DRIVE TIME: 1 HR 30)
DAY 6 – BACK TO NOMADIC SCOTLAND (DRIVE TIME: 2 HR)
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Kick off your journey by heading north towards Aviemore and Inverness. You will pass the lovely town of Pitlochry where you can stop for a coffee and stretch of the legs. Heading up through Aviemore, you can stop at the Highland Wildlife Park or book some outdoor sports at Rothiemurcus.
Continue heading north and you will pass the Glenmorangie Distilery where you can stop for a tour. Then on to Dornoch and Dornoch Beach, which stretches for miles. Great for a family fun day with gentle shallows, dunes and sheltered golden sand. Dornoch also has a great selection of pubs and restaurants to choose from for dinner if you aren’t cooking tonight. It has a 13th-century cathedral to explore as well. If you have enough time take a walk down to Dornoch Point for a great view over the Moray Firth.
CAMPSITE: Dornoch Campsite
Heading west today to Lochinver/Clachtoll. This is a shorter drive so consider stopping at Balblair Forest and Bonar Bridge for a walk and views of the Sutherland Firth and rolling hills. You will also pass right be Ardvreck Castle waterfall if you want to stop for a short walk or some views of the old castle ruins at the edge the loch.
The main event of today though is the beautiful blue waters of Clachtoll Beach. Lots of time to have a proper beach day. Get settled at the campsite or hotel – I would consider booking this as soon as possible. Clachtoll is very popular and will be booked up before you know it. Surrounding Clachtoll there are beautiful rugged hill walks. The beach is also right on the Dolphin Trail. At Clachtoll they are lucky enough to see minke whales, otters, eagles and other birds of prey as well as dolphins.
You are quite out in the sticks at Clachtoll – so you won’t get a dinner out. Consider some cooking today or even just make sure your cooler is stocked up with dinner. There is however a fish and chip van. In the morning there is a hut called Flossie’s Beach Store for breakfast. Check the opening times beforehand to avoid disappointment.
CAMPSITE – Clachtoll Beach Campsite
A beautiful coastal drive down to your next destination. You will go through Ullapool – another popular seaside town. Check out Stac Pollaidh, one of the best-known and popular mountains in Scotland. A rather challenging walk, the main loop can take 2 to 3 hours. It’s good to see from a distance if you don’t fancy the walk!
You can stop at Ullapool for coffee and a snack and take in the seaside town. Further on your journey, you will pass Corrieshalloch Nature Reserve, with a gorge, waterfall and suspension bridge for an exciting leg stretch.
Continue to Gairloch. There is a Water Sports Centre for kayak hire, they also hire bikes. You can also take a boat tour for wildlife and whale spotting – there are a few different companies that offer these. Big Sands is another sand beach with clear blue waters and outstanding views. If you head into Gairloch itself, you could check out Gairloch Beach – it will likely be less busy. Should you be looking for a wilder area, head to Red Point Beach further down the coast – it has a horse trekking centre here too should you want to take a ride along the beach.
Places close by for dinner include The Old Inn for a simple meal. Otherwise, head round to The Milly Bar at The Millcroft Hotel for a gastro pub-style dinner. Both serve freshly caught seafood in a laidback environment.
CAMPSITE – Sands Caravan & Camping
A longer drive today down to Morar, but a rather exciting one. Hugging lochs and jumping waters, you’ll skirt around the bottom of Skye and take the ferry across to your 4th destination. Have a stop along the way at Beinn Eighe Nature Reserve, situated on a beautiful Loch, a great spot for a leg stretch. As you reach closer to Skye, take a 10-minute detour along the A87 to visit the infamous Eilean Donan Castle, on the edge of Loch Alsh, it is an extremely beautiful and unmissable view. On the South of Skye, you will pass Armadale Castle and Gardens if you want to take a tour. Catch the ferry at Armadale port. Have a look at the timetable and book in advance, here. We would strongly advise keeping track of the ferry, as if it is cancelled, it is an hour’s detour back round, please keep this in mind.
Arriving in Mallaig, there are plenty of places here for a meal if you wish. Otherwise, there are shopping opportunities before heading down towards Morar and over to Camusdarach Beach as there isn’t much around it. The campsite is right near the beach in a lovely secluded area with white sands and crystal waters. There are lovely beaches and coves just short drives down along the coastline if you want to explore. Otherwise settle down and relax after your exciting drive today.
CAMPSITE – Camusdarach Campsite
A shorter drive to Glencoe today so no rush. Visit the Glenfinnan Viaduct (Harry Potter bridge). A different setting today than what you have had. With towering hills and rolling mountains, heading back inland. You will come back into Fort William. There are plenty of amenities here if you need anything. The capital of adventure. There is the Nevis Range for outdoor activities. Or head over to Steall Falls, an incredible walk. Glencoe Inn is a good place for dinner tonight or a pizza shack called Red Shed.
CAMPSITE – Invercoe Caravan Park
It’s a spectacular drive back to us in Perth and you’ll get a chance to stop and soak up the views as you go. A stop at the Green Welly in Tyndrum is a bit cliched, but almost every Scottish person who has ever had a summer holiday in Scotland has stopped there! It’s about a 2-hour drive from your campsite and we ask that you have the car back to us before 12, with a full tank of fuel. We will send you a reminder with an address for the nearest gas station to us on your final evening.
We would highly recommend booking everything in advance. Whilst it is good to keep a trip like this a little bit spontaneous, we want to avoid any disappointment.
Enjoy Scotland in all its beauty!
Book online today or contact us here if you need any further information. We are here to help! Did you know that we offer a friendly shuttle service from the airport or train station? And drop you back at the end of your holiday. Please don’t hesitate to ask. Also, remember that our vehicle pickup and drop-off times are flexible. When booking it only offers a set time. But this can be amended post-booking.
Enquire OnlineWe had the most incredible trip driving and camping all over the Scottish highlands. Could not recommend Nomadic Scotland more! Great organization, communication and equipment, always on hand to help us with any questions when out on the road. Scotland is such a beautiful country and so glad we used Nomadic Scotland to help us explore it all. Hopefully will be back in a few years to explore more.