On our way to and from our road trip around North-East Scotland and the Orkney Islands we also stopped off in a few places around Central Scotland (the area north of Stirling and south of Inverness). I wanted to share with you these amazing places we stopped off and hope they will give you inspiration to make a visit. The landscape is stunning, the people are friendly and there is plenty to do for the whole family, or traveling as a couple etc. I am already planning our next road trip to this region so hopefully I will be back for more ideas soon.
Ruthven Barracks
Just off the main road (A9) between Inverness and Perth on the outskirts of the Cairngorms National Park lies the best preserved ruins of the barracks built in the area, Ruthven Barracks. After the Jacobite rising (which led to the Kingdoms of Scotland and England merging) in 1715, four barracks were built in this part of Scotland. Ruthven is built on an old castle mound and has two large three-storey buildings on two sides of the barracks. Within the buildings there were holes in the walls for firing off muskets and in the corners of the barracks are towers for viewpoints (and again firing muskets). The Jacobites eventually destroyed the barracks around 1746 but are still intact. (Basically the Jacobites didn’t do a good job at destroying the whole barracks!). Worth stopping off and is free to walk around the grounds. The scenery in these parts are breathtaking.
The Hermitage and Dunkeld
A beautiful place to stop and go for a short hike is the Hermitage, located just off the A9 near Dunkeld. Olga and I spent a couple of hours in the Craigvinean Forest to take in a forest walk, see the tall alpine-looking trees and hear the sounds of nature and the water running down the River Braan. The first stop we did was Ossian’s Hall, which was built in 1783 to replace a previous summerhouse which stood here since 1757. The exterior was built to look like a small circular temple with a drawing room inside decorated with paintings, mirrors and plasterwork. The building overlooks the river and standing here you can hear the rushing water amplified by the building’s acoustics.
The hall was partly blown up by gunpowder in 1869, probably as a protest against toll charges on the bridge at Dunkeld levied by the 7th Duke of Atholl. After it was repaired, the painting of Ossian was replaced with a portrait of William Duff, a local ghillie known as ‘Beardy Willie’, who was a favourite of Queen Victoria. But by the early 20th century Ossian’s Hall was derelict.
Whilst here we saw some amazing waterfalls but we didn’t do the whole circular walk in the park as we had to be in the Highlands later that afternoon. The circular hike is called The Hermitage and River Braan Circular which includes the other waterfall, The Falls of Braan. It is well signposted and takes about two hours to do the 8km circuit. Another walk is the Fiddlers Path and this walking path takes hikers from the nearby Dunkeld, follows the banks of the mighty River Tay upstream, before returning down the opposite site. It takes in the magnificent ruined Cathedral as well as some remarkable trees - including the Mother Larch and Niel Gow's Oak and connects with the River Braan Circular in The Hermitage.
Bridge of Oich
A quick stop on the A82 a few miles on from the southern end of Loch Ness and in the Great Glen is a 46 meter crossing known as the Bridge of Oich. The old bridge was built in 1854 replacing a previous stone bridge which was destroyed by flooding five years earlier. The new bridge was designed by English engineer James Dredge, however the bridge was stopped being used when a new bridge (which the A82 goes over) was built in 1932. The old bridge was reopened to pedestrian traffic after being restored by Historic Scotland in 1997. We were also lucky to see some boats passing through.
Commando Memorial
Just off the A82 on the road between Spean Bridge and Loch Ness is this beautiful memorial with a stunning backdrop. Make sure you park up in the nearby car park to take time out and appreciate this memorial. The Commando Memorial stands some 17ft or 5.2m high, and comprises a group of three bronze commandos dressed in typical World War Two uniforms and equipment including cap comforters, ammunition pouches and weapons. They are looking south towards Ben Nevis. A large inscription on the plinth just beneath their feet reads "United We Conquer", while the plaque on the front of the plinth reads: "In memory of the officers and men of the commandos who died in the Second World War 1939–1945. This country was their training ground." The commandos were established on the instructions of Prime Minister Winston Churchill immediately after the Dunkirk evacuation in June 1940, as a means of striking back against the German armies occupying Europe. They formed an elite force capable of conducting irregular warfare in a range of different environments and went on to serve with distinction across the globe. During the war 1,700 commandos lost their lives, while many others were seriously wounded: and eight men serving with the commandos were awarded the Victoria Cross. In recent years an Area of Remembrance has been established not far from the Memorial. Many who served as commandos during World War Two have had their ashes placed here, and the area is also home to many memorials to Marine Commandos and others who have died in more recent conflicts, from the Falklands War through Iraq to Afghanistan. A fitting and poignant reminder that as a nation we are still expecting our young men and women to go to far away places and risk their lives on our behalf. Whilst here visitors can also get views of Ben Nevis (mentioned below).
Aonach Mòr Mountain Gondola
If we didn’t stop here, we would have been gutted. Aonach Mòr is Britain’s eighth highest mountain. Olga and I didn’t hike from the bottom to top but we had enough time to park up at the bottom to take the UK’s only mountain gondola, The Nevis Range Mountain Gondola which climbs up 650 meters of the northern side of the mountain. This was originally built for a way to transport people who love skiing to the nearby slopes. At the top we took in a short walk along the nearby ridge and took in the stunning views and clear mountain air. Nearby we could see Ben Nevis which is the United Kingdom’s (and Scotland’s) highest mountain at 1345 meters (4413 ft).
Duke’s Pass
One of the most scenic routes we drove in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park has to be Duke’s Pass. The road (A821) starts off with the junction of the A81 on the southern end and continues northwards before bending eastwards at Trossachs and ends at Brig o’Turk (The A821 continues on to the A84 (several miles north-west of Stirling). First built in 1885 by the DUke of Montrose to provide better access to his estate, the road was upgraded to accommodate the number of tourists flocking into the area to get into the Trossachs and see Loch Katrine.
We stopped off a few times, more noticeable around Loch Achray. Here we saw crystal clear waters, not many people, sounds of birds above and we had great views of the nearby mountain, Ben A’an from the shoreline.
Kilmartin and the scenery around Argyll and Bute county
On the A816 south of Oban, is a village called Kilmartin. We stopped here to check out the graveyard at the church which has over twenty sculptured stones dating between 900 AD and the 1600s. The stones hint at a lot of religious activity in the area. Simply saying that they are beautiful and it was nice to see some Celtic culture on our road trip.
The drive along this road is quite a nice one and we took in many stops to take in the surrounding scenery. The following photos were taken from our drive at Inveraray Castle to Oban via the A816 and A83.
Loch Lomond
This area I wished we really stopped off for a bit longer, maybe a day or two and do some hiking or chilling around the lake. Loch Lomond is 30km long and is the largest lake in Scotland and Great Britain by surface area (however the title for the United Kingdom goes to Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland). This loch is really beautiful and narrow on the northern shores and wider with many islands towards the southern end. We stopped off a few times around the lake to take in the scenery but next time, we will be back!
Central Scotland in Summary
We had a blast stopping off at these places in between the bigger stops we had on our two week trip around Scotland. It gave us a right taster on what to expect and we will be back for shore. Scotland is sure a beautiful place to check out and caters for everyones needs.
Road trip completed - July 2014
Essential information on Central Scotland
How to get to the area: By plane, the nearest international airports are Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are great connections from both airports to the city centre by public transport to connect to rail and bus services to get around the rest of the country. There are also airports at Inverness and Aberdeen with good public transport connections towards Central Scotland. The first place I would go to find airline tickets to the city is using (I would recommend) Skyscanner to find flights as that is my first point of call. Then if necessary use the airlines directly to find a good deal. I sometimes use Momondo as well to compare prices before booking.
By train: There is a railway line which goes through the heart of Central Scotland between Edinburgh and Glasgow and Inverness which is the gateway to the Highlands. Lots of trains go through this region as the main towns are Stirling and Perth. Then it's a case of making your own way around the region or trying to find a bus. The western parts of the region can be done by train from Glasgow Queen Street and there are trains which go towards Oban, Loch Lomond and Fort William. Check out Scotrail website for times and ticket details.
By road: Getting around the region is pretty easy by car during the non-wintry months. The A9 goes from Stirling (which has connections to Glasgow, Falkirk and Edinburgh via the M9), through Perth to Inverness and into the Highlands. For the western part of the region, take the A82 from Glasgow and this will lead up to places like Loch Lomond, Oban, Fort William and the Western Islands. There are roads which connect this region with the A9 to the east.
Car Rentals - as I do a lot of road trips around the world, I use Rentalcars.com which is very reliable for booking car hire in advance. I also use Turo (the airbnb of car rentals) and never had a problem with them. The cars are insured, owners vetted and never had an issue.
Accommodation: There are a lot of accommodation options and a lot of websites which can do some great deals. My first point of call is always Booking.com and can offer a range of hostels, hotels, campsites, apartments, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts.. After that I always have a look through AirBnb and Vrbo for great deals on apartments and other lodgings especially when traveling as a family.
Currency: Scotland uses the British Pound Sterling currency and also has their own bank notes from the Bank of Scotland which is also legal tender anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Currency can be exchanged at the airports and train stations (for a huge fee) so I would recommend either going to a currency exchange place downtown, to a bank (if they have good rates) or if you got a good bank account with fantastic exchange rates, then use an ATM machine (may incur a small fee but I always do this option as I got good bank accounts). A great website I use to compare currency exchange rates is XE, which gives people up to date information.
Language: Scotland uses English but they also have their own language in the highlands and western isles (mainly) called Gaelic. Although speakers of the Scottish language were persecuted over the centuries, Gaelic is still spoken today by around 60,000 Scots. Endowed with a rich heritage of music, folklore and cultural ecology, Gaelic in Scotland is thriving and enjoying a revival!
Travel insurance: This is essential to anywhere you go in the world. I always carry travel insurance. Having travel insurance will cover you from theft, illness and those annoying cancellations which can happen on the road. Safety Wing offers coverage for a lot of adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and so forth.
Need a visa for the UK? Always check if you need a visa when coming to the United Kingdom. Since leaving the European Union because of BrExit in January 2020, visa rules apply for those coming from the European Union.
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