01
Day · Arrival day
Edinburgh
EDINBURGH
- Morning
- Old Town closes and the Royal Mile before the crowds
- Afternoon
- Edinburgh Castle
- Evening
- Dinner around Grassmarket
- Stay tonight
- Edinburgh
Scotland With Kids
Short drives, castles, beaches and actual downtime.
Your Best Scotland
7 days Scotland itinerary: Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire Coast, Fort William, Edinburgh
EdinburghAberdeenshire CoastFort WilliamEdinburgh
Edinburgh arrival · Driving · Slow · Family
01
Edinburgh
2 nights
02
Aberdeenshire Coast
2 nights
03
Fort William
2 nights
Home
Edinburgh
Reality
89/100
Very doable.
How comfortable the route is in the time you have.
Trip match
92/100
How closely this trip fits what you told us you want.
- Total driving
- 10 hrs 30 mins
- Longest drive
- 4 hrs
- Bases
- 3
- Nights
- 6
Your route
3 bases, 6 nights. Numbers show the order you'll stay in each place.
Schematic route · not to road scale
Why this trip works
- 3 bases over 6 nights. You unpack 3 times, not every night.
- Your longest day behind the wheel is 4 hrs. The rest are shorter, so there's time to actually do something when you arrive.
- The route runs as a loop, not an out-and-back, so you see new road every day.
- Aberdeenshire Coast gets 2 nights because it's the best match for castles, wildlife, beaches.
How we scored it
- Castles · best in Edinburgh5/5
- Wildlife · best in Aberdeenshire Coast5/5
- Beaches · best in Aberdeenshire Coast5/5
- Harry Potter · best in Fort William5/5
- Driving 3 hrs 30 mins above a slow pace−11
What we left out
Isle of Skye
But fitting it in adds about 3 hrs 30 mins of driving and steals time from Aberdeenshire Coast.
Save it for trip number two.
Isle of Mull
But fitting it in adds about 5 hrs 15 mins of driving and steals time from Aberdeenshire Coast.
Save it for trip number two.
Assynt & the North Coast
But fitting it in adds about 3 hrs of driving and steals time from Aberdeenshire Coast.
Save it for trip number two.
Easier alternative
Aberdeenshire Coast
Edinburgh 2n → Aberdeenshire Coast 4n · 6 hrs 30 mins driving · Trip match 67 · Reality 100
Less driving and a gentler pace, but not as strong a match for the Harry Potter spots you asked for.
Our pick scores 92 for match against 67, for about 4 hrs more driving. We think that's worth it.
Day by day
02
Day · Full day
Edinburgh
EDINBURGH
- Morning
- Arthur's Seat for the whole-city view
- Afternoon
- Dean Village and the Water of Leith walk
- Evening
- Leith for seafood and a nightcap
- Stay tonight
- Edinburgh
03
Day · Travel day
Travel day
Edinburgh → Aberdeenshire Coast
Approx. 3 hrs 15 mins driving
Edinburgh → Aberdeenshire Coast
- Morning
- On the road
- Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven
- Afternoon
- Lunch
- Evening
- Arrival
- Stay tonight
- Aberdeenshire Coast
04
Day · Full day
Aberdeenshire Coast
ABERDEENSHIRE COAST
- Morning
- Dunnottar Castle at Stonehaven
- Afternoon
- Coastal drive north
- Evening
- Fish supper by the harbour
- Stay tonight
- Aberdeenshire Coast
05
Day · Travel day
Travel day
Aberdeenshire Coast → Fort William
Approx. 4 hrs driving
Aberdeenshire Coast → Fort William
- Morning
- On the road
- Glenfinnan Viaduct for the steam train
- Afternoon
- Lunch
- Evening
- Arrival
- Stay tonight
- Fort William
06
Day · Full day
Fort William
FORT WILLIAM
- Morning
- Glenfinnan Viaduct for the steam train
- Afternoon
- Steall Falls walk in Glen Nevis
- Evening
- Dinner on the loch at Corpach
- Stay tonight
- Fort William
07
Day · Depart / return
Travel day
Fort William → Edinburgh
Approx. 3 hrs 15 mins driving
Depart / return to Edinburgh
- Morning
- On the road
- A last slow breakfast before the road
- Afternoon
- Lunch
- Evening
- Arrival
Not quite right?