Last summer, my partner and I stayed in Edinburgh for two weeks, and we decided that one of the weekends we’d explore the famous Scottish Highlands. We made a plan, picked the castles and towns we wanted to visit, and on Sunday we rented a car and left the city at 9am.

**10:30am** – Our first destination was **Stirling** (about an hour and a half from Edinburgh) to visit Stirling Castle and the viewpoints around it.

**12pm** – Then we headed to **Doune**, a charming little town home to the imposing Doune Castle. The castle itself is beautiful, and the grounds really add to the experience. There are some great trails to wander around—beautiful woods, streams, and even a grazing field with Highland cows.

**2pm** – After that, we drove to the **Kilchurn Castle** area. First we stopped at Kilchurn Grazings for a lovely viewpoint, with sheep and cows in the fields. Then we went to see the castle, which is super iconic—standing in a vast field, surrounded by two branches of the river. Easily the coolest castle we saw that day.

**5pm** – Next we headed to the west coast, stopping to see the enigmatic **Castle Stalker**. You can only view it from a distance since it sits on a small island in the water, but the view is absolutely worth it.

**6pm** – We finally reached the west coast to see the **Glenfinnan Viaduct** (the famous stretch where the Hogwarts Express passes through). We got there a bit late, so we didn’t catch the best spot, but it was still a really nice experience.

**8pm** – After that, we started driving back east and stopped at **Blair Castle**. It was around closing time, so we couldn’t go inside, but the exterior views were totally worth it. It’s a beautiful castle—white, with some exposed stone—so different from everything we’d seen earlier that day. And the Scottish flag waving on top is such an iconic touch.

**9pm** – Our last stop was **Pitlochry**, a picturesque little town. Really well-preserved, with beautiful houses and storefronts. We walked around a bit, grabbed a quick bite, and then drove back to Edinburgh.

**10:30pm** – We got back to **Edinburgh**. It was a *long* day with a lot of kilometers driven, but it ended up being one of the most memorable day trips we’ve ever done. Highly recommend it if you don’t have the time (or budget) to spend a bigger chunk of your trip in the Highlands—you can absolutely spare a day (or two) and still see a ton

Also, I recorded the whole day and made a YouTube video out of it—castles, viewpoints, Highland cows, everything. If you feel like watching, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).Also, I recorded the whole day and made a YouTube video out of it—castles, viewpoints, Highland cows, everything. If you feel like watching, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).Also, I recorded the whole day and made a YouTube video out of it—castles, viewpoints, Highland cows, everything. If you feel like watching, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).Also, I recorded the whole day and made a YouTube video out of it—castles, viewpoints, Highland cows, everything. If you feel like watching, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).Also, I recorded the whole day and made a YouTube video out of it—castles, viewpoints, Highland cows, everything. If you feel like watching, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).Also, I recorded the whole day and made a YouTube video out of it—castles, viewpoints, Highland cows, everything. If you feel like watching, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).Also, I recorded the whole day and made a YouTube video out of it—castles, viewpoints, Highland cows, everything. If you feel like watching, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).ing, [it’s here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOqFhobXmQ).

Our (long) day trip from Edinburgh to the Highlands