Most of our guests arrive with a fully planned itinerary and a full phone battery. By day two, one of those things has usually disappeared.
It’s not something we plan for — it just happens. Phone signal drops out somewhere past Loch Tay, the road narrows to single-track through Glen Lyon, and there’s nowhere left to check email even if you wanted to. What’s left is the driving, the weather, and wherever you’ve decided to stop for the night.
Why Slowing Down Actually Works
We’re not the first to notice that time outdoors changes how people feel — Japanese forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) has been studied for decades, and Scotland has its own quieter version of the same idea. But you don’t need the research to feel the difference between a hotel conference room and a fireside conversation at a bothy above Loch Rannoch.
What we’ve seen, repeatedly, with the families and couples who travel with us: the shift doesn’t happen on day one. It happens once the schedule stops mattering — usually somewhere around day two or three, once people stop checking their phones out of habit and start actually looking at where they are.
A Typical Day, If There Is Such A Thing
There isn’t really a template, but a day in Highland Perthshire could look something like this:
An early start from Nomadic HQ, complimentary Glen Lyon coffee in hand, heading up towards Schiehallion or the Birks of Aberfeldy, depending on the weather. A local guide might take you up to bag your first Munro.
Lunch happens wherever looks good – a loch side spot, the tailgate of the Defender. Surrounded by the natural beauty of Scotland and most of all the peace.
The afternoon could be spent paddle boarding on Loch Tay, or driving towards Glencoe through the dramatic landscape of Rannoch Moor.
In the evening, you gather round the campfire at the Red Squirrel campsite and the conversation has stopped being about how busy life is, or work, and moved to the memories made during the day.
Doing It Properly
Scotland’s landscapes only stay this good if people travel through them carefully.
We work with local campsites, local suppliers and local guides wherever we can. Partly because it’s the right thing to do. Partly because it’s usually the difference between a good trip and an unforgettable one – the people who know a place best are the ones who can show it to you properly.
Planning Something Similar
Whether it’s a family trip or a couple looking to properly switch off for a week, we can build an itinerary around however much structure you want or need. From a fully planned route, with booked campsites, ferries and activities to a loosely suggested route with advice on what to do and where to stay.
Get in touch, and we can help you work out with that looks like.