We are thrilled to introduce our very first curated travel package in partnership with Pine Tree’s & Meldrum House Hotels. This exclusive Highland escape with 4×4 vehicle hire from Nomadic Scotland blends immersive nights under the stars camping in the outdoors, and relaxing stays in luxurious Highland hotels. All at a special partnership discount. To elevate your experience, we also offer a range of optional activities designed to help you make the most of your Highland adventure.
A 5-day adventure starting and ending at our base in Perthshire. Pick up your 4×4 vehicle from Nomadic Scotland and you’re ready to explore these beautiful places in Scotland, with luxury hotel stays and hand-picked.
DAY 1 – Perthshire to Pitlochry
DAY 2 – Pitlochry to Fort William
DAY 3 – Fort William to Aviemore
DAY 4 – Aviemore to Aberdeenshire
DAY 5 – Aberdeenshire to Nomadic Scotland
Your first stop explores Dunkeld and Birnam. This part of Perthshire inspired the author Beatrix Potter and playwright William Shakespeare. There’s a lovely walk, from Dunkeld, which highlights the natural beauty of the area. Taking in the Birnam Oak and Beatrix Potter Garden.
From Dunkeld, head to Aberfeldy a very picturesque village with plenty of options for lunch. Before or after, it’s well worth a walk through the birks of Aberfeldy. Made famous by none other than Robert Burns.
Then a short drive up to Pitlochry to enjoy a night at the luxury hotel – Pine Trees Hotel. Nestled in the heart of Perthshire, enjoy its understated luxury and indulge your senses in the Fauna restaurant, serving a wealth of local Scottish produce from its fields, forests and shores.
After your hearty breakfast, head for the Queen’s View a short drive North from Pitlochry. A royal viewpoint that has caught the imagination of many over the centuries. While driving down the side of Loch Tummel, around Schiehallion and on to Kenmore, you may recognise many vistas which featured in the filming of the Outlander TV series. You could stop in at the newly opened Crannog Centre where you can learn about the earlier settlers of Scotland and see first-hand how they used to live.
With the mighty Ben Lawers mountain range on one side and the stunning Loch Tay on the other, you’ll eventually reach the village of Killin, with the wonderful Falls of Dochart pub ideally located for lunch or a light bite. The drive from here to Glencoe is quite quintessentially Scottish. You’ll head through Rannoch Moor and can even take a detour down ‘The Skyfall Glen’ signposted for Glen Etive.
The ever-present mountains of Glen Coe await and a walk in the Lost Valley will work up a mighty appetite. Then it’s a short drive up to Fort William and the Glen Nevis campsite for your first night camping. There’s a bar and restaurant nearby and an onsite kitchen if you don’t fancy cooking.
Start the day with a walk to Steall Falls, one of Scotland’s highest waterfalls and the walk is constantly named as one of the best in the country. If time allows, you could also detour to check out the Glenfinnan Viaduct aka the Harry Potter Bridge. Alternatively, check out the West Coast Railways timetable and nip into the station to see the Jacobite Express, which is the train from the movies.
Continue your journey to the Great Glen. This is one of Scotland’s ancient fault lines and home to its most famous resident: the Loch Ness monster. There are several places to stop and jump on a boat cruise. Some are fast-paced and on RIB boats, others are more sedate and informative, all of them are fun.
After this you will be heading to the ‘Capital of the Highlands’ – Inverness. There are plenty of foodie options in the city. Once you’re recharged it’s time to step back in time. A couple of recommended stops are Clava Cairns: a prehistoric burial site dating back some 4000 years (some say the magic of the Outlander TV series can still be captured here), or the impressive visitor centre at the Culloden Battlefield. Learn all about the Jacobite rebellion and the attempts of Bonnie Prince Charlie to overthrow the British Government (allow at least 2 hours for a visit).
Finally, you’ll make your way to the shores of Loch Morlich and the Glenmore campsite – a picturesque setting with an opportunity for watersports or a wild swim.
Today is all about full immersion experiences. Head to the RSPB reserve at Loch Garten to spot the ospreys that nest amongst the Caledonian pines. Or perhaps you’d like to get a buzz from an adventure activity, if so head to Bike Glenlivet a purpose-built trail centre, with bike hire. Whatever you choose the drive in the Speyside Valley is dominated by one thing more than anything else: whisky distilleries.
One of Scotland’s 5 whisky regions, this area has 50 distilleries to choose from. You’ve got big hitters like Macallan and Glenfiddich to smaller producers like Glen Farclas or Glen Allachie. If whisky isn’t your thing Ballindalloch Castle and Gardens are suitably located on the drive for a visit too.
Before you reach your hotel, visit Huntly Castle. An impressive ruin that is a testament not only to the wealth of the family that owned it, but the immense work of the stone masons of the time. Tonight, you stay at Meldrum House Hotel. This country manor is tucked away in 2,140 acres of its own private grounds. Combining history and luxury, relax and enjoy with exemplary service and a warm Scottish welcome.
You won’t be in a rush to leave but after a sumptuous breakfast and a fond farewell, you will head into Royal Deeside. Wind your way to Balmoral Castle, the castle and gardens are open to the public. However, the opening times vary depending on when the royals are in residence, best to check ahead. There’s a fantastic walk up to Prince Albert Cairn, Scotland’s very own pyramid, commissioned by Queen Victoria in honour of her late husband.
Stop in at the lovely village of Braemar for a refreshment before making your way over the mountains of Glenshee and driving down the ‘Devil’s Elbow’. You’ll pass through Blairgowrie, another possible spot to stop for a snack or lunch if you have any space left. Finally, you’ll work your way down into Perthshire and back to us. Crossing the river Tay via The Destiny Bridge opened in April 2025.
Once you drop the vehicle back to us, we can transfer you directly to the airport. Alternatively, why not extend your trip and we can drop you at one of the Apex hotels in Edinburgh. Where you can enjoy a couple of days of cosmopolitan living in the capital of Scotland.
This is a very belated review, but we had SUCH a fantastic trip to the Scottish highlands back in September, which was a birthday gift to my husband who has always wanted to go.
The setup from Nomadic Scotland could not have been more perfect for what we were looking for!
As we were only going for 4 nights, it was the perfect way to see all of the places we wanted to see without a faff of trying to find hotels etc which are far and few between.
Not to mention how much of a fun adventure it was! To have the flexibility was ideal. The tent was so easy to setup, and Michael provided some brilliant instructions and tips which massively helped.
Not to mention the van had everything we needed, so all we had to do was a food shop and we were good to go. The defender was easy to drive and added a fun element of the trip.
We had the most incredible time, and have had so many people asking us about the trip. I couldn’t recommend Nomadic Scotland more! Thank you to Michael and the team, I’m sure we would love to do it again one day!
