9 days around the famous nc500 route 🚗

hi zesties! Scotland was my first road trip destination without my parents, so i was hella excited! the actual road trip was 7d6n, then i spent 1.5 days in Edinburgh before flying back to Oslo the day after. the pictures include the full itinerary breakdown, but i will just mention the spots that are worth visiting and what you can expect, else i need 5 separate posts for this 1 trip LOL.

💰 TOTAL COST (excluding shopping): S$1780 / S$198 per day

✈️ Norwegian Air - S$194

📋 1h 45 mins direct flight from Oslo Gardermoen Airport to Edinburgh Airport

🚞 Trainline - S$78 (round trip)

📋 3.5h direct train from Edinburgh Waverley to Inverness

🚗 Mini Cooper - S$608 per pax / S$87 per day (including petrol and parking)

📋 we rented for 7 days, doing both pickup and return in Inverness. the price also includes full insurance, which allows us to drive without worrying about potential damages like scratches and dents.

💭 we wanted to rent a Peugeot since it was cheaper, but we realised that a Mini was a

🏠 Hotels & Airbnbs - S$515 / S$65 per night

💭 since this was a road trip, most of the accoms we stayed at were in more rural areas, where only airbnbs are available. i think you will be able to find cheaper options for most towns, but we were also concerned about hygiene and comfort, hence we were willing to spend a little more.

🍽 Food - S$287 / S$36 per day (including snacks)

🌟 Piemaker - affordable pies that filled me up. their haggis pie is popular, but i was too scared to try hahaha

🌟 Kyleshu Hotel - super fresh seafood since Kyleshu is a coastal town! i had the Catch of the Day Linguine

🌟 Ceilidh Place - their sweet potato gnocchi was al dente and tasty

🌟 Siaway Fish & Chips - fresh fish and not as salty and oily as McLeod's in my opinion! do take note that both Siaway and McLeod's only offer takeaways.

🌟 Black Isle Brewery - easily the best food i had throughout the trip!! they have a plethora of amazing beer that you can buy in 3 different sizes, and their pizza is sooo goooood!!

🌟 Mary's Milk Bar - smooth and creamy gelato. get the dark chocolate!

💭 food in Scotland is generally expensive and also not outstanding, so there were some meals when my friend and i decided to save some money and just get a meal deal from the supermarket (one of my top tips for doing road trips in UK/Scotland!)

📍 Edinburgh Castle - S$35 [2-3h]

📋 learn about the rich history about their royalty, fortress, prisons, etc.

💭 i have been inside the castle before so i did not pay to enter this time, but it's a must-go when in Edinburgh!

📍 Whaligoe Steps [1h]

📋 easy-to-climb stairs that go down a cliff, offering views to a natural harbour

💭 this spot was breathtaking to say the least. my experience felt even better because there was barely anyone else there so i could soak in the beauty in peace.

📍 Duncansby Stacks [2-3h]

📋 another beautiful spot that you can visit after the Whaligoe Steps! be prepared to get your shoes dirty if it was raining before your visit because you'll be mostly walking on grass, especially if you want to get the best views! it's a pretty large area to explore so take your time to walk around and enjoy the views.

💭 the pyramid-shaped stacks were interesting to see in person, and the view was amazing. i stood there for a good 15 minutes just admiring nature's beauty and listening to the waves crashing against the cliffs.

📍 Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve [1-2h]

📋 this spot is famous for the weird phenomenon where the top layers of rocks are older than the bottom layers. there are 3 trails of various difficulty levels and durations available, ranging from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours.

💭 my friend and i chose the longest trail and it wasn't particularly difficult. but!! there aren't any safety railings to prevent you from falling off the path and rolling all the way down, so you do have to watch your step. it was also particularly windy when i was there, and being small-sized, i felt slightly unstable when we were higher up LOL. that said, the views were spectacular, and once again we were the only visitors there. perks of going during off peak season yay!

📍 Old Man of Storr [4h]

📋 rocky hill that offers breathtaking views. trek is quite long so give yourself half a day for a leisure pace! no equipment needed, but expect muddy paths and steep slopes occasionally.

💭 this is definitely one of my top 3 spots for this trip, and i really thanked the weather gods on that day because the sky was clear throughout my hike there and it only started drizzling/hailing (scottish weather lmao) when we were leaving! i have a weak ankle due to an old injury so it was slightly aggravated at the end of this hike, but it was all worth it.

📍 Quiraing [2-3h]

📋 another hill with great views!

💭 unfortunately my friend and i didn't have time to complete the trek but i highly recommend this for the views! it also doesn't seem to be super touristy so it's a nice escape from the crowd.

📍 National Museum of Scotland [3h - 1 full day]

📋 super large museum with many exhibitions ranging from history to art to social issues

💭 i spent 3 hours here and i felt like i barely scraped the surface. i would say to come only if you are prepared to ingest a lot of information. i definitely felt a brain fatigue when leaving the museum, but there were many interesting exhibitions! one strategy is probably to visit those that you are the most interested in first - i went one floor at a time.

📍 Calton Hill [1-2h]

📋 come here for a nice bird's eye view of Edinburgh, or just to have a peaceful walk and enjoy fresh air

💭 this spot is not mentioned in the itinerary above because i'm out of space but i came here in the morning of Day 9 before flying back to Oslo in the afternoon! because it was a weekday morning, the area was pretty quiet, other than a few people walking their dogs.

[p.s. sorry my limited vocab has resulted in the repeat usage of "breathtaking", "spectacular" and "amazing" but these words barely encapsulates the beauty that i witnessed for the recommended nature spots HAHAHA)

🥃 special segment 🥃

because Scotland is famous for their whiskies, let me briefly talk about it. do note, however, that Scotland is very strict about their drink and drive regulations. when you enter a distillery to do tastings, they will always check who the driver is first because you will not be allowed to drink even a sip. it was also a pity that i visited scotland when the world wasn't completely out of the woods with covid because most distilleries were either temporarily closed or had their brewery tours suspended till further notice. all the distilleries i went to are worth dropping by if you are interested in whisky, or are looking for a nice gift for someone special!

🌟 The Whisky Trail - whisky shop filled with almost any whisky you can think of, even exclusives! my favourite part about whisky shops in Scotland is the wide variety of 50ml bottles they offer at affordable prices (S$11-S$25), which allows you to try different whiskies without having to commit to the full size! i bought a little too many, but i was excited to try so many new brands that i didn't see before.

🌟 Dunnet Bay - they sell spirits instead of whisky, but their Rock Rose Gin was probably the best gin i've tasted! they have a small selection available, but sampling is allowed (they even let you try it with tonic water if you prefer) and you can also buy the mini bottles. their gins are generally more floral and very smooth, i don't mind drinking it neat! and that says a lot because i usually drink gin with tonic. i also noticed that they sell refill pouches so that you don't have to keep buying bottles, all for environmental purposes! very cute.

if you have reached this point, thankyou for reading everything 🥲 i'm struggling to find a balance between keeping my captions concise yet i have so many thoughts about the places i've been to. should i summarise my captions further or does this length not bother you? please share your thoughts!!

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