Road trip in Scotland Part 1: The drive from Glasgow to Glenshiel

In the summer of 2017, while I was in Glasgow for the year, my family came to town to for a holiday. I suppose that is the perk of someone overseas. 

By default, I was the planner for the 12-day trip, which was pretty easy for someone who has been in Scotland for almost a year. If you look at the map of Scotland, there isn't much to consider what to do. Also, I would advise to visit in warmer months. My friends and I did a road trip up to the highlands during winter of 2016. That epic trip with snow blizzard (which pre-coincide with my 30th birthday) would justify another blog post (after I dig out the photos). 

Scotland is unique and rich in culture. Part of the reason I refrain myself from picking a university in England was to stay in somewhere new to me. 

The Scottish Highlands - Glencoe National Park

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In summary, our family Scotland trip itinerary looked something like:

• Day 0: Family arrive in Glasgow. 
• Day 1: Scottish Highlands road trip to Glenshiel. Staying at Ratagan for 2 nights, visit Loch Ness on the way. 
• Day 2: Day trip to Isle of Skye.
• Day 3: Visiting Glenfinnan and Fort William. Overnight in Kilmun
• Day 4: Drive to the ferry terminal at Dunoon. Take the ferry across the river to Greenock. Drive to Glasgow Airport to catch the 4.30pm flight to Belfast, Northen Ireland. 
• Day 5: Explore Belfast, Titanic Museum. 
• Day 6: Taking the ferry to Glasgow, transit train to Edinburgh.
• Day 7: Edinburgh
• Day 8: Edinburgh
• Day 9: Traveling from Edinburgh to Glasgow
• Day 10: Glasgow
• Day 11: Family leaves Glasgow.

As usual, I would plan trips which starts from the most tedious or furthers location. I placed the road trip at the start, so I was in the best condition to drive. 

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There were 5 of us (younger brother unfortunately couldn't join), so renting a car (for 4 days) was a no brainer. 

I conveniently set the drop off location to be Glasgow Airport. From there, we would fly to Belfast. 

Chose a 1.6L 

What I eventually got was a Nissan Qasqai 1.6 Auto - A perfect SUV for the highlands

The journey from Glasgow Central to Ratagan is around 4 hours non-stop, and 270km. 

Of course, we took our time, and stopped where we pleased

Always take a photo of the mileage of your rented car

Overall, the drive was truly amazing. The roads were in perfect, the sky though at times cloudy, was clear.