Best places to stop between Edinburgh and Inverness

Best places to stop between Edinburgh and Inverness (Going to the highlands)

In this post we will walk you through some of the best places to stop between Edinburgh and Inverness and I hope this will inspire you while you are planning your trip.

There are many things to see and do on the way from the Scottish capital Edinburgh, to the capital of the highlands Inverness, and choosing what to do can be difficult. There is amazing scenery, extraordinary castles, historic sites, beautiful towns, an abundance of whisky distillates, and the list goes on.

Forth Bridge

On the way out of Edinburgh you will see this structurally dazzling piece of engineering. You will be able to see it as your cross over the Firth of Forth. It is about 1.5 miles long and is well worth a look as you head out on your trip around the highlands.

The Forth Bridge is a cantilever railway bridge across the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland, 9 miles (14 kilometres) west of central Edinburgh. It is considered as a symbol of Scotland (having been voted Scotland’s greatest man-made wonder in 2016), and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can read more about the Forth Bridge on Wikipedia.

Design	Cantilever bridge
Total length	8,094 feet (2,467 m
Width	120 ft (37 m) at piers 32 ft (9.8 m) at centre
Height	361 ft (110 m) above high water
Longest span	Two of 1,700 feet (520 m)
Clearance below	150 ft (46 m) to high water
History
Designer	Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker
Construction start	1882
Construction end	December 1889
Opened	4 March 1890

Perth

Perth is about 45 miles north or Edinburgh (sharing it’s name with a city in Austraila) and is an easy drive on the way to Inverness. Stopping in perth is a must, as this used to be the capital of Scotland and is full of stunning architecture and beautiful surrounding landscapes. With museums, art galleries, a palace, stunning gardens and a famous racecourse to visit, you are spoilt for choice in this charming and elegant city but, if castles, distilleries and city walking is more your thing, check out these places below.

Elcho castle

Elcho castle is an amazing and well preserved castle that has it’s home in a quiet spot about 4 miles south east of Perth next to the river Tay. It is built in an interesting plan that looks like a Z shape and still has some of its origional plastering. It has a well appointed kitchen and the hallways and rooms showcase their origional and rustic sto e walls that are charming and show off their age.

The amazingly complete building has a grand staircase, stunning views, a full and blooming orchard with apples, pear and plum trees, and is a wonderful home for wildlife. If you would like to vist a well preserved Scotish castle, this is well worth a look.

Distilleries

This will be mentioned many times in this blog and in a lot of my other posts but, this is scotland, whisky is one of the things they are famous for. There a few distilleries near Perth:

Name	Direction from perth	Distance from Perth
Aberargie Distillery	SE	7.6 Miles
Strathearn Distillery	W	9.4 Miles
Theglenturret Distillery	W	19 Miles

Not all distilleries do tours or are open to the public, so please check them out before you plan your visit. The Glenturret Distillery is Scotlands oldest working distillery and has been producing whisky since 1763. The shop is open and they run tours, it costs £11 per person and lasts for 45 minutes, to book a tour check out their website for more details.

Exploring the city

When exploring Perth you will see lots of wonderful architecture everywhere you go but, there is one street you shouldn’t miss, George Street. This unique and quirky street hosts many independent shops from fashion to coffee shops, pubs to florists. If you’re looking for locally sourced food you can visit Provender Brown for some cheese and wine but, if you are into your gins, they host the annual G & T festival and stock over 60 distilleries.

Whispers of the Past is another independent shop that is a must see. It serves up an array of amazing and wonderful vintage goods for your home and also offers little treats to give to your loved ones. There are many more shops to visit and tea rooms to take a break, so explore this street because you will be amazed with what you can find.

Finished in Perth, what next?

There are many different routes that you can take next, you can go east and visit St. Andrews, Dindee and Aberdeen, or head north east and drove drive through Cairngoms National park and vist more castles and enjoy the wonderful scenery. We aren’t doing either of them, the route we are going on is driving up the A9 towards Inverness, you need to watch your speed as it is full of average speed cameras.