British Isles
Highland Loop
Edinburgh, Skye and the North Coast 500
13 days
Duration
$54
Daily budget
Moderate
Difficulty
May – Sep (midge-aware Jul/Aug)
Best months
Wild camping is legal in Scotland, hostels are dense and the scenery is free. Citylink buses and the West Highland Line cover the whole loop without a car.
The route, stop by stop
🏴 Edinburgh · Scotland
Arthur's Seat, free galleries, Grassmarket hostels.
3 nights$58/day
⛰️ Glencoe · Scotland
Most dramatic valley in Britain, bothies and munros.
2 nights$48/day
🚂 Fort William · Scotland
Ben Nevis basecamp and the Jacobite steam line.
2 nights$52/day
🧚 Isle of Skye · Scotland
Quiraing, Fairy Pools and Portree's harbour hostel.
3 nights$56/day
🦕 Inverness · Scotland
NC500 starting point and Loch Ness by bike.
2 nights$52/day
🎸 Glasgow · Scotland
Best live music city in the UK and cheap curry.
1 nights$54/day
6 stops · 13 nights
≈ $700 total
Totals are estimates built from the per-night budgets above — your real spend will vary.
Getting around
- →West Highland Line train
- →Scottish Citylink coaches
- →CalMac island ferries
Don't forget
- ✓Midge net for summer
- ✓Waterproof boots
- ✓Stove for wild camps
- ✓Hillwalking layers
Ready to walk it?
Save the stops as a trip, track your budget and find hostels along the way.
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