From Portobello Beach to The Kelpies, Cairngorms and Culloden, follow part two of a Scotland road trip en route to Skye and the Highlands
Scotland has adopted a stringent stance on vehicles in cities. It is one that I fully endorse in principle but did lead to some issues while planning the trip.
My old banger – which was struggling especially when trying to accelerate in front of a lorry that I pulled out in from with the quantity of people and bags – is not allowed into central Edinburgh – or Glasgow for that matter. My friends from the States understandably wished to stay in the Scottish capital, while my mother and myself decide to stick with our car.
Out of adversity comes opportunity. We drop our companions at Musselburgh station while we head for the coast.
Portobello Edinburgh Beach
Portobello is Edinburgh by the sea. The town is said to be the venue of a meeting between Oliver Cromwell and Scottish leaders in 1650, then it became a haven for smugglers. It’s named after the capture of Porto Bello in Panama, in which a seaman called George Hamilton fought. Upon his return to Scotland he called his cottage Portobello Hut in 1753. By the end of the century Portobello had become a resort with bathing machines for hire.
Portobello expanded in the 19th century when the area became industrialised particularly for brick manufacturing. A promenade was built as well as a swimming pool where Sean Connery once worked as a lifeguard. Above all else Portobello has a wonderful stretch of sand where the Edinburgh Light Horse went through their drill practice. At one time Sir Walter Scott was their quartermaster.
Strolling along the Sands
It was late by the time we arrived, and everywhere was closing, but we still managed to grab something to eat. Our Beachview Apartment afforded wonderful views across the bay as my mother was to discover as I went a wandering.
Although perhaps not quite like Copacabana, Portobello beach is a great place to exercise right on the doorstep of the city. In fact, Portobello is technically part of Edinburgh, and as we discovered later in the day a short bus or in our case uber ride into the centre.
I love strolling along beaches. It allows my mind to drift off into all sorts of unexpected places.
Uber Drive to Edinburgh
Later that morning, we took the uber to the castle for less than £10. Edinburgh is an expensive city to stay (my Americans ended up shacking up in a hostel with two bunkbeds which still was not cheap), so Portobello turned out to be a very cost-effective stay. It’s also a very hilly city, and not one that is ideal for elderly people with mobility issues. But, this did not really bother either my mother or myself as we both knew Edinburgh well, and frankly the city seemed overwhelmed with tourists and it wasn’t even the Festival month.
Instead, we met up with an old friend, had an excellent Thai meal in the shade of the castle and returned to our apartment in plenty of time to see the most brilliant sunset – the beach seemed inundated with sun worshippers. Perhaps Portobello is twinned with Copacabana.
Reluctantly, I dragged myself away from the beach and drove back to Musselburgh to pick up my friends.
Fortunately, they had a wonderful time in Edinburgh, doing all the tourist things first timers need to do in Edinburgh: learning how to pronounce it (“Edin-bruh”), getting absolutely drenched, shopping, touring Mary King’s Close, seeing the castle and going on their first whisky “experience”, a fancy 360 degree video tour that makes you believe you are consuming Scotland’s pure air, water and soil with every fancy bottle purchased. The flight in the bar, purchased separately from the tour ticket, offered a magnificent sampling of the regions – Old Pulteney 15 year old single malt was cracked and finished before the end of the trip – mainly on Skye – without a problem.
The Kelpies Falkirk
When devising our trip, I was given pretty much free reign on what we could visit. One of the few requests was to see The Kelpies near Falkirk. I didn’t really want to take this diversion as I knew how wonderful the Forth Bridge crossing is from Queensferry. Somehow, due to my errant navigation we managed to combine the two. Skirting around the city, and crossing over the bridge before turning around and crossing once more over it, so we could continue towards The Kelpies. Of course this was completely intentional.
Created by Andy Scott in 2013, The Kelpies are the largest sculptures of magic horses – or even horses – in the world. Situated in the Helix park by some locks, they represent the mythical creatures that had the power of 100 horses and the ability to transform landscapes. They are supposed to reflect the strength of the local community. They certainly are magnificent beasts, their heads rising 100 feet above the surface and weighing 300 tonnes, their bodies buried somewhere deep beneath the earth.
The Helix itself is a large green space which links into the local cycle network. Both it and The Kelpies are free to enter, although there is a charge for a tour inside The Kelpies.
Taking the A9 Cairngorms Drive
The A9 to Inverness is one of the most beautiful A roads in the UK. Cutting through the Cairngorms National Park it is set in the most devastating scenery. At one stage we take a short detour off the main road to drive along a narrow path. We stop to take photos of the very cute black-faced sheep, and stretch our cramped legs. It is a simple yet wonderful moment.
We stop for lunch at Pitlochry, which became a major tourist resort after the visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1842, when they bought Balmoral. A pleasant town, it is all-too-apparent why tourists flock here.
Shawn is a whisky nerd. Although coming from Arkansas he is more into bourbon and rye. A friend of his recommended the Tomatin distillery. I had previously made us stop at the Dalwhinnie distillery, which I had visited on my previous Speyside whisky tour, and knew to have the most beautiful setting. Both are a few minutes’ drive off the A9.
This is one of the wonderful things about going on a road trip through Scotland. You drive through the most beautiful scenery, stopping occasionally to sip on a wee dram – or in my case water as the designated driver.
Culloden Battlefield Visit
My friends and mother sufficiently fortified with a tasting at Tomatin, we continue our drive, skirting around Inverness, which had disappointed me on my previous visit and ignoring Nessie – we had already enjoyed some mythical creatures that day. Instead, we made a stop at Culloden a few miles outside of Inverness. Culloden Battlefield is of interest to war historians, for this is where the second Jacobite Rebellion ended on 16 April 1746. My friends wondered around the battlefield and explored the cairn or tower was erected in 1881 as a memorial for those “gallant highlanders who fought for Scotland and Prince Charles”.
Crossing the Kessock Bridge, we concluded our day’s journey right at the spa town of Strathpeffer, for our first night in the Highlands.
July 2025 Mark, his mother and three friends from the States, took a 10-day road trip to Scotland, visiting Whitby, Edinburgh, the Highlands, Isle of Sky, and Chester. This is the second part of their journey, which started here. You can continue reading his travels here.
Article written by Mark with additional content from Lesley, as well as most of the photos.