Visiting Ireland and Scotland in One Trip

Getting a glimpse of the remote parts of Ireland and Scotland in 2 weeks is not exactly a relaxing vacation, but it is doable. Be prepared to do a fair amount of left-side driving on skinny, often single track, roads.

Ireland and Scotland may appear close to each other on the map. However, time-effective travel to both countries in just 2 weeks will inevitably pose a few logistical challenges. We spent a significant amount of time on planning the driving route ahead of our trip, but still ended up tweaking it on the go.

The low-cost airline Ryan Air and its offerings of several flights daily between several major cities in both Ireland and Scotland helped greatly in our planning. If we wished, we could even bypass the capitals all together. However, we decided to soak up the urban vibes of Dublin and Edinburgh as a part of our road trip experience in Western Ireland and Scotland.

Planning Your Road Trip

Ireland and Scotland are not vast countries. The distances are relatively short and the road infrastructure is generally good. However, if driving all day long is not your idea of a vacation, spend some time planning a route, which would fit your travel preferences. With the itinerary below, we were able to see most of the coastal Western Ireland. In addition, we also had ample amount of time for daily “communions” with nature, pub crawls and restaurant sit-down dinners.

Western Ireland (7-day travel itinerary) 

Drive from Dublin to Cavan (via M3, distance 115 km, travel time 1.5 hr)

Night 1. Cavan

Visit Cavan County Museum featuring a large collection of local artifacts, historic documents and an impressive outdoor exhibit on WWI trench warfare. Stop at a small cafe on premises to connect with the locals.

Take a stroll along the Main street and enjoy your dinner and drinks at Shades Grill in Cavan Town.

Drive from Cavan to Connemara.  The shortest and fastest way is to follow from Cavan town to Galway (distance 170 km, travel time about 2 hours). Taking the back roads of Cavan, Mayo and Galway Counties would be a much slower, but more interesting alternative.

In the evening, head for Kilkieran for an Airbnb stay and enjoy a pint of local ale and a dinner at  Coyne’s Bar & Bistro)

Night 2. Connemara

Day trip around the moorlands of Connemara

Immerse into the Galway city scene with its lively vibe of a student town.

Night 3. Galway

Loop around through the moon-like limestone landscapes of Burren

Take an afternoon walk to dramatic wave-battered Cliffs of Moher

Find one of the countless County Clare trads with live Irish folk music and singing

Night 4. Corofin (Co. Clare)

Explore the medieval sights of Dysert O’Dea in the morning

Head for Dingle Peninsula via Connor Pass

Enjoy a sunset drive around the Slea Head

Night 5. Dingle Peninsula

Drive the Ring of Kerry and the Gap of Dunloe

Settle in for a dinner with live music and dancing at The Locker Bar in Limerick

Night 6. Limerick

Morning visit to the Hunt Museum

Drive from Limerick to Dublin (via M3, distance 200 km, travel time 2 hrs 15 min)

Take an early afternoon walk through Dublin center

Dine at the historic Village Inn back in Celbridge

Night 7. Celbridge

Leaving Dublin for Edinburgh

Scottish Highlands and Outer Hebrides (8-day travel itinerary) 

Drive from Edinburgh to Stirling (via M9, distance 58 km, travel time 1 hr)

Night 1. Stirling

Morning visit to Stirling Castle

Drive through the dramatic landscape of the Glencoe valley to Fort William

Stop in Glencoe village for a short walk along its only street

Afternoon walk and dinner in Fort William

Night 2. Fort William

Drive from Fort William to Uig ferry landing on the Isle of Skye

CalMac Ferry crossing Uig (Isle of Skye) to Tarbert (Isle of Harris) (travel time 1 hr 40 min)

Settle down in Kyles Scalpay or Tarbert on North Harris for two nights

Walk to the Eilean Glas Lighthouse on the Isle of Scalpay

Save a couple of hours for a spectacular sunset drive to Hushinish (along B887) in North Harris

Nights 3-4. Isle of Harris

Day trip around South Harris

Late afternoon or sunset walk along the Luskentyre Beach and dinner back in Tarbert

Explore the beaches of Uig on the Isle of Lewis

Settle down around Uig on Western Lewis for 2 nights

Nights 5-6. Isle of Lewis

Carloway, Callanish Stones, Norse Mill, Blackhouse Village and Stornoway

Visit Bosta Beach and Iron Age House on the way to Stornoway

CalMac Ferry crossing from Stornoway (Isle of Lewis) to Ullapool (travel time 2 hrs 30 min)

Drive from Ullapool to Inverness (via A835, distance 93 km, travel time 1 hr 15 min)

Walk and dinner downtown Inverness

Night 7. Inverness

Drive from Inverness to Edinburgh (via A9, distance 250 km, travel time 3 hrs)

Take a double-decker bus to the Old Town and the Edinburgh Castle

If you visit the capital in August, make sure to order some concert tickets for the legendary Military Tattoo show or another top class performance at the annual Edinburgh International Festival

Enjoy an early dinner on a side street along the busy Royal Mile

Night 8. Edinburgh