East Coast Route

East Coast Route

This route has been developed by us for your motorhome holiday, this 7–14-day tour and a circular route covering the East coast of Scotland and black Isles.

From Perth I would recommend travelling to Scone where you could spend your first night, there is a campsite here if you wish to stay on a campsite to get to know the motorhome and get set up, the campsite is on the edge of the River Tay where you can enjoy a lovely walk in the evening.  There is also the option to visit Scone palace, the following morning. Scone is only 20 minutes away from our depot, Scone is where the kings of Scotland used to be crowned and is the rightful home of the stone of destiny. The stone of scone was last used at the coronation of Her majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Robert the Bruce was crowned here in 1306.

Dundee

From Perth travel to Dundee’s waterfront where Captain Scott’s ship Discovery has been restored there is also a museum and you can board and walk around the ship; the ship was launched in 1901 and was designed for Artic Ice Exploration. The expedition’s zoologist was to die with Scott on the fateful journey to the pole in 1912.

Another popular tourist point of interest in Dundee is the V&A this opened in Sept 2018, this is the first Victoria and albert museum outside of London.

 

St. Andrews

If you are interested in Golf then St Andrews is only 30 Minutes’ drive from Dundee , Overnight parking is Not allowed beside the beach in St Andrews, Wild camping is available near Dundee at Broughty ferry next to the beach follow this link to view on google Earth,  or if you follow the A919 to St Andrews there is an overnight parking spot at Kingsbarns which is south of St Andrews (ask us for directions) this is a lovely spot right by the edge of the beach.  

Scotland is known as the home of golf and the old course at St Andrews is a world-famous course where players from all over the world aspire to play, if your looking for to play a round of golf yourself I would recommend the Drumoig golf course which is only 10 minutes away from St Andrews this offers good value for money and a lovely course to play.  

• There is also a lovely beach that offers some beach sports
• St Andrews aquarium 
• St Andrews castle and cathedral,
• lots of boutique shops to exlore
• cafes and restaurants 
• lovely coastal walks or cycle runs.  

 
From St Andrew’s head back to Dundee and along the coast towards Arbroath, passing Carnoustie on the way, there is a lovely beach at Carnoustie and also the Carnoustie Link golf course, which is known as the most challenging links course, rated 1 of the top 10 golf courses in the world.  

Arbroath

Arbroath used to be an important fishing town, this attractive old harbour is still in action today, there is plenty to see and do in Arbroath with the pleasure beach and lots of historical points of interest.  

• If you enjoy fishing the Mari Dawn fishing charter offers sea angling as well as pleasure trips.   
• Look out for the bell Rock Lighthouse – located off the Arbroath coast this is the world’s oldest working sea-washed lighthouse.  
• This traditional seaside town is famous for is Arbroath smokies so be sure to sample some, they are prepared in the same traditional way dating back to the 1800’s.  The fish are salted overnight, then tied in pairs using hemp twine and left overnight to dry, once salted, tied, and dried they are hung over a triangular length f wood to smoke.  This “kiln stick” fits between the two tied smokies – one fish on either side, the sticks are then used to hang the dried fish in a special barrel containing hardwood fire – delicious and not to be missed out.  

There is wild camping available at Arbroath on the sea front we can also highly recommend the Arbroath Boat House restaurant just a short walk from the sea front – we particularly enjoy the Lobster thermidor, see photo below.

 
  

Stonehaven

From Arbroath head up the coast towards Aberdeen, I would recommend stopping at Stonehaven, there is so much to see and do in and around the area.  

• There is the option to visit Husky Haven where you can have the experience of driving your own team of dogs on out on a trail and learn more about these incredible animals with a kennel tour.  Or why not consider catching the Stonehaven land train and visiting Dunnottar castle the train will take you from Market Square up to the castle – the onboard storyteller will share some stories along the way.
• Dunnottar Castle was originally the ancestral home of the Earls Marischal who once one of the most powerful families in Scotland.  The last Earl of the castle was charged and convicted of treason for his part in the Jacobite rising in 1715, and as a result his estates, including Dunnottar Castle, were seized by the English government. 
• Mary Queen of Scots, the Marquis of Montrose and the future King Charles II, have all visited this castle.  Famously though, it was at Dunnottar Castle that a very small garrison of men held out against the mighty Cromwell’s army for over eight months and saved the Scottish Crown Jewels from English hands, the ‘Honours of Scotland’ The Crown, sceptre and sword are now on show in Edinburgh Castle. 

At the end of a busy day when you are feeling hungry stop in past the Bay Fish and Chip shop on the promenade, the fish is freshly caught and cooked to order, they have been awarded the UK No 1 Independent takeaway.

 

Aberdeen

From Stonehaven follow the A92 to Aberdeen, Aberdeen is known locally as the silver city, as almost all the building is built using a grey / silver granite stone. Aberdeen is a leading business hub and one of the eight super cities in the UK, there is so much to see and do form visiting historic attractions, visiting the beach or again there is a family themed fun park at Cadona’s or head to the harbour and take a boat trip to try and spot dolphins. Wild camping spots in Aberdeen are hard to come by so we would advise a campsite if looking to stay overnight.  

Moray Coast

From Aberdeen head up the coast to Fraserburgh, and then you can work your way along the Moray coast from Faserburgh to Nairn.  The Moray coastline offers some of the most wonderful scenery with cliffs and sandy beaches.  Along the route you pass through some quaint coastal villages and harbours.

Things to see and do along the coast:-

Wildlife 

The moray firth is one of the best places to spot dolphins it is estimated that 130 bottlenose dolphins live in the moray firth, seals, minke whales, harbour porpoises, pilot whales, killer otters, ospreys, oystercatchers can all be found along the coastline.  The Moray firth is quite a unique spot for spotting bottlenose dolphins as they feed as they feel close to the shoreline, although they live here all year long the best time to spot them is July at the height of the salmon migration.  Whilst traveling along the coast stop at Spey bay where you can visit The Scottish Dolphin Centre where you can enjoy a coffee and browse the visitor centre.

 

Coastal paths  

There is many costal paths and cycle routes along the moray coast, with beautiful sandy beaches, quint fishing villages the dramatic cliffs plus the bonus of an abundance of wildlife to keep a look out for there is something for everyone along this coastline.  Follow the link for more ideas of place to walk in and around the area, this is a great site with suggested walks giving you step by step instructions of where to go and the difficulty level.

 

The Moray Coast Trail

This is a 50 mile walk that takes around 3 to 5 days to complete but you can also pick out sections in which to walk for the day, this trail begins in Cullen and goes along to Findhorn but along the way you will discover cliffs, caves and sandy beaches passing natural features such as Bow Fiddle Rock at Portknockie.  

Whisky 

Speyside whisky trail, Speyside has the world’s largest concentration od Scotch malt whisky distilleries, from big brands to smaller artisan producers, there are many distilleries to visit, I’m sure you will pass a few at some point,  you can stop in and visit a few and take advantage of their distillery tour.

Golf 

Been keen golfers ourselves, we feel that the Moray Firth is a golfers paradise, with a choice of golf courses the one below are a few of our favourites and we feel they offer good value for money and fabulous links course with stunning views.

• Spey Bay at Spey Bay, 
• Hopeman at Burckhead
• Strathlean golf club at Buckie
• Buckpool at Buckpool

Castles 

• Duffus Castle near Elgin, visit the ruins of this ancient castle set on top of a round mound.
• Balvenie castle near Dufftown, is one of Scotland’s oldest stone castles.
• Ballindalloch castle Gardens, near Aberlour is a great stop not only do you have the castle and the beautiful gardens to explore but also a distillery and have a play park and tearoom on site as well.  
   

Along the Moray coast there is some lovely wild camp spots to choose from and some wonderful restaurants the seafood along this coast is delicious.  
 

Inverness 

Inverness is the capital of scotland highlands and a large city which serves as a hub to the local communities of the highlands, as you head down the Moray coast towards Inverness there are a few stops that might be of interest:-

• Nairn Beach - if you enjoy going to the beach the ancient fishing village of Nairn has a fantastic beach and the village itself has good local facilities with pharmacy, bakers, butchers so you pick up a few essentials while your there.
• Fort George – following the defeat of the Jacobite Army at Culloden battlefield in 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie created the ultimate defence against any further Jacobite unrest and built Fort George.

• Culloden Battelfield - If you are interested in Scottish History, then a visit to the Culloden Battlefield might be of interest to you, which is just before Inverness. Culloden battlefield is cared for by the National Trust for Scotland, at the visitor centre you can find out more about the Jacobite Rising and find out how the bloody battle that only lasted an hour, on the 16th of April in 1746.  This battle changed the lives of the highlands forever the Jacobite army was heavily defeated and driven off the battlefield.

 

We do not recommend visiting Loch Ness, the view is spoilt with the road lined trees, so views are very restricted; it is also very busy due it being a popular stop for tour bus routes and is filled with tacky shops selling plastic monsters etc. If you are interested in trying to spot the loch Less monster and wanting the nessy experience, we would recommend visiting Urqhart castle instead at Drumnadrochit, on the shores of Loch Ness and a much more valuable visitor attraction compared to Loch ness visitor centre.

Black Isle

This small peninsula in the Scottish highland is quite unique with 3 of its 4 sides being surrounded by sea.  The black Isle is connected by the Kessock bridge so its easily accessible, if you head north of the black Isle you are met with some spectacular views of Dingwall and Invergordon.

Things to see and do: -

• Visit the Black Isle Brewery at Munlochy, Scotland only organic brewery, the brewery opened in 1998 and the produce all their own barley, grains and fruits vegetables and herbs.  They offer brewery tours and have a shop so you can take a few back to the motorhome with you.
• Dolphin spotting at Chanonry point or visiting one of the two RSPB nature reserve’s – The Fairy Glen Trails at Fortrose is an enchanted woodland walk where you can find waterfalls, songbirds, and wildflowers.

• Or if golf is more your thing try the Fortrose and Rosemarkie golf club, the views from the course is stunning with views over to Fort George.  

Aviemore

From the Black Isle follow the road north back towards Aviemore, this will be towards the end of your holiday and a great final stop, there is wild camping available at the Cairngorm ski centre, please remember to put £5 in the honestly box or there is campsites available.
There is so much to see and do around Aviemore some of our favourite days out are :-

• Strathspey Steam train and enjoy a 20-mile trip through the Cairngorm National park.
• Highland folk museum at Kingussie
• Landmark Adventure park
• Aviemore Wildlife Centre
• Take advantage of the many cycle paths in and around the area
• Try out some water sports at loch Morlich

Tips and Advice

When wild camping:
•    Only take pictures, and only leave footprints
•    If there is any litter please pick it up even if it’s not yours
•    Use common sense, never park in front of someone’s house blocking their view 
•    Don’t park in farmers gates or field entrances
•    Please use the local village shops rather than the big supermarkets; the produce is normally sourced locally and is of much higher quality and tastes delicious.

Take a look around our website for more routes and blogs on everything from the best spots near the city centre for Edinburgh campervan parking, to the must-see places and areas to visit in the country.
Warning this route and wording is copyright by Scottish Tourer and only available for use by customers of Scottish Tourer, Any other Motorhome Hire Company using any material copied from this route will result in copyright infringement and we will prosecute.