Closest ‘Highlands’ from Edinburgh.

[Mangomintmama]

We are taking our 3 DCs (primary aged) to Edinburgh in May half term, will have a hire car and are looking for the closest, scenic places to the city - happy to drive an hour+ but would like to see the true beauty of Scotland having never visited before.
Any recommendations please?

You’ll not get close to the Highlands in an hour.

Perthshire is about as close as you’ll get in around an hour, maybe aim for dunkeld

Head towards Perthshire but will be more than an hour. Places like Aberfeldy. You should be able to pick up gaelic radio stations if they still exist.

As PPs said, too far for ' proper' Highlands.
However, Glasgow, Stirling,Perth, Pitlochry, Crieff, East Neuk of Fife, St Andrews and Dundee are all an easy drive and worth visiting.

You’ll not get the postcard version of the Highlands in an hour or so. What do you want to do when you get there - look at some hills and lochs? Or go for a challenging walk?

The highland region is north west Scotland so unfortunately you are the wrong side of the country for only an hour or so drive. There are some nice areas of Perthshire, as some PPs suggest, but they won’t feel “highland” in terms of that more rugged,
mountainous west Scotland landscape.

Pitlochry or Crieff

I recommend a trip to Dollar Glen. Or Falls of Dochart.

Apologies for my naivety - I guess what i mean, is beautiful scenery, walks, loch if possible. My DCs are small so won’t manage a huge hike but we were hoping to combine city & beauty in our trip.

Thank you for the recommendations so far!

That is easy then. There's Dumyat or you could drive to walk up Berwick Law.

You won’t get to the Highlands but Loch Levan would give you forest walks, a loch beach, an rspb bird thing and loch levan larder for lunch.

You can drive to Callander or Aberfoyle in just over an hour - not full on highlands but nice and hilly with lochs and forests. Visitor centre in Aberfoyle has a nice cafe and some easy trails through the forests (and a Go Ape!). The Three Lochs Forest Drive is lovely. https://forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/queen-elizabeth-forest-park/the-lodge-forest-visitor-centre

Loch Leven is beautiful 😍

Dollar Glen is approximately 1hr drive from Edinburgh City centre👌

Loving all the other recommendations too. East Neuk of Fife is gorgeous but it's a long trek out to the coast.

Not Highlands (wrong direction) but gorgeous scenery … St Mary’s Loch via Peebles, onwards to the Grey Mare’s Tail (waterfall) to Moffat, then back along the Broughton road.

Peebles and Moffat are both lovely (and typically Scottish) towns if you wanted to stop for breakfast/lunch/coffee. Plenty for tourists without being overrun, and on both the road between Traquair and St Mary’s Loch, and from there down to Moffat, you’ll feel like your in the middle of nowhere even though your only just over an hour from Edinburgh at the furthest point.

Longformacus is also a beautiful area but very remote. Sheep roam free on the roads.

You could get to Balloch, at the foot of Loch Lomond, in about 90 minutes by car. That's got lovely views and you can go out on boat trips or hire bikes.

North Berwick and/or Gullane is lovely. Seaside rather than lochs but so nice. A trip to Archerfield walled garden for a tasty lunch and walk the fairy trail, if your little ones are interested, is a lovely way to spend an afternoon. Loch Leven is lovely and around an hour’s drive over the Queensferry crossing where you’d see the Forth rail bridge. It’s a nice and flat trail around it. South Queensferry is also pleasant.
There is so much green space in Edinburgh though, you don’t need to travel far for scenery. Arthur’s seat, Hollywood Park, the Pentlands & the seven hills are all very special!
I’d suggest avoiding the west as it tends to be wet, although if you really want to experience ‘the real Scotland’ you’ll not get more real than damp and dreich 🥴

Eildon Hills, Melrose, Dryburgh. Not Highlands but very scenic.

Also agree with Grey Mares Tail, St Marys Loch and the area around Selkirk another poster has said. Also Lowlands and not Highlands but v scenic

As suggested above, it would be more sensible to head south and go towards St.Mary’s Lochs which will feel very remote but have a look first at the kind of winding single roads you will be driving on. No shops for a good while though.

Was also going to suggest Loch Leven! Easy drive from Edinburgh, nice scenery, play area / space to run around safely and have lunch at loch leven’s larder.

Another vote for Dollar Glen.

Bearing in mind that would be the Loch Leven near Kinross, rather than the one on the west coast.

1 hr 10 to at Mary’s loch

1 hr 40 to Loch Lomond

1 hr 50 to crainalarich proper in the highlands

with primary aged kids Arthur’s seat in Edinburgh is cool