Road trip to Skye itinerary suggestions?

[Roadtripper77]

We’re borrowing a campervan in early October and want to do a road trip to the Isle of Skye from London. (I have always wanted to go to Skye!)

Any suggestions for stop off points along the way? Good campervan stopping points? Generally how long we should take to get there and spend there?

Any tips at all would be so appreciated!

We have one DC, so places need to be child-friendly.

How long do you have and what sort of thing do you like doing or want to see?

We’ve got about 10 days and are pretty outdoorsy but our DS is 4 so that might restrict us!

Skye is quite a big island so you can easily spend many days there. There’s a few campsites around the island and it will be relatively to stop off grid in October. No midges too at that time of year.

Eilean Donan castle is well worth a stop (just south of the bridge). South if that is the turn off to Glenelg which would be a great place to stop for a night. 3 lovely brochs (one off the beaten track and not advertised) and a lovely small village with a great pub. You can get a ferry from there to Skye, it’s a very short crossing but check the dates of operation as it usually stops at some point in October.
It will be a long drive from London so where you stop and how long you take will depend on what type of van you have. Maybe a stop in the north of England, one north of Loch Lomond, one near Fort William?

There are two places that we like in the Lake District that are very handy for travelling up the M6: Gill Head Farm and The Quiet Site. Both are very family friendly and have play areas. The Quiet Site has a shop and cafe. If you need a stop in between London and the Lake District, then try Upper Hurst Farm in the Peak District. My dc loved the ‘meet the ponies’ session!

I i'm just back from two weeks across the western isles and Orkney. We didn't have a campervan, wild camp instead. However the reason for the trip was to take the contents of my friends house, to her new home in Orkney from the south of England. So although not a campervan, we were driving a motorhome sized vehicle.

Our itinerary;
First night, northern Lakes. Campsite in new Hutton

Second day.. Into Scotland and up the road beside Loch Lomond . So lovely then on to
Oban followed by ferry to the Isle of Mull.

Second night;
The Isle of Mull, then the day spent travelling around stunning Mull. Finishing at gorgeous Tobermory where we took the ferry to Kilchoan.

Beautiful drive across this amazing peninsula to Malaig. Where we spent the night before catching the ferry to Skye .

Our itinerary then went to the outer Hebrides before crossing back to Ullapool and on up to Orkneys. But if you have a motor home please don't miss going to Mull on the way.

The ferries are so ridiculously cheap !

These are such fantastic tips, thank you! I am saving them all.

Do you think 10 days is enough time to get up there, see everything, and get back?

Whatever you do, just make sure you go via Glencoe.

I would go to arisaig camp there for a couple of nights and then get the boat to Skye from mallaig.

Yes 10 days is perfect..but go up via Oban - I.O Mull (south) . Then out the top of Mull to Kilchoan, out of Malaig to South Skye.. spend a few days and leave via the bridge coming back via Glancoe/Ben Nevi.. that way you are doing a circle and making the most of the amazing scenery .

Such great tips! Thank you! I am writing them down and looking for campervan sites. If anyone knows any good ones, do let me know!

(Ricekrispie22 thank you for those sites - I looked them up and they look perfect! I am going to try and book the Quiet Site for the way there and one of the others for the way back.)