UK North

A beautiful drive on a beautiful day

10 Comments

Wednesday, July 8 2026

Road video and map (Just the non motorway part)

Today was my longest driving day so far. I travelled from Dumfries, just north of the border to Fort William in the highlands, a distance of 185 miles (298 Km). The first half was on motorways as I made my way to and past Glasgow. I chose not to spend time in Glasgow so that I could have an extra day in Edinburgh when I return south and I knew that the A 82 road north of Glasgow had the reputation of being one of the most scenic drives in the UK. I was not disappointed. The weather was warm and sunny and the surrounding landscapes were varied, colorful and, in places, spectacular.

Two minor letdowns were the difficulty of finding parking at viewpoints to take pictures and enjoy nature and the slow traffic in places due to the volume of visitors and, at one point, following a large construction lorry (truck) negotiating narrow, twisting roads with barely room to pass oncoming traffic.

The A 82 follows the shores of several lochs, often just a few yards from the water but the heavy vegetation limits the views from the dash cam. It does an excellent job of capturing the hills and mountains, however, and the highlights are on today’s video which is spectacular passing though the Glencoe area. Unfortunately, the photos I was able to take do not do the scenery justice.

The central section of Loch Lomond, Great Britain’s largest lake by surface area at the only place I found parking.
The small Loch Tulla, seen from a crowded viewpoint on the A 82, otherwise known as the Great Western Road or Glencoe Road.
A panorama of the Glencoe area taken from the A 82. Click here to see the full sized version.

10 thoughts on “A beautiful drive on a beautiful day”

  1. I went camping at Loch Lomond when I was in the Girl Guides!! I think it rained most of the time bit it was still a beautiful place! We took a day trip to Edinburgh which was amazing!
    Looks like an impressive trip.

    1. I’m enjoying the trip so far. The scenery is just as impressive as I had hoped.

  3. You are very lucky with the weather makes a huge difference. Much cooler for you up there we are cooking down south! Sounds a fantastic trip.

    1. Today was not so good but the temperature is very pleasant. Sorry to hear the heat is back for you.

  4. I also went to Loch Lomond! I watched the video. It looks spectacular trough that lens so I imagine a personal one is extraordinary!! Enjoy Edinburg…my absolute most favorite city!

    1. The scenery is beautiful and the people I’ve met are great. I’m glad you watched the video, thanks. Definitely enjoying the trip so far.

  5. The scenery is spectacular! Scotland has this wild beauty which is quite unique.
    Loving visiting Scotland through your blog.

    1. The rugged nature and green on the hillsides give it a character and beauty that is, indeed, special.

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