West Coast Scotland by Motorhome: A 6-Day Route

If the NC500 is the famous one and Skye is the island one, this is the west coast at its most varied: sea lochs and seafood in Argyll, the drama of Glencoe, Ben Nevis and the Great Glen, and the Road to the Isles out to the silver sands. It is a loop you can do in under a week from the Glasgow depot, on good roads, with a campsite at the end of each day. Six days is the comfortable version; here is how it runs.

Day 1: Glasgow to Oban, by Loch Lomond and Inveraray

Collect at the depot and head up the A82 along the bonnie banks, with coffee at Luss before the road climbs away. Turn onto the A83 over the Rest and Be Thankful, a proper Highland pass with the layby view at the top, then drop to Loch Fyne and Inveraray, the white-walled town on the water with its castle and jail. From there it is an easy run to Oban for the night, the seafood capital of the west.

Day 2: Around Oban and Argyll

Give Oban a slow morning: the harbour, fresh langoustines off the quay, and the climb up to McCaig's Tower for the view over the bay to Mull and Kerrera. In the afternoon, run south into Kilmartin Glen, one of the richest prehistoric landscapes in Scotland, with burial cairns, standing stones and rock art spread along the valley, and the Crinan Canal threading down to the sea beyond.

Day 3: Oban to Glencoe

North up the A828, the road hugs the coast past Castle Stalker, the little tower on its tidal island, with the Castle Stalker View café perfectly placed for a photo and a scone. Over the bridge at Ballachulish and you are into Glencoe, as grand a glen as Scotland has. Stretch the legs on the gentle loop round Glencoe Lochan, or walk in to Signal Rock, and let the walls of the glen do the rest.

Day 4: Glencoe to Fort William

It is a short hop to Fort William, so make a day of Lochaber (our Fort William guide has the bases). The walk up the Nevis Gorge to the Steall Falls is among the best short walks in the country, and Neptune's Staircase, the flight of eight locks at Banavie, is a fine leg-stretch on the Caledonian Canal. If the timing suits, the Jacobite steam train crosses the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the afternoon, the bridge every Harry Potter fan knows.

Day 5: The Road to the Isles

The A830 west from Fort William is one of the great drives, running through Glenfinnan to Arisaig and Morar, where the silver-sand beaches look out to Eigg, Rum and Skye. Mallaig at the end is a working fishing harbour with seafood to match. From here you could add Skye on the ferry to Armadale, covered in our Isle of Skye guide, or turn back to Fort William for the night.

Day 6: Back to the Glasgow depot

Save the best drive for last. The A82 south runs through the heart of Glencoe and down the length of Loch Lomond, a fitting way to finish before the run back to the depot. You bring the motorhome back to Glasgow at the end, so there is no one-way drop to sort.

How many days do you need for the west coast?

Six is the comfortable version, with a stop most nights and time to walk. You can trim it to four if you skip the Road to the Isles and head straight back from Fort William, or stretch it to a week and add Skye or a couple of slow days in Argyll. For where to stop each night, our west coast and isles campsites guide covers the sites the whole way round.

Good to know

• The Rest and Be Thankful. The A83 pass occasionally closes after heavy rain; check Traffic Scotland if it is in the news, as the diversion adds time.
• Driving. Good A-roads round the whole loop, with only minor single-track on detours. Gentle by Highland standards.
• Midges. June to early September on still, damp evenings, worst near water and woodland. Repellent and a breezy pitch sort most of it; May and September are the sweet spot.
• Dogs. Welcome throughout, with beaches at Arisaig and Ganavan near Oban. Bring your own bowls and bedding; the whole fleet takes dogs for a single per-hire cleaning fee.

The west coast does variety better than anywhere: a town, a glen, a mountain and a beach in the same week. Take it slowly.

City guides nearby

For where to stop and what to see in the cities on or near this route, see our city guides: Glasgow, Fort William.