filter by tags to find the perfect trip. all routes are designed for under-18/under-22 travel without a car.
the skye loop
highlandsislandsovernight tripintranational
the skye loop
a 3 day 2 night trip to portree and inverness.
leave from edinburgh. Take the citylink M90 or the ember E9 directly to inverness. for a more scenic route, go via aberdeen. once in inverness, explore the castle, the ness islands walk, or the victorian markets. inverness is fine but honestly, it's mostly the journey itself and it's location as a launching point onwards that make it ideal.
take the first citylink service 917 from inverness "bus station" to portree. I would reccomend booking your ticket for £1 even with an NEC to secure a seat as it can get busy during summer periods and you don't want to end up stranded. grab a treat at mackenzie's bakery in somerled square.
catch the local 57A bus to the old man of storr. walk the 6.8 miles back to portree via bearreaig bay and bride's veil falls. dinner: pizza in the skye (pre-order your pizza or they may not have enough ingredients! i'd also reccomend the garlic bread as it is basically a full extra pizza for £3!)
morning walk around the Scorrybreac circuit. catch the return 917 to glasgow (book seats ahead!). the bus stops for 40 minutes or so in fort william for a leg-stretch/morrisons run before heading south and towards buchanan bus station, from which queen street and central stations are not far away, and obviously the bus station itself has options to take you home.
london for cheap!
englandovernight triplow budget
london for cheap!
a budget-focused 2-3 day trip to the capital. utilizing the flixbus overnight service and youth discounts.
using flixbus you can take an overnight coach to London for around £17-20. use the 20% young scot discount (retrieve your code from the young scot app/website) and apply it at checkout.
stay at a high-value spot like YHA earl's court. all together (travel + bed), a 2-3 day trip can cost between £120-160. if you're feeling brave, an overnight "marathon" day trip can be done for about £40 or under.
oban & mull adventure
highlandsislandsovernight trip
oban & mull adventure
a classic west coast island hop. high scenery for a low price (approx. £50 excl. food).
travel to oban and stay at the oban youth hostel. shared dorms are the way to go here to keep costs down.
take the calmac ferry from oban to craignure. from there, a local bus takes you to the iconic tobermory. i'd recommend 2 nights here to really soak it in. total transit/bed costs can land just under £50 if you only do 1 night in each place.
the isle of arran
islandsovernight tripintranational
the isle of arran
the "scotland in miniature" trip. perfect for when you want to feel remote without traveling for 8 hours.
take the ferry to either lochranza or brodick. staying overnight in lochranza is a must as it is the only under 18 accomodating accommodation.
arran is tough without a car. i wouldn't recommend this in the dead of winter unless you really want solitude. in summer, it's a breeze and only a couple of hours from glasgow. arran is suprisingly dramatic and can act as a great microchasm introduction to scotland or a first overnight trip.
newark castle wild camp
scotlandovernight tripcamping
newark castle wild camp
a perfect entry-level venture into wild camping in the scottish borders.
take the X62 or X95 bus (or the train) from edinburgh to galashiels. from there I'd reccomend first checking out the great tapestry of scotland before beginning the journey. it's a roughly 10-mile walk into the countryside along rural roads, through selkirk, and past sir walter scott's house. 10 miles each way may sound daunting but due to walking through galashiels and selkirk, you will never be far from a lunch, dinner, or just general break.
visit the newark castle ruins and scout a spot nearby to pitch your tent. it’s remote enough to feel like a real adventure but close enough to gala that you aren't totally stranded. reverse the walk in the morning for 20 miles over the two days.