Moody, wet, windy and the most photographed landscapes on Pinterest right now. The gear list is short because the car carries it; the skill is staying dry and warm on foot.
Searches for the Scottish Highlands and the Faroe Islands have jumped on Pinterest this year. The trips are easier than they look: a hire car, a few booked nights and good layers. What catches people out is weather that changes four times a day and roads with no fuel for an hour.
This list is for the car and for what you carry out of it.
mood photoFor you if you will drive single-track roads with stone walls on both sides.
Trade-off full cover costs more per day and is often worth it here; check the excess on the rental desk's own policy before you say no to it.
mood photoFor you if you arrive late and leave early.
Trade-off booking every night kills the point of a road trip; booking none in July on Skye means sleeping in the car.
mood photoFor you if you navigate by phone, which is everyone.
Trade-off hire cars often lack both; mobile signal drops in glens, so download maps offline before you leave the city.
mood photoFor you if you plan any walk over an hour.
Trade-off a real shell is expensive and noisy; a cheap one wets out in twenty minutes of Highland rain. This is the item to spend on.
mood photoFor you if paths are bog with occasional rock.
Trade-off waterproof shoes are hot in summer and still get wet from the top; gaiters or wool socks matter as much.
mood photoFor you if you get cold when you stop walking.
Trade-off pricey, and it will be the one thing you wear every day, so pack two.
mood photoFor you if the photos are the reason you came.
Trade-off a sandwich bag does the same job for a phone; the dry bag is for a camera.
mood photoFor you if you want the puffins, the sea stacks or a guide who reads the weather.
Trade-off weather cancellations are common; book with free cancellation and keep a flexible day.
The wind will turn it inside out in the car park.
Wet cotton stays wet. Wool and synthetics only.
Both places have strict rules near wildlife; fines are real.
Lists change as we swap out items that stop earning their place. The pin always points to the current version of this page.
