Explore Scotland’s UNESCO Trail in a Campervan

Travelling by campervan certainly is one of life’s greatest pleasures (we promise we are not biased). Truly nothing beats the feeling of hitting the open road with released inhibitions and the expectation of connecting with nature.

Scotland has some of the world’s most beautiful and unique places, it has been ranked as the world’s most beautiful country on multiple occasions. To celebrate Scotland’s wonderous landscapes, history, and culture, VisitScotland has teamed up with UNESCO to create the world’s first digital UNESCO Trail.

13 unique UNESCO sites in Scotland

Scotland is home to 13 UNESCO sites, quite the feat considering its small size and, UNESCO recognises these sites for their creativity, picturesque scenery, and historical heritage.

To celebrate this new trail, we have created a fantastic Scottish UNESCO Route you can travel to visit all of the sites with your Alba Campers Campervan, as well as detailing each UNESCO site below. So you can decide to do the whole route, or just one or two that interest you most.

Edinburgh, City of Literature & UNESCO World Heritage Site

What better way to start than in our home city of Edinburgh, where we and our Campervans are based. Edinburgh is Scotland’s creative capital, where some of the world’s best-loved authors have taken inspiration for their books, poems and literature.

Attend an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival or take a wander through the streets of Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns which is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wherever you go in Scotland’s capital, you will find you are not far from a place that’s not connected or associated with a famous author or a poem verse. You never know; you might find your own creative streak and join them!

While the busy city centre itself might not be the best place to take your campervan for the night, there are plenty of sites surrounding where you can park up for the day and make your journey in. You can check out our recommended free mobile apps which include apps that help you find great places to park up for the night all over Scotland.

New Lanark, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The 2nd stop on our UNESCO Route takes you to New Lanark, which is home to the Cotton Mill, which is an exceptional example of a purpose-built 18th century mill village. Globally recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the cotton mill was in operation for two centuries from 1785 to 1968 and at one time was thought to be the largest industrial facility in the world. the spacious and well-designed workers’ housing, and the dignified educational institute and school still testify to Owen’s humanism. You can visit New Lanark and get a real feel for Owen’s vision and how he treated his workers and their whole family. This area also makes for a fantastic start to your adventurous road trip with many campsites and stopping places dotted around the quiet country lanes, the Falls of Clyde viewpoint is very close to New Lanark and could potentially make for a good location to stop for a well earned break.

Galloway & Southern Ayrshire, UNESCO Biosphere

Scotland’s first ever Biosphere, which means that Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere has been recognised internationally as a world class environment for people and nature. Covering an area of 5,268 square kilometers it is fair to say this UNESCO Biosphere is absolutely massive! The Galloway Forest Park is also a certified International Dark Sky Park. The park is one of the very best places to observe the night sky in the whole of the UK. You could also be in with a chance of experiencing the Scottish Northern Lights from within the Biosphere due to the complete darkness at night. This will make for an absolutely amazing experience, especially having the freedom of your Campervan, being able to find a suitable camping spot or campsite and get settled for an evening of stargazing.

Glasgow, UNESCO Creative City

After your evening of stargazing you can slowly travel up towards Glasgow, the city of music and creativity. Glasgow is famed for the enthusiasm and energy of its audiences, which is no surprise when you hear it’s regularly voted one of the friendliest cities in the world. The venues in Glasgow are equally varied and the city hosts an average 130 music events each week, more than any other Scottish city. In August 2008 Glasgow was named a UNESCO City of Music, so whatever genre of music you prefer, we are sure you will manage to find something to your liking within the city of Glasgow.

Antonine Wall, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Antonine Wall stretched the width of mainland Scotland, construction began by the orders of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius in 142AD and it is thought to have taken 12 years to complete. The Antonine Wall stretched right across the Scottish central belt, just North of both Edinburgh and Glasgow. Most of the wall and the fortifications have been destroyed over time, but some remains are still visible. Many of these have come under the care of Historic Environment Scotland and the UNESCO World HeritageSite. There is a fantastic Interactive Map that will allow you to choose a suitable location to stop at when travelling North from Glasgow in your campervan.

Wester Ross, UNESCO Biospehere

The Wester Ross Biosphere covers a humongous 3,000 square miles, is home to three nature reserves and two national scenic areas. Explore some of the most picturesque stretches of coastline, including beaches, lochs, pinewoods and glens. It is a place you can choose to slow down while immersing yourself with your surroundings and making some memories to last a lifetime. The iconic North Coast 500 route passes through Wester Ross and has well equipped campsites and stopping places.

St Kilda, UNESCO World Heritage Site

This one may be too much of a challenge to get to for some, but that is exactly why it’s so special. St Kilda is best visited via boat trip as the island is actually uninhabited. Travelling through Wester Ross, you will be able to turn West towards the magical Isle of Skye. From here you can take your campervan over on a ferry to the Isle of Harris from Uig on the Isle of Skye. Once you have landed on the Isle of Harris, you will be able to organise a boat trip to St Kilda from Leverburgh. There is no accommodation on St Kilda, so your boat trip would be best suited to a single day trip excursion with a chartered boat and returning to your campervan on the Isle of Harris afterwards. St Kilda is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it has some of the highest cliffs in Europe, which have large colonies of rare and endangered species of birds, especially puffins and gannets.

North West Highlands Geopark

Heading back from the Isle of Skye and travelling North through more of Wester Ross you will reach the North West Highlands Geopark. Covering over 2,000 square km, the North West Highlands Geopark is not only home to mountain ridges, stunning forests, and sandy beaches but also some of the world’s earliest evidence of life found in Europe!

Why not stop by the Moine Thrust Zone to find out where geologists concluded that the continents had collided together. It’s certainly one for ticking off the bucket list!

Orkney Islands, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Orkney Islands is the next UNESCO stop on the list, which is an archipelago off the North Eastern coast of Scotland. The islands include world renowned archaeological treasures including Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, the Standing Stones of Stenness and the Maeshowe Chambered Tomb. These archaeological marvels were recognised in 1999 as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This prestigious UNESCO recognition reflects the significance of these four remarkable neolithic sites, there are few places in the world where you can experience thousands of years of history in a single day. Getting to the Orkney Islands in your campervan is also really easy, you can get a ferry from Scrabster, just near Thurso and this would take approximately 90 minutes. Once you arrive on Orkney there is also a fantastic campsite which featured on our Top 3 Campsites in Scotland list, called Orkney Caravan Park which has all the facilities you will need and is highly rated.

Shetland, UNESCO Global Geopark

Another Scottish island and yes, another UNESCO site! The Shetland Islands is the next ferry North from the Orkney Islands. You are able to travel in your campervan over on the ferry from the Orkney Islands, however this time the ferry crossing is a longer one at approximately 8 hours.

The Shetland Islands are the northernmost part of Scotland and the United Kingdom. The Shetland landscape of today is home to such a fantastic ecosystem of biodiversity. Over one million seabirds inhabit the cliffs and moorland, with 70 different bird species breeding in the isles and over 430 migratory species recorded. As well as large colonies of puffins and gannets the islands are home to fifty percent of the world population of the globally rare Great Skua. Shetlands UNESCO Global Geopark is more geologically diverse than any similar sized area in Europe. Where else could you walk on ancient oceanic crust, explore an extinct volcano and learn how the world has formed and changed over millions or billions of years due to Shetlands geo-diversity, in places the underlying rock of Precambrian Gneiss can be seen, which is thought to be almost 3 billion years old!

Dundee, UNESCO City of Design

Dundee is Scotlands and the United Kingdom’s one and only UNESCO accredited City of Design. The global designation as a Creative City acknowledges Dundee’s rich design heritage. If you are looking for design inspiration, there is no better place to visit than Dundee’s very own Design Museum which will be sure to get your creative mind working overtime. Dundee brings our Scottish UNESCO road trip back down southwards and back closer to our start point of Scotland’s capital city of Edinburgh.

The Forth Bridge, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The last stop and the last UNESCO site, the Forth Bridge is a World Heritage Site and truly a marvel of engineering of its time. Spanning 2,529 metres (8,296 ft) in length and standing over 100 metres above the Firth of Forth. It opened in 1890 and continues to operate as an important passenger and freight rail bridge. This vast structure, with its distinctive red colour, was conceived and built using advanced civil engineering design principles and construction methods of its time. Nestled in next to the Forth Rail Bridge are it’s sister bridges, the sixties Forth Road Bridge and the recently opened Queensferry Crossing. You are able to compare these bridges and see the differences and engineering techniques which have advanced over time. With the earliest bridge being built in 1890, then 1964 and the newest one in 2017.

Shorter Routes

We know doing this whole route is a massive commitment and time investment, so why not pick one or two places that interest you most and incorporate them into your very own unique road trip. Having the freedom of a Campervan is what makes these routes so easily accessible. The ability to plan your route, decide where you would like to visit and where you would like to stop for the night is all part of the adventure of Camping in a Campervan! Not to mention the convenience of being able to park up and get organised for a comfortable night’s sleep in some of the countries most spectacular places. We hope you are inspired and intrigued to visit one of these fantastic UNESCO sites on your next road trip with us.

Before your trip

Before you set off on the road along the trail, it’s important to be aware of the following guidelines:

Follow the rules, etiquette and regulations of the road to ensure your safety and the safety of other road users. If you find there is traffic behind you, allow other vehicles to overtake you.
Leave no trace in the great outdoors by looking at the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
Don’t light bonfires or barbeques as these can easily get out of control and, make sure to take extra care around natural hazards, our campervans all come equipped with a gas stove.

Ready to set off?

Planning your own campervan experience? Get in touch today and have a chat with our friendly team who will be happy to help plan your next road trip adventure.

Scotland UNESCO Roadtrip