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Driving from Inverness to Speyside distilleries a good idea or hire a driver?

chickpeachickpea Member ✭
in Touring and Road Trips
Hoping someone can tell me the difficulty level of an American driving from Inverness to The Glenfiddich distillery in Speyside on a Saturday in late September. It is approx$360 to hire a driver for the day vs driving ourselves with a car we will already have. I will not be drinking but my spouse will. We are fine with spending the money if it is a dangerous drive, otherwise we'd rather have that $360 to spend on something else. I think we will also have a shorter tour at Cardu . Any input is greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • HorizonsHorizons Member, VisitScotland Ambassador ✭✭✭✭
    Hey @chickpea I am not sure about what constitutes as dangerous drive. I'll just outline what is different between driving in the UK & the UK, right hand drive vs left hand drive, it is more difficult to get an automatic vs a stick (if you can drive a stick then thats great) and some rural roads in Scotland are single-track. The roads themselves between Inverness & Speyside are great and pretty much all double track, they don't go through mountains or have many bends, it is very flat (compared to say Switzerland) and very pleasant.

    That being said $360 sounds really reasonable to me had you both planned to drink :smile: Enjoy your Speyside trip.
    I'm Anirudh, an Indian travel blogger who has explored a lot of Scotland by public transport. My blog. Find me on Facebook | Instagram

    Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)

    My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Speyside fest)

  • chickpeachickpea Member ✭

    Well, by dangerous I was mainly asking about the road conditions between the 2 places. We will have an automatic car thank goodness. So if it is not very congested traffic wise, I am thinking we will do fine to drive. I am not going to be drinking so I will be the designated driver. Thanks for the info.

  • YourScotlandTourYourScotlandTour Member ✭✭✭
    Hi @chickpea the price for the driver is reasonable. The roads in Speyside are not normally overcrowded and by late September normally start to ease up considerably as the tourist season starts to wind down.
    Bespoke tours.
    Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
    yourscotlandtour.co.uk
  • Samantha_GrantSamantha_Grant VisitScotland Ambassador ✭✭✭✭
    @chickpea If you're not drinking and happy driving then do it yourself as opposed to using an expensive driver.  That way you can enjoy a leisurely drive and stop when you see a photo opportunity plus you can spend the money on some nice take home souvenirs instead.  The roads won't be congested and they're safe to drive too so you'll do just fine. 
    I'm a Scottish travel blogger and freelance writer with an extensive knowledge of travelling in Scotland.  I'm always on the road exploring my wonderful country.  I love remote places, history and the great outdoors. 




  • HorizonsHorizons Member, VisitScotland Ambassador ✭✭✭✭
    @chickpea no problem, the roads leading to most major distilleries are generally in top shape because they constantly have big trucks coming in & out to transport the product. You have nothing to worry about.
    I'm Anirudh, an Indian travel blogger who has explored a lot of Scotland by public transport. My blog. Find me on Facebook | Instagram

    Best of Scotland in 1 week itinerary (fully by public transport)

    My Scotland travels (includes Edinburgh, Skye, Harris, Mull, Arran, Orkney, Loch Lomond, Islay, Oban, Speyside fest)

  • chickpeachickpea Member ✭
    Thank you very much!!
  • chickpeachickpea Member ✭

    Ok, going to bother you one more time.... from Inverness to the Cardu Distillery which would be our first stop, is it better to go the A9 through Grantown on Spey or the A96 through Nairn? He has a longer tour at Glenfiddich in the afternoon so we may decide to come back a different way when we finish that tour to head back to Inverness.
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