Scotland Winter Roadtrip | Discovering Scotland’s Snow Roads Route over Glenshee

As scenic drives go, the Snow Road Scenic Route (A93) from Blairgowrie to Grantown on Spey takes some beating…  In fact drive it yourself and you’ll probably feel like we do about this beautiful country full of Glens, Lochs, Castles, Scenic Drives or Munros…..Road trips are a great way to experience a new country. But from the motorhome you sometimes feel removed, or feel that something is lacking. Something tactile, a chance to touch and to breathe in the surroundings….. But this particular Scottish Tourist Route offers plenty of chances to get out and stretch your legs…. perhaps walk a Munro, snowball fight on top of Glenshee, visit Braemar Castle or even grab a drone and head out for some videography roadschooling

The narrow, winding roads leading to Glenshee have to zigzag the dramatic snow covered mountains that rise directly from the stunning Perthshire countryside. Providing all drivers with a close encounter with nature that simply takes your breath away… (just check the local forecast before you head off here…)

Squeezed in between craggy peaks, the Snowy Road route showcases a real variety of Scottish landscapes.  From beautiful Braemar to the serene and raw nature of the mountain tops (beside the ski centre) or the age old farming culture below. The 90 mile route from Blairgowrie to Grantown on Spey includes the highest public road in Britain and is simply jam packed full of interesting wild animal / bird life!!!

The route can easily be covered in 4hrs but we took almost 6 hours including a healthy lunch stop at the peak. In truth, it’s not a quick route… more a scenic driving opportunity to take your time to enjoy the views, villages and attractions along the route. Steep hills, ‘blind’ summits and tight bends on the roads are worth being aware of…. but none are impassable even for the largest of motorhomes.

Perhaps one of the lesser known routes in the UK, this surely must count as a hidden gem. For us, this road should be driven from south to north – culminating at Grantown on Spey or Braemar depending on your next destination. Perhaps the most striking of all viewpoints along the tourist routes are close to the two ski resorts…. but there are plenty of other things to interest you enroute from moss covered tree lined roads or rustic white bridges to marvel at…

Leaving the snowy peaks of Glenshee behind you, the route alters as you head towards the ‘Old Military Road’ and an increasingly desolate moorside view…. although we’re sure it can be both remote and foreboding on certain days, for us it just reminded us all of enjoyable afternoons spent walking the similar North York Moors. On another note, this scenic drive reminds us of how similar Norway and Scotland can be…. reminding us of happy times exploring the spectacular Jotunheimen Tourist Route in Norway or the unbelievably beautiful Flamsbana Railroad… but in fact the A93 Snowy Route is only just one of Scotland’s 12 National Tourist Routes and the epic North Coast 500 we’d enjoyed in January 2016….

It really has proved the perfect place for our budding photographer (Lottie) and videographer (Libby) to experiment and learn more about their growing passions…. and even offered Tizzy the opportunity to bound across the moorside to her hearts content too (see above). A belter of a route and one that we’ll happily do again in the summer.

If you’re heading this way and looking for a great base to enjoy the route, then it’s worth looking into the well located ‘Five Roads Campsite‘. Situated just outside of Blaigowrie, this ‘open all year’ campsite offers excellent touring pitches and space galore…. the perfect place to explore this stunning area of Scotland.