For this trip, we travelled from London to the West Coast of Scotland for a farans collection shoot, spending four days on the road around lochs, forest roads and some of the most scenic viewpoints in the country.
This journal is part travel diary, part road trip guide. It’s focused not just on destinations, but on the journeys between them - the views from the car window, the quiet pull-over stops, the winding roads and the moments that make Scotland such a special place to travel through.
And because this was a proper shoot trip with a crew and kit, we travelled in a Land Rover Defender 90 - which honestly felt like the perfect vehicle for a journey like this.
If you’re planning a West Coast of Scotland road trip, or searching for Loch Goil travel inspiration, we hope this helps you build a route that’s as enjoyable as the destination itself.
Day 1: Travelling from London to Loch Goil
We started early in London with bags packed in the Defender 90, kit ready, and the full day ahead of us. The first part of the drive is familiar motorway travel, but as you head further north, the scenery changes quickly.
It happens gradually. Towns become smaller, the roads get quieter, and the landscape starts to open up. The further you go, the more it feels like you’re leaving city life behind and heading somewhere calmer.
Once you reach the West Coast side of Scotland, the drive becomes a big part of the experience. The roads begin to wind more, the views become bigger, and you start passing the kind of scenery that makes you slow down without even thinking about it. The Defender felt made for it too — solid, comfortable, and ideal for a crew travelling with kit and bags packed to the roof.
By the time we reached Loch Goil in the Argyll area, the atmosphere had completely shifted. Everything felt still and quiet, surrounded by forest and water, with that classic Scotland feeling of space and fresh air. We based ourselves near Lochgoilhead, a small village right at the top of the loch. It’s a perfect place to stay on a Scotland road trip because it puts you in the middle of everything, with loch views in one direction and forest roads in the other.
Why the journey matters on a Scotland road trip
If you’ve ever driven around Scotland’s west coast, you’ll know the journey is the experience. These roads aren’t designed for rushing through. They’re designed for scenery, and they naturally encourage you to travel slower.
This is the kind of route where you’ll stop more than you planned. You’ll pull over for views you didn’t expect, pause for dramatic shifts in weather, and take detours simply because the road looks too good not to follow.
It’s what makes Scotland feel so special. Even when you’re travelling between shoot locations, it never feels like a commute. It feels like part of the trip, especially in a vehicle like the Defender 90, where the travel itself feels like an experience.
Day 2: West Coast of Scotland travel & shoot day
Day 2 was our main shoot day, which meant an early start, bags loaded, car packed, and a full day of travelling between locations.
We stayed close to the Loch Goil and Argyll Forest Park area and spent most of the day moving between lochside viewpoints and forest roads. This part of Scotland is perfect for a shoot because you can get so much variety in a short distance. You can drive for ten minutes and move from deep woodland to open loch views without feeling like you’ve gone far at all.
The West Coast is brilliant for photography because it’s always changing. Sunlight comes and goes, cloud moves fast, mist rolls in and lifts again, and the water reflects everything differently depending on the light. It means every stop feels slightly different, even if you’re still in the same area.
We spent the day shooting wherever we found a spot that felt right, whether that meant pulling into a quiet track through the trees or stopping at the edge of the loch when the light hit the water at the right time. The Defender made this kind of day easy too — quick stops, easy loading and unloading, and plenty of space for a crew moving fast between locations.
This kind of trip is exactly what farans is made for. It’s travelling with purpose, travelling with ease, and carrying everything you need while moving from place to place.
Scenic viewpoint stop: Rest and Be Thankful
One of the standout stops on this route was Rest and Be Thankful, a well-known viewpoint in Argyll and one we’d recommend adding to your drive if you’re in this area.
It’s the sort of place that makes you pull over instantly. The views are wide and open, and it captures what this region does best: open roads, dramatic landscape, and that feeling of being in the middle of something much bigger than you.
This stop also felt like a proper road trip moment — the kind where the Defender is parked up beside you, the wind is strong, and you can’t quite believe the view is real.
Day 3: Second shoot day (loch-side roaming + West Coast views)
Day 3 was shoot day two, and it felt much more like a road trip loop. We wanted a mix of open-road shots, wide landscape backdrops, and those classic Scotland moments where you take a turn and suddenly the view changes completely.
This area is perfect for that because you can start the day surrounded by trees and finish it by open water with mountains in the distance. You can take a short drive and feel like you’ve travelled through several different landscapes.
We travelled through a few key areas on this day, including routes around Loch Long and nearby stretches toward Arrochar and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Each drive felt like part of the shoot, not just the travel between it, and the Defender really came into its own on these roads.
We found ourselves stopping often to take photos, take in the view properly, and choose locations that felt natural to the farans story — real travel, real movement, real journeys.
The bags worked as part of the trip in the most genuine way. They were in and out of the car all day, carried across uneven ground, styled in different locations and packed up again for the next stop. It was the kind of travel testing we love most, because it’s real use, not just a set.
Day 4: Scotland road trip return journey
Day 4 was the journey back, with the tired-but-happy feeling you always get after a shoot trip. It’s the moment where the camera roll is full, the car is packed again, and you start replaying the last few days in your head while you drive.
The return drive has a different mood. It’s calmer and quieter, and it feels like the trip is starting to settle in. Even on the way home, Scotland still gives you views that make you slow down, and you end up taking in the landscape in a different way the second time around.
There’s something very satisfying about a final long drive in the Defender too — it feels like the closing chapter of the journey.
West Coast of Scotland road trip route notes
If you’re planning a similar route, Loch Goil is a brilliant base and gives you easy access to some of the West Coast’s best scenery. Lochgoilhead is a great place to stay, and the surrounding routes through Argyll Forest Park, around Loch Long, and toward Arrochar and Loch Lomond offer endless opportunities for scenic drives, views and quiet stops.
Final Thoughts
This trip reminded us why we love travel journals, because the best journeys aren’t only about where you arrive. They’re shaped by the roads, the stops, and the moments in between.
The West Coast of Scotland is perfect for that kind of travel. It’s scenic, slow-paced, and full of views worth pulling over for. And travelling through it in a Defender with a crew made it even better - part expedition, part shoot trip, and fully a farans journey.
