anyone care to comment on my scotland itinerary?

I'm jealous! What a wonderful itinerary. Can I come too? But since you want to see as much of Scotland as possible, can you get to the Isle of Sky &/or the Orkney Islands? You may also want to check this website for more ideas if you haven't used it already: http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/index.html.

Well, I think we might take one of our days in Inverness and do the all day tour to Orkney (bus from inverness, ferry out to Orkney all included). I didn't mention it because when I say that I want to see Orkney, people usually start to think I am REALLY pushing it. But I would like to plan on it, and we can always opt out and stay in Inverness for the day if we are too tired.

As for Skye, I'd love to see it, but I felt like it would be better to devote a few days to one rather than rushing to do each in only 1 day. I really want to visit Iona and Staffa, so we decided to go to Mull instead of Skye.

We rented a car in Scotland. They drive on the other side of the road and you use the stick shift with the left hand. My husband wasn't used to either. Double check the insurance that your credit card covers and what the rental company offers. It would have been cheaper for us to hire a limo.

I'd allow another day for the East Neuk villages and St. Andrews. After crossing the Firth of Forth bridge, drive along the firth and the coast rather than taking a faster route to the East Neuk, and try to time your journey so that you'll see the lovely fishing villages at high tide. You can plot your routes on Google maps.

It sounds like a good itenerary. If you do as Bea suggests and give an extra day to St. Andrews area, you might take it from Glasgow.

I worked with a woman who grew up in Glasgow, which is why I've never been there. She said she only goes back to see her relatives and would skip it if she could. I will go eventually, but her description of the place reminds me of industrial cities like Limerick and Newcastle.

Looks like you've put a good bit of thought into your trip. I'd suggest you consider NOT getting a car. The trains in Scotland are awesome and EASY to use. We've been to Scotland more than 30 times in 20 years. We absolutely LOVE Inverness. DO THE ORKNEY trip!!! We did it this summer and loved it. I'd suggest something like the following: Edinburg 1 or 2 nights. Train to Aviemore (instead of Perth) 2 nights. Train to Inverness 5 to 7 nights. train to Ft. William 1 night. Train to Mallaig 1 night. Train or bus to Oban then train to Galsgow. In my "dream" trip, I'd increase the time in Aviemore and Inverness and skip Glasgow and Oban. There are great companies that do day trips- check out Canny tours and Heavenly Highlands tours. Feel free to contact me for more ideas, questions, details.

Greetings

Not sure about ditching the car. Here in Edinburgh having a car is a nightmare, but in the Highlands & Islands, a car is very helpful.

For one, you can't go to Mull or Iona without a car unless you are on a packaged tour. And Mull is wonderful - there's not a huge amount to do, but that's part of the charm. You get to relax and enjoy the scenery rather than dashing from tourist site to tourist site. But you should book well ahead for both accommodation and the ferry because September is still busy with tourists.

For Mull, I would stay on the island. It's not something you want to do daytrips to because the ferry isn't cheap and driving on the island is slow. It's almost all single lane roads and very windy. It will take an hour or more to get to the Iona ferry from anywhere else.

Also remember that while distances are short, between the roads, lack of daylight and weather, it can take much longer to get places than you think.

Have fun!
Kate

Thanks, everyone, for all your replies. Your feedback is wonderful. One more thing: Does anyone have any specific recommendations for restaurants or lodgings in any of these places I mentioned? We are looking for affordable, b&b type places, but may splurge once or twice at some really nice places (maybe in Perth or Ft. William, since we'll just be there one night each). Thanks again!

Twenty years ago we went by train to Aviemore, and enjoyed it very much. However, when we were looking for things to do, quite a bit of it was only accessible by car. We did take a horseback ride into the glens. Wow. Later, back in Ayr, (south of Glasgow) we went to dog races, and to a major horse race, the Gold Cup. This was in September, so maybe you can catch that.

Gretchen - I would have to concur about the driving part. KEEP THE CAR! If you rent it from here (which I'm sad to say we didn't do) you can make sure you have an automatic, not a stick-shift. Renting it from somewhere at the airport will be the easiest to guarantee.
Decrease your time on Mull/Iona/Staffa. You can take a ferry from Oban to Mull, take a bus across Mull to another ferry which will take you to Staffa. You will then go back to Iona where you can see the Abbey. This can all be done as a one day trip.
Are you keeping the car for the entire length of the trip? What kind of day tour is from Inverness to Orkney? Is it Mainland, Orkney? If at all possible, I would maybe decrease the time in Inverness to spend at least 2-3 days on Orkney. You won't regret it. If you're taking the time to go all the way up there, make sure you have time to do everything you want to do. Highland Park Distillery, Cathedral, stone circles, Maes Howe, Skara Brae. You will need a car for Orkney.

Also on Orkney, I recommend doing the craft tour. Sheila Fleet Jewelery, Traditional Orkney Crafts, etc. There is quite a bit to do and Orkney is absolutely fabulous. I would go to the Kirkwall Hotel for the Orkney Fudge Cheesecake followed by a dram of Highland Park. It is well worth the trip!!
The Isle of Skye can be done as about a day and a half trip. Stop in the car rental/laundromat/petrol station at Kyleakin and they can show you the best route around the island - including Flora MacDonald's grave, Kilt Rock, the Cuillins. We stayed at the hostel in Armadale - I'd stay closer to town. If I had to choose between Skye and Orkney -go with Orkney. Its the least accessible and if you're considering it at all, you should go.
As you're mapping your trip, get a map of Scotland to get a good idea of what's where and how to get from one place to another. Get a good map when you get there.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me! I could even show you pics!

Greetings

We stayed in Dervaig on Mull, but it appears that the B&B has new owners so I don't know what it's like these days. It used to have great cooking, but the current website mentions only breakfasts.

I think a day trip to Mull would be VERY hectic. I've never heard of a public bus on Mull, and if there is one, it's likely to have very limited timings, and many only run in the summer months. To do Iona and Staffa in one day would be exhausting and may not be possible out of season, depending on ferry schedules. Remeber that days will be shorter then, and you don't want to be driving in the dark.

I'd take the car, and perhaps do Staffa one day, spend the night and do Iona the next day. You could then leave from Iona to the ferry back to Oban or across from the other ferry.

Kate

I hadn't thought of doing more than 1 day on Orkney, but the idea is intriguing. I really hate to take time away from Inverness because there are several day trips we were hoping to do: Culloden/Clava Cairns; Loch Ness; drive north east to see little coastal towns (I've heard the walk from Gardenstown to Crovie is beautiful); all day Orkney tour. I think those things alone would take all 4 of the days that we have scheduled there. We could take a day away from Mull to add 1 to Orkney. However, I was thinking our time on Mull would be our few days of just taking it easy while the rest of the trip would be pretty aggressive sight-seeing.

I guess I just have to accept that there is no way to devote the time I want to everything, and that it will be an amazing trip no matter what! For those who asked about the trip to Orkney, it looks like there are several groups that provide day-tours from Inverness--Puffin Express, Wildabout Orkney, etc. Hadn't decided on one yet. Thoughts?

Lucky you.Mabe allow a little more time for a journey down the west coast, with plenty of stopping off time.
http://www.ruareidh.co.uk/rr-house.htm
http://www.bespoketours.org.uk/applecross.php
You must do the mad little road of sutherland.Its the minor one from Lochinver to Ullapool.
http://www.bespoketours.org.uk/applecross.php

http://www.wigwamholidays.com/

Also the boat trip on Skye to Loch Coruisk.
Maybe head via Braemar-Tomintoul to Inverness, the A9 is a bit dull.
Richard

As someone who was born and raised in Scotland and return for holidays, I always seem to forget how small the place is, yet it is jam packed with history, old architecture and beauty. It is difficult to drive 5 miles without hitting a new village, town or city. My advice would be don't try and see everything. Unlike North America, the geography in Scotland changes every 20 miles. Did you realise that St Andrews is less than two hours from Edinburgh and there is a huge amount to see between the two spots. My fear is that you are going to spend all your time journeying from place to place and not see more than the inside of your car and 100 yards on either side of the road...Relax and enjoy, get out of the car and wander, meet the people, they are very friendly and helpful. Stop and smell the roses and go home feeling like you have really "tasted" Scotland, and if the weather is bad where you are, go to the opposite coast. After all it can't be more than 40 miles away.....Have fun.

Oh, Neil, I definitely hear what you are saying. I love to wander and just stop wherever looks good. I plan to let the spirit guide me a good part of the time. We aren't ones to get bogged down by having to stick to a schedule. But at the same time, since I don't know if or when I'll be back, I'd like to see a lot. But I really am trying to maintain some time to just drive and see what catches our fancy. That is almost always the best part of a trip. Thanks!

Gretchen - just out of curiosity, what time in Sept. are you planning on going?
Something to keep in mind about Sept. - as it gets later in the month, many places will have more limited times for their openings. If you're going to a more remote areas and staying in smaller family-run B&B's or small hotels, check their policies as far as when (if) they close during periods of the year.

In defense of Glasgow, I must say that I've always enjoyed spending time there. The Glaswegians are fun and funny, but some of its ex-pats disparage the city. I suspect that they haven't visited many of Glasgow's great cultural attractions. The city has good public transportation, fabulous parks and fascinating historic sites. There are 13 free museums, among them: Kelvin Grove Art Gallery and Museum, the Museum of Transport, People's Palace and Winter Gardens and The Burrell Collection. Don't overlook this great city; there's so much to see and do.
http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Visitors/