If you had to pick between seeing the Isle of Skye or Wales (northern)

I'm confused, I think, because if you have 3 weeks between the Tattoo and the start of the tour, I would think you would have plenty of time to do both. If not, how much time do you actually have for each of these side trips?? Since you will already be in Scotland, then exploring more of Scotland seems logical.

CJean - I was afraid it wasn't going to be clear but the other places we've identified as "must visits" eat up most of the rest of our time. We have certain sights and # days for each (London, York, Cotswolds, Cambridge, etc.) that leave us with about 4 days that we could devote to Isle of Skye near the front of our trip (after Edinburgh) or 4 days for Wales, before the meeting up with our Rick Steves trip. We try to allow at least 3-4 days in most of our stops. So, while three weeks does seems like we can fit it all in, we really cannot without doing too many short stops. I hope that explains. Thanks!

Thanks for clarifying. I'll stick with my original recommendation of Scotland. You might look at Rabbies Tours. They've got 3 and 4 day tours that include Skye.

I’d check to see if you can find accommodation on Isle of Skye. The availability or lack thereof might make the decision for you.

Ten years ago, we searched accommodation in Portree for August in the March/April timeframe. We did find a place, but much was already booked. My understanding is that it has become much more difficult to find accommodation now as newlicensing requirements have resulted in a number of B&B owners closing their businesses.

If you do end up in Inverness, I strongly recommend getting dinner reservations well in advance for the River House. It's one of the finest restaurants I've ever patronized. The Mustard Seed is also terrific, but a bit easier to get a table in.

I would say North Wales with all its castles, and by early September the schools are back so it's a bit quieter.

Cathedrals wise you have the obvious of Chester, but there are the less well known Cathedrals at Bangor and St Asaph.

On the way down through the Welsh marches to Canterbury you could also visit Shrewsbury Abbey (a Cathedral in all but name) and Hereford Cathedral (this years home of the Three Choirs Festival in early August) then the train back through the Cotswolds to Paddington.

Been to North Wales, it is awesome.

We took a 3 day Rabbies tour from Edinburgh to Skye. It was a full day bus ride to Skye & a full day back. We stopped at a few places but those were long days. then 1 full day on Skye. So make your choice accordingly

Me? Wales is on our bucket list

We love North Wales, but have always had a car. We usually stay at a lovely B&B in Colwyn Bay. I'm not sure how easy it would be to navigate without a car. The castles and historical sites are amazing.

North Wales by public transport could hardly be easier.

Thanks everyone for your input! I’ve made notes of everything recommended. As an update, we’ve decided to re-work our schedule and shave off a day here and there so that we can fit both Isle of Skye (we did find accommodations) and North Wales into our schedule. If we find, once there, that we’ve short-changed any particular place, as Rick says “we can always come back.” Thanks again. Any additional suggestions will still be much appreciated!