Hello fellow travelers - first time using forum so please bear with me. My husband & I are planning travel to Scotland in May, and we usually self drive on trips, but in this case don't want to drive "on other side". After touring Glasgow & Edinburgh on our own, what suggestions are there to see the Highlands (Inverness, Thuros, Orkney Islands, Isle of Skye, Oban, other suggestions)? If we use train, are Ubers or similar generally available at these locations?
Hire a driver? Join a tour (but trying to avoid to have more flexibility)?
Any advice, particularly on local guides and or drivers if possible, would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Posted by
Chicago
3496 posts
Welcome to the forum!! There is a wealth of information here.
Rabbie’s is a great option for those who don’t want to drive. I did a couple day tours from Edinburg when I was in Scotland in May 2023.
I’m signed up to do one of their 3-day tours when I return to Edinburg later this year.
Plus, there are some easy day trips via train to the coast.
My trip report might give you some ideas. Scroll down to the Edinburg part:
Posted by
Royaume-Uni
2651 posts
The Undiscovered Scotland website has a wealth of information
this tells you about tour operators https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/uslinks/touroperators.html
there are further links on that page regarding local taxi services
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8253 posts
An additional possible location, albeit pretty far north, is the Shetland islands. We flew there (arriving at Sumburgh) and later left via ferry (from Lerwick) to Orkney. Then there’s Fort William, at the foot of the highest mountains in the UK, which we visited after Skye. And Glencoe is just south of Fort William.
Outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow, where we’ve taken taxis, buses, and trams (and also walked a lot), we’ve had a rental car. But the search function on this Rick Steves Website (box on the Home page with a magnifying glass) can yield lots information, from articles by Rick himself, to many posts on this Travel Forum that contain the search words. Here’s one from less than 4 weeks ago get mug hit provide a personal transportation option: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/ireland/private-driver-tour-of-ireland-or-scotland
Posted by
SoCal
1590 posts
I want to reinforce the recommendation for Rabbie's tours. We took two of them a couple summers ago (we began in Inverness, but tours also depart from Edinburgh) and thoroughly enjoyed both. Make sure to see Dunnottar Castle.