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Input on how to spend two extra days in Scotland in May

After enjoying a RS Ireland Tour in early May, my husband and I will be flying to Edinburgh for 3 days. We then will pick up a rental car on Friday, May 15 for the next week. During that time we have reservations at an airbnb in St. Andrews (Sunday - Friday), as hubby is an avid golfer. So we have May 15-17 to see some of the Scottish countryside and sites and would appreciate any advice on how best to do so. I considered just poking around the harbor towns on our way up the coast of Fife to St. Andrews, but am not sure that warrants 2+ days. Also thought of visiting Falkirk Wheel, and the Kelpies, as well as Stirling Castle, staying in Stirling. But since it is only an hour from Edinburgh, would it be better to drive further up into the Highlands instead? And if we continue north of Stirling, how easy is it then to circle east to St. Andrews? The distances seem doable, but not being familiar with the roads nor driving in the area, it's a little hard to know. I am interested in both Pitlochry and Balmoral, but perhaps one or both could be a day trip from St. Andrews later in the week? Thanks for any feedback.

FYI, my husband has driven in England and managed fine, but it was many years ago, so adjusting to the driving will be interesting and may slow us down. This is our first trip to Ireland and Scotland, both on our bucket list. And of course my husband can hardly wait to try out some courses at the "birthplace of golf."

Posted by
172 posts

We stayed three nights in Pitlochry and enjoyed the area. Plenty of beautiful short hikes and some scenic drives around nearby loches. Pitlochry also has a golf course and a distillery. I’d recommend it for an overnight stay instead of a day trip.

Posted by
28069 posts

I moseyed from St. Andrews to Edinburgh by bus through the East Neuk villages this year. I was encumbered by luggage so could do as much wandering as I would have liked. It's an attractive area, but I think it's not as distinctive as some places to the west. I'd go elsewhere on your trip; I had more time.

Posted by
3123 posts

You'd get more helpful responses if you posted this in the Scotland forum. Also, I'm a bit confused about your number of days with rental car that aren't committed to golfing in St. Andrews.

Are you looking to fill in two days near Edinburgh, or near St. Andrews? Is this two full days and two overnight stays, or two days with just one night in between?

Posted by
10 posts

Thanks for the heads up that I posted this query in the wrong country forum. I've now got it under Scotland. To clarify, we are looking for ideas to spend two free days, leaving Edinburgh on Friday morning and arriving in St. Andrews Sunday afternoon. Our hope was to get out of the city and see some sites in the countryside.