12 night Scotland itinerary with back troubles

I'm wondering if instead of routeing onto Skye via the Mallaig ferry you scheduled to route via the Glenelg ferry. Then it is minimal inconvenience if instead you have to go over the bridge.
But it is a short, sheltered crossing so is not so likely to be weather affected.
You could then have an overnight stop maybe at Fort Augustus or elsewhere in that sort of area.

On the way back from Skye to Inverness I'm thinking you could maybe have an overnight at the Strathcarron Hotel as being almost a halfway point, or maybe the Ledgowan Lodge at Achnasheen- examples of possibilities.
I appreciate that the "usual" option is Plockton, and nothing wrong at all with that- just thinking a bit out of the box and slightly closer towards Inverness, evening out the days a bit. The draw back of Strathcarron and Achnasheen is that both are in fairly isolated locations, so there is no real choice of where to eat, apart from the hotel.
The Ledgowan is set back on the old road (not the current fast road) so is a nice quiet location.

It's a bit on the 2 hour limit from Portree (more like 2.5 to 3 hours) but Strathpeffer is another potential option closer to Inverness- a real village- an old Victorian Spa village.

I'm not dissing Kirknewton at all but that is an unusual place for a last night. i don't know what time the flight is, but wonder if Dunfermline or North Queensferry could be a more suitable final night location. Or similar options at the south end of Fife.

The ferry from Mallaig is unlikely to be cancelled due to weather at the end of April, but it could happen, and there are sometimes mechanical issues which mean the ferry gets cancelled. So isn31c's suggestion of the Glenelg to Kylerhea ferry is a good one. You don't have to book that ferry and it usually runs from Easter until October, about every 20 minutes with a break for lunch. Wildlife spotting from the ferry and the slipway is fun too. You might see otters, seals, dolphins, whales or sea eagles. Fort Augustus would be a good place to spend the night before the fairly short drive to Glenelg.

Isn31c is also on the money with his suggestion of Ledgowan Lodge for the drive from Portree to Inverness. Friends of our stayed there and liked it very much. You will almost certainly see red deer as they hang around the lodge and we see them when passing on our way to Inverness.

By the way are there particular sites you want to see near Inverness? If not, personally I would add another night or two to Skye and then head from there to Pitlochry. If you decided to do that you could overnight in somewhere like Invergarry (the Invergarry Hotel is pretty good).

For the final night I'd suggest the Hilton Doubletree at North Queensferry. It's a comfortable hotel perched on a hill with a view of the 3 Forth Bridges, but no traffic noise. Breakfast is excellent and there's a restaurant, although The Wee Restaurant down the hill in the village of North Queensferry is a favourite of ours. You could walk down to the restaurant in about 15 minutes and they will call you a cab back up to the hotel.

By the way are there particular sites you want to see near Inverness? If not, personally I would add another night or two to Skye and then head from there to Pitlochry.

I agree with Skyegirl. It would be a shame to only get one full day on the Isle of Skye, which is what two nights would give you. Adding at least one more night or even better two nights would give you plenty of time to see the gorgeous scenery there and all the sights.

Thank you very much! These are great suggestions and I really appreciate your insight. I've already begun to rethink my itinerary.

I love the idea of the Glenelg ferry, especially since it runs every 20 minutes. That will quell my anxiety!

I was planning to visit Culloden, which was why I thought the nights in Inverness would be good. I could pass on Culloden for another night in Skye then go to Pitlochry. I would like to see a bit of the Cairngorms National Park. Would this be the better option?

I had chosen Kirknewton for our last night because of the Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club. There is a pool and hot tub so I thought it might be just a good relaxation evening and near the airport. However, I will take a look into North Queensferry. The Hilton looks nice.

Does the rest of the itinerary look ok?

Thank you again!

Check your car rental company because if one of your drivers is 75 or older you my need additional documentation such as a doctors note. That could be totally not necessary for Scotland but hopefully someone can help to clarify this.

The thing is that Culloden is a minor diversion on your way to Pitlochry and breaks up the drive very nicely. Maybe your husband drives to Culloden and then you on to Pitlochry.
Coming off the Achnasheen route you come over the Kessock Bridge onto the Inverness City bypass then off onto the A96 (the route I would take, there are others) for Culloden, Make sure you aim for Culloden Battlefield not Culloden housing scheme.
Personally I would then take the B851 from Culloden to rejoin the A9 at Daviot.

So what I'm saying is that you don't NEED a night in Inverness to visit Culloden, so I think you can do extra time in Skye AND Culloden.
We all vary on our opinions, but you barely have to touch the A9 until well south of Aviemore. I take the view that the more rewarding route is to use the old A9 (now the B9154/B9153) through Moy and Tomatin, then with a stop in Carrbridge (maybe change drivers again).
See the old packhorse bridge (Carrbridge was an important stop on the old A9). Maybe a walk in the forest at the back of the village which leads to the Railway Station. Possibly have lunch in the pub/hotel or the village tearoom To me a far better stop than Aviemore.

There are then back roads (pretty reasonable ones) through Rothiemurchus down to Kingussie. Then the A86 down through Newtonmore (Highland Folk Museum) as far as Dalwhinnie, where you rejoin the A9. For me it makes a far more rewarding journey on the old roads through the towns and villages than just staying on the A9. There are quite a few potential stops on that route.
Make it a road trip day, not just a transfer. The places en route you can keep swopping around driving duties if you want. Whoever is driving I think can more appreciate the scenery than if on the fast A9.

But yes I like the itinerary.

Kirknewton itself is one of those forgettable West Lothian/outer Edinburgh towns. But now you mention the Country Club that is a lesson to me not to "judge a book by it's covers". That puts a different complexion on it and a more compelling reason to stay there.

PS- Except the Culloden to Daviot road I know all that 'slow' route pretty well, I've travelled it all several times. Just thinking about it is a bit of a happy morning feeling.

If you did want an 'Inverness' night then Nairn would do you very well. You could add a stop at Ardersier/Fort George (if of interest) on the way to Nairn. Then next day come up to Culloden from Nairn via Cawdor Castle and Gardens even if you don't plan to visit the Castle, which I know many are ambivalent about. But then they are not you. So I'm not giving an opinion either way, just throwing it out as another option.