2 Week Itinerary - Help, please!

Yes, I'm getting a bit obsessive but I do enjoy the planning prices! Please disregard the question of lodging in Roybridge - it's in a totally different place than I'd thought (mea culpa!) -- Dunkeld vs Pitlochry is still a quandary but Pitlochry seems to have more lodging choices. Thank you!!

I will take a proper look, but first of all before you plan anything check out membership of Historic Scotland. They own or manage Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Doune Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Iona Abbey on behalf of the crown via the Scottish Government.

Some sights are privately owned, Glamis, Scone etc.

Initial thoughts are it has been well thought out, but some days are too packed. Day 13 for example you will want more than 1/2 day at any of the points mentioned.

Thank you so very much! I'll admit to being a bit confused by the various passes - the various Scottish Heritage Passes had me practically setting up an Excel spreadsheet - but I'd not found the Historic Scotland pass - and this looks best of all!

Sounds like you have made some good travel plans. We have stayed twice at Pine Trees Hotel (more of an Inn really) and loved it. They have a nice breakfast that is included but serve a very good dinner as well. There are some nice walks in the Dunkeld area but I don't have a guide book at hand to recommend. The walk to the woodland place with the sort of chapel with mirrors (check your guide book) is a very pretty & easy walk--saw salmon swimming upstream there. Moulin Hotel is a basic accommodation but the pub there serves good meals. From slightly north of Pitlochry is a woodland walk called Soldiers Leap that is nice. Blair Castle is near Pitlochry and it and Glamis are my favorite castles in Scotland. Bag pipers were playing at Blair when we visited. Inverary Castle did not measure up to those two but worth a look if you are in the area. If you can include Blair a place not to be missed IMO is House of Brouar--a huge upscale shopping place with food halls, etc. and a great place to have lunch in the solarium. After looking at your notes I think Soldiers Leap is the Killicrankie Walk,

You have a nice trip planned. Much as I love Edinburgh, I think you have a bit too much time there. I think I would pare it down one day. I would go straight to the Castle on your first day. You learn a lot of history, you get a birds eye view and it benefits you the rest of your stay. You should think about downloading Rick's audio tour for Edinburgh. I've not done many of the walking tours of Edinburgh as I've found it so easy to wander on my own. You can also buy an audio tour on Amazon. I did take one of the ghost tours. Here's a promising book on historical walking tours and here's another. The reason I like my own tours is that it gives more flexibility. And I get to read about it in advance. :) Speaking of flexibility you might want to watch the weather and make sure you have your heavy museum day when the weather is gloomy.

I wouldn't call your time in Stirling as the Trossachs. I like what you're seeing, but you are not getting the flavor of the Trossachs. If you want to do that, then think about going to Loch Katrine and taking the Steamer tour of the Loch. If you are feeling energetic you can bike back. You would probably have time to check out Balquhiddar and Rob Roy's grave. Use Undiscovered Scotland to help plan your trip. It's great!

Make sure that your husband climbs up Dunadd while visiting Kilmartin. It's very cool. You should think about going with him. It's not a hard climb at all.

I'm going to recommend Dunkeld as a place to stay. It's a lovely small town. The Taybank is a wonderful that often has traditional music. And, your husband could go for a walk in Birnam wood. :) It is smaller than Pitlochry, but I liked that. However, if there is something interesting playing at The Festival Theatre while you are there, I would recommend staying there. Also, the Explorer's Garden is worth an hour or so.

MC is right. Your last day has too much. You might want to just accept that you will be back. :)

Pam

Many, many thanks to you all - we're never been to Scotland and I'm very glad that our plans seem to be on the right track -- at least, for a first visit!

I'd wondered if I'd planned too many days in Edinburgh -- if we reduce by one, would you suggest an added day (overnight) in Stirling, Inverarnay or Dundee/Pitlockry area? (I'm guessing Stirling, so we can do the Loch Katrine cruise but maybe there are other alternatives). I prefer not to 'hotel hop' too much and would like to add a night to an existing stop. And, I also thought that the last day was a tad overly ambitions -- there are just SO many lovely places to go! Which stops would you eliminate?

Again - a million thanks!!

PS
Isn't Amazon wonderful? The suggested books have already been ordered and will give me something to read before we go. We'll be on a 21 day cruise across the Atlantic and these will be a wonderful preparation for our arrival in Edinburgh!

Add the day to The Trossachs or the west coast portion. See what others suggest.

If you like your history via novels, check out Nigel Trantor's books. He has many and most are about Scottish history. His style is unique, but oh can he paint a picture! For a more contemporary perspective Ian Rankin's Rebus series is outstanding. One of my favorite non fiction is A Dance Called America, which is about the Scottish diaspora to North America. It is fascinating. But then so is Fraser's Steel Bonnets book about the Borders. If you do decide to do the Loch Katrine trip read some Sir Walter Scott-- Lady of the Lake and Rob Roy.

Pam, I love historical novels and look forward to reading those you suggested. But, I'm struggling a bit with lodging in the Dunkeld area -Pitlochry (though not well regarded as a 'pretty' town) seems to have a wealth of well-regarded inns, guest houses, etc - and I found a lovely place in Doune - but, in Dunkeld, only the Hilton gets consistently good marks -- and I'd prefer to stay on a truly 'Scottish' hotel… Would you have any suggestions -- or is the Hilton more 'local' than I might think…

Again, thank you - and Happy Holidays!!

I stayed at the Bridge Bed & Breakfast which was right on the main street and lovely. The people at the Atholl Arms were wonderful to me when I was visiting Dunkeld and didn't feel well. I wasn't even staying in their hotel, but they let me nap on a sofa in the lounge for an hour in the afternoon. Here are the TA reviews. I would absolutely stay there based on that experience alone. You can also look in Birnam, which is just over the bridge.

I've not stayed at the Hilton, but I think it's not your average city Hilton. If I had Hilton Points to burn I would consider it. I might pick the others because they are in town.

Pam

Pam, a million thanks for all your help - truly, you should be an Expert - as you clearly are - with the Scottish Tourist Council! Dunkeld it shall be - with our greatest thanks.

Since your husband seams to love hiking/walking, I would definitely recommend Arthur's seat at sunrise/sunset. We did a sunset hike and it was absolutely stunning. Also, if you happen to squeeze out an extra day in the Highlands, I'd definitely recommend looking into Steall Falls for a hike. It's probably an hour or two hike round trip--the hike starts right outside Ft. William--but the scenery was amazing and not too difficult of a hike.

Thank you so much! Both hikes have been added to our itinerary and we are starting to count the days before we leave -- if only we were going tomorrow!!

I vote for Pitlochry. We spent 5 weeks in England and Scotland this fall and Pitlochry was one of our favorite places. We stayed at Craigton House B&B. Absolutely beautiful place. Walking distance to town. We walked part of the pass of Killiekrankie. We loved it! We spent 3 nights there, could have stayed longer. Your trip sounds wonderful!

Thank you so much! Truly, I'l finding that planning is half the fun! My itinerary is now 12 pages, filled with options for each day, depending on the weather, for each of us, not to mention restaurants, pubs, etc! Killiekrankie has stars beside it and is an absolute must. After poring through a zillion reviews, we finally decided on the Old Mill in Pitlochry and to save Dunkeld for our next visit. For a small country, there are simply too many wonderful choices!!

We spent a month in Scotland in the fall (with a rental car). I agree with Pamela's suggestion to drop a day in EDI, in favor of the Trossachs. We did the Loch Katrine trip and rented a tandem at the pier, to cycle back. The Sir Walter Scott had broken down the day before, so only the Lady of the Lake was in service. Word to the wise about renting the bike and riding back...we are avid cyclists (in our 60's and fairly fit), and we found the riding more hilly than we had imagined. The tandem was quite heavy, which made for a fairly strenuous experience, over 13 miles. Suggest you reserve the bikes ahead of time, as they are often sold out, same for booking the cruise tickets. We rented an airbnb in Balquhidder - wonderful area, don't miss Mhor 84 - great spot for a meal. It is a gorgeous drive to the crown jewel in the Mhor chain, Monachyle Mhor Hotel - where they serve lovely tea and cakes. Suggest reading The Crofter and the Laird by the fascinating John McPhee (available on Amazon). Have a wonderful trip!

This is perfect! We have dropped a day in Edinburgh and plan to stay an added day in Stirling, heading to Loch Katrine for the day or Doune, depending on the weather. Balquidder is on our (admittedly circuitous) route to Oban and we should be just in time for tea! Many thanks for suggesting the McPhee book - my Amazon request has already gone and I know that this will be a great addition to our Scottish reading. We're doing a trans-atlantic cruise beforehand and will enjoy boning up on Scotland's history.

Again, a million thanks -

Have a great trip!

We stayed at Brambles in Inveraray last year and loved it. Their restaurant doesn't serve dinner so we ate at the George Hotel in the evenings and it was great. Very convivial pub atmosphere. We didn't see the interior of any George Hotel guest rooms so can't judge, but the guest room in Brambles was airy, freshly painted and carpeted, and extremely comfortable (as in, the heat worked and the mattress and bedding appeared brand new).

We also explored Kilmartin Glen. Make sure you stop at the little museum in the village to get the map of the cairns & other stone monuments, otherwise you'll have a hard time finding them. I think the map costs 1 pound. There's also a tea shop there.

Rick's guide says Inveraray Castle is "boring" on the inside, but au contraire we found it beautiful and well worth an afternoon. If you only want to look at the gardens, you still to pay the full entry fee so you might as well go inside. It has an amazing display of arms & armor in the huge entry hall (I believe highest ceiling of any castle in Britain), lots of gorgeous furnishings and paintings and architectural details. Also history of Clan Campbell, and you might be lucky enough to meet the Duke or Duchess in the gift shop. (We did!)

As you drive into Inveraray there's a very helpful tourist info office and a petrol station is nearby. Your itinerary takes in an awful lot for 14 days; not sure I'd have the energy to do it all, but more power to you!

Many thanks for your suggestions on Inverarnay! As you say, there is SO much to do that I'm sure we'll need a second - or third - trip but the Castle is now on our itinerary and I'm already looking forward to a meal at the George! Thank goodness that we're now retired and have time to roam;)

You'll love Alnwick Castle! Great interior, wonderful gardens, and Hogwarts from the first couple Harry Potter movies. But then I'm biased, I met my husband as a student there for a semester and got engaged in its' gardens.

Thank you so much! I've signed up for the Rabbies tour of the Border, Ainwick Castle and Harry Potter land and am so happy you found these sites so rewarding. And, an engagement? How lovely! I will think of you while there and wish you the very best, always.

Croony,
I just wanted to tell you that I enjoyed reading this thread very much!

It sure sounds like you have an amazing trip planned out.

I've been reading the Scotland Forum (on & off), especially because my daughter is presently studying there.

What other wonderful places will you be visiting on your 21 day cruise across the Atlantic?

Priscilla, we've found that retirement has provided time for my husband and I to travel - and we enjoy it enormously. But. he hates to fly - so we've taken to sailing one or both ways across the pond whenever we can. This time, we'll be sailing to Bilbao, Vigo (for San Juan de Campostela), La Rochelle, Lisbon, Guernsey and then Southampton - then on to Scotland - back to Southampton - Salisbury for a few days, down to Southampton - and then the Queen mary to the US. Last fall, we spent time in Germany, to visit sites from WWII and the Cold War and last sopping, we did Belgium and northern France for WWI and WWII sites (yes, we're history buffs). It really is an amazing world!

Crooner,
That's fantastic!
Thanks for sharing your cruise itinerary ;-)
You should consider writing a trip report as I'd love to read about your travel adventures.

Enjoy your trip!

Just hapoened upon your thread sounds like a great trip. I and a friend are taking a trip to Scotland in May (our first). We are not traveling by car and so have additional challenges. However we have managed to put together a trip which includes a combination of guided tours and self exploration.

Day One arrive in Inverness

Day Two Loch Ness and Urquhat Castles

Day Three Five hour guided tour ( limited to 8) to Culloden, Clava Cairns and Cawdor Castle

Day Four Ness walk, wander about.

Day Five Picked up for 4 day 3 night tour (8 people) @ Inverness travel to Isle of Skye inc Eilean Donan Castle

Day 6 Travel by ferry to Isle of Harris and Lewis....inc Callanish Stone Circle etc

Day 7 Exploring Skye

Day 8 More Skye and drop off in Fort William. Spend night at Treetops

Day 9 Train from Fort William to Edinburgh

Day 10 Tour including Strling Castle, Battle of Falkirk etc (limit 8)

Day 11 Edinburgh Castle, Royal MIle etc

Day 12 National Museum of Scotland inc Celts exhibit. Nationally Gallery

Day 13 Glasgow

Day 14 home

I just thought I'd offer another perspective. Be fun to check back in and see how we both did.

Your trip sounds fascinating - and I may use it as a template for further travels in the future. For a relatively small country, I've been enthralled with all there is to see and do - and know that we'll need to return. I spent today selecting waling tours of Edinburgh and selecting restaurants - and truly can't wait to go. As you say, we'll need to compare notes!