3 small towns

We liked Oban as we took the three island tour to Iona, Mull and Staffa ( for puffins). It was the highlight of our 13 days in Scotland.

While Oban is my favourite for boat trips, Fort William is my favourite for walking and train trips. You can also spend two days (four is too much IMO) in Fort Augustus. One day touring Loch Ness by boat and one day watching the boats navigating the five locks.

It is very relaxing watching people struggle to get their boats from lock to lock - espacially as we had tried it ourselves a few years previously :-)

Nairn and area. Easy access to Culloden, Clava Cairns, Loch Ness, Cawdor Castle, Brodie Castle and a whole host of distilleries.

Ullapool .
Big enough to have a life of it's own.
Great for touring, a southern loop could take in Poolewe and it's famous gardens and beautiful Loch Maree.

A northern loop ,the mad little road of Sutherland and the other worldly landscape of Assynt.
Maybe even up to Cape Wrath.

As a distinctive place to eat if you did head to the far north the Crask Inn might be worth seeking out.

I am writing them all down and will start my research. Thank you !!♥️

We stayed a week in Callender. Worked out great

We spent 4 nights at the Glenartney B&B in Brodick, Isle of Aran. Aran is truly Scotland in miniature. I had been resistant to go there because I thought that "Scotland in miniature" was just tourist hype. But it isn't just hype. It's got great hiking, manor houses, two distilleries, standing stones, history, and a great restaurant - the Brodick Brasserie - that even has local trad music in the pub. We ate there 3 of our 4 nights. Other pubs have music, but of the less "trad" sort.

I agree with Oban. We enjoyed the town and took the three-island tour to Mull, Staffa, and Iona. We would have liked to also take a day trip to Toblemory. Kilmarten Glen and Inveraray (and other places) are very close by as well.

We stayed three nights in Portree and could easily have spent more time.

Many who post on this forum speak highly of Pitlochry. We were not able to fit it in.

We loved Glencoe. I don’t know if it would fit your itinerary for a four-night stay.

How can I find out about the three island tour on Oban?

I agree with others on Oban. Good distillery tour. Lovely town. Great steaks (Angus).
I stayed there and did the boat trip out to Iona. MAGICAL experience. Inverness is another nice town. Carlisle is a good base for exploring Dumfries and Galloway. I stayed there and day tripped.

Have always wanted to visit the Isle of Skye.

Wow!! I see my summer researching. Thanks!!

Andrea in Sacto... https://westcoasttours.co.uk/ is one of them.