4 days in Scotland

Two good online sites for you to help you plan are Visit Scotland and Historic Scotland: These have pics and info on your chosen sites. I think you might need to edit but that might be on the fly. Check the distances on Google Earth. We enjoyed the Whisky Trail; especially where they distill Drambuie. Urquhart Castle is in the prime Loch Ness location; the ruins require some imagination but you might catch a peek at Nessie. Unless you are Clan and want to find ancestors, Culloden Battlefield is kind of boring, but can evoke spirits for some. The same with Glencoe which is just a misty valley. Cawdor Castle is now in Campbell hands. Stirling is a must see. There is a Mary Queen of Scots Trail is you like Elizabetian era. There is too much to do in 4 days; but you can come back again...we did!

If you visit all the places you've listed in just 4 days (let alone the Orkneys), you'll be rushing like mad. If you had 8 days it would be more reasonable.

I recommend reading the sample self-drive itineraries on Secret Scotland << http://www.secret-scotland.com/Content/scotland-tours.html >>. As an American having done two self-drive vacations in Scotland, I find the Secret Scotland advice extremely helpful in terms of estimating the time needed to not only reach various destinations but also enjoy them.

yikes...that is a lot!

I don't think its feasible to drive through Cairngorms to Inverness and really see much or get out of your car... I thought about doing this last, year, but its a good 4+ hour drive. Stirling castle and Church of the Holy Rude (next door to it) are well worth a visit, and close to Edinburgh.... although your current itinerary doesn't allow for much flexibility...(too short--really short!). Edinburgh castle was really dull (to be honest- like visiting a Universal Studios backlot with just a war museum--along with the prices), both my friend and I who love history liked Stirling better by a long shot.

Scotland is large and take a long amount of time to drive on the narrow winding roads.

My personal opinion is that this is simply not wise to attempt with just four days. You will not have time to actually see anything. If you drive straight from Edinburgh to Inverness you might be able to do it in six hours. You will not have time to stop anywhere. I took ten days to drive from Edinburgh, across to St. Andrew's then up through the middle of the country to Inverness, then across to Skye and back down to Glasgow via Oban (with a few nights spent at other places). Even this felt a little rushed. Spending just one night in Edinburgh doesn't really make sense, there's just too much to see in the town and surrounding area. With just four days I would spend them all in Edinburgh and just do some day trips from there. You really wouldn't even need to rent a car as there are many tours that leave from Edinburgh to a lot of places. If you don't like to be rushed then you need to seriously re-think this plan.

In your original post you stated "... we plan on returning!" With that thought in mind, consider scaling way back. Four days is not very long when considering travel time between places -- and that almost always takes more time than you though it would. Personally I'd confine this trip to just Edinburgh and one other place.

As TC said, scale back! You have 4 nights. Are you arriving from North America to Edinburgh? You might do something that arrival day, but basically you have one full day. You can see a lot in a day. Then if you want some good outdoors and whisky, go to Grantown-on-Spey where you can experience the Cairngorms, maybe do a little hike and stop in a distillery or two. We spent 3 nights here and could have gone 4, but 2 nights/1 day will give you a taste. On the way to Grantown-on-Spey you will pass some very pretty country. It takes 3.5 hours-or-so direct, but plan on 6 hours with stops and yes, Secret Scotland is a great investment as they tell you all the good stops.

That's 4 nights, so if you are flying out of Glasgow I don't know how you'll make it work, but it is about a 3 hour non-stop drive. Maybe with an afternoon or early evening flight you can make the drive in time and see more along the way, such as a stop at Stirling.