Car or no car?

It's certainly possible to make some form of tour of that area without a car but the RS tours include various on the road visits which may not be possible without a car, although some may be substituted by similar locations. Much depends on time of year. Inverness airport isn't known for easy flights from USA, how does this work in you plan? If it's simply connections via Heathrow you'd probably be better going for direct flights to Edinburgh or Glasgow.

You will find exploring Skye without a car to be highly frustrating. There are bus routes on the island, but some well known tourist sites such as Neist Point, Coral Beach and Fairy pools have no bus access. Buses are also not that frequent.

Due to logistics, Skye is best seen by car. However, most of the rest of Rick's itinerary is doable by public transportation. But, it may be a bit rushed for 9 days.

I’m an advocate for renting a car when you want to visit off the beaten path locations or where public transportation schedules don’t mesh well with your plans.

For example, in 2022 we were staying in Nairn. On one day trip we visited Fort George, Clava Cairns, and Inverness. Afterwards we stopped for pastries and coffee at a cafe between Inverness and Nairn. On the same trip when driving between Edinburgh and Stirling we made stops to see the Forth Bridge, the Kelpies, and the Falkirk Wheel. While there probably was a public transportation option in each instance, waiting for buses would have used significantly more time.

I managed to find a flight into Edinburgh. We will spend the first few nights in Glasgow and rent a car to drive the rest of the trip to Inverness. Thanks for the help!