Edinburgh-Oban-Glasgow itinerary via train?

The train time is reasonable. I have done these train trips. You will travel through Glasgow on your way to Oban. I don't have any experience with the Lorne Highland Games.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say "Rick's Mull/Iona trip." I would encourage you to do a day trip with West Coast Tours. The 3 island tour is especially nice. You travel by ferry to Mull and cross the island by bus. You then take a smaller boat out to Staffa before returning for some time on Iona. One short ferry ride back to Mull, a bus ride to the ferry and back to Oban.

Thank you, Carol.

Yes, that's the island tour in the Rick Steves Scotland book, and it sounds great. Do you wish you had spent the night on Iona, or is the short time allotted by the tour enough to feel like you had seen all you wanted to see there?

What time of year will you be doing the island trip out of Oban? Even if it's full summer, it could by chance be a rough weather day, but at least you'll have many hours of daylight. Just be prepared for rain & wind as it can happen any time of year. (Dramamine, anyone?) If you're going in September or later into the autumn, the days will be shorter.

I think that I could have spent the night on Iona, but I was also glad to be back in Oban. I don't think that you will go wrong either way.

epltd, we're going at the end of June. I just bought a new rain jacket (Columbia Sportswear) that is rated as either waterproof, or "highly water resistant". Took a walk in the rain at the Oregon Coast yesterday and it was great!

I worked up two itineraries, one in eastern Scotland, and this one. I thought we were going to do the other (Edinburgh, Drumtochty Highland Games at Auchenblae, Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore, whisky and hiking in Pitlochry, Doune Castle in Stirling, back to Edinburgh), but after discussing further with husband, he'd prefer the non-driving route of Edinburgh/Oban/Glasgow. Both itineraries have Highland Games of some sort, which is what we wanted to include. The Oban version is a little more relaxed, time-wise.

I wish I could see wool waulking somewhere, but I don't see a good opportunity in our time frame that I can get to easily. (Auchindrain historical site that weekend, but I'd need a car from Oban, and it's a longish drive for an hour's fun.) Something for another trip!

Carol, thanks for that. I think we'll book the tour closer to time, and maybe have a better idea of the weather. Although it sounds like Oregon; we can have several weather events in one day! Yesterday at the coast I was rained on, hailed on, blown by wind, and treated to glorious sunshine and blue sky. All in the same morning.