This is our May 2018 itinerary : our lodging is already booked. WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE INPUT
May 24 land in Edinburgh early morning. Staying 3 nights (will leave rest of day for local sights)
May 25: day trip to St. Andrews and a couple fishing villages (booked)
May 26 local sights in Edinburgh
*May 27 pick up car hire and hit the road to Ft. Williams for 3 nights (do we do Glencoe in route or from Ft. William?)
May 28: Jacobite train for day trip
May 29: Loch Ness (Urquhart Castle)
*May 30 leave for Isle of Skye (Portree) 3 nights (should we take Skye Bridge or Ferry?) (how far in advance to book Ferry for a car?
May 31: Old Man of Storr, Quiraing, Fairy Glenn
June 1: walk Portree
June 2 back to Edinburgh
June 3 fly home
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
932 posts
What were you planning to do in Glencoe? If you're just planning to stop at the visitor ctr. then I would say skip it as it's all about hiking, and not very interesting if you weren't planning on going for a hike. I took the bridge to Skye, I think it's easier than waiting for, and paying for, a ferry. I also made lots of stops for photos along the way. Portree is quite small so I don't think you'll need a whole day to wander it, but there are some other places to see on Sky such as the museum of island life, and the folk museum (can't remember the name).
Posted by
22 posts
The Skye Bridge may save some time and money. The only downside is that you'll be driving over the same roads leaving as you came in on...but that might not be a deal-breaker. We're planning on the ferry from Mallaig since we'll pass through the Road to the Isles which we hear is quite lovely.
Posted by
3123 posts
Urquhart Castle is great, just be prepared for the weather because it's a ruin, meaning it has no roof and not much in the way of walls. There are walking tours several times a day, included in the entry fee. There are also costumed interpreters (and you'll recognize some of their routines if you've seen the costumed interpreters inside Edinburgh Castle).
A couple of miles away is the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition, a fairly scientific & fact-based examination of the history of Nessie sightings. It's worthwhile for grownups as well as kids (except little kids, who may be scared).
You can take a boat ride on the loch; there are several tour operators with docks in different places along the shore but the nearest to the above locations is Castle Cruises Loch Ness.
Posted by
Vermont USA
123 posts
You don’t say where you are arriving from or level of experience traveling etc, so wondering if you have an indication of time to recover from jet lag? We arrived early am from USA, had hours to await checking into rental flat. After overnight flight, was glad we had arranged locking up luggage while we awaited checking in and wandered city. Because we were tired from limited sleep on overnight flight, we were really pleased to have first day as low keyed as possible.
Just a suggestion to consider.
Same for your June 2 date, you may need to plan day around returning a car, transport into city, and not being able to check into hotel til 3pm.
You’re covering alot of ground in a limited amount of time, so thinking through potential technicalities ahead of time will save you headaches and time later. (Especially the point to point travel logistics.)
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thanks everyone for your help! I did contact our bed and breakfast in Edinburgh and they will allow us to drop off luggage several hours before check in. Very kind! Then we will try to just try to take it easy and perhaps a quick nap after check in. I am so excited to return to Scotland! I am very excited for my husband to see what I love about it!
Posted by
OP
19 posts
Thanks everyone for your help! I did contact our bed and breakfast in Edinburgh and they will allow us to drop off luggage several hours before check in. Very kind! Then we will try to just try to take it easy and perhaps a quick nap after check in. I am so excited to return to Scotland! I am very excited for my husband to see what I love about it!