Driving Scotland April 2019

I recommends Rick's "Scotland" guide book. There's a lot to see in Scotland, and you'll benefit from a comprehensive look at the key possibilities. Much depends on your family's interests. How old are the children? What are their interests? How into outdoor activities are you--and how accepting will you be of the sort of weather that may come your way in March and April?

Hi, Laura,

Will you have any children in your party of four? Do you arrive on the 28th. March, and is your flight out on 6th. April? If those are your actual dates, then you really have eight full days on the ground in Scotland.

You should try to obtain a copy of the 2017 Lonely Planet Guide to Scotland. It is considerably more detailed than the Steves' guide for the areas outside of the main tourist attractions, and offers some excellent fully mapped driving itineraries.

You are correct in saying that hiring a car would be your best way to travel. You can get to many places inaccessible by public transport, and can progress at your own pace. Plus, it's a lot cheaper for four people to share a car than it is to use public transportation. Make sure that you hire a car that will accommodate all of your luggage.

Given the time that you have to spend in Scotland, your best bet may be to head for Inverness from Edinburgh/Glasgow via Stirling; head south to Skye from there via the Caledonian Canal (A82) and Kyle of Lochalsh; ferry from Armadale to Mallaig; head down through Moidart to Mull via the Kilchoan to Tobermory ferry; take the ferry from Mull to Oban; then visit Glasgow/Edinburgh from there. That will give you your beautiful countryside; at least two or three famous distilleries; and several castles.

March in to April is a good time to travel. I've done it several times. The spring flowers will be just starting to bloom, and the weather should be warm enough for hiking and sightseeing. You may encounter some snow, so if you do, just adjust your driving for the weather conditions.

Best of all, no midges!

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: Don't forget the "h" on the end of Edinburgh. It changes the pronunciation from three syllables to four.

You may also want to look at the Secret Scotland website for drive itinerary ideas and realistic time to drive from one point to another. What "not to miss" really depends on your interests. You will see castles and beautiful countryside no matter where you go.

Nine or 10 days is not much time to see Scotland -- you will only get a taste. On these forums there are a lot of recommendations for Isle of Skye and the western isles, but if you take the time to go there you will have hardly any time on the "mainland" of Scotland. Given your short time, you are going to need to identify your top priorities and focus on them. You're flying there to experience Scotland, not the interior of a car.

p.s.: Don't forget the "h" on the end of Edinburgh. It changes the pronunciation from three syllables to four.

I've heard it pronounced many times by Americans in the same way that Pittsburgh is pronounced. Quite often I've seen it spelt phonetically with the 'h' dropped.

For our American friends Edinburgh is pronounced something akin to Edin-burrhr. However my slightly cockneyesque accent renders it Edinburra.

What is a Midge?

We did 12 nights in Scotland this past July with our 2 kids. I did a trip report under trip reports on this forum. You can read it to get a sample itinerary.

The midge is a small mosquito type creature which lives near wet or marshy ground (that's where Scotland comes in) and the female of the species requires a blood meal prior to breeding. The piranha of the insect world, vast swarms of these descend on anything with the blood they need - that's where you and I come in! - and drive any poor unfortunate in their path insane with their biting. Many people recommend patent repellents, some over the counter, some of their own devising but as Muriel Gray noted in her 'Munro Show' of some years past (some of it is on You Tube and is worth looking up for the scenery and irreverent humour) none of them will work!

The only big plus is that midges cannot fly in any wind over seven miles per hour and this limits them a bit in Scotland! The other biting insect in Scotland to watch out for is the cleg (again as Muriel noted, anything called a cleg you know is going to be horrible) otherwise known as a horsefly, which is more solitary and covert than the midge, but can leave a nasty suppurating wound after biting.

These two are the biggest threat to you in the wilds of Scotland, along with ticks - it's not the big stuff in the UK that might be dangerous or view you as a meal, it's the much smaller stuff. Fortunately all of them are non lethal, although a tick bite should be watched carefully because of Lyme Disease.

When midges are about full body cover is essential including your head - you can buy mesh head nets to try and avoid the worst of their mass biting attacks! Fingers crossed for a stiff-ish breeze for any visit to the Highlands!

Thank you all for your input. I love Lonely Planet travel books and usually order for where we are going. My children are joining us but they are adults.
Initially, I thought 8-10 days would be enough for Scotland. I think we will need to squeeze in a couple extra days or at least 10 full days excluding travel.