Driving through the Scottish Highlands 2 days

It's going to get dark early in October and you may not want to be driving on the narrow and curvy Highlands roads in the dark, so plan carefully. Add 30% to the time that Google Maps tells you the drive will take. On your second day you may run out of time to see Stirling Castle for more than a peak. It will depend on your level of interest but we spent 5 hours there.

For 2 days, go to Cairngorms National Park, stay over night in Inveraray, visit Castle there, go out to Pub. Skip Loch Ness, drive is toooo long up to Inverness. Glencoe isn't too far, don't go if misty. Take scenic route back to Stirling and Falkirk. Lots of things to see closer to Edinburgh. You need at least a week or more to do your drive plan without stopping much. Check out www.visitscotland.com to preview some of the sites you can see, Look up Argyle. Other sites are Historic Scotland and Secret Scotland. Good Luck!

Day 2 looks very tight. If you go into Urquhart Castle I don't think you can be at Glenfinnan in time for the steam train at 1120.
Even if you make it Stirling is a minimum 3 hours from Glenfinnan and last entrance to the Castle is at 1530 to 1600. Thus if you stop in Glencoe for a short hike time is very much not on your side.
The whole day, in my view is very tightly timed.

The train could be diesel (not steam) hauled if a red flag fire warning is in place , and they are using modern train cars this year, not Harry Potter Mark 1 old style cars.
My advice get your HP moment at the Strathspey Railway at Aviemore on Day 1 if it is the Wednesday or Thursday that week.
Otherwise at the Bo'ness and Kinneill railway when you are in Edinburgh.

Yes, you're being too ambitious. You can't possibly do it all in 2 days. Inverness is too far. And, as mentioned, you do not want to be driving in the dark.

Choose either the bungee jumping staying overnight around the Alberfeldy/Pitlochry area OR the reindeer staying overnight in the Aviemore/Boat of Garten area OR the Glenfinnan Viaduct/Three Sisters staying overnight around Glenfinnan and build your 2 days around that choice.

Stirling Castle, a castle ruin or 2, beautiful lochs (not Ness), mountain scenery (more dramatic in the west), waterfalls, hikes and more can be added to either itinerary.

Let us know if you need more help.

Hi, eulloa24,

A lot is going to depend upon what you have your hearts set on what you want to see and do. You'll need to get an early start on your first day. If you really want to visit Stirling Castle, you could possibly visit it on your way to the Cairngorms. It's not too far out of the way. If you take an hour or two to visit the castle, you'd need to skip one of your outings on the way north.

Is the bungee jumping which you're referring to the one at Killiecrankie? That's a long way from Cairngorm National Park. But it's on the way north, off the A9, so it's not out of the way.

As far as the Reindeer Centre goes, it appears that they only do one hill trip per day in October, and that starts at 11:00 a.m., with a recommended arrival time of 10:00 a.m.. So if you have your hearts set on that, that will pretty much scotch (sorry!) your plans for the bungee jump, unless you want to double back. Plus the hill trips need to be booked in advance.

You don't get to see much of Loch Ness from the A82, so you may want to forgo driving up to Inverness. Instead, you could double back from Aviemore or Killiecrankie, and take the A86 or A889/A86 (depending upon where you're coming from) to the A82 at Spean Bridge, and spend the night in Fort William. That would give you an earlier start the following day to get out to Glenfinnan. If you don't specifically need to see the train crossing the viaduct, you could get on your way all the earlier. That does eliminate Urquhart Castle, but with your limited amount of time, something's gotta give!

With that earlier start, you'll have enough time to visit Glencoe, and if you decide not to take that short hike, you should have enough time to visit Stirling Castle on the way back to Edinburgh. If you get to the castle after closing, you can still walk around the exterior, and I believe the cemetery as well. It shouldn't get dark until after 6:00 p.m.

I hope that that has given you some more ideas for your planning. If you decide to stay in Fort William, there are plenty of places to eat and sleep. It's also a mountaineering town, as it's near Ben Nevis and other mountains, as well as Glen Nevis, a popular hiking area.

Whatever you decide to do, have a wonderful time in Scotland! I truly wish that you had more time, but this adventure will no doubt whet your appetites for a (longer) return visit!

Very best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)