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Final Itinerary for September

Hello everyone,

Thanks to your input I think I finally have our itinerary mapped out but I have a few questions about a couple of our overnight stops and what I should see along the way. Here is what I have so far:

August 29 - arrive in Glasgow and overnight in the city
August 30 - take bus back to the airport and pick up car. Drive to Oban for lunch and sightseeing then continue on to Inverness for 2 nights.

September 1 - head to Ullapool and catch the 10:30 ferry to Lewis/Harris. Spend 3 nights (possibly at Glach Gorm?)
September 4 - take 11:40 ferry to Skye and spend 3 nights (possibly at Tide B&B)
September 7 - take 12:15 ferry from Skye to Mallaig. Drive to Fort William for 2 nights.
September 9 - Drive to Edinburgh airport and return car. Take bus into city and spend 3 nights.
September 12 - fly home

Here are my questions/concerns:
- I've seen a number of posts from people who have said Inverness is dull (?) and they wouldn't stay there. If not Inverness then where should we make our base for those 2 nights and what should we see while there?
-Everyone suggested 3 night in Lewis/Harris and 3 nights in Skye - is this too much it or will we be happy we did?
-Should we stay in Fort William for 2 nights or pick another spot close by? We want to spend those 2 days exploring the Glencoe area (suggestions are welcome). Many people have said they didn't really enjoy Fort William but it seemed like the most logical spot.
-Where should we stop on our drive from Fort William to Edinburgh? I think Stirling Castle is a must, maybe the Kelpies, but not sure what else.

Thank you all for you help. Once I get this nailed down I would like to book accommodations as I hear it's a busy time and the options are limited in certain spots.

Posted by
1376 posts

Hi, Christine,

Inverness and Fort William are perfectly good places to spend a couple of nights each. You won't be spending a lot of time in either town. You certainly won't be spoiled for choices of places to eat, and Inverness has a pretty lively nighttime music scene. Fort William is an ideal place to stay if you're exploring Glencoe. The only thing better would be staying in Glencoe Village or at the Kingshouse Hotel, but then you'd be more limited for choices of places to eat.

Three days each on Harris/Lewis and Skye would be ideal. There is so much to see in each location that you could easily spend a week there.

Visiting Stirling Castle and the Kelpies on your way from Fort William to Edinburgh sounds like a plan. As you're going to be near the village of Killin on the way, I'd recommend a two mile side trip to the Falls of Dochart. Doune Castle seems to be on the radar of many forum visitors, and that's on the A84 on your way in to Stirling. There's a small Tesco market in Callander, on the way to Doune Castle, if you need some snacks to give you energy for all that castle visiting!

Best wishes for your holiday!

Mike (Auchterless)