First time - rough itinerary - could use feedback

Remember Scotland is not a small country. You've got days where what you will be doing nothing much more than drive. If you want to see the Borders then one bit of the Highland leg probably needs to go. I would say visit the Borders, they have a unique history in Scotland, if you haven't, read up on the Reivers.

Aberdeen is probably way out of your way for a flying visit. From Perth you are talking two to three hours each way on the main road.

If you can and are not planning on seeing Glasgow, try and fly in and out of Edinburgh. It will save a day's travel.

Finally, can you drive a manual car? You'll get a better deal with a manual.

So are you suggesting that we do something in between the border region and Dundee, or just eliminating a day in the Inverness area? How would you adjust the schedule?

We are a pair of oddities, in that we can drive a manual, so that's what we're planning on to save a bit of cash.

Flying out of Edinburgh is going to cost us much more than out of Glasgow. We are flying from California.

You are not oddities this side of the Atlantic! Around three quarters of UK cars minimum are manual. So that is for the good.

The distances on the map can be deceptively small, but Kelso or Peebles to Perth can be three hours, four to Dundee. Perth to Inverness is a good two hours, so these distances need to be taken into account. Where I would take the censor's blue pencil is potentially scrapping one of Inverness or Ft William depending on what you want to see. If you can get a hotel with a car park, possibly combine the Borders and Edinburgh.

For Perthshire, Pam is your hero for that area.

Is there a specific list of things you want to see? Can the area be reduced to the bottom half of the map? I take it you want to see the Highlands, Perthshire has parts of the Highlands and bits of Glasgow's commuter belt are in the Highlands if not in the Highland Council area.

We aren't tied to the highlands. I think that my wife would rather see more of the lowlands and try the highlands on a future trip if we had to scrap something. I have ancestry in Border region and Aberdeen region, but I believe that Aberdeen is a pretty large city, and I think the spouse would rather hit some smaller areas.

Perhaps we might be better served to do something like...?:
Glasgow 2 nights
Edinburgh 2 nights
Border regions 2 nights
Something else central Scotland?? 2 nights
Oban 2 nights (or something relatively in the direction of Glasgow to catch plane back)

Frankly, I'm getting stumped. I guess that I thought that the travel time would be a bit shorter. I would like to be able to stop and explore if we see something or someplace interesting. Are we missing something by staying out of the highlands?

You would not be missing something you can always come back and visit!

The reason I mention the driving times is that throws a lot of people because it looks a short way on the map, but is not on the road.
Also if you are not used to driving on the correct side of the road this can be tiring. When in France I sometimes feel I am not enjoying a pit stop if I know I have two hours of driving still to go.

Aberdeen is about two to three hours from Perth. It is in my view a handsome city. It is also by Scottish standards an expensive one due to the oil industry, but there are budget hotels. But is a useful base for the North East. The castles of the NE are not like ones elsewhere in the country being fortified for longer.

Finally, you say you would be flying in and out of Glasgow. Make that work to your advantage and enjoy Glasgow. There is plenty to see in Glasgow and surrounding areas.

my suggestion would be to choose a couple of areas to serve as "base" and then take day trips from those locations...IE Oban/Ft. William, Edinburgh, Glasgow. I just returned to the US after 12 days in Ft. William, the Isle of Skye, and Edinburgh. The driving is difficult and as the driver I did not really get to enjoy the sight seeing as much as my wife did...don't get me wrong the areas were beyond description beautiful but you need to get some time from out behind the wheel to enjoy it..I found the driving changes from US driving intense. Consider a base or two and day trips that will let you get out and experience the countryside...you will not regret it. The people over there were awesome!

athimmel - you mentioned flying out of Edinburgh would be more expensive than out of Glasgow, but is it possible to fly INTO Edinburgh and out of Glasgow, if that would speed up the beginning of your trip?

Cyn,

I checked the prices, and the cost would be about $400 more for two people doing it that way, about the same as flying in and out of Edinburgh.

MC - Based on what you have told me, we are looking at changing our itinerary. We are thinking of trying this:
Day 1: fly into Glasgow. Take bus to train station and catch train to Edinburgh. Get to hotel, rest, and try to spend evening doing something.
Days 2 and 3: Edinburgh
Days 4 and 5: Border region, perhaps Kelso and area around Pringle ancestral areas
Day 6 - 8: Head NE and perhaps either stay one or two nights in Dundee. Depending on travel time, maybe stay closer to Aberdeen. Spend three days checking out the Eastern part of the country, including trip to Dunnottar Castle. Visit Scotland has an itinerary for that part of Scotland that may work for us.
Day 9 - 10: Unsure yet. Maybe Stirling / Falkirk area?
Day 11: Back to Glasgow and head home.

Do these distances make sense to you?

That sounds more reasonable with the time scale involved.

MC has given you great suggestions. For those last couple of days you could think about Perthshire. Dunkeld, Aberfeldy, or Pitlochry are all good options. In Pitlochry there is the Festival Theatre which might have something appealing. I personally enjoy Dunkeld due to the walks and music at the Taybank. But Aberfeldy was wonderful. Great drives up Glen Lyon. There are lovely walks. You can explore the Cranogg Center and more.

Pam

MC has given you great suggestions. For those last couple of days you could think about Perthshire. Dunkeld, Aberfeldy, or Pitlochry are all good options. In Pitlochry there is the Festival Theatre which might have something appealing. I personally enjoy Dunkeld due to the walks and music at the Taybank. But Aberfeldy was wonderful. Great drives up Glen Lyon. There are lovely walks. You can explore the Cranogg Center and more.

Pam

We drove through Scotland twice. Where you go can really depend on the time of year. A lot of the sites outside of the cities are closed between October and March. We were there in September and had sweater weather with rain near the sea. We were on a Campbell Clan mission to see all their castles; the Duke of Argyle has a really fine palace. The second time in April (we had snow flurries) we followed Queen Mary Stuart. So if you have a focus it can direct you. We visited the Borders and enjoyed the ruined abbeys and Sir Walter Scott's house. I would go to Oban only if you plan to go to the islands...so save that for another time. Fort William is out of your way unless you are on your way to Loch Ness. Since you are a Californian driving in Scotland will not bother you...just do a practice run on Hwy 1. Beware of sheep on the road. In area south of Edinburgh the country side is pretty much wide open and you can make pretty good time. We saw quite a bit in 10 days both times. You don't really need a car in Edinburgh. Glasgow is more spread out. Check with Historic Scotland site for useful info. We enjoyed the out of the way places best.

Well, thanks to everyone's help, we came up with an itinerary we think we can manage. "Officially", it looks like this:
Arrive Glasgow and take train to Edinburgh
3 nights Edinburgh. Rent car on final day. Drive to Borders.
3 nights Galashiels and Border region.
2 nights Perth area (hopefully with time to visit Dunottar castle on one of those days)
Drive through Sterling to see castle.
Drop off car in Glasgow.
2 nights in Glasgow.

We're happy with this plan, as it gives us time to do some things on the fly rather than plan everything. We can do some genealogical research in the Borders as well, and then hopefully see Dunottar, Scone, and Sterling.

Thanks to all for the help.

That sounds like a lovely itinerary.

(Note it is Stirling with an "i". A lot of people spell it with an "e" so you aren't alone. I think because the money is Pound Sterling.).

Pam

A comment or two ; Pam's enthusiasm for Dunkeld and Birnam is very well founded , Dunkeld is a beautiful place and if you do a bit of in depth poking about you will be rewarded , We absolutely loved the place . If you go to Stirling Castle , make sure to concentrate on the completed restoration of the palace , This is replete with masterful reproductions of the wall hangings , furniture and interior design components of the period of James the fifth , Most stunning are the reproductions of the Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries ( a fourteen year project , just now on the cusp of completion ) and the story behind them . The Stirling Heads are also striking and notable . Visit the tapestry studio to learn about the project in depth and you will have an even greater appreciation of what has been accomplished . In Glasgow , if you can , see some of Mackintosh's work ( Charles AND his wife Margaret , they were an equal team ) and the Kelvingrove is really worth a whole day !