First time solo traveler and first time to Scotland. HELP!

Hi, d.f.hall, and welcome to the forum!

Scotland is one of the easiest countries to do solo as it's very friendly, scenic and people there are very helpful. I spent 3 weeks last year on a solo trip to Scotland and had an incredible time. I rented a car for most of the time I was there, as I traveled to some of the islands and wanted the flexibility. I did not find it that difficult but it does add a layer of stress if you have not driven in Scotland or on the left side of the road before.

It would help to know how long your trip is. That makes a difference with what you will be able to visit. Edinburgh and Glasgow are both must-sees, in my opinion, and you could easily do a few day trips from there on your own, like to visit St. Andrews or Stirling (with Stirling Castle).

One option would be to base yourself in a city like Edinburgh and take some tours out from there in conjunction with solo travel. For example, Rabbies Tours have a number of 1 to 20 day tours they offer from Edinburgh or Glasgow. They come highly recommended here. https://www.rabbies.com/en

Were you planning to visit the Highlands or some of the islands? Some are easy to get to and around using public transportation, such as the Isle of Arran, which has excellent public transport. Skye is a bit more difficult but you can always make your way there by public transport, then use a day tour to get around the island. They also have buses but you would waste a lot of time waiting for them. You could also head to Inverness and take some trips from there either by bus or using a tour (Rabbies also has tours out of Inverness).

One last thing I forgot to mention. It is getting harder to find accommodations in Scotland, due to high licensing taxes and a number of reasons, so you really need to book your B&B or hotel as early as possible. Now would be a good time to start. Edinburgh and Glasgow and the large places should be okay, but if you are planning to stay on any of the islands, definitely start figuring our your logistics as soon as possible.

What you describe doing is exactly what Rabbies has to offer. I've done a few tours with them over the years. Never disappointed.

The train/bus network in Scotland is very good and if you want to go somewhere public transit doesn't go, look into a Rabbies tour.

Thanks for your reply!!
I’m thinking 10days - 2 weeks for total travel time.
Isle of Skye is definitely on my list. I was thinking 2-3 nights in Edinburgh, 2-3 nights in Inverness, 2 nights isle of skye, 2-3 nights Glasgow, and back to Edinburgh for an over night and leave.
I’m not sure what the travel would look like for the day trips to see castles and such.

I can give you the solo trip train perspective. :-)

I was there last year and loved it so much I’m going back next year.

I stayed in Edinburgh the entire time and did train trips on my own and two different day tours with Rabbie’s. They also have multiday tours. When I return next year, I will take the 3-day tour to the Lake District and then the 3-day tour to the Isle of Sky. I hate to drive, so this option works well for me. Since you mentioned Outlander, Rabbie’s also has a 1-day Outlander Adventure tour.

My trip report details the tours I took and the train trips I took. Just scroll past the York info.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-the-uk-my-york-and-edinburgh-trip-report

I recommend the Rick Steves Scotland book if you don’t already have it. I also liked Rough Guide for Scotland.

Happy planning!!!

Mardee is the Queen of Solo Scotland (judging by her last trip report), so read her post carefully.

To emphasize her last point, I usually have all my bookings done within a week or two of getting my airline ticket, which is always 330 days before departure, so our May trip gets fully booked by mid-July the prior year. Some B&Bs don't open their year's appointment book till New Years, and waiting till then is always stressful for me, so I usually try to book a hotel with free cancellation as backup while waiting.

We have always rented a car, but I've never traveled solo, so navigating might be a bigger issue. It's nice to have a second pair of eyes for complex intersections or confusing road signs. I have a vocal dashboard GPS pre-loaded with all our plans, so that makes driving a lot simpler.

I also did a Scotland trip on my own a few years ago, but I had three weeks so if you can stretch your time to at least two weeks it would be best, There is a lot to see. I started in Edinburgh for a few days, then rented a car for ten days, and ended in Glasgow. When researching the trip, I found getting around by public transit was going to eat into my time too much, so I would highly recommend getting a car for your time outside of the big cities. I got used to driving on the other side pretty quick. Try not to bounce around too much as finding your next accommodation and checking in can take more time than you think, especially if you get lost on one way streets!

I've been to Scotland multiple times solo. Driving is really not that bad once you get used to it. The restaurants at all the tourist attractions are fantastic, and part of the joy is stopping and chatting with people you meet on the way.

I think staying in Edinburgh to start is a good move. You won't need a car there, so when you are ready to rent one, pick a place on the edge of town and you can head right out onto the open road while you are adjusting. Navigating isn't too bad either. I would plot out my route ahead of time so I knew what I was doing in my head, in case the GPS didn't work well out in the wilder areas.

I have done trips where I stayed a night or two in each spot and spent a lot of time driving. If you like to drive, this can be fun. The scenery is really the highlight. They have tourist routes, signposted along the main roads. They make for a longer drive, but it can be beautiful. I have never stayed in Glencoe, but have driven through it multiple times. It is beyond gorgeous, and having a full day to drive, stop, walk, and get back in the car was really precious to me. I would have hated having to get back on a bus to meet some artificial time schedule.

I also recommend the National Trust for Scotland to locate castles and other historical sites. There is so much more to see than what is on the Outlander tour!

If you want to include Skye, I would try to push your trip to two weeks. You really need to stay overnight to appreciate its beauty. Scotland is a bigger country than you think, so driving times can be quite long. I believe it was a 7 hour drive from Portree to Edinburgh.

Hi d.f. Hall
Sharing my 2 most favorite resources for Scotland. Both sites have interactive maps where you can click on a geographic area then drill down to more detailed information.

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/

We have had 2 wonderful visits to Scotland, planning a third, and using the above sites we have been able to more fully explore our interests.

Happy planning! You will love Scotland!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just got back from an almost two week solo trip to Scotland. I did the Rabbie's 5 day tour to Mull, Iona and the Isle of Skye, and I definitely recommend Rabbie's if you want to go to Skye. As others have said, the scenery is gorgeous, but if you're driving, you have to pay much more attention to the road than the scenery, especially with the single track roads. I've driven in places like Norway so I know the difference now between admiring the views while driving, compared to being able to sit back and let a knowlwdgeable guide drove you around and take you to the best viewing spots.

We have always rented a car, but I've never traveled solo, so navigating might be a bigger issue.

As jjgurley said, navigating can be an issue when you are a solo traveler. One thing that helps is if you do rent a car, make sure it comes with Car Play (or the Google equivalent) so that you can easily watch where you are supposed to go. And request an automatic instead of manual transmission. Even if you know how to drive a stick shift, it's just once less thing to think about when you're driving in a strange place.

The biggest issues driving in Scotland (especially on Skye) are the single-track roads, which can be a bit stressful until you get used to it. That said, having a car does give you a lot of flexibility when it comes to getting places. One nice thing about Scotland is that cell phone service (imo) is excellent. I never had any problems accessing the internet, even on a boat outside of Mull. :-)

Regardless, whatever you decide, you will have a wonderful time. Scotland is an incredibly gorgeous country and it has some of the friendliest people I've ever met there.

I'm senior woman who did 18 days traveling around Scotland in Sept. 2023. Used Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow as my bases. I did some day trips from these bases using different companies. Had fantastic experiences with Timberbush Tours especially the Fort George, Culloden & Cairngorms Natl Park - departing from Inverness. Inverness was my fave base as it's absolutely beautiful & laid back. I took the train between the 3 bases. Another source for walking tours is GuruWalk. I've always had great walking tours with them.
Enjoy !