Help with itinerary

Hi, greenearth65,

You definitely need to have more than one base for your travels. Scotland is a lot bigger than it looks on the map, and many of the roads are slow going, and will be even more so in late June.

First thing to do is get a good guide book, like the 2018 Lonely Planet Guide to Scotland, and/or the 2019 LP Guide to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Both are very detailed, and cover many parts of Scotland left out by other guides (RS, Fodor, Frommer, etc.). The best guide I've ever seen to Scotland is the Footprint guide. It has exhaustive information on the entire country. Unfortunately, the last issue I've been able to find came out in 2001.

Now for the bad news. Scotland has become a tourist mecca, so accommodation outside the central belt (Strathclyde) and possibly the east coast (Dundee, Aberdeen, etc.) is going to be difficult to find. I've already heard of areas like Skye and Mull being already almost impossible to find lodging. But test the waters, and if you can't find anything on the internet, try calling directly to the tourist information offices in places you'd like to visit. They are extremely helpful. You should be able to find accommodation in places like Inverness or Fort William, which are good bases from which you can take day trips. Portree (Skye) may already be fully booked, but somewhere like Broadford, Edinbane, or Uig may still have lodging available.

Best wishes and good luck for your travels! You are going at a good time of year for scenery and long daylight hours.

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: First class seats for the Jacobite may already be fully booked up for the latter part of June. You can check the West Coast Railways website for the days in which you're interested. Standard seating is still available. You get the same view, just no tea and scones. Take a look at the TripAdvisor reviews for hints of where to sit and what not to order.

Do you plan to drive, or will you be traveling by train and bus? If you are not driving, I'm afraid you are going to struggle to find lodgings on the islands and in the ferry ports. I say that because I have a July trip coming up and had a very difficult time finding rooms back in December. If you're driving, you won't be limited to lodgings in towns with decent bus service, and that may make things easier, though I cannot guarantee it.

Assuming you don't want to make the trip without getting to some places like Skye, I would check on the lodging situation before buying the plane ticket.

Another possibility would be to check with Rabbies about space availability on one of its multi-day tours that goes more or less where you'd like to go. You pay separately for your lodgings when you take one of their tours, but they arrange them for you, based on your preferences. I assume they block-book a bunch of rooms in hotels, B&Bs, etc.; perhaps not all of those rooms are spoken for.

Just a note on accommodation here on Skye. It is pretty busy in the summer, but you should still be able to find somewhere good, especially as you want multiple nights. Many people are looking for one night stays and in the summer many places only offer multiple nights. Outside of Portree you might consider the Edinbane Inn and the Edinbane Lodge both in Edinane. The Ferry Inn in Uig also does B&B. All of the above places also do very good food. There are many small B&Bs, many of whom use booking.com or Airbnb so those platforms could be good places to look too. You could also join the Facebook group called Skye Rooms, which aims to match travellers looking for rooms, with providers with space available.

You mention Loch Ness, but I have to say it is not one of Scotland's most scenic lochs. There are many more beautiful and spectacular lochs to visit.

As for the Jacobite train, unless steam trains are a particular draw, then you could travel the same route on a regular train for a fraction of the cost.

I'd recommend getting hold of one of the guidebooks that covers the whole of Scotland and the islands, e.g. Lonely Planet or Rough Guide - both have sample/suggested itineraries that you could use as a basis for a great trip.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Thank you to everyone who has offered advice! After reading your replies we narrowed down some ideas last night and were able to locate some accommodations. (Waiting to see if this sounds ok before doing the final booking though) Arrive in Edinburgh (3 nights), Falkland (1 night), Drive to Glencoe (3 nights), Isle of Skye (4 nights), drive back to
Edinburgh and make a stop along the way for
One night - Spend the last night in Edinburgh then fly home. Does this sound doable? Thanks again for your help...your knowledge and advice is much appreciated!

Yes it's doable, but I wonder about 3 nights in Glencoe. Unless you are big on hiking then personally I'd say that's a bit too much time there. Just a thought.

Where would it be better to add the extra time if we don’t stay as long in Glencoe? Thanks so much

Well I'd recommend Skye - but then I would say that as I live here! Others might tell you that you could have a couple of nights on Mull, or you could squeeze a couple of nights over on Lewis & Harris (Outer Hebrides - ferry from Skye to Tarbet), where there are standing stones and iron age house, and some spectacular beaches - great for walks with mountains in the background.