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Help with Itinerary first time visitors!

hello all - my wife and I will be making our first trip to Scotland in late May. We enjoy easy to moderate hikes, cultural activities and of course food (and pubs!!). We prefer smaller locally owned establishments. Regarding hiking, i'd say we can hike about 5 miles or so or up to 4 hours, given how strenuous the trail is. I don't like unprotected heights tho!

Our trip starts in England (fly to London, 3 nights and then train to Liverpool – 3 nights) and initially we planned to spend 3 nights in Ambleside in the Lake District, driving from Liverpool. Then we plan to drive into Scotland. We are thinking of visiting Glencoe and Pitlochry. From what I read, Glencoe is really small with not much in terms of lodging and restaurants, while Pitlochry appears to have more but lacks the grand beauty in the surrounding areas of Glencoe. I currently have penciled in 2 nights each locale. This would be followed by driving to Edinburgh, returning the car and having 3 nights in Edinburgh, before returning home.

My question with this itinerary is I typically do not like less than 3 nights in any location – once you arrive, check in to the lodging and then departing that final morning - doesn’t allow for too much time and we normally don’t like bobbing around!

My questions are:
Keep the Lake District, either as is (3 nights) with the 2 and 2 nights in Glencoe/ Pitlochry
Skip the Lake District all together and spend 3 nights each in Glencoe and Pitlochry
Allocate the six nights in Glencoe/Pitlochry differently, eg 2 and 4 nights??
Spend only 2 nights in the Lake District and add that night to either Glencoe or Pitlochry.

Any and all advice welcomed!!!

Posted by
9979 posts

Just an FYI for next time, I would suggest just one thread posted in the General Europe forum. That makes it a bit easier for people to reply, rather than having two threads with the same question.

That said, it really boils down to personal preference. I prefer Scotland over the Lake District, but I live in a state with over 10,000 lakes, so I'd rather see different types of scenery. :-) Think about the scenery you would like to see; and the fact that you haven't been here before. There are so many wonderful places to visit in Scotland, and you could easily take those three nights in the Lake District and apply them to Scotland.

I have spent time on the Isles of Arran, Mull (probably my favorite), Skye and Lewis and Harris, so I'm a huge fan of the islands. But Glencoe is certainly beautiful and worth a visit. Lodging will be much pricier than other places, so your budget may factor in there. Really, no matter what you choose, you really can't go wrong. You also might want to watch some of the YouTube videos out there on Scotland, which will give you lots of scenery to look at and compare.

I would also suggest visiting https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk, which is a rich source of all things Scotland. And since you enjoy hiking, the https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk is a must-see.

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you Mardee- much appreciated! I figured posting specifically in each country forum would best hit my targeted audience, as opposed to a post in general europe, as its obviously so broad, but i completely understand.

Yes, i just told my wife last night we need to watch some youtube videos. i have checked out he https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk site which is invaluable - and thanks for the other link. I'll be sure to check that out too!