Help with itinerary please!

If you are wanting to spend a day on Mull (definitely recommended!) then you need two nights in Oban.

What are your plans for the Inverness area? Culloden, Clava Cairns, Fort George? If intending to do anything worthwhile around the are, then youy will need a full day ie 2 nights.

June 20th - Rather than taking the A9 through Pitlochry, head to Grantown on Spey and take A939 through Toumintil, Cock Bridge (Corgaff Castle on the hillside is worth a visit) to Ballater Then pick up the A93 (the Snow Road) which goes through some of the wildest country in Scotland to Blairgowry. Now cut across country on A 923 to Dundee and across the Tay Bridge to St Andrews. Plan to stay in or around St Andrews for the night.

Use June 21st to explore the area and the Fife Fishing villages - including PIttenweem- they are delightful and very different. Then stay in Edinburgh

Hi, Dabney,

First of all, I am going to go completely against the advice that I always give here - I am going to recommend that you pick up your car at Glasgow Airport upon your arrival, instead of picking it up on June 16th. With five of you travelling, it's going to be a lot easier, and less time consuming, to get your car right away. Plus the 16th is a Friday, so there may be less of an availability of cars that day.

Having said that, you want to make sure that your accommodation has free or relatively inexpensive parking. Your other option would be to hire a car from a location in the city on the day that you leave, but I feel that it's better to get acclimated to driving on the left outside the city rather than in the city.

Getting around Glasgow is relatively easy by public transport and taxi. As you have a day and a half in the city, you should limit yourselves to places that are centrally located, and places which would be interesting for yourselves and your daughters. I'd recommend, in no specific order, Glasgow Cathedral, the Necropolis, People's Palace, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Burrell Collection, Riverside Transport Museum, Glasgow Science Centre, the Tenement House Museum, and the Hunterian. As you'll be arriving in Glasgow close to the solstice, there will be daylight until about 10:30 p.m., so you could check out a couple of these spots on the day that you arrive, then two or three on your full day.

Your daughters would probably enjoy the "Shopping Z". which is the retail district formed by Argyle Street, Buchanan Street, and Sauchiehall Street. Do not attempt to drive in this area! However, if you must, the best place to park is probably at the St Enoch Shopping Centre (Glasgow's largest indoor mall).

You could actually visit Stirling for part of the day, on your way to Oban. The main attractions in Stirling are Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument. If you get to Oban relatively early in the day, you'd have time to putter around the town, then catch an early ferry for Mull on the 17th. There isn't a whole lot to see in Oban, but you could climb up to McCaig's Folly, and have a stroll along the waterfront. There is a small ruined castle (Dunollie) at the north end of town. It's currently closed, but may be open by June. There are several restaurants in Oban, but with five of you, it would be advisable to make reservations. If you get stuck, there are a few very good chippies for takeaway.

If you are planning to visit Mull, I'd advise getting the earliest possible ferry Reserving ahead is pretty much mandatory, as the 17th is a Saturday, and there will be a lot of daytrippers competing for space. I'm assuming that you'll be visiting Iona. Park in Fionnphort (another reason for getting an early start) and take the passenger ferry over. You should also visit Tobermory and Duart Castle. If you do visit Duart, be sure to get out on to the battlements. It's a beautiful view, and if the ferry happens to be sailing by, all the better.

Oban to Inverness, via Glencoe, is a straightforward drive. You can either take the long way round via the A85 to Tyndrum, and pick up the A82 there, or you can drive straight up the shore of Loch Linnhe on the A828, and pick up the A82 at Ballachulish. Either way is very scenic.

Most visitors to Inverness spend some time at Culloden Battlefield and the Clava Cairns, as Wasleys suggested. However, there is a lot to see and do within the city as well. The River Ness/Ness Islands walk is a good low level walk, as are walks along the Caledonian Canal. Whin Park, which is at the south end of the Ness Islands walk, could be a fun place for your daughters. There is a boating pond and several youth oriented activities. You'll often find live music at the outdoor portion of the Eden Court Theatre. There is a charge for sitting under the tent, but you can stand and watch outside.

Part two coming up...

Mike (Auchterless)

Hi again, Dabney,

Part two...

Inverness (continued)...

There are lots of restaurants in Inverness, in all price ranges. Again, with five of you, if you're planning to eat inside, best to make reservations. The Victorian Arcade, which is a shopping area filled with small shops and cafes, would be a fun place to visit for your daughters, and there are many shops and restaurants along Church Street. Leakey's Bookshop, at the north end of Church Street, is probably the best in the Highlands, and there's a McDonald's at the corner of High Street and the pedestrian precinct, if the girls are missing their fast food!

I like Wasley's route from Inverness to Dundee. I'd recommend that over the route via Pitlochry. There are two ways of getting to Grantown-on-Spey. The fastest would be to take the A9 to Carrbridge, then the A938 to Grantown. The other way would be to take the A96 to Nairn, and the A939 south from there.

Once you get to Ballater, you have the option of taking the A93 west and south, or east to Banchory, and the A957 south to Stonehaven. If you take that route, you should definitely visit Dunnottar Castle before you depart Stonehaven. From there, the A90 will take you directly south to Dundee.

Accommodation may be tight for five of you on the East Neuk of Fife, so you may want to stay in Dundee on the 20th. There is quite a bit to see in Dundee, including the RRS Discovery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Verdant Works, the McManus Gallery, and the Science Centre. The girls may enjoy the bronze sculptures of comic book characters Desparate Dan (with his "dawg"), and Minnie the Minx, on the High Street.

Finally on the East Neuk on the 21st! Get an early start, and you should have enough time to visit St Andrews, then the fishing villages along the coast (Pittenweem, Crail, Anstruther, etc.) From there, it's an easy drive to the Forth Bridge and Edinburgh.

If you don't already have them, I'd recommend getting copies of the RS Scotland guide, as well as the Rough Guide to Scotland. Both of these guides will provide you with lots of information about the places which you are visiting.

Very best wishes for your travels. You will love Scotland!

Mike (Auchterless)

Wow!! Thank you both so much for taking the time to help! I have made a one night reservation at an inn in Dundee and we are very excited about our itinerary. Two questions for now before I look more into sights around Inverness and will likely have more questions.

1) Should we/could we also go to Iona along with Mull in the same day?

2) I would like to fly in and out of Glasgow as it saves nearly $1000 over the five of us. The flight leaves at 12pm. Is it crazy to think we can get there by 10am that morning from Edinburgh? What would be the best route since I will have dropped my car already? A train? A bus?

Thanks so much again!

If in Inverness , Hootenanny is outstanding good .
Think there's live music 4.30 pm till turned 2 am.
Saw a number of singers and bands there

I think that's crazy risky. You could find yourselves buying five replacement, one-way tickets home.

Have you checked with your airline on its recommendation for check-in time at Glasgow? This is what the airport website provides as general guidance: "Please check with your airline for this information. As a general rule you should be at the airport 2 before your flight for a domestic flight (within the UK) 3 hours before your flight for European flights and 4 hours before your flight for long haul flights."

Hi again, Dabney,

Yes, it's quite possible to visit Iona while you're on a day trip to Mull. Many travellers make it the main part of their day trip. However, it's not absolutely necessary to do so, as there are other things to see and do while you're on Mull. There are several good low level hikes, and there is a road around the west side of the island that is quite spectacular in places. A side trip to the smaller island of Ulva could be a good choice. Just make sure that in addition to booking the ferry from Oban to Craignure, you have also booked the return sailing. I'd recommend taking the first sailing to Mull, and the last sailing back. You will have lots of daylight.

Per Richard's suggestion to visit Hootenanny in Inverness, it's a good location for traditional music (downstairs), but your daughters may not be allowed in due to age restrictions. You could check with the venue ahead of time to find out if they may be allowed in for an afternoon trad session.

If your flight home departs Glasgow at noon, you should try to be there by 9:30 a.m. at the latest. It would be almost impossible to get from Edinburgh to GLA by train and taxi or train and bus, unless you leave at 7:00 a.m. or earlier. Security is relatively easy at GLA, but as you're departing on a Saturday, it could be short staffed, and there may be many flights leaving at that time.

If you are considering dropping your car off at GLA instead of EDI, you would take the M8 motorway, which will take you directly to the airport. As you'll be departing on a Saturday, the traffic should be lighter than on a weekday. It would normally take about an hour and 15 minutes, and the rental car return is about 200 yards from the terminal.

As an alternative plan, you could book a taxi from your lodging in Edinburgh to Glasgow Airport, if you have already dropped off your hired car. It would probably run you about 120 to 140 pounds, but if you're saving $1,000 on airfare, it would be worth it! And if you have dropped the hired car in Edinburgh, instead of keeping it until you get to Glasgow, the two days savings would almost pay for the taxi. You would probably require what they call a "people carrier", which is similar to a U.S. minivan. If you leave your lodging by 8:00 a.m., you should be at GLA in time for check in and security.

Once again, best wishes and good luck!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: If you think that you may be pressed for time on your way from Inverness to Dundee, you could take the A96 from Inverness to the Aberdeen bypass (A90), then follow it to Stonehaven, visit Dunnottar Castle, then get back on the A90 for Dundee. If you don't stop at Dunnottar, the trip can be done in about 4 1/2 hours. It's not particularly scenic, but it's faster!

Thanks to all who replied! Tonight we booked a trip from Dulles to Glasgow and then Edinburgh to Dulles. I also booked passage from Craignure to Mull and back today. I am so grateful for all the expert advice and am now going to look into each place mentioned. I am so excited to visit Scotland! Am I right in looking at past weather that the high temps in mid June generally range in the mid 60's? Maybe a bit higher toward the east coast?
Thanks again for everything!
Dabney

Hi again, Dabney,

I hope that you meant Oban to Mull, and not Craignure to Mull!

You're correct in noting that the June temperatures will be in the mid-60s, and probably down in to the upper 50s or low 60s at night. Generally, the temperatures are warmer on the West Coast, due to the North Atlantic Drift. Once you get to the East Coast, you should still be okay, although you may be faced with a snell wind whipping in from the North Sea.

Your question puts me in mind of one of our holidays. I had told Mrs. A that she would just need a lightweight jacket in late June. However, when we got to Aberdeen, she was so cold that we had to get her a winter jacket at an Outdoor store (Black's, if I remember correctly). Fortunately, as it was out of season, the jacket was half price. :)

Mike (Auchterless)

Wikipedia says Edinburgh's average low temperature in June is 49.8F. The comparable figure for Glasgow is 50.5F; for Oban, 47.8F. (Data from Wikipedia, but for Oban the average is based on a period that ended in 2000, so that's maybe not so accurate today.)

I'm not a fan of using average temperatures when I'm figuring out what clothing to take with me. It's all too easy to look at an average high temperature and sort of assume it won't be colder than that. The fact is that it will probably be colder than that in the early afternoon on about half the days of your trip, and it may well be colder than that at 9 AM or 5 PM on almost every day of your trip. I like to know what sort of extremes I may encounter, so I check the actual, day-by-day historical weather data available on the website timeanddate.com--usually for the most recent 5 years.

Edinburgh June 2022
Edinburgh June 2021
Edinburgh June 2020
Edinburgh June 2019
Edinburgh June 2018

Glasgow June 2022
Glasgow June 2021
Glasgow June 2020
Glasgow June 2019
Glasgow June 2018

Timeanddate.com doesn't have much data for Oban, but based on the Wikipedia averages, it appears likely to be several degrees chillier than Glasgow, and the wind in coastal locations can amplify any chill in the air. I was lucky to have decent temperatures on just about every day of my July 2019 trip; the one exception was a rainy, chilly day in Tobermory on Mull. It was untimely rain that affected my sightseeing plans; that's to be expected in Scotland; unfortunately, you don't know ahead of time what days will be bad.