Help with #nights Loch Ness vs Skye

Don't forget that your sea fishing trip will be weather dependent, even in July, so you might want that extra night in Skye to allow for any changes to that schedule. I don't know of that many sea fishing tours, many are simply boat trips, so I assume you've already sorted that out? You can still find lots of walks in Skye where you'd be entirely on your own (use Walk Highlands website to find them) if you avoid the honey pots of Old Man of Storr, Neist Point, Fairy Pools and Kilt Rock. Incidentally for those wanting to see the Coral Beach near Dunvegan, storms earlier this year have taken away quite a lot of the sand, so while there is still a section of 'coral' (not really coral but calcified seaweed) it is much reduced leaving a large section of black rocks where there used to be 'coral'.

In my opinion as a local living in Skye, Loch Ness is actually pretty boring. It's not known as one of Scotland's most scenic lochs, the village of Drumnadrochit is small and uninteresting, and the ruined Urquhart Castle is probably the most interesting site on the loch. The other side of the loch from your hotel (assuming it's this one) is quieter and (again in my opinion) makes for a more peaceful exploration of the loch. Your hotel is on the busy side of the loch, where the A82 makes for lots of traffic (and associated traffic noise).

If you are staying at the Loch Ness Lodge then presumably you are taking the boat from the Clansman Hotel, as opposed to the longer boat trip from Inverness, which is the trip I prefer.
Even if it was from Inverness I don't personally see the boat trip and visit to Urquhart Castle as being more than a half day activity.

So especially in July with a very long day of daylight, to me if you do the first cruise of the day and stop at Fort Augustus on the way to Skye I don't believe that Loch Ness is more than a single night, so to transfer the 2nd night to Skye seems the more equitable division of time (assuming it is possible).

I'm not necessarily sure I would have chosen Pitlochry as the first stop in July either. With the aims of romance and beauty there are places on Speyside or down Loch Rannoch (west of Pitlochry) which may have fitted the bill better- but that is an entirely different question.

This is very insightful! May even consider changing Pitlochry! So maybe 4 nights on Skye isn’t too much in your opinions? And yes, that’s the Loch Ness tour location we’d be using (not Inverness boat tour launch).

Meg,

There are lots of holiday cottages in Skye, most of which are only rented out by the week, so that's the way a lot of visitors choose to experience Skye. Many of those people say that they have barely scratched the surface of the island when they leave. We have lived here more than 10 years and still have only explored a fraction of the peaceful and remote areas of the island.

July is of course peak time and island will be busy, so well worth you doing some planning of walks etc so you can avoid the worst of the crowds (see my note on honey pot sites earlier in the chain).

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)