Highlands 5 Day Itinerary

Portree to Edinburgh on Google Maps says it's a 5h drive - but it will almost certainly take longer than that. There's lots of places to stop along the way depending on your route (e.g., Pitlochry; Stirling), but with well over 5 hours drive time it'll be difficult to fit too much in to the same day.

It can be done, but it'll be a long day.

A link to some more detail in the Forum:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/driving-from-isle-of-skye-portree-to-edinburgh'

Thanks for that link Steve, lots of good advice there.

Weather is unpredictable this far out. We were in Oban and on Skye in September 2023. Weather was beautiful with the exception of 1 day of damp and moody skies on Skye.

The 2 island tour to Mull and Iona through Westcoast Tours was a great day. If you go, don't hop on the first bus in line at Craignure. You'll want to sit upstairs in the very first row, if possible, to give the kids the best views on the drive across Mull. So choose a bus further down the line.

The Oban Highland Games are on August 28 this year.

If you decide to go to Skye, book your accomodations ASAP and, also, reserve a table for dinner in advance, unless you're self catering.

2 or 3 nights on Skye vs elsewhere totally depends on what your family wants to see and do. There's a lot more Scotland outside of the Isle of Skye with beautiful vistas and lochs, historic castles and ruins, hikes and drives and more.

Enjoy your trip!

Hey jeanm, thanks for the tips, especially about the mull tour bus! I'm glad you had nice weather there in September, I know it's unpredictable but as long as it's not guaranteed to be miserable I'm happy :)

We will be booking a place to stay in Skye soon, any recommendations for an area to stay in? Should we try to stay near Portee?

Also, about making dinner reservations, how far in advance do you recommend doing that? A week? A month?

Hi Jay!

We were in Scotland for 16 days in early Sept and the weather was everything from low 70's and we needed sunscreen, to a couple drizzly, cooler days, where we layered up and wore raincoats. We hiked even in the light rain and it was spectacular. 3 nights on Skye is great! We could easily have spent more time there. The day you'll spend driving to Skye will take up a good portion of your day - especially since you will want to stop to take in some of the views and not rush - and going through Glencoe is breathtaking. Driving back to Edinburgh in a day will be fine - and you will have lots of options of places to visit depending on what it is you'd like to see.

Getting to Skye - you can take the ferry from Mallaig to Skye one way and then drive the Skye bridge the other.

Whatever you decide, you'll have a wonderful time!!
I do suggest making dinner and sleeping reservations very soon, if you've not done that yet!

Hi Rebecca, sounds great, thanks! I will check out the ferry, I remember Rick saying the same thing in the Scotland guide book

jay, you're welcome.

At this point, I would say book whatever is still available that can accommodate your family.

Some restaurants on Skye book out months in advance. There's a Michelin starred restaurant on the island. The more popular places will book up several weeks in advance. Here's a recent post on restaurants.

7 nights on Skye

And time everything so you are not driving in the dark. Out of the cities and larger towns, Scotland is black at night and you never know when a Highland cow or some sheep may decide to cross.

If you do decide on the ferry to Skye, book well in advance.

The drive from Oban to Maillig for the ferry will take you past the Glenfinnan Viaduct. IF you want to stop to see the train cross, allow plenty of your drive up from Oban. The car park at Glenfinnan can't accommodate all the folks that want a photo op.

jeanm, thanks again. We probably won't do too much eating out for dinner as it's easier with the kids to just eat in. Are restaurants equally busy for breakfast and lunch?

Hi, Jay,

You won't find many restaurants outside of the major population areas which serve breakfast. I can only think of one possibility in Portree. It's generally assumed that most visitors to Skye will be having breakfast at their lodging, whether it be hotel, B&B, or self catering.

You can find lots of breakfast foods, including ready made sandwiches (the bacon, egg, and sausage is a personal favorite!) at the Co-ops in Kyle, Mallaig, Broadford, and Portree. Mrs A and I frequently get by with those cups of oatmeal or porridge to which you just add hot water. Pot noodles make a great dinner, too!

You'll find lots of options for lunch, however.

Enjoy your time on Skye!

Mike (Auchterless)

Mike (Auchterless), good to know, thank you. We will definitely check out those co-ops.

I also was in Scotland in September. Generally decent weather with some rain. Driving around the highlands we went through clouds to mist to squall to clouds to beautifully sunny. Very changeable!
It's nice that in Sept the midges aren't much of an issue.

If you need a little extra to get the kids motivated and out the door when heading out from Oban towards Skye, there is a nice little castle ruin, Dunstaffnage. Definitely a ruin but intact enough to climb up and look out the ramparts, and go into one room. A stop probably wouldn't take more than an hour. Also space to run around in grass. (My husband and I seem to like castle ruins better than "fancy" castles.) It didn't seem to get very crowded as it's not a "major" site, but it might burn off a little energy before a day mostly in the car.

Wanderbug, I have Dunstaffnage Castle on my list!

Also good to hear the infamous midges aren't a major worry.