Ideas for upcoming Scotland trip

I'm an Orkney lover. I think if you are going to visit you'd want at least an overnight although there may be some who day trip. I personally did not see everything in a week there and have a 2nd trip planned for next year. The WWII related sites and history are very interesting but you may not have enough time.

Here is a link to transit options from Scotland to various points in Orkney - air and ferry.

https://www.orkney.com/plan/getting-here

IF you are going to Orkney you might consider doing a flight from Edinburgh instead of trying to get there from Inverness.

It depends how you are traveling, but if you have a car, consider staying outside of the cities (other than Edinburgh of course). The Speyside is so beautiful, stay in the area. Orkney was fantastic and yes worth visiting for even 2 nights (I would trade Inverness for Orkney in a minute). Orkney has great hikes, great archaeology and interesting WWII history (Churchill Barriers, Italian chapel, lookouts). Skye is beautiful, but a long drive there, around and back. Oban is really about the port loaded with ferries to various islands, so if you go there, take a ferry somewhere else, check out where CalMac Ferries sails from Oban (it's not really about Oban as a town but it is a good stop between activities coming and going). I guess my point is - think of the activities each of you want to do in between the cities.

I'm assuming you will have a car?

How long are you planning for Inverness? Orkney can be done as a day trip from Inverness but it is a long day, especially if you are driving yourselves. Ideally it would be better to stay at least one night (and two would be even better) as there's a lot more thean the WW2 stuff BUT the problem may be finding accommodation for September. If you can find somewhere to stay on Orkney then go for it! It is a completely different feel to the rest of Scotland and Skye with its Norse heritage.

Oban area would make a good break on the way from Skye back to Glasgow. There's plenty to do and see in the areas as well as ferries across to Mull and the smaller islands like Kerera, Seil or Luing.

Have you got accommodation booked yet? Edinburgh and Inverness probably won't be too much of a problem as there is plenty of choice of accommodation. Skye may be as accommodation there books up months in advance.

That tour to Orkney is no longer running due to Pentland ferries being short of a vessel, which is on charter to CalMac.

The alternative day trip option on the John O'Groats ferry also no longer runs as the ferry has been sold.

The lunchtime ferry would give you a little over an hour on Orkney if you drove yourself. To get a day there you would need to be on the 0930 ferry which is an 0500 start from Inverness, back at about 2200- a long day.

The better day trip option is to fly from Aberdeen.

Thanks for pointing that out isn31c. I'd missed that - even more reason for spending at least one night on Orkney!

We visited Orkney via the Pentland Ferry this past Spring. It's truly a very special place to visit with so much history to absorb. Orkney is very busy so if you decide to go check into accommodation for your visit. https://pentlandferries.co.uk/. If you ferry over stay the 1st night and one other night you should be able to get a quick overview of some of the most popular sites on Mainland Orkney.

If you decide to visit Orkney, and if you have the flexibility, try to avoid a day when the huge cruise ships are in port. https://www.orkneyharbours.com/sectors/cruise-ships/2024. At the time of year you will be visiting there aren't so many huge ships scheduled but it's nice not to encounter them.

Inverness is one of those places that people seem to love or hate. We actually like Inverness for a home base for day tours, Fort George, Culloden, Clava Cairns, Elgin Cathedral, Cairngorms, Dunrobin are a few of the great places to visit.

I fell in love with Orkney this past May. I had an interest in Scapa Flow as well. There is also the Royal Oak Memorial.

I think Orkney would be better served as at least an overnight. But if you really wanted to, it could be done as a day trip as others have said.

We've been to the Orkneys twice (so far). Our next Orkney visit will be six days exploring the surrounding islands. Last time, we connected to a flight in Edinburgh upon arrival, allowing us to get the jet lag recovery combined with travel to Orkney. I always try to "get started" on a trip on the first day, usually by flying on to an island (Orkney, Shetland, Harris), taking a long train (e.g. to Aberdeen, Inverness) or making a short drive (e.g. to Rothsay or Anstruther). After a night or two on Orkney, you could fly to Aberdeen or Inverness, then move on to Skye, then END the trip in Edinburgh.

As others mentioned, you choices of lodging might dictate your schedule. I'm already fully booked for our May 2025 trip.

Doing my normal bit, it is Orkney, not the Orkneys. Orkney Islands is an alt! Mainly, there is no island called 'Orkney' it refers to all.

I would add to those who say spend at least one night there. There is a magic about staying in Orkney that is difficult to describe. Though the white nights of summer will be reflected by night being unending in December and January. It can be difficult enough here. That said, came close to applying for jobs up there over the years.

I also recommend staying at least one night in Orkney. So much to see and do, but you will definitely want a car. I highly recommend the Scapa Flow Museum for your WWII buffs. https://www.orkney.gov.uk/our-services/leisure-and-culture/arts-museums-and-heritage/museums-and-visitor-centres/scapa-flow-museum/

We were in Inverness in June; drove a rental car there, used it for a side trip while staying downtown (2 nights), then turned in the car and took the train back to Edinburgh. Train service wasn’t real frequent and the only option was ScotRail. Possibly options and service are better from Edinburgh to Inverness.

In Inverness, we enjoyed the Inverness Museum https://invernessmuseum.com/ which had an interesting collection of early Pictish art and Iron Age artifacts. We also enjoyed the Highland Malt Whisky Experience
https://www.highlandmaltwhiskyexperience.co.uk/ held at MacGregor’s bar. Just walking around near the River Ness was beautiful and fun.

We only took one side trip outside Inverness, to Urquhart Castle, a ruin in a gorgeous setting on Loch Ness. Great history, from the signage and the audio guide. If you have a car, book admission and parking in advance from Historic Scotland https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/urquhart-castle/ if not then you might need to look into buses, a taxi, or a tour.

I looked at some trips out of Inverness, including to Orkney; it seemed a shame to take that long a trip and not stay to really enjoy it. We wound up not going to Orkney, I hope to do so in the future.

Best wishes on the trip!