Inverness/Scotland questions

Hi,
This is one of those "I wouldn't have started from there" questions. Inverness to the Lake District in 2 days is not something I'd want to do in peak tourist season when traffic will be horrible, however....

Firstly your accommodation budget is small. You are going to be travelling through the Highlands where demand outstrips supply many times over. You might find a Premier Inn (like Super 8) in Inverness, Fort William or the fringes of Glasgow (e.g. Dumbarton) for under $200 in August but I doubt it. A friend is staying in Fort William next week and is paying £250 in the Premier Inn (a room which would sell for £60 off season). You won't find a lovely hidden gem place for your budget, and if it exists it will already be booked up. Sorry.

You don't say what time your flight arrives so it's hard to advise whether you should have 2 nights for your journey, but personally I say yes to that question.

You could book a Premier Inn in Inverness for your first night. You could visit Culloden Battlefield and Clava Cairns, and have a wander in the town. The next day you could head south on the A82 following the banks of Loch Ness, and passing through pretty Fort Augustus, then Fort William and Glencoe. I'd suggest an overnight stay at the Premier Inn in Dumbarton on the northern edge of Glasgow. From there it's motorway (highway) all the way to the Lake District.

Are your flights set in stone? If Scotland is a must do, could you fly into Glasgow or Edinburgh? You could spend Sunday exploring Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Then Monday's drive to the Lake District would give you time to explore the beautiful Scottish Borders with Gardens, ancient Abbeys, castles and more.

If you decide to spend 2 nights in Inverness you might consider a small group all day tour such as Rabbie's for Sunday.

Btw, IMO, Premier Inns are much nicer than a typical American Super 8. Although they lack charm, they are clean and comfortable .

Premier Inn are definitely fine. They are a ubiquitous chain here in the uk and I certainly use them myself. In the US I use places like Holiday Inn express, which seems pretty similar to a premier inn.

I’d second the advice to fly into Glasgow or Edinburgh if you can. I’m just assumed in my earlier reply that your flights were set in stone.

I would suggest staying in Inverness for two nights just because staying any place for one night is tiring if you've flown in. I agree that finding a place to stay may be difficult. Inverness is not very big. There are a couple of chain hotels if you get stuck but you can also look into b&bs. You can look on booking.com and you can go to Google maps and look at individual properties that you see. There are some that are not hooked into booking.com and you need to write to them individually - sometimes when they are booked they will refer you to someplace else. We stayed in Eldion guest house($200/nt) and at the Art house Apartments for 2 nights each. Both were close to downtown. The Art House apartment was much more luxurious (about $300/nt) and had a washer and dryer etc. Eldion guest house was a very traditional B & B. Not sure if you'll have a car during the time you're in Inverness? If so, then you can go to Clava Cairns and the Culloden battlefield on your own. Inverness is somewhat touristy because it's where a lot of tours leave from to go up to the highlands etc. But it's still special because Scotland is fantastic and the people are so friendly. Go to Leakey's Bookshop and maybe out to hear some music at night!

If you do decide to stay in Inverness for two nights, then be aware that it will take you all day to drive to a central Lake District location like Windermere. Google maps says nearly 6 hours, but that is with light traffic and no stops. You are going to encounter heavy tourist season traffic and I'd expect the journey to be more like 10 hours with a stop for lunch.

Thank you for the information so far!

I know that Inverness is perhaps not an ideal start, nor is rushing off so quickly. I'm trying to make the best of a non-ideal timeline. It's a shorter (and more short notice) trip than we'd like -- husband has a work project with a schedule that kept changing and we couldn't start booking anything until that got nailed down; then another project came up that means he has to be back home sooner than we'd hoped. I'd offered that we wait and go another year, but he decided we should go ahead and do it. We don't know if/when we'll ever get back so decided to hit some highlights -- hopefully we can return some day to appreciate the UK at a more leisurely pace!

Husband made the flight arrangements so I'm not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure flight into Inverness is, indeed, set in stone. It was cheaper by a couple 100 dollars each than flying into Edinburgh or Glasgow. We figured since the Lake District was our main destination it perhaps made sense to start up north and work our way down and thereby see more of the country. We had hoped that by September, things would have calmed down a bit (especially on weekdays). And yes, Google maps was saying that 5-6-ish hours would get us from Inverness to Lake District (depending on where we decide to stay there -- I need to work that out too!) so we figured that was do-able. But if you think it might take more like 10? Sounds like perhaps it would be wisest to start heading that way on Sunday.

Unfortunately we don't arrive until Saturday evening, and I think a lot of things (like Leakey's) are closed on Sunday. So it's likely Inverness will be little more than a place to spend the night and get a rental car. Sounds like the best plan may indeed to be Skyegirl's suggested trip down the A82 to see Loch Ness, Glencoe, etc. and spend night #2 elsewhere.

I welcome more opinions. Research continues, but I'm going to try to pin something down ASAP. Thanks again!

I very rarely disagree with Jacqui but 10 hours is very pessimistic to the Lake District. 6 or 7 is more on the money although the unknown is the Glasgow area.
On the A9 you can't rush due to long, long stretches of average speed cameras. But the big complex motorway junction on the edge of Glasgow should be just about 3 hours.
Add a stop at the House of Bruar, Pitlochry or Dunkeld, makes it 4 hours.
From the Glasgow junction to Abington services is normally 30 to 45 minutes and from Abington to my home on the coastal edge of the Lake District is exactly 2 hours to the minute any day of the week. The big caveat to that is major roadworks outside Carlisle forcing a divert to stay on the M6 to Penrith then the A66, adding 30 minutes for me, but no material difference for you.
Abington is just a timing point, I'm not saying to stop there. Either use Cairn services or preferably (depending on bathroom needs) the town of Moffat.
I'm not sure of your exact date but worry that this is at Bank Holiday weekend or the week after when the area will be stuffed to the ginnels with tourists.
If so use the car wisely and don't follow the herd instinct to Keswick.
Instead think about Cockermouth, Penrith or just maybe Kendal as places to stay.
When us locals have to divert down the A66 we are trying to keep to normal time, so you are likely to encounter very aggressive driving on that road.
Just stay in the inside lane on the dualled sections and let everyone else blast past you. The other opposite issue with the A66 which adds to locals woes at that time of year is lots of slow moving tractors for harvest on a fast road. It's a bad mix.
All in all on a long travel day I suggest Penrith as your Lake District base.

I agree that my 10 hours estimate was pessimistic, but based on many journeys I have made in the summer from Skye to the Central Belt (Dunblane, Stirling, Edinburgh) using the A9. Lots of traffic and frustration with queues seems to lead people to do crazy things and the number of accidents on both the A9 and the A82 (Glencoe) routes south have made me rethink journey times. Indeed only last weekend I got caught in a queue (heading south) due to a fatal accident. The road was closed for 10 hours. I also assumed the OP might want to stop for a wee bit of sight seeing and/or lunch on the way.

I still think an overnight stop might be a good idea and would also afford a little more time to see the sights.

While the A9 route south is the most direct to the Lake District it seems a shame not to see some of Scotland’s gorgeous scenery by detouring down through Glencoe as suggested.

On reaching Inverness, you could potentially drive 35 mins or so to Aviemore to allow yourselves a short explore next day of the beautiful Rothiemurchus area, Loch Morlich etc which is within Cairngorm National Park.Aviemore is largely quite modern but would still make for a decent one night stop.To me, that would suit your interests better than a night in Inverness itself.
Then head south for Dalwhinnie and across country to Spean Bridge and south from there through Glencoe - pretty much a stunning drive throughout.
A Sunday overnight could be in or around Loch Lomond - Luss would be nice, a pretty conservation village.A day trippers delight but it all quietens down in the evening.
Be wary of too early a start next morning as traffic going into Glasgow during rush hour(pretty much from the Airport onwards) is heavy to say the least.

"Scotlandmac" -- while your Aviemore, etc. itinerary sounds terrific, Google map thinks it might be 50+ minutes from airport to Aviemore. We don't arrive in Inverness until 8:10pm, so I worry that by the time we get a rental car and all, it might be too late/husband will be too tired to drive that far on unfamiliar roads, especially since he'll also need to get used to driving on the "other" side of the road. Would it make sense to drive that route all on Sunday, just for the scenery? Or should we just stick to "Skyegirl's" A82 route?

"isn31c" -- We arrive on the 30th of August. Bank Holiday will be the 25th, yes? Will it still be crazy? Does that include that first week of September? We had really hoped that by Sept., more people would be done with their holidays and back to business as usual, kids back in school, etc. But I was also worried if we waited too much longer, it'd start getting colder and wetter. Well, we'll deal with whatever we get I suppose!

Might it make more sense to stay Sunday night somewhere south of Glasgow, so we don't have to worry about Monday morning traffic into the city? Any particular place down there I should check out? Or are the previous suggestions like Dumbarton or Luss better options?

I appreciate you all weighing in on this! Guide books and the internet are great, but being able to ask targeted questions is SO helpful. Thank you!

In Scotland you're OK as the schools go back in mid August, but in England the first week in September.
So people should be going home the weekend you arrive, and that Monday should be the first of ordinary time, but folk seem to be pushing that boundary ever more. The Lake District then gets the briefest of breaks (almost imperceptible) before the snowbirds arrive. If it's really good weather the break may be invisible. The season just gets ever longer.
So it shouldn't be crazy, but may well still be very busy.

I like the idea of Dumbarton, but not Luss. I would substitute Tarbet for Luss anytime.
I would come over the Erskine Bridge then rather than stay on the M8 over the Kingston Bridge take the M74.
Even better make the days travel a feature and drop down through Ayrshire.

Just before the Kingston Bridge (which is traffic central in the peak) take the M77 South towards Ayr then the A76 to Dumfries for the A75 to Carlisle.
You could deviate off the A76 for Scotland 's highest village and old lead mining centre at Leadhills.
The other even more scenic route from Ayr is the A77 and A714 to Newton Stewart for the A75 or the A713 to Castle Douglas for the A75.
All three are great routes and it's hard to choose between them.
If it was me on the Sunday night I would be dropping off the A82 onto the A815 for Dunoon, the ferry crossing to Gourock then staying at the Spinnaker at Gourock then down the M8 next morning. There are also a couple of nice hotels on the Dunoon side of the ferry crossing.

Just wanted to say that I love isn31c's suggestion of Dunoon and the ferry. That would be a really nice way to get across the Clyde and you'd miss the Erskine Bridge which would be congested in the morning rush hour. And also his suggestion of seeing a little of Ayrshire. In fact, I am likely to follow that plan next time I go south of the border to see my mum!

There's a lot of information here (yay!). I'm gonna need to find time to sit down with a map and take a look at all these options. Thanks!

Yes I had in my mind that you’ve got 15 mins to drive anyway into Inverness (if you stay in the city itself..there are other options) so it’s only another 30 mins to Aviemore down the fast and - in the evening - fairly quiet A9.But that’s a late arrival time at the airport plus you’ll be travelling down in the dark.

Do you have a preference for what time you want to arrive at the Lakes on Monday? That also will help decide your route and what you might have the time to see (and also to enjoy in terms of not treating it simply as a 2 day road trip, but getting out of the car to have a stroll, breath in that fresh, Highland air in a few choice places.)

If you decide you want more time in Scotland on the Monday before heading south (Lakes are about a 2hr - 2.5 hr from the Glasgow area depending on your base) then the A82 route, the more scenic of the two `(compared to the A9) offers some great stop offs.You wouldn’t need to go all the way down to Luss for example - around Glencoe would work if it’s a stunning location you fancy for that overnight.Or, depending on route, Inveraray perhaps.Several good eating out choices in the latter and also in and around Glencoe.

Everyone has their preferences but I can’t really see the attraction in Dumbarton as an overnight although the castle is worth a visit.It’s a workaday town at best (I was actually married there many moons ago!), a bit grim and down at heel in places though there are nicer residential areas.

Glasgow’s rush hour should be well over by 10am if you plan to be underway sooner rather than later and take the direct route to the `Lakes.It is quite an additional if scenic detour to Dunoon but you can also see how you feel and how the weather is doing.The ferries run pretty much constantly.

I agree Dumbarton is not scenic, but mindful of the prices for a hotel room in the season, I thought the Premier Inn on the outskirts might come in around the OP's budget for a stop off on the way to the Lakes.

If you read what I wrote I wasn't suggesting routing through Dunoon starting North thereof but overnighting there.
The Spinnaker Hotel comes way within budget, is anything but cookie cutter, and is one of those places which doesn't have wild price swings seasonally. It also has fantastic views out over the Tail o''the Bank. Sea and mountain. I had a very extended stay there when commuting down the M8 to work in Renfrew for many months.
Both the food and the beer (Belhaven) are great. It was almost my only ever contract where I wasn't on call all night, every night so could safely have a pint or two, knowing I didn't have to drive until next morning.
One of those postings where I felt so lucky every day. Sometimes I purposefully parked away from the hotel just to enjoy the seafront walk.
I accept that, as towns, neither Gourock or Dunoon are "quaint" but they make up for that in other subtler ways. In fact you could diss both if so minded.

The OP has also asked for scenery. You don't just get that in the Highlands of Scotland. I know the three suggested road routes through Ayrshire/D and G personally. All deliver that in bucketloads, far more than straight down the motorway. And all three give lots of chance to get out of the car and make discoveries, in a way the M74 by its nature doesn't.
I believe a road trip is about discovering, not my saying visit a, b and c.

Regardless of where you end up spending the night, if you're looking for a place to sleep on a budget check out Hostelling Scotland. They've got a lot of locations around the country, they do have private rooms, and are friendly to all ages. If they have availability for your travel dates, either in Inverness or anywhere else you might pass through, that may be a good option for keeping expenses low.

While not 100% planned, the Scottish leg of our trip is mostly worked out. AirBnB for the first night (not TOO far from the airport, self check-in so we don't have to disturb anyone late-ish, and it's cute). Sunday we might take a little bit of time to check out Inverness proper, and then A82 south through Glencoe. At Tarbet (I think?) we leave the A82 and take the A83 back west to curve around to the A815 and on to Dunoon. Ferry to Gourock, stay at the Spinnaker, as suggested. Stops at Great Glen Distillery and Ben Nevis Distillery are likely, as well as whatever else might strike our fancy.

Then we're not sure...might depend on mood/weather/how well we slept, etc. whether we want to go the longer suggested route via Ayr, or whether to just head straight to the Lakes. Thank you for the suggestions -- we are definitely making notes of the options and starting to get very excited about our trip!

Given that route on Sunday -- any suggestions for a good place to eat along the way?

Coming down from Fort William to Dunoon I might be inclined at Tyndrum to turn onto the A85 to Dalmally then via Inverary, as an alternative to the A82/A83.
Coming via either route, depending very much on timing, I would have at the back of my mind a possible deviation to Lochgoilhead.
A village I like a lot.
In Fort William I would suggest either the cafe/restaurant at the Highland Cinema or the Crannog at Garrison West.
Another thought if taking the A82/A83 route is the Kirkothe Lochs at Tarbet. I've not been there but it gets very good reviews and looks a lovely conversion of the old Church (Kirk). I went past a few weeks ago, but was in heavy delay after earlier issues.
The Church served Tarbet (Loch Lomond) and Arrochar (Loch Long) hence the name.
I'm sure it'll be closed when you get there but at the head of the ferry slipway on the Dunoon side is The Salty Bean- a very nice tiny cafe - a quick bite kind of place but for its size a great and locally sourced menu.
Another daytime place near Dunoon I like is The Blairmore (at Blairmore Pier).
But in both places you are soon going to be having your evening meal in Gourock!!

Another good lunch place in Fort William is the excellent Highland Soaps visitor centre, which has a lovely cafe with soups, hot meals, and delicious cakes. The shop is lovely too some great souvenir options..... It's on the edge of town - before the town centre on the right hand side coming from the north on the A82.