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Inverness vs Aberdeenshire?

We are a multi-generational family of 5 adults and 4 children traveling around Scotland for 3 weeks starting June 12th. I have managed to secure accommodations in Edinburgh (our arrival city) for 3-4 nights, then Isle of Mull for 2 nights, next is the Glencoe area for 4 nights, and we are on Skye for 4 nights. We want to go at a slower pace due to the fact that we have young children traveling with us and two of the adults may need to be working remotely on and off. After Skye we will have 7 nights left. This last bit is turning out to be more of a challenge to me. I know that we'd like to spend our last 2-3 nights in the Fife area, but was hoping that we could stay somewhere either near Inverness or Aberdeenshire area as a home base prior to moving back closer to Edinburgh. I know that the Moray Coast area is quite beautiful and I have some ancestral connections in the Aberdeenshire area. Any suggestions/comments or recommendations would be most welcome. Thanks to all for any help that you have to offer.
Kind regards,
Pamela

Posted by
6421 posts

If you’ve already booked, this may not help you, but if not, I would add another night or two onto Mull. It was such a beautiful island and one of my favorite places in Scotland. Two nights will only give you one full day to see the island, which is not nearly long enough. And of course, there is Iona, which is worth a day in itself.

Moving onto your dilemma, my vote would be for the Moray coast. I was there last year and really enjoyed my drive, stopping at many of the small fishing villages, enjoying the gorgeous scenery, and the lack of crowds. Nairn, Elgin and Pitlochry are all well worth seeing. Don’t miss eating a bowl of Cullen Skink soup at Lily’s Kitchen Cafe in Cullen. And if you continue the drive along the coast, stop to see the Bullers of Buchan, the ruins of Slains Castle, and Cruden Bay. There were many more places as well. Far too many to list here.

Posted by
9 posts

Thank you for your suggestions! I agree on the Isle of Mull, but sadly, I was only able to book 2 nights there and that was well over a month ago. I plan on continuing my quest to add a 3rd night, but not very optimistic on that one. I've looked at the Moray Coast and agree that we will need to visit all of those areas. Just need to decide on a home base. With our large group hotels are difficult to find that can accommodate us, so I am more focused on self-catering options. Thanks again!
Regards,
Pamela

Posted by
348 posts

We had an excellent AirBnB in Inverness, and a somewhat less excellent one in Aberdeen. Aberdeen is a much drearier city overall than Inverness, though the gardens in the center of Aberdeen (Union Terrace Gardens) are spectacular, especially at twilight. The prettiest place to be in Inverness is south of the city center and east of the River Ness, preferably close to the riverside. It's gorgeous there. There are places along Castle Road and Great Glen Way that are terrific from a scenic perspective.

Posted by
199 posts

Although i have and will again stay there, Aberdeen itself is not particularly interesting from a tourist perspective. It is a big port for servicing the oil rigs, although there is a very nice beach and old University.