Itinerary 9 nights in Scotland

Inverness is nowhere near the Jacobite train, which runs from Fort William to Mallaig and return. However, there is some considerable doubt about whether the steam trains will run in 2024 as the company had their operating licence revoked due to safety concerns. The company appear to be taking bookings but will notify customers if the service cannot go ahead. Hmmm. Not a deal I'd want to enter into. There are regular trains on that route and for many it's the scenery not the train that is the draw, so you could save yourself quite a few $$$ and just take the regular train. If you decided to do that then you could consider a castle stay in Fort William at Inverlochy Castle. You could then continue driving south via Glencoe and a short wide trip the wonderful Glen Etive, and passing alongside Loch Lomond before arriving in Glasgow.

Inverness, for those of us who live in the highlands and islands, is basically just a large (not very scenic) town that provides all the essentials that we need to sustain our lives here!

The question of whether the Jacobite train will run this year is very much up in the air, and will be for at least another month. It is a question of who blinks first- the rail regulator or the train company to make the required train safety modifications.

If you just want to do that trip for it being a steam train with a role in the Harry Potter movies, and are not willing to take the normal Scotrail diesel train over the same route to see the same scenery and the same Glenfinnan viaduct then I would drop straight back to Glasgow.

In many people's eyes the diesel train is a better travel experience than the steam train anyway.

There are far better historic steam trains in the US if it is just a steam train ride you are after. Rides with a real history behind them.

By the way you would go to Fort William for the train, rather than Inverness.

Thanks so far. We are not really Harry Potter fans or train people for the sake of being on a train. I just saw some day trips out of Inverness that included a one way trip. A fried mentioned it being great scenery so with the thought that it may not run I am not going to dwell on that activity. So far then I am seeing that we head toward Glasgow after Isle of Skye and stop along the way.
Our dates in and out are set so can't do anything on the front end of Dublin and we have to get to London to visit friends before we fly out.

If you have the time, I recommend stopping for a night or two in Glen Coe on your way from Skye to Glasgow. That is what we did last June. (Except we were going to Edinburgh, not Glasgow.) The Glen Coe scenery is spectacular, stunning and so green and so beautiful. Glen Coe and Skye are the two most beautiful areas we visited in Scotland. Definitely drive along the Glen Etive road with more spectacular scenery. A scene from the James Bond movie, Sky Fall, was filmed here. In June the mountainsides were covered in rhododendrons. Not sure about August. Drive all the way to Loch Etive. This is a 12-mile one-way road. Definitely worth your time.

On our way from Skye to Glen Coe, we stopped at the Glenfinnan Visitor Center for lunch at the Viaduct View Cafe. Without any planning on our part, our timing was perfect because we did get to see the Jacobite train cross the viaduct. But according to previous posters, this train might be out of commission.

We stayed at the Glencoe Inn, across the street from Loch Leven. We had one of best meals at the inn's restaurant, The Gathering.
https://www.crerarhotels.com/the-glencoe-inn/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb

We have decided to leave Skye via the ferry route and stay one night somewhere between there and Glasgow. We are then going to take a train to London the next day, probably leaving in the early afternoon, which will give us one extra day in London to see friends. That said, it seems Glencoe is well liked. We like food and distillery tours and some short hikes and beautiful views. Would you stop near Glencoe or meander for the day and just stay closer to Glasgow for our last night. Looking at a couple of "castle" hotels for my husband. After 3 days in Skye I am not sure what we will be wanting to explore. I am still learning what there is to see. Thanks

My family and I had a very similar trip last year (Dublin->Edi->Skye->Glasgow) and I think you have a pretty good set of ideas. I'll address the main questions and give some suggestions for Skye and Edinburgh.

It definitely depends on timing and prices, but I think your idea of staying one night somewhere between Skye and Glasgow is a good one. It's a beautiful drive and there will be plenty of stops that you will not want to rush. We stayed one night in the town of Arrochar on the drive from Portree to Glasgow and loved it, but there are plenty of hotels/BnBs and small towns in that area. In any case I would definitely suggest driving down on A82 and spending time on the short hikes around the Three Sisters Viewpoint. I also suggest taking a morning in Glasgow if time allows. I was able to stay an extra day in Glasgow and loved the Kelvingrove museum and the surrounding college/park areas. I think it would be perfect for the morning/early afternoon before catching your train.

Some other random suggestions of things that we really enjoyed near your route:

• Dunfermline Abbey is on the way from Edi->St. Andrews. Beautiful new church with history and ruins of older buildings on the grounds. Very friendly staff who gave us a great rundown of the history. It also has a cast of Robert the Bruce's skull from his lost tomb which was on the property.
  • The Quiraing hikes on Isle of Skye are must-sees. Seriously my favorite landscape I have ever seen and the drive there has plenty of other great sights too.
  • There are so many places in Edinburgh that are worth seeing and it's hard to go wrong, but I'd say that Dean Village, St. Giles Cathedral, and the castle were my favorite stops.
  • Keep an eye out for highland games. We saw a random flyer in a grocery store for a small town games along our route for the next day and it ended up being a highlight of the trip

Thanks so much. That was such a good amount of information and I will check in to all of it. Everyone is being so helpful on here!

Regarding where to stop after you leave Skye, I would definitely stop in or very near Glen Coe. As I already said, the scenery is stunningly beautiful. Be sure to drive the full length of the Glen Etive Road. The Three Sisters area that the other poster mentions is beautiful.

Some other highlights in Edinburgh are the National Museum of Scotland. Friends of ours who aren't museum lovers enjoyed this museum and more as much as we did. I recommend a guided tour of the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle with Mercat Tours. And we all loved the gorgeous Royal Botanic Gardens!