Itinerary comments for September trip

I spent a lovely few hours on a day trip from Edinburgh in St. Andrews. I wandered around, enjoyed walking on the "Chariots of Fire" beach, played the Himalayas putting course (highly reccomend), visited the golf museum, and had a lovely lunch in the restaurant upstairs from the golf museum. I see St Andrews as a great day trip, but I don't know that I would spend the night there. I took the public transit bus so I am thinking you might get there even quicker when driving your car.

Stirling Castle was a highlight for me. I enjoyed it quite a bit more than Edinburgh Castle. The crowds were smaller and I took advantage of the free tours which were excellently done. If you plan to go to both castles, purchase the Scottish Heritage Pass. You will skip the line at Edinburgh which makes a big difference. The Falkirk wheel near Stirling is also quite interesting. You take a short canal boat ride up the wheel to a small canal where your boat turns around and then you take the wheel down again. If you have any interest in engineering or canals you will enjoy this.

We also enjoyed the Willow Tea rooms in Glasgow.

Thank you! So hard to choose. We did book an inn right next to Stirling castle up the hill which should save walking. Thought to rent the car there to avoid city traffic.

At the end of your trip after Glencoe, instead of returning to Stirling and spending 2 nights in Glasgow, I'd recommend stopping in Inveraray. The RS guidebook doesn't praise Inveraray very highly, but we enjoyed it so much on our fist trip that we went back the following year to spend more time exploring the Loch Fyne-Argyll region. The town was planned by an 18th-century architect and has been well preserved. The castle has gorgeous gardens and a lovely interior, including a world-class collection of arms & armor (you also get to see the Duke's flock of black sheep). A couple of miles away is the Auchindrain Township open-air museum, which is really a unique glimpse of history. There's horseback riding at Argyll Adventure. I can recommend Brambles for lodging and daytime meals, and the George Hotel for dinner/pub.

On your way back to Glasgow you could take a short boat cruise on Loch Lomond; boats leave from the super-cute village of Luss. At the southern end of the Loch is Duck Bay, where there is a hotel with a restaurant that has huge picture windows with a commanding view of the loch. It's a good place to stop for lunch or dinner. If you need to fill up with gas before returning your car, Dumbarton is a convenient place to do so.

At Glasgow airport there are hotels literally a stone's throw from the terminal and the rental car return depot. The Holiday Inn is excellent; Holiday Inn Express less so but acceptable. Hope this helps!

Thank you! I should check returning car to Glasgow airport. Presumed same drop off could be cheaper but convenience should win out. Cheers!!