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Itinerary for limited mobility Scotland trip

Posted by (Ohio) on

I'm planning to take my mom to Scotland next year, hopefully May 2027. She's late 70s, has limited mobility - she can walk short distances but we won't be doing a lot of walking or hiking. Scotland is of course tough given its hilly terrain, but my grandfather was born there and I want to show my mom where he was born and where her family is from.

I think we will do 8 nights total:
4 nights in Edinburgh,
3 nights on the west coast/highlands adjacent somewhere
1 night perhaps near Stirling before flying home

I think I can manage our days in Edinburgh ok, but I am trying to figure out the second part. Although Skye scenery would be awesome, with a limited number of days, and also limited mobility/tolerance for longer car trips, my thought was Oban or somewhere nearby as a base as sort of a middle ground. Oban gets us sea views, we can drive through some of the highlands area, and maybe go to one of the islands. I'll get a rental car so we have maximum flexibility.

Potential daytrips on my list are:
Ferry to Mull/Tobermory
Glencoe area
Inverary Castle - maybe on the way back to Stirling?

Does Oban seem like a reasonable option for a home base for this trip? Are there any other areas that I am missing that would also be a good option?

Posted by
1807 posts

Where is your grandfathers birth location? Unless he was born in the Highlands, I might consider the rest of Scotland, which is equally beautiful and full of Castles and History. There might be more easy access places to visit. I can recommend Inveraray Castle as a wonderful location to visit and Stirling also. Glencoe is green and misty. Oban is the ferry access to islands. Syke has striking landscape but is usually very busy. Look at www.visitscotland.com as a gateway site for great info on places to visit and to stay, etc.

Posted by
3205 posts

within your time scale, Oban would work really well. You have the option to take the ferry across to Mull for a day. (I acxtually prefer this to Skye and it doesn't get quite as many crowds either.) ou could also do the short ferry crossing to either Lismore or Kerrera from Oban for a completely different expereince.

Posted by
2371 posts

The old portion of Edinburgh is a hill, cobblestones, lots of stairs and steps…and lots of people. Just for your info.

Posted by
13505 posts

Beth, you might consider a day tour or even a multi-day tour. Rabbies is an excellent tour company that many travelers here have used, and they go to a lot of different places in Scotland. In fact, they're Scotland-based, so you might look through there and see if anything catches your eye for you and your mother. https://www.rabbies.com/en-us/tours/scotland

I also agree with wasleys that Mull/Tobermory would make an excellent day trip by ferry. Especially if you base yourself in Oban. I love Mull, and although there are a lot of hills there, the main part of the town is right on the water and very easy to maneuver.

Posted by
5470 posts

I found the HOHO bus to be useful in Edinburgh. We did a one-day Rabbies tour and I highly recommend that company.

Posted by
190 posts

My grandfather was born in Edinburgh, so those days are locked on the itinerary. I have been there before, and I do think the HOHO or some other local guided tour will be part of our plan for those days to deal with the hills and cobbles.

My mom also expressed some desire for the coast or the highlands, so I am definitely open to other suggestions but in my initial searches Oban seemed like a decent hub.

I remember that you liked Tobermory Mardee, so thanks for that tip.

And I have seen the rave reviews for Rabies tours so I will check out what they have that might work for us!

Thanks all.

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