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Itinerary suggestions and advice please

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Looking for tips to make the late May trip run smoothly and must do/see suggestions.

Days 1-2: Edinburgh airport at 8:30. Bus to lodging on Shandwick Place, store luggage, & start sightseeing for 2 days.
Day 3: rental car to Oban (Dunollie & seafood are musts) then up to Fort William for night
4: Glenfinnan viaduct, Eileen Donan, Portree & sights on Skye ; lodging on Skye
5: Visit sites on Skye, lodging on Skye
6: Leave out to drive along Loch Ness, maybe sites in Inverness then to Cairgorms, stay at Aviemore youth hostel
7: Sites near Aviemore & along the drive toward Edinburgh; no lodging booked yet
8: ? Would like to see Stirling Castle & other sites near Edinburgh. Lodging booked near EDI
9: Flight in the morning

We love to eat local food, enjoy nature and wildllife, walking & hiking easy to moderate trails, history, and culture.

Does anything look too difficult as I have it? What were some of your favorites places, foods, experiences in or near these areas?
I've read and reread the Rick Steves' Scotland book and I know I may be stretching us thin. I've perused the forums until my eyes crossed. I'm certain that someone will steer me in the right direction.

Thank you in advance.

Posted by
12061 posts

Well, in terms of Skye and walking or hiking any place, I would start off with Walk Highlands, which is a wonderful website that has just about every conceivable hike and walk in the UK, especially for Scotland. Here's a specific link for the Isle of Skye: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/. And here is a link to a previous thread that has some really good information on hiking on Skye: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/hiking-walking-in-the-scottish-highlands

I love Stirling Castle and the entire town of Stirling, so I definitely would recommend a visit there. Here is a clip from my trip report, if you'd like to read that for ideas:

Stirling Castle: This was one of my favorite places in the area and I am so glad I went. It was easy to get to, involving a quick walk to the Queen Street station and a fast 30 minute train ride to Stirling. You must buy a ticket before you can get on the train, though, as they have turnstiles you have to go through and you use your ticket to open them. And hang onto the ticket, as you will need it again when you exit.

When I got to the Stirling train station, I opted to walk up to Stirling Castle. In hindsight, I don’t know that I would’ve done that again as it was very steep and you can take the bus or a cab. But I did get some beautiful views walking up. I planned on buying a membership to Historic Scotland at the site, but booked my time slot online. There’s a way you can do it if you are a member so you don’t have to pay. So I got in line, showed them my booking confirmation, and then paid for the membership. Make sure that you take one of the free guided tours. There’s one every hour starting at 10 am and they are wonderful. Our guide was named Brian and he was so knowledgeable and very funny. It was a great way to understand the castle.

After leaving the castle, I walked down into the town, stopping at the Holy Rude church, and a few other places. I also stopped at the Darnley Coffee House, which is located in the house that Lord Darnley, who was married to Mary Queen of Scots, lived in. I highly recommend this place. When I was there, the room was filled with locals, and we all started talking. They were asking me lots of questions about the states and about my travels, and why I was traveling alone and so on. But they said they all come here a lot because they like it. The food was very good, and the building itself is pretty cool.

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