Last time we visited the highlands, Skye, Glencoe, Loch Ness, Culloden, and Speyside areas. We’re arriving in Edinburg 29 October and have a week to explore some new areas. I understand the weather will be unpredictable and ferry travel might be challenging, but we are really hoping to hire a car and see some more lovely Scottish scenery, as well as spending a couple of days in Edinburgh.
Any suggestions for scenic drives and/or destinations?
The clocks will have gone back an hour so sunset in Edinburgh is going to be around 4.30.
With the restricted hours of daylight and on ly a week to visit, I would stick to the southern part of Scotland - concentrate on the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway. They tend to be the 'forgotten' part of Scotland but more than repay time spent there. There are some delightful small towns to visit and parts of Galloway are the equal of the Scottish Highlands.
\You may have heard of the NC500 driving route round the north coast of Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway has its SW300 and the great thing is - the tourists have yet to discover it...
And you can still do island hopping on routes which are less susceptible to weather than Arran- namely Great Cumbrae from Largs and Bute from Wemyss Bay. In severe weather the Bute ferries run from Gourock and there is also the (almost) all weather route via Western Ferries Gourock to Dunoon then the very short crossing from Colintraive.
Both are great little islands, beloved by the locals but much neglected by this forum which tends to concentrate exclusively on Arran,in the Clyde.
You could also cross or drive round to Kintyre, visit the distilleries (plural) at Campbeltown, then ferry to Gigha- for its beaches and garden. An island I love and which is always an escape from the tourist hordes.
Campbeltown also has a lovely old independent movie theatre and lovely coastal scenery around the area where you will be the only tourist.
There is a driving route - the Kintyre 66, or K66.
I would look at Argyll and the Isle of Mull.The latter can be reached from.Oban which makes for a beautiful drive in itself via Inveraray.Book the Oban ferry but if there are issues then Mull is accessible via the very reliable Corran and Lochaline short hop ferries.These latter are not bookable.Mull itself is so varied and with Iona too, 3 days would be filled very quickly.
You could then head down the Argyll coast via Loch Melfort perhaps, right down to Kilmartin and back up to Inveraray and Loch Lomond.
The colours at that time of year need to be seen to be believed from tawny/burnt orange moorland to wonderful leaf colour against blue lochs and sea.
It's one of my favourite times of all.
