Itinerary Thoughts

On day 7, do you think you can cover all that ground and make it to a ferry heading over to Skye? I guess if you have checked how late they run. But I don’t see how you can stop all those places and see anything and make the distance as well.

Day 6 looks a bit crowded; an overnight on Mull (esp. Tobermory) would be nice if possible.

Re taking the ferry from Mallaig to Skye on day 7: recommend you confirm in advance that your rental car contract permits you to take the car on a ferry. When I've rented cars in the UK in the past, in some cases ferry was not permitted.

You're thinking of giving yourself just the one specific day for the three-island tour out of Mull and only two days on Skye. Weather (specifically rain) could cause difficulties with your outdoor plans for one or more of those days. Western Scotland is very, very wet, though you've chosen well by planning to travel in May, which is statistically less rainy than the summer months. Still, Portree (Skye) averages 13.8 rainy days in May. My time in Oban and Portree (which in fell in the month of July) was definitely affected by rain.

If you're going all the way to Oban just for the 3-Island Tour, you must be especially interested in some aspect of it, and you might want to consider two days in or near Oban to allow for weather cancellation. There are lots of things to fill up a second day (Arduaine, Kilmartin Glen, Dunadd, Moine Mhor, Carnasserie).

Your route is a bit of a figure eight. Maybe go from Stirling to Inverness to Skye to Oban to Glasgow for train?

We're doing a very similar trip (still worried about Covid, at this point) in June, and we're flying into Glasgow and immediately driving to Oban. Driving a clockwise route to Fort William, Skye, Inverness, Dunkeld, Edinburgh, fly to Orkney and back, and fly out of Edinburgh. I know there are those that advise against driving after a long flight, but we always do it and have never had problems. This trip we are two couples with two drivers, so we're especially comfortable with the idea.

We did some of this in May 2016 and enjoyed every minute. The Lothian bus to Rosslyn Chapel was very easy and convenient. We bought day passes for the bus so we could use them again in the evening to go out to dinner, as opposed to eating somewhere walkable from our hotel. We ate in the Tower Restaurant (National Museum) that night and it was terrific.

We took a Loch Lomond cruise out of Luss. Weather was clear & warm that day so we really lucked out. You won't have time for that if you're driving all the way from Stirling to Oban in one day. Luss has a pay & display parking lot and pay toilets. It's a picturesque little village with a few souvenir shops; seems mostly popular for holiday cottage rentals. Note you have to get off the A82 for Luss; there's just a small sign and if you blink you'll miss it.

We loved Inveraray so much when we had a very short stay there in 2015 that we planned our 2016 trip to have a longer stay. We went to Kilmartin Glen -- if you're interested in stones it's amazing. Stop in at the tiny museum in the (also tiny) village to get the map to the cairns, otherwise you may not find them as they are not well signposted. I think the map costs a pound. You could get a good lunch in Inveraray at Brambles.

Have not been to Oban, but your Day 5 drive will be a long one whichever route you take. The roads are narrow, winding, and up and down. Alas, if you choose the Inveraray route you won't have time to tour the castle if you need to get to Oban that night.

For Day 10-11, consider staying overnight in Nairn instead of Inverness. It's a pretty but not touristy town. There are many B&Bs; I can recommend Tali Ayer. For dinner the restaurant The Classroom is excellent.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for all the replies so far! I would love to have added another day or two to the Scotland portion of the itinerary, but my husband really wanted to spend a few days in London, so I had to shave off time on Skye, as well as the leg from Stirling to Oban. I've wanted to visit Iona for years (and I really want to see puffins) so we want to do the 3 Isle tour if at all possible, but we're pretty flexible if plans have to be altered due to weather conditions (we'll be back, right?). We know a lot of the towns will be pit stops or drive-by; we're just looking for a scenic drive with a few fun stops along the way.

epltd, thanks for all the great suggestions! I'll look into Nairn as an alternative to lodging in Inverness. I looked at the menu for the Classroom restaurant, and I'm drooling!

Has anyone taken the Caledonian Sleeper? I've watched some YouTube videos and read the info on the Seat 61 website, but I was hoping someone might have taken it recently who could share their experience.

Just to say that rental cars are fine on the Mallaig/Armadale ferry. You will need to book well in advance though as space is very limited. You will be pushed for time on your day travelling to Skye, but if all you want is a brief stop in Glencoe and Glenfinnan then you'll be fine. I'd have lunch in Fort William - there's really not much to see there.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Just a complication, but West Coast Tours (I think they are the primary provider, although there are other sellers) asks you to pick up tickets during their 9-12,1-5 office hours before the day of your trip, meaning pulling into Oban after 5pm and getting on the ferry the next morning will require special arrangements, if that's even possible. We're planning to be there the day before and will delay the start of our touring until the 9am opening. They may run into the problem a lot, so check with them for alternatives.

I'm not certain, but I believe you may have to start with an earlier-than-9AM ferry to make it to Staffa.

I just booked the Wildlife Tour and it requires getting the 7:25am ferry. The Three Island Tour uses the 9:55 ferry, so getting your ticket wouldn't be an issue, although they warn that the 8am ferry is sometimes used, so that would be a problem. . I find the several tours that include Staffa to be confusingly similar. As I said, just something to be aware of.

Jacqui, how far in advance would you recommend booking the ferry? We haven't pulled the trigger on airfare yet, and all our hotels are fully refundable, just in case, but I don't want to wait too long and not be able to get tickets on the ferry. And yes, on the travel day from Oban to Mallaig, we're just planning a few short stops along the way.

We were thinking about doing the 3-island tour on our own (take the ferry to Mull, drive to Fionnphort and take the boat tour to Staffa, then Iona, where we can take our time), rather than the organized bus tour. Staffa Tours looks like they might be a good option for that; their departure time from Fionnphort is 9:45, so we'd just need to get an early ferry from Oban. Weather permitting, of course!

My suggestions, based on previous visits to the Scottish places you mention:
Day 3 - visit Rosslyn Chapel in the morning. Pick up your car late afternoon and head to Stirling for the evening.
Day 4 - Stirling Castle in the morning, then head to Oban. Kilmartin Glen is very interesting if you have an interest in neolithic Scotland.
Making these changes will give you time to enjoy an overnight in Tobermory on Mull.

The Mallaig to Skye ferry is interesting, but it docks in one of the less interesting parts of Skye. If you use the bridge both ways, you will have more time to enjoy Skye and nearby Eilean Donan Castle and the cute little village of Plockton.

We have always rented our cars from either Hertz or Avis and have never been told we couldn't take the car on ferries. We have used the ferry to Mull and Iona, Skye, Lewis, and Orkney on different trips.

Looking at Google maps, the most efficient route for your trip would be Edinburgh - Stirling - Glencoe - Oban - Mull - Skye - Inverness. If you are interested in Kilmartin Glen, it's only 30 miles from Oban - you could visit it as a half day detour.

Glencoe is one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland. Definitely drive through it. South to north is more dramatic.

Forgot to add - COVID willing, we will also be in Scotland at that time, hopefully enjoying the itinerary that we didn't get to do in 2020.

Hi Laurie
Re the Skye ferry, I'd book as soon as your plans are finalised and you have your flight tickets. The summer timetables are out now and I've already booked my own tickets to the Outer Hebrides (for April) as those ferries sell out super fast.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Okay, I pulled the trigger yesterday and bought our plane tickets! We're flying out on May 14th, arriving in Edinburgh early on the 15th, and flying out of Heathrow on the 29th. Everything is booked (with free cancellation), except for ferries and attractions. I should be able to book the Mallaig-Armadale ferry next week, according to the CalMac website (the summer timetable goes live on the 17th and I have a reminder on my calendar to book them that day).

We're still working on the Day 5 drive from Stirling to Oban (deciding which sights we really want to see, even if it's just out the window as we drive past). While we have some "must see" things on other days, this is really just a travel day that we want to enjoy - pretty scenery, a few fun pit stops, and getting to Oban before bedtime.

We plan to drive from our base in Henley-on-Thames (our adopted home town) straight to Oban for a reunion with college friends. On paper this is an 8-hour drive so we know it will probably be 11 hours with stops. Any suggestions for meals and pit stops along the way?

Angela
Your post might be better on a separate thread. However, 8 hours is totally over optimistic. Once you get past Glasgow the roads will be slow. Personally I would allow an overnight to make the journey - probably staying somewhere like Penrith.

Jacqui (Skyegirl)

I can’t comment on most of your driving routes, but I love all the places you are going and think the pacing is good.

Regarding the three island tour of Mull, Iona and Staffa — we loved it and that was with some rain. It’s been a while, but I believe it was a ten hour tour. If you try to do it on your own, I’m not sure it’s going to give you more time to explore on your own.

Do you enjoy hiking? If so, I’d allow some time to hike up Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh. The views are beautiful and it’s just outside the city right behind Holyrood Palace.

I’ve never been on a sleeper train, but I think it sounds awful. Of course, I am not a great sleeper. Unless you are sure you’ll be able to sleep well, I would fly from Inverness to London. You don’t have a lot of time in London; you don’t want to be exhausted on one of tour days there.

I hope you have a great trip! I love Scotland!

Thanks for your thoughts, Carroll!

We were hoping to have a little more than the two hours allotted on Iona, as it's been a dream of mine to visit there for a long time, so that's why we were thinking of driving ourselves, rather than doing the tour, but I'm still trying to work out the timing of ferries and drive time across Mull. I might just scrap the "do it yourself" plan and sign up for a tour :)

We do like to hike, so we might do Arthur's seat, weather and time permitting. We have certain things that are "must see" (i.e. Edinburgh Castle), and we'll do those earlier in the day, leaving time to be a little more spontaneous in the afternoons.

We went back and forth on the night train, but we decided we would look at it as an adventure, as well as a time saver. We may live to regret it, but with a little luck (and some Tylenol PM), we're hoping it's a fun experience!

Everything other than tickets for attractions is booked, so now the countdown begins...