Looking for suggestions on our Scotland Itinerary for September

I have only been to Scotland once so others may chime in. I think you want a relaxed pace yet it looks like you will be doing a lot of driving. Walking along the river in Inverness and taking the early morning Jacobite Cruise up Loch Ness to Urquart Castle were the highlights of my trip. Edinburgh, loaded with history and Art Museums I could spend an easy 3 days or more there. Iona is very small. I think 2 hours is plenty of time there. I went to the monastery, walk around, had lunch. Pitlochry Highland games should be fabulous.

Thanks Pissaro, for your feedback. I thought I had cut down on the driving by taking trains to Pitlochry and Inverness but I see your point. We spent 2 months on the road last fall in a trip from Seattle to Houston and I became very tired of driving. Google lists Inverness to Glencoe as 2 hours, another 1 hour to Oban and 2 hours from Oban to Glasgow so it sounded relatively short since all taken on different days.
Good to know about the boat ride; it's given short shrift in Rick's book but it sounds appealing.

And in regards to Iona, 2 hours just seems rushed to me as we have a strong interest in early church history and then want to have time for a leisurely walk. If we go on our own, we can take our time and go back to Mull when we're ready was my thought.

Hi, OKgals,

You could spend three weeks in Edinburgh and not see everything. But if you're limited to three days, I'd recommend climbing Arthur's Seat and Calton Hill for starters, walking the Royal Mile from Holyrood Palace to the Castle, having a stroll through Princes Street Gardens; walk down Victoria Street to the Grassmarket, and back up via Candlemaker Row and Greyfriars Kirk.

The Botanical Gardens would be worth a visit, as would many of the closes (alleys) that lead off of both sides of the Royal Mile. Be sure to look up - it's really amazing to think of 18th. century Edinburgh, when some of those tenements were 10 floors high, with no toilet facilities.

If the weather's bad, there are lots of free museums close to Princes Street.

If you'd like a guided tour of Edinburgh, you may want to give Bill Hill a call. It would be a walking tour, but also via public transportation. Bill's telephone number is 44 7899 878857 if you're calling from the U.S., and 07899 878857 if you're already in Britain. In addition to being an excellent tour guide, Bill is also one of the funniest and funnest Scotsmen you're likely to encounter.

If you do run out of things to do in Edinburgh (not likely!), Stirling is a short train ride away. It's like Edinburgh in miniature.

As you're going to be driving down the A82 alongside Loch Ness and the Caledonian Canal, there's not really a lot to see, other than Loch Ness. It's a good road, surface wise, but unfortunately it's the main road out of Inverness going south. The result is that it's heavily traveled, and many drivers insist on going faster than the speed limit. So you may get a lot of tailgaters, and cars passing you on the right. The best thing to do is just maintain a steady speed and enjoy the scenery. There are several laybys along the A82 where you can stop to have a break and a picnic.

Urquhart Castle is worth stopping by to get some photos, as it's in a dramatic position overlooking Loch Ness, but unless you really want to visit a ruined castle, I'd recommend giving it a miss. I'd also recommend skipping the boat trips on Loch Ness, and maybe taking some of the walks along the River Ness. However, don't let me discourage you. If you decide to take a boat trip, pick one that goes where you want to go. They pretty much are limited to Loch Ness, but you can find one that doesn't include a trip to the castle.

If you're overnighting in Inverness, there's live Scottish folk music every night at The Gellions, on Bridge Street, across from the Tourist Information office. It's mostly traditional and contemporary, not ceilidh band music.

There are eight ferries a day from Fionnphort to Iona. Give yourselves more than two hours on Iona - it's well worth it. There is really limited accommodation on Iona - best to find somewhere in Fionnphort.

There aren't a lot of easy walks on Mull. The best low level walks would be around Tobermory, around the grounds of Duart Castle (the castle is worth a visit), and on the island of Ulva. Ulva is reached by a small boat off of Oskamull on the B8073.

If you want a change of pace from the Caledonian Canal, and don't want to take the ferry round trip from Oban to Craignure, you could take the A830 east from Fort William, then turn south on the A861 at Lochaline. At Salen, you have a choice of taking the B8007 toward Ardnamurchan, and catching the Kilchoan to Tobermory ferry; or staying on the A861 to Strontian, then taking the A884 south to Lochaline, for the ferry to Fishnish. The B8007 is a spectacular road, but it's mostly a hilly, single-track road, with passing places. However, sailing in to Tobermory Harbour will be one of the highlights of your trip.

If you decide to take the ferry from Kilchoan or Lochaline, be sure to be aware of the ferry schedules! Then you can sail to Oban from Craignure.

Have a wonderful holiday!

p.s.: As it's your first time in Britain, just a reminder that you'll be driving on the left side of the road. The driver will be sitting on the right side of the car, and shifting with his or her left hand. Most of the rental cars are standard shift, with five or six forward gears. If you think that you'd be uncomfortable with that, you could request a car with automatic transmission. They're a little more expensive to hire, but it's one less thing to have to think about.

Enjoy yourselves!