MAY 2025 9 day intinerary - would love feedback

Hi, wallykim5,

I am just a wee bit confused by your first day or so. Are you staying at the Ibis hotel out by the airport, or are you staying at an Ibis hotel in town? You mention exploring EDI. EDI is the airport three digit identifier for Edinburgh Airport. Just to make things a little more clear, you should refer to EDI only for the airport, and Edinburgh in the rest of your posts when you're referring to the city. That would be akin to using BOS for the city of Boston, when you mean Boston Logan International Airport.

Having said all that, your tour looks very doable. Personally, I wish that you had more time. Scotland is such an amazingly beautiful country!

On day four, if you're planning to stop along the way, double your travel time from Stirling to Oban.

On day six, again double your time from Cladich Farm to Glencoe. If you have time while you're staying in Glencoe, consider a trip to Glen Etive. It's probably as isolated as you'll ever be in that part of Scotland. Be aware of the single track road with passing places!

On day seven, I would definitely take the A82. The A86 and A9 are not particularly scenic. The A82 is a direct route, albeit not too scenic either, from Glencoe to Inverness. Having said that, however, unless you plan to visit Urquhart Castle, you may want to consider turning off the A82 at Fort Augustus, and follow the B862/B852 to Inverness, through Foyers and Dores. It's a much more scenic route, and you can get right down to the shores of Loch Ness, if you so desire. Count on three hours via the A82, three and a half via the eastern route.

On day eight, you should have adequate time to do one or more of many things after visiting Culloden. Some people like to visit the Clava Cairns, which are nearby. Others venture as far as the Black Isle, Chanonry Point, or Elgin.

On day ten, Edinburgh would be slightly better for a larger selection of places for dinner, and for a city stroll.

I hope that that has given you some food for thought. Have a wonderful time in Scotland!

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: There is a small distillery/brewery in Inverness. It's called Uilebheist, and it's on the bank of the Ness River, just south of the city centre. That could satisfy your desire to see a distillery, or you could drive a bit farther north to Tain, and visit the Glenmorangie Distillery. The Uilebheist is also a brewery, so I don't know whether they concentrate more on the beer or the whisky. It would be worthwhile checking out both websites.

p.p.s.: If you want a not too challenging walk while you're in Inverness, I'd recommend the Nessbank walk. Start out from the bridge, and follow the east bank of the river, until you come to a set of bridges which will take you to the Ness Islands, then across to the west bank, which you can follow back to town. You can extend this walk by travelling around the Tomnahurich Cemetery. Your lodging will have city maps, which are easy to follow. The Nessbank walk is particularly pleasant in the evening.

Thank you @auchterless for your response and for correcting my abbreviation! I’ll try and modify my original post. I feel very fortunate to be able to visit for even just these 9 days!

If you're renting the car in Stirling, you might has well return it there if you're going there anyway and avoid the one-way fee.

@jjgurley thank you for your response. I’ve received the quote for returning to Inverness and deem it reasonable. We are looking forward to taking the train back and being car free for our final day.

You've already had lots of good advice. If there is a guiided tour of Culldoen Battlefield when you visit (price included in the admission to the Visitor Centre) it is well worth doing. The guide is excellent and really brings the battlefield and battle to life and the absolute fiasco it was for the Jacobites. If anything could go wrong for them, it did...

Clava Cairns is only a few minutes drive from Culloden and is well worth visiting. The site is thought to be the inspiration for Craig na Dun in the very popular TV series ’Outlanders’. It is best seen first thing in the morning or late afternoon. Not only will the crowds have gone, but they are much more atmospheric in the lower sunlight.

Also if you have time on the drive to Inverness, it is well worth doing the detour up Glen Affric. This is one of the prettiest and more isolated of the Scottish Glens (it is a dead end road). Dog Falls or Plodda Falls are two short but very good walks.

If you are wanting to stop in a smaller place, then think about Nairn, Beauly or Strathpeffer rather than Inverness.