Greetings,
I love this site and the help I have received. As mentioned in an earlier post about the Highland Games was helpful and has opened up a different train of thought.
We will be coming by train from London into Edinburg and renting a car. We don’t plan on staying more than 48 hrs there as we can only take so much history in a short time and would rather spread that out over the 10 days. Know so many of you have been all over and you have your favorite places. Question: What were your favorite places you went? We are 2 active 70 ur old couples who enjoy hiking (5-6 miles but not every day), adventurous, and enjoying great out of the way restaurants as well as tours.
We will plan on hitting (a) some Highland Games and work that date around the places we end up driving to. We are wide open as far as the time frame arriving in Scotland and having a car will definitely provide that flexibility. We plan on returning our car to Glasgow as we then will take the ferry to Ireland and tour there for 10 days. After much reading and reading about driving cars we have decided to take trains and busses and more tours in that country. But we are wide open in Scotland and really want to plan well. We don’t want to move everyday but possibly pick 2-4 places to stay more than a night and do day trips.
Thank you for the input on this topic. I look forward to reading everything.
It’s important to note that this trip is planned for the summer of 24 which will allow to plan, book and save dates.
😀
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1857 posts
If you are planning to stop in Edinburgh for 48 hours, rnet a car the day you leave. You won't want a car in Edinburgh.
This effectively leaves 8 dyas to play with. Don't be too enthusiadstic and try and cover a lot of Scotland in that time... Driving distances may not look that far but will take a lot longer to cover than you might expoect. If you are wanting to see a Highland Games, then decide which one and then plan an itinerary around it. That will limit the choices of mwhere you plan to stay.
Off the top of my head, areas that may suit would be Calendar and the Trossachs. There's lots of good walking around there.
Alternatively head over to Oban (covering Inverary Castle, Benmore Botanic Gardens, assorted ruined castles as well as Kilmartin) and think about spending a couple of nights on Mull.
The Borders along with Dumfries and Galloway are much neglected areas ignored by the tourists but offer some lovely scenery and easy walking - plus riuuined castles and abbeys as well as stately homes and gardens.
There is also the Braemar/Ballater area or the Angus Glens...
Aviemore is a good choice for an activity centre.
Use the Walk Highland Website for ideas for walks. Once you have decided on an area, then use Undiscovered Scotland Website for ideas of things to do and see. It has loads of ideas and includes many hidden gems you won't find in the guide books. Start with the relavant map page and follow the links for text pages with lots of photos.
Posted by
Waikikamukau
439 posts
Favourites in a competitive field.
Glen Etive (near Glencoe).
Glen Nevis ( near Fort William).
Shiel Brige/GlenShiel.
The north of Skye.
Isle of Raasay, very high on my list.
The drive over Bealach Na Ba and pretty much the rest of the drive up the NW from Applecross.
Torridon was probably my favourite up those parts.
Kinlochewe, and Poolewe also.
We were sleeping in our van and mostly cooking our own meals.
We did have nice meals at pubs in Strathcarron and Poolewe though.
I should point out we skipped Edinburgh and Glasgow, also skipped London Dublin and Cardiff during our 7 week roadtrip. That probably indicates my wife and I are quite different cats to many who post here.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
610 posts
If you're driving in Scotland, Ireland isn't that much worse.
It's difficult to narrow it to favorite spots without knowing specific likes. My wife loves gardens and birding, I love neolithic and castle ruins. We both love walks with views and waterfalls, puffins, whisky, and music. All those things are everywhere (not so much with the music) once you get out of the cities. We'll be there for the third time next May.
Although we've always liked Highland games near home, I wouldn't waste valuable Scotland time for more than one, unless you're a competitor. Same goes for sheepdog demonstrations and birds of prey exhibits, but then we live in an area with all of those things (and we have a border collie and poultry often predated by hawks).