Planned Trip for 10ish Days

First, is there any particular reason you are staying in Portree one night and Dunvegan the next? Dunvegan is close enough to Portree that it's quick and easy to get between the two. I would stay in one place for both nights. Portree has much more choice in lodging than Dunvegan, but the Dunvegan area would be quieter and more scenic.

Second, in my opinion, 6 nights is way too long in Edinburgh. I would spend more time on Skye and less on Edinburgh if it were me. Even adding Stirling as a day trip (which is a good idea), it's still a lot of time in a small city, as charming as Edinburgh is. And if you were to spend 3-4 nights on Skye, rather than 2, you won't have to spend so much trying to cram all the sights in like you are doing now. :-)

Thanks! Good question. Our idea was that Portree is stop number one as our kickoff to the isle, and the next day we've be driving about 60 miles taking the road along that northern 'finger' of the isle, past Storr and the Fairy Glen, eventually ending in Dunvegan. For that day. It looks like about 2.5ish hours of driving, so we wanted to leave plenty of time for sights + hikes before crashing for that night without having to loop back to Portree.

I do agree that it's too much time in Edinburgh. I'm trying to put together the 'right' amount of time in each place. I worry that just like too much time in Edinburgh, I don't want to conversely spend too much time out in the country and feel the itch to do something else. I think a happy medium might be taking 1 additional day/night from Edinburgh, and putting in on Skye or somewhere like Stirling?

I came to say much the same as Mardee. Definitely take a day from Edinburgh for Skye, since you are going anyway - IF you are able to find lodging. Maybe that is why you are moving to Dunvegan for a night. And if it’s just a choice, then 3 nights in the same place would be really nice.

I only see 5 nights in Edinburgh - but taking one away still leaves 4 and that’s fine.

I kind of like the A82 back to Edinburgh from Ft William through Pitlochry. But if you end up staying in Glencoe, the A84 is pretty, too. You will not lack for scenic stops along the way on either route! There are a zillion beautiful places to stop and stay. But with this amount of time, you don’t necessarily need to stop Ft William to Edinburgh for an overnight. Unless you want to cut an addition night in Edinburgh, which would still be doable. This question is just a matter of choice to me.

Edit: I was typing as you were. Definitely 3 nights on Skye if you can. Then if you want to pull Edinburgh back to 3 nights (2 full days), the area around Aberfeldy and Pitlochry has some really beautiful scenery and walking. Lane had a post/answer recently about a full day he spent there - much of it I have seen and some not.

I agree with most all of what's been said, so I'll just add a few additional things to consider:

From Portree there are many day tours to all the "usual tourist hits" as you call them. I had an absolutely fabulous tour with Real Scottish Journeys. I can't recommend them enthusiastically enough. And what a relief it will be for you to leave your car for a day.

I also took the public bus from Portree to Dunvegan. I took plenty of time wandering the gardens at the castle, toured the castle, and was back in Portree by mid afternoon. There was only one other person on the bus each direction. Very easy. It stops right in the castle parking lot.

The other fabulous activity I did in Portree was a boat tour to the Isle of Rona with Seaflower Skye. Another experience I recommend without reservations.

So yes, stay longer in Portree.

I also want to give a plug for Glasgow. A very different city from Edinburgh without the strong tourist vibe, yet so much to see, and some great restaurants.

Finally, I want to point out that your trip could be done very easily without renting a car. You can take a bus from Inverness to Portree, another bus from Portree to Fort William, hire a guide to do a tour from Fort William to Glencoe and other sights in the area, and take a bus or train from Fort William to Edinburgh or Glasgow. This will make for a much more relaxing experience than dealing with driving on some narrow roads.

Scotland exceeded my expectations more than any place else I've ever traveled. You will love it, whatever you do.

I only see 5 nights in Edinburgh - but taking one away still leaves 4 and that’s fine.

Evidently I cannot count. 🙄

I just saw this post, after being away from the site for awhile, and wanted to add my two cents, for what it’s worth. I hope it’s not too late to offer advice. I’m not sure what your main interests are, but love to share my experiences with others.

We did our ten-day Scotland trip five years ago, flying into Edinburgh and traveling up to and back from Skye as the furthest we went. We covered about 900 miles in that time, with stops at many of the places you are considering. Even with that much travel, we managed to take our time, see everything we wanted to (and then some!) and never felt rushed.

I’d like to offer a link to the photo book I created after our trip, on my website (no soliciting, just a place to post my scrapbooks), in the hope that it will give you a bit more insight and maybe offer some different options that you might not have considered. It’s best viewed on a bigger screen, if you decide to check it out. (when you go to the site, it’s under the Scotland 2018 heading. Click on the link, then click on the first (title) page and you can scroll through the slideshow at your leisure.) And let me know if you have any questions that I could help answer. Hope this helps!

My website: https://www.notallwhowanderarelost.us/