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Please review my proposed itinerary

Posted by on

Hi all,
This is my second post after getting some good feed back from Skyegirl and having considered the amount of time we have. So here is my current proposed itinerary. Please feel free to add must sees, or suggest cuts if you think they’re dumb ideas.

-Fly in to Glasgow - 2 nights
-Rent car and drive to Ardrossan for the ferry to Arran where we will be staying with a friend.
(Question: 4 or 5 days in Arran?)
- Drive to Lochranza and catch ferry to Claonaig/Tarbert
- Take the day driving up the A816 visiting Kilmartin Glen and the Kilmartin Museum, Arduaine Garden. Stay one night at Loch Melfort Hotel.
- Take the A83 to Inveraray (I know we will be doubling back where we’ve already been) then the A819 to Oban via Dalmally. Overnight Oban
- Do a bus tour of Mull and Iona (let a local who knows the roads do the driving). Overnight Oban.
- Do a boat trip on Loch Etive and maybe a gentle walk at the Fairy Bridge of Glen Creran before driving to Glencoe. Two nights at Glencoe.
- Drive to Inverness. I understand the drive via Loch Ness isn’t particularly interesting. Are there better alternatives between Glen Coe and Inverness.
- Two nights Inverness (enough time?)
- Drive to Edinburgh ( stops and interesting sight suggestions welcome). Should we stay somewhere along the route?
- Three nights Edinburgh.

Please feel free to suggest your favourite spots to visit. Thanks again.

Posted by
1257 posts

Hi Diny

I see Skye has disappeared from your plans!
There are two other possibilities for getting to Inverness from Glencoe.

  1. When you get to Fort Augustus (worth a brief stop for a look at the canal lock gates and a stroll to the shore of Loch Ness) you could take the minor road (B852) up the eastern side of loch Ness. This is more scenic than the very busy A82 and you could pause at various points including Dores beach.

  2. You could turn right at Spean Bridge (north of Fort William) and head east on A86 picking up the A9 at Kingussie and then north on the A9 to Inverness. There are a couple of places to stop - the Glen Roy National Nature reserve and Creag Meagaidh Nature reserve and have a walk/hike/wander. It's a lovely drive across the A86, following loch Laggan for part of the way.

Either would be good alternatives to the A82. The second route would take longer.

Inverness is a decent base and from there you could have a day out in Speyside if you wanted to visit distilleries, or you could head to Ullapool, or Applecross/Torridon areas for a taste of the highlands.

Heading south to Edinburgh you will be on the A9 to Perth. You could check out Scone Palace in Perth, or Stirling for its wonderful castle. Or you could maximise your time in Edinburgh. It really depends on your interests.

Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Posted by
1417 posts

Hi, Diny,

Just to add to what Jacqui (Skyegirl) recommended about the B852 from Fort Augustus to Inverness, there are a few good stops along the route. Unless it has been raining for a couple of days prior, give the Falls of Foyers a miss. There are couple of places along the route, including at Dores, where you can walk right down to the banks of Loch Ness, and dip your toes in if you are so inclined. There is a scenic stop near Whitebridge where the Rabbies vans halt for their passengers to take photographs.

You had mentioned doing a bus tour of Mull and Iona. Did you mean the regular West Coast Motors bus, or a tour company bus? If it's the former, you may be better off taking your car across to Mull. That way, your time on Mull and Iona wouldn't be controlled by the bus schedule. There is basically just one road on Mull, which runs from Tobermory to Fionnphort. There are a lot of side roads, but most of the major attractions on Mull are along that road (A848/A849). Just be aware that even though it's an "A" road, there are several sections of the road which are single track.

If you do decide to take your car, be sure to make reservations for the ferry (both ways).

Good luck, and happy travels!

Mike (Auchterless)

Posted by
696 posts

I wouldn't spend four days on Arran, unless your friend has big plans. Also keep an eye on the ferry situation from Androssan. I've never been (that's part of our 2026 trip) but two nights is plenty to see all the highlights, and maybe another night to chill. If the ferry deteriorates, maybe go via Bute and Claonaig, diverting one of your nights to Rothsay?

We enjoyed Urquhart Castle more than Falls of Foyers, but Urquhart can be pretty crowded. The falls were tiny due to power diversions.

We did the Westcoast Tours Wildlife Tour, and it was nice to have all the logistics taken care of, with plenty of puffins (in May, at least), and generous time on Staffa, Lunga and Iona.

Posted by
7463 posts

I agree with jjgurley—I wouldn't spend 4 nights on Arran. It's a lovely island, and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there, but I think 3 nights (which equates to 2+ days) would be plenty to see everything. In fact, I would take the extra day or two and add them to Mull, which is a wonderful place to visit, and deserves more than one day. You might be able to work in a day trip to Iona, which is such a cool place to visit.

Posted by
4 posts

Thanks Mike, JJ Gurley and Mardee for your suggestions. We are spending four nights on Arran because we haven’t seen our friend for 15 years and he may not be long for this world so the time we have on Arran will be some sightseeing but really just hanging out with him.
We may take up your suggestions to spend a little time on Mull. Initially we were just thinking of doing an organised tour because we don’t want the hassle of driving. Will research the options.

Thanks again folks.

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