We have an 2 week itinerary at the end of April, and I am fine tuning some details. We will drive from Edinburgh on Sunday, 4/23 to an air bnb about 15 minutes east of Culloden, sight seeing along the way (Pitolchry, etc.). The next day we plan to do Culloden, Clava Cairns, Urquhart Castle and Inverness. I am wondering what the best plan for the day would be. Is either Culloden or Urquhart better to do first thing in the morning? I originally thought just start with Culloden and Clava, as they are so close, then head to Urquhart Castle (lunch) and end the day in Inverness and dinner. I wasn’t sure if Urquhart gets too crowded and would be better to just go there first and work our way back towards Culloden.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7204 posts
Both the castle and battlefield get crowded so which you see first is personal preference. After a full day of sightseeing it might be nice to have a short ride back to you lodging. Your choice might depend on the weather. When we visited Urquhart castle in September it started out sunny and within 15 minutes there was rain. The castle cleared out. The battlefield might get very sloppy and muddy if it’s raining. If it’s raining, Clava Cairns will be sloppy since nothing is paved.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2320 posts
Clava Cairns are best seen either first thing or late afternoon once all the visitors have gone. The lower light is alao a lot more atmospheric!
Posted by
Delaware
1476 posts
Hi, mamawallis,
If you'll be in the Inverness area at the end of April, the sites you'll be visiting won't be as busy as they would be in peak tourist season. I think that Urquhart costs about 13 pounds, which is a bit pricey for what you can see, but as they say, it is what it is.
As you're staying east of Culloden, I'd recommend following your original plan and visiting Culloden first, followed by the Clava cairns. Then drive through Inverness and take the A82 south to Drumnadrochit. As you'll be there in April, you should be able to get in to the main Urquhart Castle car park without too much trouble. It fills up completely during the summer months. If the car park is full, head back in to Drumnadrochit and walk in from there.
After you're finished at Urquhart, it's an easy drive back to Inverness for dinner. If there is enough daylight left afterwards, you could take the Ness Islands walk, which is an easy walk, and a relaxing way to end your day of sightseeing. Be aware that if you're parking at a meter in town, you'll need to pay until 6:00 p.m.
Best wishes, and safe travels!
Mike (Auchterless)
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7204 posts
If you go to Inverness for dinner, you can park at the Tesco Superstore, 8-10 Tomnahurich St, free for two hours while looking for a place to eat. Just pop in a buy something. You can always move the vehicle if you need more time.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thank you all for your responses. Mike, you spurred an additional question: all the websites recommend booking tickets to castles ahead, as they are for specific timeslots. One of the reasons we are doing our own tour is to be able to remain flexible and take things as they come. You mentioned the car park shouldn't be too crowded at that time of year. Do you think it is still necessary to book tickets ahead? I'm guessing we might get there about lunch and grab something to eat at the cafe. I'd imagine that might be a busy time though. But, if it was full, we could enjoy our lunch and meander around outside (assuming you can get to the cafe without entering the castle, which I'm realizing I did not confirm on the website) for a bit. It's not a castle that we're absolutely dying to see the inside of, but I thought it would be a good way to see a castle and Loch Ness in one shot.
Posted by
Lake District, England
8125 posts
This is a plan of Urquhart Castle-
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/media/7975/urquhart-castle-map.pdf
Always at these attractions the cafe, gift shop and restrooms are before the paid area.
The busy times at the Castle will be late morning and mid afternoon when the boat trips from Inverness are there though I'd be surprised if those boats were full in April. So I would have thought that lunchtime/early afternoon is a good time to arrive at Urquhart.
The worst case at that time of year is you may have to wait a little while for a free slot, but there is plenty of time to wait. As there aren't saying that booking is mandatory and the summer crowds aren't around yet I'd take my chances.
Worst case is that if it's not a 'must see' for you you'll have seen what the castle is like and enjoyed the loch side drive, but I really can't see your not being able to get in, even if you have to wait until after the afternoon boat trip has been.
If they said wait an hour or two fill in the time by driving down to the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus.