I am looking for advice on renting a car for the day in Oban at peak season and driving to Glen Etive and back the same day via Rannoch Moor. Was getting a car reservation easy? What stops did you make on the way to and from Glen Etive? What was most impressive etc?
Thanks.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
Using Google maps, put in these waypoints: Kilchurn Castle, B8074 road, Rannoch Moor, Glen Etive (the gravel road is drivable in the summer although Google won't show it now - round trip it is about a 20 mile detour) - Castle Stalker viewpoint - back to Oban. Glencoe is beautiful, but a bit more spectacular if you drive it south to north the way I have suggested. We have done this twice, although we were not staying in Oban. We stayed once in Fort William, the other time we stayed in Glencoe. The total mileage is 105-120 miles, plus the Glen Etive side trip.
We have always gotten our rental cars in a major city, so I don't know about renting in a smaller town.
Posted by
OP
Maryland
2 posts
Thanks! I was considering taking the counter (anti)-clockwise route through Rannoch Moor toward Glen Coe. Questions: Is Rannoch Moor covered in heather in the summer months, or more desolate? Is the single track road into Glen Etive easily navigated?
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Heather starts blooming in July and meets its peak sometime in August. But's I've seen beautiful hillsides in September. This of course can vary by location. Also, there are many varieties of heather which is why the season is long. Although this site claims that you can see it in early summer too. It could be that the big blooms are after mid-July. Here's a garden website that has some info on when it blooms. It looks like most people say mid summer through mid fall is the best time to see it. I think that the contradiction is that it blooms year round but the BEST time is later in the summer.