Scotland Adventure

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Day 1 (Saturday, August 7th), Night 1 in Glasgow: Welcome to Scotland
Depart Newark International on August 6th at 8:10 PM (United Airlines Flight #36) arriving in Edinburgh, UK at 8:05 AM. Explore local area.
Accommodation Booked: Alamo Guest House
Day 2 (Sunday, August 8th), Night 2 in Glasgow: Explore Glasgow
Acquire a local guide for morning walking tour. Visit museums and parks in the afternoon.

Day 3 (Monday, August 9th), Night 3 in Glasgow: Stirling Castle
Day trip tour to Stirling Castle and Battle of Bannockburn.
0900 - Depart Glascow
0930 - Arrive Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Center (Approximately 2 hours needed)
1130 – Depart Bannockburn
1300 – Lunch in Sterling
1330 – Arrive Sterling Castle (Approximately 2 hours needed)
1530 – Depart Sterling
1600 – Arrive Glasgow (Free Time)
Day 4 (Tuesday, August 10th), Night 4 in Glasgow: Outlander and other sites.
Outlander Tour and free time in Glasgow.
Day 5 (Wednesday, August 11th), Night 1 in Oban: Drive from Glasgow to Oban
09:00 | Depart Glasgow
09:40 – 10:30 | Stop 1: Loch Lomond (Luss Village)
• Distance: 28 miles (45 km) | Drive Time: 40 mins | Duration: 1 Hour
10:55 – 11:15 | Stop 2: Rest and Be Thankful
• Distance: 16 miles (26 km) | Drive Time: 25 mins | Duration: 20 Minutes
11:35 – 14:05 | Stop 3: Inveraray Jail & Lunch
• Distance: 13 miles (21 km) | Drive Time: 20 mins | Duration: 2.5 Hours
• Lunch: The George Hotel
14:35 – 15:15 | Stop 4: St Conan’s Kirk
• Distance: 16 miles (26 km) | Drive Time: 30 mins | Duration: 45 Minutes
16:00 – 17:10 | Stop 5: Kilmartin Glen
• Distance: 33 miles (53 km) | Drive Time: 45 mins | Duration: 1 Hour
17:20 – 17:50 | Stop 6: Carnassarie Castle
• Distance: 2 miles (3 km) | Drive Time: 10 mins | Duration: 30 Minutes
18:10 – 19:10 | Stop 7: Dinner Stop: Arduaine
• Distance: 12 miles (19 km) | Drive Time: 20 mins | Duration: 1 Hour
• Dinner: The Chartroom II Bistro at Loch Melfort Hotel.
19:30 | Arrive in Oban
• Distance: 16 miles (26 km) | Drive Time: 20 mins
Accommodation Priority: Witchwood
Day 6 (Thursday, August 12th), Night 2 in Oban: Explore Oban
Walking tour with local guide to locations such as Oban War and Peace Museum, Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds, Saint Columba Cathedral, Oban Distillery, and the View.
1000 – War and Peace Museum (Approximately 1.5 hours needed)
1200 – St. Columba Church (Approximately 45 minutes needed)
1300 – Lunch
1430 – Dunollie Museum, Castle, and Grounds (Approximately 2 hours needed)
1630 – Free Time
Day 7 (Friday, August 13th), Night 3 in Oban: Isles of Mull, Iona and Staffa
Look into Three Island Tour or Wildlife tour of Iona and Staffa.
Day 8 (Saturday, August 14th), Night 1 in Inverness: Into the Highlands
08:30 | Depart Oban
09:05 – 09:30 | Stop 1: Castle Stalker Viewpoint
• Distance: 25 miles | Drive Time: 35 mins | Duration: 30 Minutes
10:10 – 11:10 | Stop 2: Glencoe
• Distance: 24 miles | Drive Time: 40 mins | Duration: 1 hour
11:35 – 12:45 | Stop 3: Fort William (Lunch)
• Distance: 17 miles | Drive Time: 25 mins | Duration: 1 hour
• Lunch: The Grog & Gruel
13:10 – 14:15 | Stop 4: Glenfinnan (Train @ 13:20)
• Distance: 17 miles | Drive Time: 25 mins | Duration: 1 Hour
15:30 – 16:40 | Stop 5: Fort Augustus
• Distance: 49 miles | Drive Time: 1 hour 15 mins | Duration: 1 Hour
• Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes
18:00 | Arrive in Inverness
• Distance: 33 miles | Drive Time: 1 hour 20 mins
Accommodation Booked: Heathmount House

Day 9 (Sunday, August 15th), Night 2 in Inverness: Battle of Culloden, Clava Cairns, Inverness Castle
Tour Battle of Culloden, Clava Cairns, Inverness Castle.
0830 - Depart Inverness
0900 - Arrive Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Center (Approximately 2-3 hours needed)
1200 – Depart Culloden Battlefield
1230 – Arrive Clava Cairns (Plan for lunch) (Approximately 1 hours needed at site)
1430 – Depart Clava Carirns
1530 – Arrive back in Inverness
1530 – Inverness Castle and Viewpoint (Approximately 1-1.5 hours needed)
1700 – Free Time
Day 10 (Monday, August 16th), Night 3 in Inverness: Cairngorms National Park
Drive through Speyside, famous for its natural beauty and producing Scotland's favorite drink: whisky, on our way to Rothiemurchus, a Highland estate at the heart of Cairngorms National Park.
0830 - Depart Inverness
0900 - Arrive Carrbridge and visit the Packhorse Bridge the oldest bridge in the Highlands.
1000 – Depart Carrbridge
1030 – Arrive Rothiemurchus Forst and Loch an Eilein (Approximately 2 hours needed)
1230 – Depart Loch and Eilein
1400 – Lunch in Aviemore (Approximately 1.5 hours)
1430 – Arrive at Cairngorms National Park
1700 – Depart Cairngorms National Park
1800 – Arrive Inverness
Day 11 (Tuesday, August 17th), Night 1 in Edinburgh: Drive from Inverness to Edinburgh with stop in Pitlochry
Dedicated 5-hour stop in Pitlochry.
09:00 | Depart Inverness
10:15 – 10:45 | Stop 1: House of Bruar
• Distance: 58 miles | Drive Time: 1 hour 15 mins | Duration: 30 minutes
11:00 – 16:00 | Stop 2: Pitlochry (The 5-Hour Stop)
• Distance: 10 miles | Drive Time: 15 mins | Duration: 5 Hours
The Fish Ladder & Dam, Blair Athol Distillery, Explorers’ Garden, lunch at Fern Cottage.
16:35 – 17:05 | Stop 3: Dunkeld
• Distance: 13 miles | Drive Time: 20 mins | Duration: 30 Minutes
18:00 | Stop 4: Arrive in Edinburgh
• Distance: 58 miles | Drive Time: 55 mins
Accommodation Booked: Edinburgh Townhouse
Day 12 (Wednesday, August 18th), Night 2 in Edinburgh: City Walk and Museums
Higher local guide or take part in Royal Mile Walking tour. Take in Holyrood, National Museum, Saint Giles Cathedral, and perhaps Georgian House. Use free time for shopping and exploring other areas of the city.
Day 13 (Thursday, August 19th), Night 3 in Edinburgh: Edinburgh Castle and Military Tattoo
0930 – Edinburgh Castle (Approximately 2 hours needed.)
1200 – Lunch in City Center
1300 – Free Time in Edinburgh - Possible Handbag Workshop or Rosslyn Chapel visit. (Approximately 2.5 hours needed for each).
2130 – Military Tattoo (Show is approximately 90 minutes.)
Day 14 (Friday, August 20th), Night 4 in Edinburgh: Free Time
Free day for additional tours, shopping, etc. Possible Handbag Workshop or Rosslyn Chapel Visit. (Depending on other interests, both can be accomplished).
Day 15 (Saturday, August 21st): Departure
Depart Edinburgh, UK at 9:40 AM (United Airlines Flight #37) arriving in Newark International at 12:25 PM.

It'll be festival time in Edinburgh so expect crowds but lots to see and do.

Those are very precise times with no slack built in - have you allowed for time to find somewhere to park and then walk to what it is you are wanting to see. (Don't forget the 'comfort stop' either...)

Congestion, slow moving traffic (especially in August when the world and his wife will be pootling along admiring the scenery and oblivious to cars behind them) can quickly send your timing out. You may need to be flexible and be prepared to skip something.

Also timing at some of the attractions could be a bit tight - again be prepared to be flexible.

Bob Z, be flexible with your flights. United Airlines has not published their 2027 summer schedule. Be prepared for changes.

It looks like AI had written your extremely detailed itinerary. It's making me dizzy. So, here are just a few comments.

Allow more driving time. You may be held up by traffic, road works, accidents,... Google drive times are very optimistic. I would add at least an extra hour to Day 3, for example.

Your stopping in Inveraray, but not visiting the lovely Castle?

Keep in mind the Staffa tours are much more weather dependent than the tours to Mull and Iona. To get to Iona you will be traveling same route across Mull whether you take the 3 island tour or drive your own car or take the public bus.

Day 8 (Saturday, August 14th), Night 1 in Inverness: Into the Highlands

I'll stop here for now. You've entered the Highlands the morning of Day 5.

Thanks for the input all. Realizing this is a packed agenda, especially the trips between locations, we are prepared to adjust by dropping stops to accommodate schedules. We don't have to be at a particular location at a set time. Generally, we planned to be in and around an area by 1800ish. Jean - Unfortunately Inveraray Castle is not open the day we are traveling from Glasgow to Oban so the switch to the jail.

So, a few more comments.

Day 8-Glenfinnan stop- if you're planning is to see the train pass the viaduct, you need more time. Parking is at a premium, so allow a lot of time to find a place. If you are able to park in the visitor lot at the Glenfinnan Monument, plan on about a 20 minute walk to the viewpoint. If this is an important stop for you, consider having lunch in Glenfinnan instead of Glencoe.

I would consider shortening your nights in Inverness. You could do your Day 10 activities on your way south. Spend a night on the road, maybe Pitlochry.

Then Day 11 spend your morning in Pitlochry. This would free up your afternoon to visit the wonderful Glamis Castle or maybe the fishing villages of Fife or St. Andrews or ??? before dropping off the car in Edinburgh.

By the way at Glenfinnan the steam train arrives at 1331, and departs Mallaig bound at 1356. However, barring an absolute miracle the afternoon train will not be running this year.
The morning train is not running until further notice either- although there is an unconfirmed rumour that suitable train cars now exist for that service, so it may possibly commence later in the season.
However no suitable train cars exist currently for the afternoon train, so in the timetable it has been relegated to being a 'Q' train. [one with a booked path, but runs only as required]

The afternoon Mallaig bound diesel ordinary service train departs Glenfinnan at 1250.

Are you planning to keep the car in Edinburgh? I don’t recommend it. I would suggest returning the car before you get to Edinburgh and taking public transportation or a taxi to your Edinburgh hotel.

Thanks for the update on the Steam train! Regarding rental car, we'll be returning it to Edinburgh airport upon arrival from Pitlochry. Would appreciate comments on which rental companies to consider. Currently looking into Arnold Clark.

Many of us have booked with Arnold Clark or their partner Celtic Legend. Same car, but sometimes different pricing or extras.

In 2023 Celtic Legend gave us a better rate than booking directly with Arnold Clark along with free GPS and extra drivers. Both companies provide excellent service.

Keep in mind the above info on the steam train applies only to the 2026 season. Based on the issues the company has been having the past several years, I would not make planning my trip around the steam train a priority. However, the Glenfinnan area is beautiful.

Instead of staying in Inverness, would you consider staying in the lovely seaside town of Nairn? We loved our stay at the Sunny Brae B&B. From Nairn, we easily visited the Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor Castle, the Elgin Cathedral ruins and had whiskey at the Glen Moray Distillery. They do whiskey tours and tastings, but we didn't have reservations and the tours were full when we arrived. But you can still order drinks. You can visit Urquhart Castle on the way from Oban to Nairn (or Inverness if you decide to stay in Inverness).

There are also many excellent restaurants to choose from in Nairn. We walked to all of them from Sunny Brae.

We used Mercat Tours for a walking tour of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Our guide was knowledgeable, funny, and interesting. Highly recommend.

as for waiting for Witchwood I have found while making reservations for 2027 that if you email the place, they are usually happy to open your dates so you can make a reservation. Amazing to me how quickly places fill up even a year in advance!

Happy travels Sue

I looked at your itinerary when you first posted and planned to comment at the time - I hope better late than never re offering some advice!

Exploring the local area on Day 1: you have Kelvingrove Museum and the University (cloisters are lovely)right on your doorstep with plenty of daylight (if energy levels allow) to have a stroll through this area.
Nearby Ox and Finch is worth booking for eating out, if the menu appeals.Food is good (small plates.) Mother India is also excellent and just across the road from the latter.The Little Curry House on Byres Rd is excellent value - Glasgow is well known for having some of the best Indian restaurants in the UK.Enjoying a good curry is very much a Glasgow tradition!
The Ubiquitous Chip has long been a good restaurant off Byres Road.Kember and Jones on Byres Road is also one of the best cafe/bakery/bistros in the city and well worth a visit.Two Fat Ladies at The Buttery is a short taxi journey away and one of Glasgow’s best and most atmospheric for food.The Clarence , a short taxi ride away on smart Hyndland Rd, does great food too though it’s pricey.
Cail Bruich is the best of the Michelin starred restaurants.

Try to see at least one Mackintosh building while in the city - the famed architect’s designs are one of the key attractions which Glasgow is known for and quite unique.House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston Park is the finest (lovely cafe with good food there too)but there is also the Mackintosh House at the University and the interior of the Mackintosh Tearooms in Sauchiehall St are beautiful.
Parks - Pollok Country park is excellent (Highland cattle too) with the Burrell Collection but also the chance to walk in lovely surroundings.
The Botanic Gardens at the end of Byres road are worth a stroll though super busy.
A wander through the Cathedral area including a stroll (tour possible) through the grand Necropolis, also allows great views over the city.Nearby Cafe Gandolfi is a Glasgow institution, good coffee, beautiful interior.
The city centre restaurant Margo is run by the same people as Ox and Finch and is also excellent.

Quite a long travel day to Oban if you incorporate Kilmartin Glen too though it’s well certainly worth visiting - the quickest route would be to head south from Inveraray rather than going on to Oban and then south.But that would mean missing out St Conan’s Kirk.If you do go to the latter, Kilchurn Castle ruin is well worth at least a photo stop with the mountains behind it.Quite an iconic view.
The Loch Melfort Hotel at Arduaine (wonderful gardens) is a great choice - stunning location too.A gem of a place.Oban is a 35 min drive north.All of the roads you will drive today are winding so can be tiring though the scenery is beautiful from Loch Lomond onwards.

Before that, in pretty Luss, the Coachhouse is a lovely cafe for a coffee etc.Before that, at Duck Bay, there is a big coffee/restaurant which, if it’s sunny, has a great outdoor terrace right on the loch.

I’ll come back with some more thoughts on the rest of your trip.

If you like to walk, I recommend the very short ferry ride (no car) to Kerrera and a walk around the island. You don't need a guide, just follow the trail. https://www.secret-scotland.com/blog/scotland-travel-blog-september-2017

Hello from NJ!

I echo the above comment to visit Kerrera Island. It’s a very short ferry over (perhaps 5 minutes) and is really lovely to explore. The Tea Garden is a great stop for lunch or or snack on your way to the castle ruins.

We did this in the morning and a fishing charter in the afternoon, where we were treated to the incredible experience of dolphins swimming and jumping right by the boat! It was a magical day.

In Edinburgh, you may want to allow for a little more than 2 hours just in case. We found it fascinating.