Scotland in October.

With only 8 or 9 days, I would not "squeeze in" Ireland. Save that for a future trip.

Scotland has so much to offer, and such variety, that without knowing your interests and budget and mode of travel (rental car? public transport?) it's impossible to recommend specifics. Also, will you be traveling solo, or if not, how many are in your party and what ages are they? Solo travelers can usually get around much faster than family groups.

Whether to start in Edinburgh or Glasgow really doesn't matter, but it will be good if you can fly open jaw (i.e., land in one of these cities and depart from the other). That will save you having to backtrack. Whatever you do, Scotland is a wonderful place and you really can't go wrong as long as you don't rush and try to check off too many places in too short a time.

To get more input, please tell us whether you'll be renting a car or relying on public transportation -- or if you want comments on the pros and cons of each.

You could start in either location. Personally, I love Edinburgh. There is a lot of history there and I feel like it's a center. That said, there is great history in Glasgow. I always thought of it as Victorian city, but it has been around a long time! Pat Macintosh has written some wonderful mysteries based in Glasgow at the time of the construction of the Cathedral. With 8-9 days I would not recommend trying to squeeze in Ireland. You will just have to come back. You can, you know!

I have always found the Scotland's peak visiting season--outside of Edinburgh--is really still not a crowd. It may be because I have lived in Chicago and now NYC. So I tried to come up with some comparison's that might be relevant for someone from Portland. The Internet says that in 2018 720,000 people visited Crater Lake and 350,000 people visit the Japanese Garden in Portland each year. The Glasgow Cathedral had 400, 300 visitors. I feel like that gives a perspective for visitors. On the other hand 2 million people visit Edinburgh Castle. I would guess that a huge proportion of those visitors are in August. I mention this so that you know that once you move out of the central belt of Scotland you the crowds diminish.

It would help to advise you about sites and so on if we knew your interests. Do you like history? Are you a fan of single malts? Have you harbored a love of Scottish fiddle music? Have you explored Scottish literature? Are you a fan of Scottish industrial innovation? Are you a landscape photographer looking for gorgeous landscapes? Do you want walk in the hills and the heather? Answers to these questions will help us give you the best advise.

Pam