Scotland itinerary help

We thought the Oban distillery did a good tour of their facility. We did several distillery tours while in Scotland and IMHO, one is enough!
Why drink Whisky when there is wine!😋

Tammy, ha! I have to say I love wine but I also love whiskey. My grandmother trained me to drink it when I was in college and used to visit her on the weekends (she lived nearby). 😊

JW, I'm making my first trip to Scotland in May and I'm traveling to a lot of places you aren't so I probably won't be much help.

You've not fitted in Culloden.
So I would suggest going with 5/29 Inverness to Braemar/Ballater via Culloden/Clava and a Speyside distillery etc.
Then 5/30 you Braemar/Ballater to Edinburgh. Various options with things you could do on the way- like Stirling Castle and Bannockburn or Dundee or St Andrews and the East Neuk (these are 'or' not 'and').
It breaks up the journey nicely, without trying to fit too much into the last day transfer from Inverness to Edinburgh.
Its a shame you only end up with the one night in Inverness as there is more you could have done from there, but that's the time you have.

Thank you for the replies!

Yes, planning to see Culloden, Clava Cairns and Loch Ness - I thought on the day we drive from Skye. I have considered staying in Inverness another day and night and just day tripping from there if that makes sense.

One suggestion might be for everyone but one driver to take the Jacobite one-way (and sacrifice the return fare) and the soloist drives to Mallaig to meet the crew for the ferry to Skye. The driver could even stop at the famous viaduct and catch a photo of the train as it passes.

Unless you are determined to do the trip behind a steam loco,think about getting the 'normal' train - it runs along exactly the same route as the Jacobite, and is a lot cheaper.

When planning my trip I've had the fortune of knowing some Brits who have helped me with planning. One of their main tips was that Inverness was a larger port town, not a great place for tourists except for its proximity for bus tours/day trips.

I tend to favor mountains and small towns over cities so this is biased, but you could spend a night around Speyside/Cairngorms instead of a second night in Inverness and still hit Culloden/Clava Cairns on the way. Aviemore is a safe bet for accommodations (suggestion from brit) and is near Glenmore for hikes, but I'd bet there are more scenic towns on the route. I would personally vote for either doing this, or spending another night in Skye if you are able to change your reservation.

While Aviemore is very useful for accommodation and supplies I personally find it too busy and lacking in charm, possibly even tacky for my tastes. When in the area I stay at a little village about 10 miles north called Nethy Bridge, a true highland village centred around a tumbling burn. Very handy for touring.
So small that the only hotel (there are a few other B and B's there) is also the village fire station.
But for towns Grantown on Spey is charming, full of small businesses and Kingussie and Newtonmore (both now by passed by the A9) are also useful towns to base in. Carrbridge (only a few miles north of Aviemore) is also a nice village with places to stay- another place now by-passed.
Just south of Newtonmore on the A9 you find Ralia- it's the nicest services and rest stop I know of on the UK road network- set in woodland with a couple of gift shops and a cafe. Well worth the stop.
If I want to be north of Inverness then the Victorian spa town of Strathpeffer is another favourite of mine with lots of places to stay and a charming village square with bandstand and a clusture of cafes and restaurants.

Thank you for all the suggestions! Here is my latest update :

Edinburgh - 2 nights (we have spent 4 nights here before)
Oban - 2 nights (Oban distillery tour, Three Isles Tour on second day - weather permitting of course)
Ft William - 1 night ( Glencoe in the morning, afternoon Jacobite train - must do for my daughter - so decided to stay over here rather than late day drive to Skye) Consider driving back to Glencoe to stay as would love more time in this area, but decided Skye awaits the next day and can't do it all!
Syke - 2 nights in Portree - as much hiking and exploring as we can fit in two days - found a great vacation home that became available - I could check to see if another night possible
Inverness (?) - 1 night (Culloden, Clava Ciarns on the list)
Dunkeld - 1 night (wanted to be somewhat close to Edinburgh for last day and also The Hermitage)
Edinburgh - 1 night - morning train to London to spend 2 days at the end of our trip

I do think I will look at some of the smaller villages and towns suggested instead of staying in Inverness and would like to experience a bit of Cairngorms. And lots of research yet to do to plan stops/sights along the way - particularly the last two days traveling from Skye to Edinburgh.