Scotland the 9th of August through the 21st

I don't have answers, just noting that this is a duplicate post and answers may also be on the other copy.

I'm kind of partial to Edinburgh and I would make it my base for the entire stay. There are plenty of nice/affordable apartments available as well. If you don't want to go the apartment route, I can heartily recommend the Kew House B&B - a little on the high end but easily worth it. But, August is the highest of the high season because of the International Festival. If you don't have you reservations in soon (really soon), you'll have trouble finding any kind of lodging.

Glasgow is only about an hour away via the train so you can easily take one of more day trips to see its sights.

An other easy by-train day trip is Stirling with it's wonderful castle and the William Wallace Monument. Stirling is a delightful little town as well.

Trips into the Highlands can be made by renting a car or taking escorted day trips (leaving the driving to someone else). Rabbie's Tours seems to be a popular local operator or you can go to Viator to get an idea of what's available.

I suggest you download Rick's eTourBook on Scotland and give is a good read. There's a lot of really helpful information.

Good Luck.

Check out the Secret Scotland web site for ideas. You could spend a few days in Edinburgh then do a driving tour and end in Glasgow. You could stay in just the two cities and do day trips, but you will not get all the way up north to some of the more historic and scenic places this way. If you don't want to drive then you could start with a few days in either Edinburgh or Glasgow, then join a tour for a few days that would take you further north than a day trip would, then end your trip in the city you didn't start in.

Hi John and Doc, I would not recommend staying in Edinburg or Glasgow and taking day trips to see the countryside. Scotland may look like a small place, but it takes nearly 4 hours to get from Edinburgh to Inverness. If you want to stop and look at anything you will easily add another 2 hours. There are bus tours that you can take out of Edinburgh to "see the highlands." But if you have ten days why on earth would you want to spend 6 hours on a bus daily?

So, a better plan is to spend 2-3 days in Edinburgh, and then either get a car or take the train north and then west. Here is a driving tour that I proposed for someone who has 3-4 days. You can stop and smell the roses a bit as it were. I would suggest that you think about what part of rural Scotland interests you. Is it the mountains? Is it the history--Vikings in the west and far North, Stuarts and Bruce more in the center. Do you want to see castles? Do you want to see stone circles? Do you want to drink whisky? Do you want to hear traditional music? Are you curious about Nessie? Do you have Scottish family roots? If so what clan?

Answers to these questions can help shape your visit and where to go. It's an amazingly diverse place and it is amazingly spread out for such a wee country. :)

Pam

On one trip to Scotland I stayed in Edinburgh and took a day trip to Stirling via train and then took a (long) day trip with a tour company (Rabbies) to see Loch Ness. On another trip, I rented a car with friends and drove in a loop from Aberdeen to Edinburgh to Skye and back to Aberdeen. Both trips were equally enjoyable, but to really enjoy nature and the Highlands, you will probably want a car to explore on your own. By the way, Aberdeen was very enjoyable, and is close to Balmoral castle.

that time of year Edinburgh will be packed as the main Edinburgh International and Fringe Festivals are on, fantastic time to be in the city and as a local I do enjoy the atmosphere as well as many of the 1000's of shows that are on,but it is very expensive for accommodation.
Staying some where like Stirling will allow access to the northern parts of Scotland by public transport or by hire car, also Glasgow and Edinburgh can be got to by train in a hour so very easy to do day trips to both cities.

Thx for all the replies

How about this for an itinerary?

We arrive on the 10th of August in Glasgow
On the 11th we rent a car and drive to Oban
We spend that night and the 12th in Oban. We see Mull and Iona
On the 13th we drive through Glencoe and spend night in the Isle of Sky. We spend the night if 14th too
In the 15th we drive to Inverness and spend the night there
On16th we drive to Edinburgh stopping on way to Stirking we drop off car
We spend the 16th, 17th and 18th and 19th in Edinburgh
We take train to Glasgow and spend night on the 20th
We leave for home in the 21st.
Too ambitious?

Do you already have hotel reservations if you are staying in Edinburgh? With August being the festival month there, if you haven't already booked, you may be out of luck!

Milton Road
Is that a good location?

It's a best western

I actually live not far from Milton Road, it is a bit out of the city centre but there are several buses from right outside that hotel that will take about 20 minutes or so to get you to the centre, day tickets cost £4 per day.

Looks good. Think about going straight through to Mull rather than spending the night in Oban. It will give you a head start the next day. If you have your heart set on seeing Glencoe this option won't work, but you can take a ferry from Tobermory to Kilochan and then on to Mallaig. This would take you along singe track roads and outside the normal tourist routes. All I can say is that I would like to do it some day. I've driven bits of it. If you decide to do it, gas before getting on the ferry. :)