Scotland Travel in September

I am sure that MC will weigh in on this for you. What time in the morning is your flight? According to Via Michelin this trip will take about 50 minutes, but I would figure on a long hour if it were me. It probably depends on the timing which is why we need MC. You will be driving straight through Glasgow--all on the Motorway until the airport--so rush hour issues come to mind. It's easy to get to the airport and I found the car rental return quite easily, but without knowing the time and the rental car company it's hard to say.

All that said, I find Glasgow Airport to be an easy airport to use. Here's a map with the car hire locations.

I would definitely have the Inverness stop. That way you won't rush your drive. Lots to see on the way between St. Andrews and Inverness. And you can enjoy some traditional music that night in Inverness at Hootananny.

Thank you Pamela. our flight is @ 9:10 in the morning on the 19th. It is already booked so cannot change :(

Sorry I forgot to mention we are renting the car through Avis.

Edinburgh-St Andrews-Inverness is a lot of driving in a day, but doable. St Andrews-Portree is 5-6 hrs, so it's far too far to drive in one day on top of Edinburgh-St Andrews and spending time in St Andrews.

If you're just flying to London you could've flown from Inverness, saving driving all the way back to Edinburgh, but I guess everything is booked in already.

Thanks - yes it is all booked however, the ticket wasn't that much so it might be better to change. I will look into that. It does make sense.

I think this is a rushed itinerary as travelling between your places will take at least half a day. Will you be suffering jet lag when you arrive in Edinburgh? If so, you will not have much sight seeing time there.

Personally, I would give Inverness a miss. Skye is a long drive and you need at least two full days and ideally three here to make it worthwhile. An alternative to Skye would be to go from Edinburgh over to the gorgeous Ardnamurchan from where you could visit Glencoe, Oban and Ben Nevis areas. This will be an easier drive on your penultimate day.

Your last morning will be an early start as you will need to be at the check in desk by 7.30 latest.

Jennifer, they are headed to St. Andrews first. Inverness is a break between St. Andrews and Skye....

Jacque, I think that you would want to leave Stirling by 7 AM latest. But I still want to see what MC says about the traffic at that time of day.

Much as I adore Stirling Castle and recommend it to everyone, if this is a stop after leaving Portree, you might want to stay somewhere where you are coming to the Airport from the West. Maybe stay at Luss on Loch Lomond or Tarbet a bit further north.

Pam

The main Glasgow rush hour is 0730 to 0930.

It depends on the day etc, but can take over an hour from the gasometers, where the M80 which is the Stirling motorway meets the M8 to the airport. Well over an hour, the city centre stretch of the M8 can be one of the most congested sections of road in the UK.

My suggestion is being south of the Clyde that last night, even potentially out as far as Hamilton, but even then be prepared for heavy traffic on the motorways and give yourself plenty of time if handing back a hire car.

For my comfort, for an 0730 check in, I would be handing the car in at 0700, so staying in Renfrewshire is best, with Lanarkshire close by but you'd be leaving the hotel by 0600. There are a number of the chain hotels at the airport or in that part of Renfrewshire.

MC. thank you for your information. I am a little confused as we were coming from Stirling to the Edinburgh airport - and it looks like on my google maps, we would take M9. Am I looking at this incorrectly?

I am thinking however, that we might be better off just staying near the Edinburgh airport and we can always stop in Stirling for a few sites and dinner before heading down there. Maybe we could even turn the car in that night and get a shuttle from the hotel. Any hotel recommendations?

Ah, if you are going to Edinburgh it's a different story. You will still have rush hour, but at least you don't have to go through the city to get there. It's still an hour to get there. You could stay in Linlithgow. I've visited the palace there and thought it looked like a nice town. It looks like the main car hire companies are right at the airport.

Edinburgh airport is also easy to get around in.

As Pam says Edinburgh is a different matter, based on the times it should be ok, as you would be checking in as rush hour starts. The M9 is generally quieter than the M8, but can snarl up at the Edinburgh end, but from Stiing getting to the airport for 0730 should really be no problem.

Why not consider this - spend your time in Stirling and at the end of the day , drive the thirty miles to the airport , drop the car and easily get your morning flight . I have used the Hilton at Edinburgh airport several times , and there is a convenient shuttle in the AM to the terminal . As a matter of personal preference , I prefer not to have a trip in the morning when there is a flight or major rail journey in the offing .

Hi Steven,

I actually thought of this and that is probably what we will do. Thank you for the recommendation of the Hilton.

jacque, I want to mention that we did an afternoon rental car drop at the edinburgh airport in october and it was completely painless and quick. When we arrived in Scotland we left the airport on the M9 and it was a breeze, even for someone from the US that was not used to the driving. if you are compulsive like me you can give this "traffic scotland" live camera map a look for the times you are traveling and get a general feel for the traffic on the day and time you are planning on driving there. here is the link http://trafficscotland.org/map/index.aspx?type=26