Scotland without a car and weather in July?

You don't need a car in Edinburgh, Glasgow or Inverness. You can easily travel between these places using public transportation.

However, to actually tour the Highlands and Skye, some type of vehicle is necessary.

If you don't want to rent a car, then perhaps a small 1-3 day small group tour with a company like Rabbies. I also travel solo and have taken numerous tours with them. I'll be doing so again in September.

As for weather, well, it's Scotland. Rain one minute, the sun the next. I'm in Scotland now and there are some days I need a light jacket.

The one thing you need to be aware of in July in the Highlands are the midges. They can be bad. Keeping a product like Smidge on hand can help if needed.

The one thing you won't get is weather consistency! The key to this question is layers. Start with T-shirt (or base layer as the athletic now call them..), sweat shirt, thin waterproof and mix as required!

For travel this ticket is good value for teh main travel if you can make the schedules fit. Note that the short ferry is not included and can have a variable schedule so you need to check carefully whether it will work with the local bus on your date. It allows travel on 4 days within an 8 day period based on when you start. But if you take your Glasgow and Edinburgh days out of your 2 weeks then 8 days may be OK. The webpage encourages you to buy a phone pass in advance but you can buy it at a ticket counter when you are ready to travel. https://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/combined-tickets-travel-passes/scottish-grand-tour

You might want to review these two threads from a regular poster here named Lane, who travels a lot and went to Scotland a few years ago without a car. He was very successful in seeing what he wanted to see, especially on Skye, so you might get some ideas from his two posts. He has a lot of info on the tours he took and how he got around without a car.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/skye-without-a-car
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/isle-of-skye-bc74ae67-52c5-43d1-b08d-28a0767f4abd

Hopefully you are planning for July 2027.

Are you open to an occasional bus in addition to trains? That will open up more of Scotland to you.

Skye without a car can be difficult. Have you considered other areas of Scotland? For example, the West Highland Railway Line to/from Glasgow will take you through some lovely highland scenery to Ft. William, Mallaig or Oban. Oban is a walkable town with access to several islands including Mull and Iona. Glenfinnan, a stop on the Mallaig leg, is a small hamlet with the Glenfinnan Monument, the Viaduct and beautiful Loch Shiel. Combined with a bus here and there and you can have a lovely trip.

Pack with layering in mind and you'll have no problems with a carry-on bag. A waterproof jacket is a must.

I spent 5 weeks in Scotland recently, without a car. I elected to go to Orkney instead of Skye. Skye in July is going to be traffic crazy. I would suggest doing a day or short multi day trip with a tour company for part of your route. Rabbie's does 3 night tours to Skye from Edinburgh, and I expect also from Glasgow. From Edinburgh, I expect it would also cover Highlands.
Look at a shift of locations. Edinburgh - Inverness - Glasgow -Skye -Glasgow -Edinburgh. This let's you use trains except the Glasgow to Skye tour. Train will take you through Highlands or do a day trip from Inveness. Inverness is your travel outlier, so determine it's priority. That being said, I liked it more than expected, but I had time to spare and enjoy it.
Assuming this is for next July, I suggest you look at alternatives to Skye, which is over touristed and over stressed. There are many islands of beauty that won't be traffic jams most of your time in the area.
As to clothing, it may get heat waves of 30C or may be 13C. Layers and a light waterproof. If on ferries or the coast, my lifesaver was a scarf. Also reme ber that their stores sell what is appropriate for their weather. Also their thrift stores are cheap and fantastic.

Thank you everyone for your responses! I am heavily considering them and updating my preparation. To the person who asked, no I am not planning for next year, I am planning for next week! Haha. So excited, right now I am leaning skipping Isle of Skye for the sake of reserving energy to make the Highlands work since that will also be a trek. I am so excited, this is a solo trip and I will have my birthday while there, I have been waiting to commit to this trip for quite a while.

Next week....well. tours may be off the cards unless you book online ASAP. You need to remember Scotland is somewhat underpopulated, and you are traveling in peak tourist season. Restaurants need reservations and hotels can book up 10 months in advance.
But if you are a flexible type and ready to go with what comes along, it can be quite the adventure. Hope it b3comes a favourite birthday trip.

Yes, agreed with your statements. :)

I do not want to book tours, if something doesn’t work I will find something else, so I am quite flexible. I will just be happy to be there, it’s a quite important trip for me. I’m reserving the important things but thank you for helping me realize which ones I should for I was lost for a second.

If you do decide to come to Skye make sure you have booked accommodation. There is a facebook group called "rooms in Skye" that matches vacancies to those searching. Buses can be tricky outside the City link buses that run the main A87 road from the bridge to Uig. Stagecoach run the buses around Trotternish and out to Dunvegan, but they are fairly infrequent.