Please sign in to post.

Seeing the most without a car

Posted by on

Hi all! My mother and I will be traveling to Scotland this month, our first time there. We have six days, based out of Edinburgh with no car (nonnegotiable). I have been playing with a rough itinerary for a while now to try to cover all the things we are able to see - including a day trip to Glasgow, possible day trip to Oban (I know it will be a long train ride...is it worth it? Wondering if there is enough time to walk a bit of Kerrerra as well while out there, please let me know your thoughts on timing/value), also considering St. Andrews/Fife area, Stirling, Pitlochry, Kelpies...

I would LOVE to somehow see a little bit of nature/highlands while we are there but it is very difficult without a car. I am open to a day trip from a tour company but not sure where to maximize the time spent and pick a tour with the best spots, again weighing the value against spots that might not be worth the visit.

Thanks for your help for this traveler who is starting to go batty planning this out!

Posted by
1544 posts

Scotland is beautiful and accessible without a car. Back in 2022, I traveled from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, Braemar, Inverness, Glasgow and the Isle of Skye without driving. My trip was much longer than the one you are planning so I had some flexibility. What helped me is learning the train routes, Man in Seat 61 website is very good at explaining train travel. Also, I booked two tours with Rabbies that were very good. One was a one day trip from Inverness to Culloden, Clava Cairns and Glenn Affric. The other was a 4 night tour of the Western Highlands and Isle of Skye. Look over their webpage for tours in Scotland. I’m sure you and mom will have a great time no matter where in Scotland you end up.

https://www.seat61.com/index.html

https://www.rabbies.com/en-gb

Posted by
252 posts

I visited Edinburgh for 6 days in June 2023. No car (I don’t drive anyway). Like you, I wanted to see at least a bit of the Highlands. I took Discover Scotland’s day trip to Glencoe, Glenfinnan, and Loch Shiel, and it was everything I hoped for. https://www.discoverscotlandtours.com/tours/glenfinnan-viaduct-glencoe-loch-shiel-tour-from-edinburgh/

Last year I took their West Highlands Lochs, Glens, and Castles day trip and again had a wonderful time.

Rabbie’s offers similar day trips, and I can recommend them as well, having taken other trips with them on both of my visits.

Posted by
252 posts

To ORDtraveler’s point about choosing a tour company, one major advantage that Rabbie’s and Discover Scotland share is their guaranteed-departure policy. They will not cancel a tour because of low signup numbers. I have read multiple reviews from customers of both tour companies who said that they ended up essentially getting a private tour for the price of a small-group tour, because no one else had signed up.

If I were considering tour companies other than these, I would look for one that has the same policy.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you so much. We will book a tour with Discover Scotland and cancel the idea of heading out to Oban.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.