We just booked a "last minute" trip to Scotland in early September. As my husband and I started looking at areas we thought we wanted to visit, I noticed that lots of hotels and B&Bs were already fully booked, and I thought that maybe we needed to look off the beaten path a bit. Do you have any suggestions for small towns or sites that may not be as popular? We are hoping to take the rail for part of our trip, and then we will rent a car or take the bus. We are hoping to see a lot of the coastline, do some moderate hiking, meet some Scottish people, and visit some towns. Any help is greatly appreciated. Open to any suggestions.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1290 posts
Well you could head east from Inverness to places like Nairn and Elgin and then maybe south via Aberdeen and the fishing villages in that area towards Dundee. Rail is possible but will limit your options for more remote spots.
I’d avoid anything around the north coast 500 route and you’ll definitely want to avoid Skye where availability is difficult.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2279 posts
Have you tried places like Strathpeffer, Dingwall or even Dornoch or Tain???
Posted by
Halifax, NS
336 posts
Dornoch is a lovely little town and in the opposite direction, the scenery towards Torridon is spectacular.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you for the suggestions. I will begin looking at these other locations. Much appreciated.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7145 posts
When we had trouble finding a place in the Glencoe area, we stayed in Kinlochleven and visited Grey Mare´s Waterfall. Near Glasgow, we stayed in Dumbarton.