September 2019 Scotland Itinerary

Posted by b.merritt326 on 05/04/19 05:20 PM

Hi all,
Here's a preliminary itinerary for the 3 of us this fall. Arrive in Glasgow the afternoon of Friday the 13th. (I know!) Explore Glasgow Rent a car in Glasgow, drive up to Kingussie Kingussie to see the Highlands Folk Museum, take a day trip over to Glenfinnan for the Aqueduct and Steam Train. Drive back south toward Falkirk (Kelpies, Wheel, etc.) and then to Kelso with day trips into Edinburgh. Drop the rental car in Edinburgh and take the train back to Glasgow on the 23rd. Spend the night there to be ready to fly home on the 24th.
Thoughts? Comments?

Where would be the most interesting place to stay between Glasgow and Kingussie as something of a base for day trips? Perth? Pitlochry? Or stay in Kingussie?

Thanks so much for the excellent help that I've already seen on this forum!

Posted by Skyegirl

Isle of Skye, Scotland

05/05/19 08:20 AM

1307 posts

Hi there
This looks perfectly doable in 10 days. My only suggestions would be
a) you'll be backtracking across county from Kingussie to Glenfinnan. Better to go Glasgow - Glenfinnan (possibly using Fort WIlliam as a base)
b) I wouldn't have thought Kelso was a particularly good location for day trips to Edinburgh. Stirling might be better for ease of getting into Edinburgh. And there's the bonus of the castle and Wallace Monument.
c) Pitlochry would be a good base for Kingussie area.

Hope this helps.

Posted by bogiesan

Boise, Idaho

05/05/19 12:11 PM

1258 posts

I’ll just suggest that you try to relax and enjoy yourselves. Be aware of that weird tension that grows in a group when you’re trying to pack too much into a day.

There’s plenty to see and do but there’s also plenty of lovely country to just sit down and look at. For instance, along the road through Glencoe, a short hike will get you far from the crowds in the parking lots.

We did not have time to ride the steam train but I should think you would want to book that excursion well in advance. I enjoy ancient and scenic Scotland but I appreciated a quick stop outside Falkirk to view the contemporary sculptures. The Kelpies can be toured on the inside, another interesting thing we just did not have time for.

Posted by epltd

05/06/19 06:20 PM

3124 posts

-- Edited -- I'm relieved to see that you're planning 2-3 days in Glasgow before setting off in your rental car. --

I'd strongly advise spending your first night much nearer to Glasgow airport, and not driving the A9 while jetlagged. You may intend to sleep on the plane, but you will not get a normal night's sleep and your interior clock will be thrown off. Jetlag is basically the equivalent of being drunk when it comes to executing the tasks involved in driving -- let alone driving on the left.
Plus, in September, depending what time you get out of the airport and obtain your rental car, it could very well be dark.
It would be fairly easy to take public transportation from Glasgow airport to Falkirk. You could stay the night there and visit Falkirk's sights on the 14th. Then you could rent your car out of Falkirk.

Navigating from the airport (which is actually in Paisley) to Falkirk would be enough of a challenge. I would not recommend trying to make it all the way to Kingussie.

Posted by b.merritt326 OP

05/06/19 09:02 PM

13 posts

Thanks for the suggestions! And btw, we’ll be spending 2 or 3 days in Glasgow before heading out in the rental car.