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So much to see, So little time - our itinerary

Posted by (Springfield, IL) on

We will be in Scotland in September for 13 nights. We are having a very difficult time selecting where to go and what to see from all the available choices. I do have The First Edition of Rick Steves Scotland.

About our preferences:
Our interests are mostly historical. We prefer old buildings and ruins to museums. Landscapes, hikes and beautiful scenery don't hold our attention for long. We do not care to shop for anything. We do not plan to see distilleries. We prefer public transportation to renting a car but we can be flexible. Hubby has driven two weeks in Ireland so that is not a totally new experience. Driving does cause a fair amount of "discussion" in the car.

The airline tickets and everything about the Orkney Islands are paid and cannot be rearranged. Anything else may be switched around.

I have some mobility issues and hills and stairs are challenging. However, if I want to see something badly enough, I will make it eventually. Yes, I will see Edinburgh Castle no matter what.

So, here's what we have so far:
Monday - arrive EDI - rent car - see Falkirk Wheel -sleep Stirling
Tuesday - see Stirling Castle/ adjust to time change -sleep Stirling
Wednesday ?
Thursday ?
Friday ?
Saturday ? Sleep Edinburgh, possibly near airport depending on planned arrival time.
Sunday - AM Fly EDI to Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands - arrive 11am. rent car - Sleep Kirkwall
Monday - see Prehistoric sights -sleep Kirkwall
Tuesday- see Scapa Flow sleep Kirkwall
Wednesday - Fly Kirkwall to EDI - arrive around noon- see ? - sleep Edinburgh
Thursday - see Edinburgh Castle / The Royal Mile
Friday - See Rosslyn Chapel- sleep Edinburgh
Saturday - ? - Sleep Edinburgh
Sunday - fly home

As you can see, there a large gaps to time still to be planned. For the missing days, we have considered heading west to Oban and touring Iona & Mull on Rick's suggested tour. and then heading to either the Isle of Skye or the Glencoe/ Ft William area.Our other plan is to go east,see some castles, the Scottish Crannog Center and possibly the Highland Folk museum.

Totally different suggestions would also be considered.

We don't want to over schedule - it took us two days to complete Rick's Amsterdam walk because we kept getting distracted :)

I would truly appreciate your suggestions and comments as we would like to complete the making reservation stage of planning and move on to learning about our expected stops.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Jo

Posted by
5678 posts

It's great to see Orkney as part of your itinerary. One suggestion might be to consider working your way up to Inverness and flying over to Orkney from there. You can also fly from Aberdeen.

This would enable you to drive up to Aberdeenshire and see the castles or visit Speyside. Alternatively, you could drive up the west coast and end up in Inverness and fly to Orkney and return to Inverness and do a scenic drive back through the center of the country to Edinburgh. Or you could return to Edinburgh.

Lots of options that would reduce the time spent in Edinburgh airport. The Inverness airport is a lovely little airport and it's likely that your flight out of Edinburgh is stopping off in Inverness anyway. Mine did. :)

Pam

Posted by
3122 posts

Frankly, I wouldn't plan a drive on the day of arrival. Being jet lagged and driving on the left side of the road is a recipe for trouble, IMO. Could you spend your first day enjoying some of Edinburgh's many charms, spend the night in a hotel not too far from Edinburgh airport or Waverley Station, and then pick up your rental car the next morning for the trip to Stirling?

We loved Rosslyn Chapel. With a day pass for the Lothian bus, the round trip from Edinburgh was cheap and allowed us further bus use in the evening to go out for dinner. It takes about 1 1/2 hours each way on the bus, not counting waiting at the bus stop. There is a nice café in the Rosslyn Chapel visitor centre as well as some interactive exhibits. Guides inside the chapel give talks a few times a day.

Posted by
5678 posts

While I can understand the concern, the drive from the Edinburgh Airport to Stirling via the Falkirk Wheel is not outrageous. Particularly as you have a break in the middle. I've driven from Glasgow to Edinburgh the first day in with a stop at Hopetoun House and was fine. Your navigator needs to be a full partner in your drive. If you were planning on driving all the way to Inverness I would share the concern.

Pam

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