Suggestions for 2 weeks in Scotland

Posted by acallahan on 03/24/18 02:55 AM

My husband and I will be traveling through Scotland by car at the end of May/beginning of June. Our hotels/b&b's are already booked. I've looked up distances/travel times but am unsure how accurate they really are. My husband loves history, and we both love nature and gardening. Also, any suggestions on restaurants would be appreciated. (We were on a bus tour in 2015 (not Rick Steves). While we were glad to get a "feel" for Scotland, we have vowed to never do that again. We want to be on our own schedule.)

Day 1 -(Stirling) arrive in Glasgow, take the train from airport to Stirling, get there around 3 pm, go to b&b, relax and stroll about
Day 2 - (Stirling) back walk to Stirling Castle, bus to Wallace Monument, pick up car and practice driving ;)
Day 3 - (Oban) drive to Doune Castle and then head on to Oban (2 1/2 hour trip?), hit Oban Distillery and eat
Day 4 - (Oban) open to suggestions! tour Mull and Iona? Dunollie Castle?
Day 5 - (Glencoe) get up early and drive to Glencoe (1 hour?), hopefully weather will allow hiking, if not, a day of rest
Day 6 - (Skye) drive to Mallaig ferry (already booked) and should arrive around lunchtime, tour Armadale/Clan Donald and eat at cafe, continue to Sligachan hotel, rest of day??
Day 7 - (Skye) We have 2 full days on Skye. We would like to hike, go to Talker Distillery, and eat some great food. Suggestions?
Day 8 - (Skye)??
Day 9 - (Blairgowrie) a long drive to Inverness and around to Blairgowrie, may stop at Eileen Donan and Culloden but did see them on last trip, would like to stop at Urquhart Castle because we only saw it from the road last time, any other stops on way to Blairgowrie?
Day 10 - (Blairgowrie) two full days here, suggestions?? Pitlochry, Dunkeld, Hermitage Walk, Scone Palace, Edradour Distillery, Crathes Castle ...
Day 11 - (Blairgowrie) ??
Day 12 - (Edinburgh) early out to Edinburgh, turn car in to airport, take train into city?, staying on Princess Street, maybe walk around Dean Village or hike Arthur's Seat
Day 13 - (Edinburgh) get to Edinburgh Castle by opening, walk down Royal Mile and side over to National Museum of Scotland, other suggestions ??
Day 14 - (Glasgow) train to Glasgow fairly early, Glasgow University/Hunterian Gallery?, Botanical Gardens? We saw the Kelvingrove Museum on our last trip. other suggestions??
Day 15 depart Glasgow 12:55 pm

Posted by pollyhrae

Washington, the State

03/24/18 04:38 AM

107 posts

What a lovely trip you have planned so far with lots of variety! We were in Edinburgh in mid-November and took a two day Highlands tour that convinced us that next time we will be driving. Even that time of year the Highlands are lovely and the hills invite hiking.

Even Edinburgh is wonderful for walking. The gardens on Princes Street, the Royal Botanic Garden in Inverleith Park (http://www.rbge.org.uk), as well as the gardens at Holyrood Palace (especially if you are hiking Arthur's Seat) would definitely be on this gardener's summertime itinerary. The first two are free (a small fee for the glasshouse at RBC), and the neighborhoods between the two are fascinating to walk through. At Holyrood, I believe admission to the Gardens is combined with the Palace, but I'm not sure as they were closed during our visit. If you are in the city on a Sunday, the Stockbridge Market is a fun local experience with food booths and artisans.

Do stop in the Parliament Building across from Holyrood. It's free and quite remarkable architecturally. They offer free tours as well after going through security. The guides were quite happy to chat with us about the building and discuss our governments' similarities and differences.

I notice you have both Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum on the same day. With an interest in history, you might find that too little time for both. The Museum is massive with wonderful historical and natural history sections, in addition to the cultural exhibits. And with the crowds that time of year, you'll like be going at a snail's pace.

In Glasgow, pop in to the City Council Chambers building on George Square. Simply gorgeous!! We ducked in to get warm and were stunned by the beauty. I've learned you can take a free tour, too. Here's the link: https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=19136