suggestions welcome for 24 day trip - starting the plans

There are lots of great resources. I like the Rick Steves guidebooks, especially the lists and ranking of attractions and the connections to other cities at the end of the chapters. He tells you how to get from one place to another. You can watch the Rick Steves episodes almost anywhere. PBS passport, your library on DVD, YouTube and on this website.

Another great resource is this forum. I'm sure you will get responses from knowledgeable folks on the forum, but there are LOTS of recent posts of people planning trips to Scotland. I know because a few of them are mine! I like to browse and then read thru others posts and trip reports. Trip reports, I would think, would be especially helpful. They typically have the itinerary people have used.

Just a few tips from what I've picked up the last few weeks. Scotland, for the most part, is very well connected by train. Where there are gaps, there are buses. That said, for some areas, people like to self drive. Just avoid having a car around Edinburgh and Glasgow. There are also some great tour companies to looks at. I'd look at the tours offered if just for ideas and photos. A tour company many like is Rabbies.

My recommendation would be to start by mapping the distilleries, mills and gardens you want to visit. For distilleries, it's a good idea to stay within walking distance, as the tolerance for driving after drinking is very low in the UK. One way to determine a direction of travel is to identify any specific lodging (e.g., a castle stay or glamping or maybe your Skye splurge, whatever it is) and determine when that is available.

Are you traveling this year or 2027?

Here's just a few things.

My first piece of advice is to stop by your local library, bookstore or, if you must, Amazon and get a few guidebooks on Scotland. (Maybe Lonely Planet, Moon Guide, Rough Guide, Eyewitness) You'll discover areas of Scotland not frequently mentioned on the forums.

will rent a car ( perhaps after visiting Edinburgh

You do not want a car while in Edinburgh. If you're renting through the highly recommended Arnold Clark Car Rental, consider picking up your rental car at their Sighthill location.

Stirling can be a day trip from Edinburgh depending on what you want to see.

Direction doesn't really matter. That said, if you are starting from Edinburgh, then I would suggest clockwise so you get the best approach through the West Highlands to Glencoe and Oban.

An area not on your list is Speyside, known for their whisky. I mention it because of a woolen mill in the area, Knockando Woolmill. Combining a distillery tour with a tour at Speyside Cooperage near Duff Town to learn about barrel making and a visit to Knockando would make a great day. There's also a number of farm shops and markets in the area.

When you're in Oban (to get the ferry to Mull) you can visit Oban Distillery, reservation required. There are also several distilleries on Skye.

BTW, in Scotland it is whisky without the e and never Scotch.

Why Inverness? What are you planning to see/do in the area?

Balmoral Castle is typically not open to visitors in September.

However, Aberdeenshire has over 200 castles, both restored and ruins, many with interesting gardens. I'm sure you'll find a few you'd like to visit. You could easily spend a few nights in the area when visiting your husband's former home.

Look at www.visitscotland.com which is a great gateway site to a lot of info with abundant beauty shot photos. They cover accomodations and transportation. We focused on Campbell Clan Castles when we drove ourselves from Edinburgh thru the Whisky valley, Take don't drink and drive to heart! Drove by Barmoral, which is not always open to the Public. We stayed in Nairn and visited Culloden. Since you want to go to St. Andrews you could go up the Fife Coast where there are many hikes that connect Seaside Pubs. We also followed Mary Queen of Scots and really enjoyed her birthplace Lithlingow Palace. We stayed in Stirling and loved the Palace and you will enjoy amazing Kelpies, etc. We thought Inverarary Castle was a wonderful experience. We ate at a Lochside pub and we stayed in Farm Manor House nearby. We did our laundry at a Campground near the National Park. We only made reservations for accommodations in Edinburgh because we were there in late Sept/Oct. and Apr/May. You just have to score your room in the afternoon. Skye is usually booked ahead. The weather was comfortable during those times with some rain and little bit of snow in the Moutains in April. Just dress in Layers. Bon Voyage!

Hi pchtravel24, you will love Scotland!

So I will just give you a little bit of what I did when I was there in 2023. I was there for about three and a half weeks, so similar to you. I started in Glasgow, because that's where I flew into. While I was in Glasgow, I took a day trip to Stirling to see Stirling Castle, which I recommend. It's much easier to do it as a day trip, and it's very walkable once you get there. It only takes about 30 minutes by train from Glasgow's Queen Street station.

After Glasgow, I picked up a rental car from Arnold Clark, who Jean above mentioned, and drove to Ardrossan, where I took the ferry over to the Isle of Arran. I was on Arran for three nights, then from there I took the ferry to the Isle of Mull for 4 nights, which I see you're going to. Mull is absolutely wonderful, and I know you'll love it. It was one of my favorite islands. Tobermory is just a gem, and make sure that you get down to see the Isle of Iona while you're there. It's easy to get there by car from Tobermory, and there's free parking down at Fionnphort, from where you can then take the 10 to 15-minute ferry over to Iona. Iona was wonderful, and you can easily see it in a half-day.

I did not go to Glencoe, but from Mall, I took the ferry onward to Skye, where I spent another four nights. And of course, Skye has so many incredible sites there that you will need as much time as possible.

After Skye, I went up to Harris and Lewis, where I spent several nights, and then took the ferry back through Olipol and then down to Inverness. From Inverness, I traveled along the coastline, first starting at Olden and seeing Callanish. After that, I drove to Nairn, which is a lovely coastal town that is well worth a stop. From Nairn, I went on to Elgin, and that's where I spent the night. I wanted to see Elgin Cathedral, which are the most beautiful ruins I think I've ever seen. When I was in Elgin, I stayed at the Premier Inn there, and it was fine. I like Premier Inns, and I stay at them whenever possible.

From there I headed across the coast until I finally started going veering south along the coast, passing the Bullers of Buchan, which, if you're driving in that direction, is so worth a stop. It's an incredible piece of scenery. From there I headed down to see the ruins of Slains Castle and spent the night at the St. Olaf Hotel in Cruden Bay. I continued south past Aberdeen, although I think I stopped there for a little bit, then eventually spent the night in Dunfermline, at another Premier Inn. I wanted someplace close to Edinburgh but not right in the city so I could return my car the next morning at the Sighthill location.

And that's what I did. I then went on to Edinburgh and spent the next several nights there at the Premier Inn at York Street, which I highly recommend. It's in a lovely area of town, much less congested than the Royal Mile, but with lots of restaurants around and some lovely walks and a very peaceful setting.

Also, I concur with Jean's recommendation of Arnold Clark. They are wonderful and provide great service. I've used Arnold Clark on my last two trips to the UK. Both rental experiences went very well. Arnold Clark is a pleasure to deal with. Their agents explain everything to you and make sure that you understand the fine print. They are good about upgrading sometimes, and very courteous and helpful. I will always use them in the UK for future rentals.

https://www.arnoldclarkrental.com/
https://www.celticlegend.co.uk/car-rental/

By the way, I should mention that I didn't put my itinerary in here because I'm pushing you to follow it. I guess I was just trying to show you the direction I went. I basically started in Glasgow and then headed east and then north up through the islands, and then heading a little bit southwest, then west along the coast, and then south along the coast again until I got to Edinburgh. So basically, kind of in a circle. You could go in either direction, and I don't think it would make much difference, but it is generally easiest to do it that way.

It might be productive for you to sit down with a big map of Scotland and just mark all the destinations you want to visit and then go from there. Or you could even use Google Maps to do that. It will let you put in a lot of destinations in one entry. You can figure out the trail you're taking or the route you're taking from one place to the next and figure out which would be the easiest and the most efficient.

So with your schedule, you could start in Edinburgh, and you could take a day trip from Edinburgh to Stirling, as it is just a little bit farther than it is from Glasgow. After Edinburgh, you can head up to St Andrews, or you could even do St Andrews as a day trip from Edinburgh and spend another night there. It would save you from having to keep uprooting yourself, but it's also possible to stay in St Andrews.

After that, continue north to Aberdeen, then head north west to Balmoral. Although, as someone said, it's probably not going to be open, there's still a lot of other things to see in the Cairngorms that would be worth a visit. Just continue on up until you get to Inverness. From Inverness, head to Skye, then on to Mull. After that, you could visit Glencoe then head back down to Glasgow.

Or a reversal of that. It really doesn't matter. A lot depends on when in September you're going. The Highlands will probably be a bit chillier and wetter than the mainland, so you may want to head west and north first, then loop around to the east and then south again, similar to what I did.

Edit: One last thing: if you're traveling this year to Skye, start booking immediately. Also, Mull. You can work on those two first, and then work on everything else. The islands sell out quickly. When I went there in May of 2023, I started booking late August of the year before. And also with Skye, make sure you make reservations for any places you want to eat, even for lunchtime. You don't have to make them too far in advance unless they're really popular dinner places, and then you should book at least a few weeks beforehand, if not more. Even for lunch places, I would book a few days ahead of time.

You can drive from Edinburgh to St Andrews > Aberdeen > Balmoral > Inverness > Skye > Glencoe > Mull > Stirling > Edinburgh or vice versa. Edinburgh is also the place to taste whiskey.

You've received some great information. But let me reiterate that the UK has a very low tolerance for drinking and driving. You might want to think of visiting distilleries near your accomodations or taking a "whisky tasting" tour. This way, you leave the driving to someone else.

Since several posters mentioned no drinking and driving, which must be taken seriously, you will find many distilleries will offer "driver's drams", sample size containers to take with you and enjoy back at your lodging.

The other driving warning is try to limit your nighttime driving. You never know when you'll come across sheep or cows crossing the roads or napping roadside.

Hi pchtravel24

Undiscovered Scotland is a tremendous resource for identifying potential sites to visit. It's an interactive map which will allow you to drilldown for more detail on sites mentioned. Note some of the Historic Scotland sites are opened seasonally so double check dates if you travel shoulder season.

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/

They also have suggested driving routes that might be incorporated into your itinerary. We've explored several of these routes and the drive into Glen Etive is among the most spectacular.

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ustours/index.html

Happy planning! You will love Scotland!

Thank you so very much for all of your input. I am plotting the path, and have numerous spots to stop at, and organizing activity/sights/restaurants/accommodations as I work my way through each day of travel. I can't say that I have made it past 1/3 of the places to see but I do have my day sorted into 3 - morning, afternoon and evening so that I can determine when travel days are, and fitting in all the things on my list ( so far). I am feeling quite pleased with the east side of the country but the west is still a complete unknown! I am still reading through all the suggested reading sites ( and stealing ideas as I go - thanks Rick's peeps). I am all ears when it comes to your suggestions - and appreciate them.

As a life long tea drinker, my husband has never had to be concerned about driving and alcohol but I appreciate the point. It goes without saying that we do not have that concern. It cannot be said that wool mills and wallets are not on his side of the worry sheet as my interests can easily fit onto any case and brought home :) The very best case scenario is the whisky will still be in his system to muddle his brain as I make my way through some of these mills! Perhaps my yarn can protect his bottle??

As I continue through all the planning, I will have more and more questions I'm sure. Which is the best castles to stay at ( have to at least once). Why the car rental place is so highly regarded and recommended(?). If Alltrails app is my best choice for Scotland as it is here at home? (instagram and social media muddy the truth a bit while showing the best a place can be). Clothing - we are planning for hikes and weather but not sure if dressier is needed for dinners?? Then the west..... wild and intriguing but enormous and a bit overwhelming. Questions a plenty but not there in the planning just yet.

Feel free to forward any and all suggestions. I am 129 days away from a very big adventure. Can't wait!

129 days away suggests this September? If so, you really need to be getting a move on with booking at least the pinch points as soon as you can. September is when everyone not tied to school holidays comes out so, whilst not peak season, it will be busy. So whatever plans you have for Skye need to be booked now and I would also be booking any other island stays as well. There will be places available but many of the best choices will already be gone. The cities are less critical.

Re staying at a castle. In 2023 we stayed 2 nights at Barcaldine Castle, now a B&B, about 20 minutes outside of Oban and the ferry to Mull.

Why Arnold Clark or their representative Celtic Legend? Usually the best rates without hidden fees. Customer service -both online and in person - is outstanding. We booked through Celtic Legend and received free GPS and no extra driver charges for 4 drivers.

Regarding dress for dinners, typical for our group of 4 was jeans/casual pants and sweaters in September.

Why the car rental place is so highly regarded and recommended(?).

I will second what Jean said directly above. I rented from Arnold Clark on two different occasions; once for about ten days and the other one for around three weeks, and I couldn't have been happier with their service. I think I mentioned above but will reiterate that they always take time to explain all the fine print. They want to make sure you understand how the deductible works, and they are just very friendly and very helpful. The price is what the price is. There are no hidden numbers that pop up when you turn it in.

And I speak from experience, because on my trip to England in 2024, I had to rent a car from Europcar in Plymouth, as Arnold Clark didn't have a location anywhere near there. I was so annoyed the whole time. First, they tried to pressure me into spending more money than I wanted to, then they tried to talk me into paying for an upgraded car by telling me that having a small car wouldn't be "safe."

When it came time to turn it in, they had told me just to leave it in the lot. When I got there, the lot was closed and locked, so I couldn't drive in. I had no idea what to do. Finally, after about 10 minutes, someone showed up. But it was just things like that that were really annoying

I have never had to deal with anything like that from Arnold Clark. Even when I got a ding on my car, they had explained everything ahead of time to me, so I knew that I would have to pay the £1,000 deductible because I had declined the deductible insurance. However, since I paid for it with my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, which has a rental car benefit, I was reimbursed for the entire amount by Chase about six weeks later after I submitted all the documentation. And Arnold Clark was very good about sending me all the documentation I needed and were very prompt in their replies. It was just a easy process all the way around.

Thanks for the car thoughts - I appreciate your insight ( and frustrating experiences too, sorry they happened). We will certainly take a look. I think with the small, one lane roads in some areas, the smaller models of cars may be a good idea for pull outs/passing spots. In my brain, the roads are all in good shape and small models can manage but I haven't studied closely enough on the highways/smaller roads to actually confirm that. Dirt and gravel roads isn't really on our travel plans ( I don't think).

I looked at the castle and it is very beautiful! I am getting more excited with all the looking, reading and computer exploring. I am focusing on Skye to complete that booking as I have been watching if accommodations has been changing day by day ( no). 127 days and counting.

much thanks for all of your input. Keep it coming Rick's Rovers - your are an amazing resource!