Three weeks in Scotland by train, bus and ferry

First thought - winter is not a good time for this trip. It is dark at 4pm which really limits how much you can do and see.

Well, I put together my own 3 1/2 week trip about 2+ years ago, but I did have a rental car for a lot of it. I started in Glasgow for 3 nights, then the Isle of Arran for 3 nights, Isle of Mull for 4 nights (with a day trip to Iona), Isle of Skye for 4 nights, and Harris and Lewis for 4 nights.

After that I finished up by driving the eastern Moray Coast route starting with Inverness, then to Nairn (visiting Culloden and Clava Cairn along the way), Elgin (incredible ruins of the cathedral), Portknockie, Cullen, Cruden Bay (stopping to see the Bullers of Buchan and the Slains Castle ruins), then finally Dunfermline, and winding up in Edinburgh for 3 nights. Here's my trip report if you would like to read it: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/solo-in-scotland-trains-cars-and-ferries-and-a-wee-dram-or-two

Edit: Helen is right; I did not notice that when I read your post. It's still doable but I would tack on extra days maybe, so you can see everything you want. Mull is wonderful and one of my favorite places. I also loved Stirling Castle and the town of Stirling.

The weather is potentially quite bad in November and December too. If you're already aware of this, and the short days that Helen pointed out, none of those places are out of the question by public transport unless the weather is really bad. Beginning of November through end of February is the worst time to visit Scotland, unless you're there for winter mountain sports.

We are very aware of the short days and wet, cold weather so we are prepared to dress in layers and spend evenings trying out pubs! We always travel off season by choice. Short days in Copenhagen. Rain in Bologna. Snow in the Baltics. No worries.

Those are all fine places to visit. It's way out of season so accommodation should be very reasonably priced. Tobermory on Mull and Oban might be a bit dead, with some places closed for the season.

If you have an idea of how long you might want to spend in these places I'm sure some contributors here could make some suggestions in a more structured way than I could. Three weeks is a significant amount of time. You should be able to cover quite a lot and get a good flavour of Glasgow and Edinburgh with some longer stays. The cities offer more protection from the elements that time of year if you're out seeing things all day.

Exactly right! Slow travel with multi-day stops in cities. Day trips on our own or with a guide. We are flexible.

I would always recommend a stay in the west end of Glasgow rather than the city centre. especially if you have time to make it a home base for a few days or a week. Byres Road is sort of the heart of the west end. Kelvingrove / Finnieston is where the restaurant scene and several good pubs with a Highland flavour are. Also Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum and the eponymous park.

Much the same goes for Edinburgh; if you have a bit of time look for somewhere away from The Royal Mile and Princes Street. Stockbridge is popular and is good for being a boujie neighbourhood and also quite close to the city centre. Leith if you want to see somewhere a bit more working class, but kinda up and coming these days. I liked Marchmont and Bruntsfield back when I had friends living there studying at the university. Good places to stay like a local.

Great advice. Thanks.

I understand enjoying traveling in the off season to avoid crowds etc, and maybe your dates are set due to other reasons, but if you went even in April the crowds would be light and the weather would likely be much better. It would definitely stay light longer and you’d have more options of things to do and places to see.

The problem with the short days is that you want to explore places known for their natural beauty. You really don’t have a lot of time to see things when it’s completely dark at 4pm and sunrise isn’t until 8am. A day trip becomes more of a half day trip. It feels dusk like pretty much all the time as the sun never gets very high in the sky.

Bad weather is also a risk so you need to be flexible with your plans.

Everyone is different, so I am just speaking for myself here. I used to live in Edinburgh and I cannot stress enough how unpleasant November and December are. They were by far my least favourite parts of the year. You are barely finished lunch and the sun is starting to go down. It's wet and miserable and even when it's not raining the air is damp and it feels like someone is sneezing in your face. March is still off season but it far, far nicer.

Also, I concur with Gerry's suggestions above on where to stay in Edinburgh (and in Glasgow).

I have done my own trips but in summer and I had a car each time, so wouldn’t be much help. Your idea of cities and towns is good. You will need bus info (which I know you can find in the Scotland forum but I don’t have). I might question Mull, but we are all different. I have a friend in England who sometimes goes in March for a week in bad weather just to sit in a cottage and relax.

You might also check Robbie’s Tours to see if they have anything at this time of year that helps you supplement public transportation.

I'd probably be thinking about focusing mainly on Glasgow and Edinburgh. Leaving it pretty open as to how many other places I'd aim to get to. Keep it as flexible as possible. I grew up in Scotland and know how miserable it can be that time of year for getting around, especially if you don't have a car to keep you warm and dry.

The common expression when it's cold in Scotland is "it's baltic". You're immediately at an advantage there. You get in a taxi and say "It's Baltic out there today pal. I should know, I've been there!". Instant patter.

Well… thank you all for your insights. Based on what we’ve heard here and elsewhere, we decided to move this trip to next spring.

Back to you for advice later!