Trains

Hi Maddy -

For the time you have and to see the most you can, I’m afraid you’ll need to hire a car. Certainly you need a car to get round Skye. And, while other posters might have more recent and up to date information, I’m going to suggest that there might not be many options for car rental actually on Skye. It might be easier in the long run to pick one up either from Glasgow airport or maybe at a pinch, Fort William, having caught the train there from Glasgow.

Hope you can work something out!

Ian

We spent 2 weeks in Scotland this last September and we rented a car through https://www.celticlegend.co.uk/car-rental/ for one week so we could explore the Highlands. We spent 3 nights in Portree and although I wasn’t looking I didn’t see any indication that car rentals were available. It’s not a big town, though it is the biggest on Skye I believe. You definitely want a car there. We picked ours up in Glasgow and spent a couple of nights in Oban before we went to Portree. We returned the car in Inverness. If you want or need an automatic transmission you will need to book as far in advance as possible in a larger location.

With such a short time frame you either need to rent a car, or look at taking a guided tour from a company such as Rabbies or you will miss out on a lot. I had a car for ten days, and still didn’t have time for everything I wanted to see. The train will get you from one town to the next, but you will need a car to get to most of the interesting locations. The train does not go to Portree on Skye, you will have to get from the last train stop to Portree by bus or cab. With just seven or eight days on the ground you will never see everything on your list so I would encourage you to focus on a smaller area. Either stay to the southern half, or fly into Inverness and stick to the northern part.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/skye-car-rental

I'm going to suggest something different......why not leave the driving to someone else and enjoy the scenery.

Rabbies is a tour company that many on this board, including me, have used and enjoyed. They have numerous tours on Skye. Small vans with no more than 16 people.

I took one to Skye. It was a beautiful day and the guide knew a place where we could get great views of the island and the mainland. Not an easy road to find and definitely not in anything bigger than our van.

https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/see/isle-of-skye-tours

Thanks! Another question: what would be the quickest way to get to that area from heathrow? Only have about 2 wks to see Scotland and Ireland high lights!

Hi Maddy -

You can probably fly direct to Heathrow from Glasgow. Failing that there are the trains. I believe the Glasgow trains arrive at Euston. From Euston take the Northern line Tube to Kings Cross/St. Pancras to connect with the Piccadilly Line Tube. This goes direct to Heathrow (not all Piccadilly Line trains go to Heathrow, just make sure you are on the right one) - they are very frequent.

Flight time between Glasgow and London is probably a little over an hour, but you have the ‘faff factor’ of checking in and then retrieving your stuff at the far end and then working out how best to get to your chosen hotel. The train would take around five hours to London then you have the two tube journeys - it’s just a hop from Euston to Kings Cross (it’s the next stop eastbound) and a good hour on the Piccadilly Line to Heathrow. The new Elizabeth line is quicker but you’d have to get to Farringdon or Tottenham Court Road from Euston. I guess I’m saying it’s the better part of the day to travel between Glasgow and London which ever way you do it.

Ian

The easiest way to get from Heathrow to Glasgow is flying. British Airways offers numerous flights throughout the day.

Warning, don't cut your time too close. You will have to go through immigration and customs at Heathrow. Where you do this depends on your ticket. If one ticket with connection, you go through the transfer immigration area. If two tickets, you go through normal immigration and customs.

If you don't already have your tickets to the UK, see about booking a flight from your home airport to Glasgow and back. This way, if you have a delay, the airline is responsible for getting you to your destination. If two tickets, and you miss the connection, you are out the money and have to rebook.

Thanks everyone for the awesome info! Looks like I have a lot of planning to do.

Although flying is probably easiest is you're continuing on to Scotland the same day you fly into London, it's not clear to me that's what you are doing. If you'll be spending some time in London first, I'd just take the train. By the time you get from your hotel to the airport and then from the Glasgow airport into the city, you will have spent about as much time as the train takes, which is 4-1/2 hours.

With about two weeks available, I would absolutely not split the time between Scotland and Ireland. That means severely inadequate time for both countries, not least because you'll lose a good chunk of a day traveling between them.

I agree with acraven - spending a week in each country will severely limit what you can see and do, and you will be stressed trying to get in as much as possible. I would focus on one country for the 2 weeks. I'm actually spending 3 weeks in Scotland in May and still don't feel like I have enough time. Allow yourself time to really enjoy what you're seeing. :)