We will pick up a rental car in Edinburgh and drive to Oban in May. We would like to see the Kelpies, Stirling Castle, and possibly Doune Castle. There's also the Wallace Monument. Is it possible to make these stops and get to Oban in time for dinner if we get an early start? It's not easy being the trip planner. I will appreciate any advice given.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
5418 posts
I guess it depends on how long you want to linger at each stop. We loved Stirling Castle and spent 5 hours there. Have you worked backwards to determine how long you'll want to stay at each? Also, add 30% to the time you're given in Google Maps.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8065 posts
From EDI to the Kelpies takes about 40 minutes and is an easy drive.
There are a couple parking lots by the Kelpies. If you need to park in the furthest one, it will take about 15 minutes to walk to the sculptures. You’ll probably spend 30 minutes walking around them, then you need to walk back to the car. The drive to Stirling castle will take about 30 minutes.
Stirling castle can be a wild card. If you take the free tour, it starts on the hour and lasts an hour, then you’ll need time to explore on your own. I’d figure no less than 2 hours is needed for the castle. Parking is right in front of the castle.
Doune castle is 8 miles from Stirling. Its parking is very near the entrance. Although the castle is relatively small compared to Stirling or Edinburgh castles, one still needs an hour or so to leisurely see it.
Doune Castle to Oban will take a couple hours according to Google maps. Traffic, weather, construction, accidents, etc., can dramatically change that. On our 2022 trip a bridge was under construction along our planned route and the detour added an hour to our trip.
I haven’t been to the Wallace monument in years and don’t recall how long it took to visit it.
Excluding the Wallace monument you have a minimum of 7 hours driving and site seeing and that doesn’t include comfort or food stops, wrong turns, getting to the parking areas and parking, etc. Maybe it comes down to the time you actually drive away from the rental car facility and the time you want to eat dinner.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1671 posts
Do directions on Google map that shows terrain from Edinburgh to Stirling to Oban. Is there some reason you are rushing to Oban? You are going by Lithlingow and Falkirk. Are you taking the Ferries? If you plan to take the car on the Ferry you will need a reservation. You can do walk-on and take an island bus that connects to a ferry to the other islands. The Google map will show you highlights on the way. If you are driving back to Edinburgh you can go via Inverary and Loch Lomand and Glasgow. I stayed next to the Wallace Monument in Stirling. I looked up at it but decided not to climb it. We stayed near Iveraray Castle. Bon Voyage!
Posted by
41 posts
We left Edinburgh at 9:30 on a Sunday morning, went to the Kelpie's, Stirling Castle, stopped to see hairy koos, got tesco sandwiches for lunch, stopped at a lovely church and were in Oban in plenty of time for dinner. We did have a driver, so that saved at least an hour because she was familiar with the roads and parking. We spent about 2-2 1/2 hours at Stirling castle and that was plenty for us.