Trip planning help

Hi Kate
I will try to answer the bits you've put in bold.

Day 2. You will leave Inverness to head south along the side of Loch Ness. Urquhart Castle could be one stopping off point. You will then continue south to just north of Fort William where you will turn right and head along to Mallaig. You could continue into Fort William for a lunch stop as the turn for Mallaig is just out of the town. Along the road to Mallaig you could stop to look at the canal lock gate system forming Neptune's Staircase, then continue along to Glenfinnan where you could admire the viaduct famed for conveying the Hogwart's Express - if you're lucky a steam train might be passing. There's also the Glenfinnan monument to Bonny Prince Charlie. I assume you know you can't take a car to Knoydart. It is incredibly remote, so I assume you are wanting to do some pretty serious hiking.

Day 5. Assuming you are taking the ferry from Mallaig to Skye with a car then you need to book it in advance (as far in advance as possible). Sligachan is a handy spot for exploring the Cullin mountains if you are into hiking and some serious climbing but in my opinion is quite remote and you'd be committing yourselves to eating there on both nights. The food is fine though. Haven't stayed in the hotel as I live on Skye so can't comment on the rooms.

Day 7. Yes leave by the bridge to give yourself some different scenery. Head along to Spean Bridge and then go across country to pick up the main A9 road which heads south to Edinburgh. Plenty to good scenery on the way and a couple of nice small towns, Pitlochry and Dunkeld spring to mind. I allow 6.5 hours to get to Edinburgh from Skye so won't have masses of time for sight seeing on the way.

Your current route doesn't take you near Glencoe but plenty of equally special scenery.

Hope this helps.
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

I'll just add a word of reassurance that you really can't go wrong in Scotland. Don't worry about the fact that you won't be able to see everywhere/everything.

If you enjoy historic cities, then spend Days 8 and 9 in Edinburgh -- but you'll need a place to park, as you won't want to be driving in town. Or you could lodge in the village of Roslin, tour the chapel, and take the bus into Edinburgh itself for a day of sightseeing. That would be a parking solution.

If you prefer to focus on the highlands, you might enjoy a town like Pitlochry. From there you can easily visit Glamis Castle, which has amazing gardens as well as the indoor tour. Another option is Glencoe, which is on your list.

Just make sure you give yourself time to breathe, sleep, do laundry, and enjoy being in Scotland!

If it were me (and it should be in July), I would spend an additional night on Skye to give yourself 2 full days. But it looks like that would short you a day in Edinburgh, if that is where you plan to spend Nights 8 & 9. Otherwise, you have good advice. And correct, there really aren’t bad choices - just lack of time. :) Have fun!

I think that this route from Skye to Inverness is wonderful. You can stop and see Eilean Donan castle before heading north and east. Closer to Inverness you will pass Rogie Falls which is a nice place to stop and stretch your legs.

Pam

I really feel we’d be doing ourselves a huge disservice if we didn’t see Glencoe while in Scotland. Could anyone suggest changes we could make in order to fit it into our trip? Any chance it would be feasible after visiting Edinburgh on our way back to Inverness before heading back to the United States?

Also, with the Sligachan hotel being remote, is there somewhere else you’d recommend we stay while in Skye? Portree looks lovely but might be a bit too touristy for our taste.

Hi again Kate

Don't fret about Glencoe. It's a just a beautiful valley, unless you are particularly interested in the history of the Glencoe Massacre. Your current plans take in scenery every bit as beautiful! Otherwise it's about an hour south of Fort William so you might be able to fit it in on day 2 as you head from Inverness to Mallaig.

In terms of where to stay on Skye. If you want a hotel then the Sligachan while a bit remote is as good as anywhere. Portree is not actually that touristy. It is basically a large village with a pretty harbour. The Cullin Hills hotel on the edge of the village looks back across the water to the colourful harbour houses and it's a short walk into the village for eating. I've obviously not stayed in any of the hotels since I live here, but it gets decent reviews. Or there are any number of B&Bs on Skye, which will be cheaper for the most part than hotels, but probably won't offer evening meals. What you will get is a great breakfast.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

What are you planning to do in Knoydart?
I did spent a pleasant few hours in Inverie some years ago. Its a good place to chill out but not much to do