Our favorite way to travel is to spend 3-5 nights each in a few smaller towns/villages where we can get a taste of living in the area (usually renting condos or apartments, dining in local restaurants, buying groceries and eating in on occasion) plus make local day trips--as opposed to lots of one-night hotel stays with daily drives. Any thoughts on charming destinations of this sort in Central Scotland and (especially) in the Highlands? (One place we have in mind is Skye.) We would of course spend some time in Edinburgh and/or Glasgow at one or both ends of the tour. Looking at late-August through mid-September.
Posted by
SoCal
320 posts
Inverness is a beautiful little city that is a great home base for exploring the Highlands. Lots of good pubs and better restaurants in town, and Rabbie's Tours has several good itineraries including one to Skye. Hootenanny has terrific local music pretty much every night, and the Mustard Seed offers surprisingly sophisticated cuisine. Many other fine choices, too.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1117 posts
Skye is great (I would say that - I live here), but you will find it nigh on impossible to get a (self catering) rental of less than 7 nights in peak season. Shorter breaks are usually only available in the winter. Fort 3 to 5 nights you are likely to only find hotels and B&Bs in Skye at that time of the year. If you are willing to stay just off Skye near Dornie you might find availability at the Eilean Donan Apartments. It's a fairly large complex and I'm pretty sure they do shorter stays. It's only a 15 minute drive from the Skye bridge.
Inverness is the main urban centre of the Highlands, the other being Fort William. Of the two Fort William is in a more scenic spot, closer to Glencoe and the 'road to the isles' (to Mallaig), and with access to Ben Nevis (Scotland's highest mountain). But Inverness has better restaurants and you can get to Speyside (distilleries) more easily.
Posted by
Glasgow
13 posts
Portree on Skye would fit the bill but getting anywhere in the West Highlands and Islands in peak season self catering for less than a week might prove tricky.You could check Airbnb.
Plockton around 5 miles from the Skye bridge is also a pretty wee place.
Kenmore on Loch Tay is a good base for exploring Perthshire and Glen Lyon and further afield re day trips and is in a lovely, monutainous area.
Shieldaig or Torridon are probably too far north for you plus accommodation is not plentiful at the best of times.
Inverness, to me isn’t the most charming of places though it’s attractive at the riverside.
Braemar is an option too for Cairngorm NP. Aviemore too but it lacks charm…goes like a fair.