UK/ Scotland Itinerary Puzzle

We went to Scotland and London last summer. We took the train to Edinburgh, Scotland (easy to do) from London but did fly back to Heathrow from Edinburgh for our return flight home. I like the trains in Europe too. For Scotland we rented a car after a few days in Edinburgh. I think it is nice to be able to go where you want and stay as long as you want by using a car. I loved Isle of Skye and I think it is definitely best to have a car there. Where else you go depends on what you want to see and do. We also went to St Andrews, Aboyne for their Highland Games for a day (fun), Inverness (for Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns Cawdor castle. We went to Castles Eileen Conan and Urquhart, as well as Glenfinnan, and Loch Lomond for Stirling Castle. It is slow going to get around Scotland so even though places look close on the map the roads are narrow and winding. It takes longer to get places than you think. You should make reservations for hotels and dinner as that is the height of tourist season. We had 7 of us so we definitely had to have reservations but I would recommend them for anyone going over in the summer as there are many, many tourists then. Have a great trip. We all loved our time in London and Scotland.

Scotland is a hiking paradise. Here is a list of long distance walking routes for beginners: https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/walking/routes-trails/long-distance-for-beginners

Here is a list of more rugged hiking trails: https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/walking/routes-trails

When I visited Scotland in 1999, I saw a lot of hikers in the Highlands. I wanted to join them. Ironically, on that same trip, I hiked a 100-mile-long route in Ireland. I wish I could have had another week for a hike in Scotland. The beauty is incredible.

The five night stretch July14-19 gives time to visit Skye and to be able to see a reasonable amount before having to return back to Edinburgh. Accommodation does book up quickly on Skye, so start planning and booking soon.

For the two days July 22-23 - don't be too enthusiastic and end up spending a lot of time travelling. I would suggest stopping in either the Borders or Fife. There's loads to do and see.

The Borders has some superb ruined abbeys (Melrose, Jedburgh, Dryburgh) along with lovely stately homes (Traquair, kelso castle, Mellerstain, Manderstone...)

Fife has Falkland and its Palace (if you are 'into' Outlander, Falkland was used as Inverness) St Andrews (ruined castle and cathedral) as well as the smll fishing villages..

The Undiscovered Scotland website is a wonderful source of ideas. Check out the map pages for each area and follow the links!

If you are going to Skye, then train and ferry will only get so far. Ultimately you will need to switch to long distance bus (coach) or car.

The public transport connections via ferry then citybus are very, very sketchy, and are constantly changing. Without a car the ferry routes are really not worth it.

For your proposed itinerary there are no domestic Scottish flights, so they rule themselves out.

Oh and you are not going to get from Scotland to London with a maximum 2 to 3 hour train ride, although that is the best way to do the journey. Either you need to compromise or the journey has to be broken at York or, say, the Lake District on the east and west coasts respectively.

You prefer not to fly. Neither should you do from Scotland to London, on environmental grounds. And it would be madness to drive it.

Thank you all for this wealth of great advice. I knew I could count on this community. I usually think of checking with the experts after I’ve already locked myself into an overly-complicated trip. I look forward to researching all this. Best regards.