West/Highlands Itinerary ideas please!!

Hi, Natalie,

I can recommend the Skyewalker Hostel near Portnalong on Skye. They have both dorm accommodation and private ensuite twins. I can also recommend the Glebe Barn hostel on the Isle of Eigg, which is well worth a visit. The Glebe has dorm and private rooms as well, although the twins are not ensuite.

If you're feeling really adventurous, have a look at the website for the North Coast 500. As the name implies, it's a 500 mile road trip around the west and north coast of Scotland. It starts and ends at Inverness Castle.

Plockton is one of the most charming villages in Scotland. The television series "Hamish Macbeth" was filmed there. From there, it's an easy drive to Skye.

As you are looking at visiting both Skye and Mull, I'd recommend the following:

Take the CalMac ferry from Armadale to Mallaig. When you reach Mallaig, there are a couple of small supermarkets where you can replenish whatever supplies that you need. Take the A830 out of Mallaig, and head for the hamlet of Lochailort. There, you'll turn right (south) on the A861. You'll drive for a little over 20 miles to the village of Salen (not to be confused with the Salen on Mull).

At Salen, turn right (west) on the B8007, which will put you on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula. You'll be heading for the village of Kilchoan. At Kilchoan, take the CalMac ferry to Tobermory on Mull. Sailing in to Tobermory Harbour will be one of the highlights of your trip. Be sure to give yourself enough time to reach the ferry. There are seven daily. As of right now, the last ferry leaves Kilchoan at 6:40 p.m. After you've spent time on Mull, you can head over to Oban on the Craignure to Oban ferry. Make sure to make a reservation for that one, as it fills up fast! However, there are about 10 per day, so you'd probably be okay without a reservation. There's not much to do in Craignure if you have to wait!

Have a wonderful time! Slainte!

p.s.: As you don't have a lot of time in Glasgow, I'd recommend visiting the People's Palace, Glasgow Cathedral, and the Necropolis. The Tenement Museum and the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum are also good if you have time. All are free, with the exception of the Tenement Museum.

Hi Natalie -

Another vote for the Skyewalker bunkbarn at Portnalong, Skye! Handy for the Talisker Distillery too if that's of interest!

Also there is a good Scottish Youth Hostel in Glencoe and immediately adjacent to it an independent hostel. I've only stayed at the former though. A couple of weeks back I stayed at the SYH in Torridon which has excellent facilities and you can get a twin room there too, but not ensuite. It's set in the most stunning scenery, but is remote.

I'm sure you'd get more information with an Internet search on Scottish hostels - both SYH and independent hostels.

Hope you have a great trip!

Ian

A boat ride on Loch Lomond is great if the weather cooperates, and there's a walking (US parlance hiking) trail through the region. Boats leave from the picturesque village of Luss and from Balloch. See

http://www.cruiselochlomond.co.uk/

and

https://www.sweeneyscruiseco.com/

I can also recommend Inveraray as a beautiful small town to visit, an easy drive from Glasgow. Inveraray castle is gorgeous inside and out, and there is a walking trail to the hilltop watch tower. The town also has a historic jail and several shops selling traditional woolens. Brambles is great for daytime food and overnight lodging (if your hostel plans don't pan out) and the George Hotel has a wonderfully atmospheric restaurant/pub. A few miles south is the Auchindrain Township open-air museum, with about 12 miles of trails to the various buildings. Near there, Argyll Adventure has horseback riding.

Further afield is Kilmartin Glen, a few miles inland from Lochgilphead. Pick up a map to the stone cairns at the tiny museum in the village -- they are hard to find without the map. By the church in the village is a collection of carved stones, some with legible inscriptions.

Around the other direction, between Inveraray and Oban, the Ben Cruachan "hollow mountain" hydropower station has a fascinating visitor centre. You can go on a tour inside the mountain if you have time.

For anyone planning a Scotland trip, I highly recommend the Undiscovered Scotland website. They really include just about everything worth seeing in the entire country, including recommended drive routes for a day’s sojourn and wonderful photos as well. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk

Thank you all for your wealth of information! I am taking it all to heart and can't wait to look in to everything you have mentioned! Again, THANK YOU!!!! ~Natalie

I love, love, love Mull. I highly recommend Achaban House. It's not a traditional b & b - breakfast they provide is homemade bread, cereal, etc but as a guest you have full access to the kitchen anytime. You can buy local seafood/produce and cook it there. Easy walk into "town" surrounded by sheep.

For Oban, we stayed at Backpackers Plus in the Old Church. We had a private room in another building around the corner, but my son had a blast hanging out it the church.

Have fun!

We found Oban a good place to stay for three nights when we were in Scotland last summer. We stayed in an Airbnb but we saw a few hostels in town. Day 1 we drove up from Glasgow, touring Loch Lomond and the Trossachs area and Kilchurn Castle on the way (hiking at Conic Hill and the area around Benmore Botanic Gardens - Big Tree and Puck’s Glen trails). Day 2 we did a boat tour with Staffa tours - highly recommend. They offer a lot of options for tours around Mull, Iona, Staffa/Fingals Cave, etc... Day 3 we drove through the Glencoe region. We did hikes around Signal Rock and Ballachulish (cool “hidden” ruins) and had planned to go to Steall Falls as well but ended up going back to Oban early for a distillery tour. We didn’t go any further north so can’t comment on Skye, etc... but we really loved this area of Scotland. If you’re not already familiar with the website walkhighlands.co.uk, I found it super helpful for trip planning. Have a great time!