Hi, We are driving from Oban back towards Edinburgh. We are going through Glencoe, perhaps around Loch Tay. We have one night to spare before needing to catch an afternoon train in Edinburgh. Do you have any suggestions on where we might stop along the way and where we should spend the night? I'd like to avoid a long drive to Edinburgh the next day. Should we try to drive to some place around St. Andrews and spend the morning there? I have two boys who are into battles, knights, soccer and Harry Potter if that helps guide the recommendations :) Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1446 posts
Will you have spent time in Edinburgh? If not book a B & B or small Hotel in or near and visit Edinburgh Castle and High St for at least a day. Or you could stay in Stirling on your way back from Oban and visit the Palace and the Wallace Memorial.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Yes, we will have spent 4 days in Edinburgh and we drive to Oban via Stirling, Loch Lomonds etc. I was thinking that we would do a loop. What about Pilotchry? I'm not sure what the train ride is like but I was thinking maybe we could drop off the rental car in Pilotchry and take the train to Edinburgh and just transfer. Thanks for any help and guidance!
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1446 posts
I liked Inverary Castle on Loch Awe: The Home of the Duke of Argyll and headquarters of the Campbell Clan. Worth a stop after Glen Coe. Sorry didn't make it to Pilotchry.
Posted by
254 posts
We just returned from 2 weeks in Scotland (Edinburgh/Sterling/Oban/Pitlochy-back to Edinburgh for our flight south) and Found Pitlochry to be a good stop-over about 2-3 hours from Edinburgh. We stayed in the Old Mill (lovely staff, parking, nice restaurant) but there are loads of other options. In or near Pitlochry are several parks with great walking trails and Blair Atholl is a lovely castle but I didn't find Harry… We did drive to Edinburgh via St Andrews and I warn that it takes hours and hours on the coast road.
A thought - Ainwick Castle was used in both Harry Potter and Downton Abbey and would make a good day trip from Edinburgh (a 2 hour drive).
Posted by
3122 posts
If you want to stop overnight in Inveraray, I can highly recommend Brambles Hotel. Their café is also great for lunch (they close around 4:30 or 5 PM).
St. Andrews is lovely but it is out of the way. If you're not a golf lover it might not be worth the detour. Getting through Dundee to the bridge is a bit of a challenge with many roundabouts. Once you leave St. Andrews, it takes a good 2 to 2.5 hours (not counting rush hour traffic or any wrong turns) to drive to Edinburgh. The roads are well signposted for Edinburgh, but again there are many roundabouts.
Pitlochry would be right along your way for an overnight stay. You could visit Blair Castle for the knights-battles deal. Their leaflet indicates they have kids' activities.
If you need to stop for the night further north than Pitlochry, Aviemore is a center for hikers and probably offers some good choices of places to stay.