A friend and I are planning our first trip to Scotland in August, all by train. We plan to explore Edinburgh, Glasgow, Isle of Skye, then take the train to Inverness. Then we have several days before we need to return to Edinburgh. Two possibilities I’m considering now:
* Travel north on the train to Thurso, which I’ve read is a beautiful journey. Spend 3 nights in Thurso before heading south. I thought there we could perhaps take a hike along the coast, perhaps visit Castle Mey, or take a day boat trip to the Orkneys.
* Instead of going to Thurso spend an extra day in Inverness to take a Highlands day tour (Rabbie’s Remote & Rugged: Scottish Highlands Adventure) then go south as far as Pitlochry. Spend a couple of nights there before going on to Edinburgh.
Any advice as to which of those sounds better? I’m a senior, and not able to hike as much as I used to. We like to explore nature and history.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1401 posts
It sounds as though you are not renting a car. In which case how do you plan to get to and explore Skye? There is a Citylink bus from Glasgow and also to Inverness. There are no trains on Skye. Nearest rail station is Kyle of Lochalsh. Bus services to get around Skye are infrequent and are mainly based on the need to get kids to school in Portree.
Three nights in Thurso without a car seems a lot. I’d favour your second option of taking a Rabbies tour and also exploring Pitlochry and then to Edinburgh.
Posted by
Glasgow
50 posts
If you get the chance to explore some of the amazing Assynt and /or Torridon areas from Inverness, I'd book one or both of those tours in a heartbeat! Stunning scenery and sights, well worth doing at least one of those options.
As advised, how are you getting around on Skye? There are day tour operators on the island so I'd think that would be your best bet to make best use of time.
3 nights on Thurso without a car - yes, Castle of Mey is wonderful and an Orkney day trip would be great if you can also tie up with getting around the famous archaeological sites. Are you planning on simply taking the Scrabster - Stromness ferry or using a day trip operator? Day trips certainly run from John O'Groats though there may also be options from Thurso, I'm not sure.Thurso is no great shakes in terms of the town itself.
If it;s scenery you're after you can't beat the day trips to the 'rugged north' and I'd opt for those.
Posted by
Lake District, England
9232 posts
I'm not sure that a day trip to Orkney from Thurso is really that sensible. Both ferry routes are based on Orkney so your time there would be limited, and even Orkney mainland is much larger than you might imagine.
Instead I would suggest-
A - a morning flight from GLA or EDI, 2 days on Orkney, on night 2 book Bed and Breakfast on the Stromness to Scrabster ferry. Boat after 2100 then enjoy the sail out at 0630 next morning.
One day in Thurso, then day 4 the train south.
In spite of what many on here will tell you the bus services on Orkney are pretty good.
B- take the 1700 ferry from Aberdeen to Kirkwall on Day 1, arriving at Kirkwall at close to midnight. Then two full days on Orkney before the on ship B and B option as above.
On your full Thurso day use bus #80 hourly to the Castle of Mey, John o'groats and Wick, returning on the direct bus #82.
There are also two flights a day from Wick to Aberdeen.
PS- the information above about day trips to Orkney from John O'Groats is out of date as that ferry route has ended.
Posted by
Mountains of S. Oregon
873 posts
Travel to Orkney for just one or even two nights seems clumsy. We were there for three days and felt rushed (with a car and flying to/from). Next year we're looking at six more nights on Orkney. I'm sure someone will correct me, but I think visiting Orkney or Shetland without a car would be easier than Skye.
From Inverness, you might want to consider the northeast, visiting Nairn, Aberdeen, Stonehaven, St. Andrews, and/or Anstruther. Train service is much better on that route. We did Anstruther/ Stonehaven/ Aberdeen/ Rosehearty/ Nairn/ Wick/ Durness/ Ullapool/ Lochcarron last year (with car) and enjoyed every minute (except one lumpy bed in Wick). There are frequent flights from Aberdeen if you insist on Orkney. Or you could fly from Inverness to Orkney and fly back to Aberdeen, then head south.
There's pretty much gorgeous scenery in all directions in Scotland.
As close as August is, your itinerary may depend more on lodging than preferences.
Posted by
SoCal
1589 posts
Of the places the OP mentioned, I best like the idea of heading north to Thurso. Full disclosure: I drove only as far as Brora, but the coastline at Brora is as beautiful as any I've seen. Of course, my interest at the time was primarily golf, and the courses at Dornoch and Brora are spectacular. But the scenery up there is really special.
Heading south to Stonehaven to see Dunnottar Castle would also be a great day. Dunnottar is one of the great scenic sites in the UK, in my opinion. Just spectacular.
Posted by
99 posts
I visited both Pitlochry and Thurso in May 2024 and while very different, I enjoyed both.
I found Pitlochry to be more of a resort town with lots of accommodation, restaurants and shops. The town is definitely set up for tourism. It reminded a bit of Banff in Canada with tourists evenly split between outdoor enthusiasts and more sedentary seniors. There is a summer theatre, interesting museum on hydro facilities, and easy walks around the lake. The streets are quite crowded during the day even in May. There is a castle and grounds that is easy to reach by either a short train or bus ride away.
Thurso is more of a working town. I stayed on my way on and off Orkney Islands. While workable to get a taste, it would take some planning to make a day trip to the Orkneys work, the harbour is a mile or two from the town and buses are sporadic, both on and off the island. Castle May is not open every day so check before you go.
I stayed in a wonderful B&B in Thurso and had an excellent home-cooked dinner at a hotel and great takeaway fish and chip. There is not so much to do in the town but nice coast walks and surfing to watch or rent boards.
I stayed at a great backpackers in Pitlochry ( very little availability at B&Bs about 3 months out - seems like the type of place where people rebook annually ). There was a wonderful butchers shop with great meat pies. Restaurant prices were almost double those in Thurso, although there was a wide choice.
The train to Thurso was a real old-fashioned local service. You could stop about halfway to visit a Scottish Trust ( I think ) property then get back on the train. The train to Pitlochry was scenic going through forested mountains.
Hope this helps but you can’t really go wrong either way
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1917 posts
Several years ago we took a VERY LONG daytrip from Inverness to Orkney. Although it was a long day, we really enjoyed seeing Orkney. The trip was a bus ride to John O'Groats (with some narration), ferry to Orkney, then a mini-bus which took us to Skara Brae, Ring of Brodgar, and the cathedral. A few years later we took a ferry from Thurso to Orkney. Thurso did not seem like a tourist destination, especially if you won't have a car.
Posted by
OP
Berkeley California
2 posts
Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond to my question. I certainly have a lot to think about now!
Jenny
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8982 posts
Jenny, you might want to look over this post. Lane, who is a frequent poster here, went to Skye back in 2023 (close to when I was there) but managed to see quite a lot without a car. Here is a post of his: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/skye-without-a-car
And here is another thread I found that might be helpful: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/scotland-2024-3e345d83-b221-43e3-96f6-70ca137ec8ab