Sept Itinerary

You've picked wonderful places to go, Bev, but I think this is going to be an exhausting trip. You'll be spending a lot of time in the car. If you enjoy driving, it might be fine. The scenery will be beautiful and you'll find lots of places to stop. I'm not big on so much driving, so it would be too much for me.

You might want to skip Glasgow and add a day to Skye. It's my favorite place in Scotland, and will give you a little time to explore the island. I am not that wild about Glasgow.

The day tour to Orkney will be a very long day. There is a company that offers day trips to Orkney from Inverness. I would look into it. It would be a lot easier to have someone else do the driving and handle all the arrangements, especially driving back to Inverness at night. I haven't taken that tour, but I have been to Orkney -- it's fantastic (we spent four days there).

I love your route; it's just that it's way too much driving in such a short time span for me. But it might work for you if you enjoy driving. I hope you have a great trip.

Bev -

I agree with Carroll that you have an ambitious schedule. If you can keep up with it all you'll have a marvelous time.

One general point I would make is that your driving times are pretty tight. Did you get them from Google perhaps? If so you may want to use theaa.com website, which tends to give a bit longer times. Or just add some time to your estimates, driving in Scotland almost always takes longer than you'd expect.

For your first Monday you may not want to detour over to St. Andrews, unless you have ample time. It would likely add 2 hours of drive time minimum (and that's just drive time). If you have time and want to do it, great, go for it, but it'll make for a lot more time in the car than perhaps you'd want.

As Carroll said, your day trip to Orkney will probably be a very long day when you figure on the drive time + ferry time to and from. I'd certainly echo the advice to use an Inverness based tour for that if you can.

You mentioned sites on your way back from Skye towards Oban. You might take a quick stop in Glencoe and check out the museum there (such a sad and tragic story) - if you have time even a quick drive around. The scenery is great. Stop at the Castle Stalker View Cafe if you want a nice view of Castle Stalker (or Castle Aaaargh of Monty Python fame) http://www.castlestalkerview.co.uk/ is their website.

Your Sunday of Oban + Mull + Iona may be a bit ambitious. I assume you'll be doing an organized tour here? Mull + Iona can easily merit a day of their own.

One other thing you may want to check into is getting a membership to Historic Scotland. Many of the sites you mention (Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, most sites on Orkney, Urquhart are all free entry with a membership and you get a discount in the gift shops). Do some math and see if it might be worth a 1 yr membership. http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/

Hope that's helpful. I know you'll love Scotland!

Happy Travels! - Eric

We have been to Scotland a few times and are returning this June, doing a trip similar to what you have planned. I have been researching for over a year; here are some ideas to consider ( I hope you have a map): Edinburgh to Inverness--near Pitlochry, look for the Queen's View turnoff to the west. Loch Tummel / Loch Rannoch look lovely (check google images) and there's even a road from there that loops back to the main road north to Inverness. Don't miss Clava Cairns near Culloden. Also, plan for Glen Affric, NW of Urquhart Castle.

We took the John o'Groats ferry on our last trip--the bus leaves from Inverness. It is a very long day trip, but you see a lot. Not sure if it still operates in September--remember, the days will be getting shorter. Skara Brae is fascinating.

Check out the Scotland Explorer pass which lets you visit many sites. They have one good for any 7 days out of 14 days and there's a discount for those over 60.

Driving from Thurso to Skye--2.5 hours doesn't sound right. You are driving through Wester Ross, supposedly one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland. Look for Loch Maree, Loch Toridon on a map--also the Applecross Peninsula. You might want to choose this area over Mull and/or Glasgow.

Undiscoveredscotland.com and secretscotland.com are both useful web sites.

Skye probably deserves two full days, but skip Dunvegan Castle unless you want to look at tons of ancestral portraits!

If you want recommendations for accomodations, send me a PM.

Check the daylight hours, nights pull in quick in Sept.
You might consider going across the north coast and down the astonishing Rosshire coastline.I know its a hearesy but Loch Ness is deathly dull in comparison.
Sept is one of the best months weather wise
I'll let you google Corrieshallck Gorge, An Teallach, Bealach Na Ba , Torridon and of course you could vist Loch Monar, pretty ,DEEPER and with its own monster too
On the way back from Skye,you might want to see if the litle cafe is still there above Mam Rattigan Pass.
Have a great trip

Oh and.... Ullapool might just be favourite small town and there is a music festival mid septemeber
Oh and I'll throw in"the mad little road of Sutherland"

You might want to also consider spending the night in Orkney. There is plenty to keep you busy and you can enjoy an evening in Kirkwall or Stromness. You could take the ferry to St. Margaret's Hope and home via the Stromness / Thurso ferry. The drive across the top of Scotland is stunning. I would strongly recommend it. As someone pointed out Ullapool is lovely. Tongue and the lochs across the top are fascinating. Did you know that during WWII some of the convoys gathered here before heading across the Atlantic. Durness is small, but the sands in the Bay of Balnakeil are amazing.

You'll enjoy the Inverness driving tour.

Watch your time on the drive north. As someone pointed out the day aren't quite as long in September and it can take longer than you think on the wee roads. If you're going via St. Andrews you'll find yourself on some of them.

BTW i think I'd skip Glasgow and spend your time in the North. You will find that you love Scotland and can pick it up on another trip. ; )

Lastly, in Edinburgh, don't miss out on New Town, even if you just go over there for a drink and dinner. It's quite different from the Old Town and The Royal Mile, but very nice. I love the Georgian House, but even just seeing the architecture from the outside is good. There are lots of cafes and restaurants.

Pam