Advice on Scottish countryside

Andrew, I don't think that you need to go as far north as Balmoral to see and enjoy the countryside. It's certainly beautiful there, but there are closer spots where you would have more time to stop and enjoy yourself. Drive north from Edinburgh to Dunkeld north of Perth with an early start. This is a bit over an hour, but could be more with traffic. Cross the River Tay (enjoy the old bridge) and explore the town for an hour (cathedral, small houses, the riverside); have a coffee. If you want to walk at all, there are some nice walks along the Tay. In Birnam you can stop for five minutes to see the Beatrix Potter Garden. Drive to Aberfeldy via the A822 (there are nate routes, but I take the smaller roads when I can. Take the A826 north to Aberfeldy. Depending on how much time you spend in Dunkeld, you could have lunch here. If you want a really nice place go over the bridge to Ailean Craigh. From here you have several choices. Go north over the river and take the B846 to Tummell Bridge. 30-45 minutes. This is a wee road that will take you over the mountain to the Lochs that were the Road to the Isles. You can eat at Tummell Bridge. You can drive all the way out to the end of Loch Rannoch to Rannoch Moore, but you cannot go all the way through. It's beautiful. You would have to backtrack. I would recommend taking the small road on the south side of Loch Rannoch toward Tempar. It's a single track and beautiful. It will connect up with the road back to Aberfeldy. More later. nately head west from Tummell Bridge on B8019. Stop at Queens View. If you're a history buff head north and stop at the Killiekrankie visitor center. If it's early enough, you could natively go to Blair Castle, just off the A9 at Blair Atholl. Or head south to Pitlochry. Check out the Explorer's Garden and the Distillery. Head back to Edinburgh 1.5-2 hours. Pam

If you head back toward Aberfeldy, you have a choice at Coshieville. You can head back west to Aberfeldy. In Aberfeldy, you could do a shore walk, up the Birks of Aberfeldy. It's a circular walk past waterfalls. It is up hill, but not strenuous and very nice. Or you could continue continue south on the A827 to the road along the south shore of Loch Tay. There, you'll find the Cranog Centre. It's a very interesting place to visit. You can continue along the South Bank to Killin. I've not done this drive, but it's likely slower than the north bank. In Killin, check out the waterfalls. From Killin you can head south to Edinburgh. You'll skirt through the Eastern Edge of the Trossachs, so be prepared to stop for pictures. If you are a Rob Roy fan take a short detour at Balquhidder to see his grave. If you have time, driving out the Glen to end is not too long and beautiful. There is a wonderful hotel to stop at for tea. The view from the Terrace is marvelous. You'll pass through Callandar where the Rob Roy Visitor Centre is. Further south along this route is Doune Castle of Monty Python fame. You're likely running out of time now, (it's a good 2 hours straight driving Killin to Edinburgh) so you'll may want to take the M9 south to Edinburgh. More to come.

Back at Coshieville, instead of heading back to Aberfeldy, take the wee road west toward Fortingall. In Fortingall is the oldest yew tree in Britain if not Europe. Continue west along the river Lyon and enjoy Glen Lyon. It beautiful. You'll want to stop and take pictures. There's a gallery on the right hand side not too far in. Watch out for the pet bird! The owners gave me directions to a lovely small waterfall where I had a picnic lunch. You can drive all the way out to the Dam, but you'll likely have to turn around and come back as far as Bridge of Balgie and head south to get to the north shore of Loch Tay and head west to Killin. There was a single track road at one point, but I'm not sure how well maintained it is. I did drive it once several years ago. Pick up the earlier suggestions for heading back to Edinburgh. These are going to be long days. Since you're going in May, that will be okay for daylight. Pam

Or you could head straight for the Trossachs. Of course, you could view the Rob Roy sites, but I would recommend heading west from Callandar on the A821 to Loch Katrine. There you can take a steamboat ride up the loch. You can rent a bike and return along the south shore, or just take the return boat ride. This is the Loch that his featured in Scot's poem, the Lady of the Lake. It is also Rob Roy country as mentioned above and this was the countryside he knew well. Return to Edinburgh via Aberfoyle and just east of Aberfoyle is the Lake of Mentieth. You can ride a boat out to the Priory on the island in the middle of the Lake. It's unbelievably peaceful except for the fishermen. If you have time on the way home, stop off at Wallace Monument near Stirling. You'll get some of the same spectacular views of the countryside without having to fight Stirling traffic. On the east side is the Bannockburn Battlefield. Of course the Castle is wonderful, but it needs several hours to visit. I would in fact, recommend it as a day trip for your half day. If you want more ideas let me know. Pam

Pamela, Thank you very much for your thoughtful and generous response. My travel companion and I appreciate your kindness and for taking the time to write this message. Best wishes,
Andrew.

Ach, that's oor wee Pamela. There's nothing she loves more than showing off Scotland. The pity is she does it all for free. In her next life may she be granted free unlimited travel to Scotland.

Don't I hope so! ; ) In the meantime, I'd be happy with I could just get my torn meniscus repaired so I can go to Shetland next summer! One of the few places in Scotland I've yet to visit. ; ) On a bit of a side note, I often think about my grandfather who was born in Orkney and emigrated to the US in the early 20th century prior to WWI when I'm exploring Scotland. I expect that at this point I've see more of Scotland than he ever did. I sure wish I'd known him. I was 3 months old when he died. I'm glad he knew me, but I wish sure wish I'd known him. Pam