Best way to travel around Scotland with elderly dad?

You're leaving in a week? And you haven't sorted this out yet? Changing your flight to go to Edinburgh at this late date will most likely be prohibitively expensive. My inclination would be to rent a car once you get to Scotland, but there are lots of things to be considered before you decide on that. You'll have to decide if you can manage driving on the other side of the road comfortably, whether you'll be in big cities where a car wouldn't be advisable, etc.

Forgive my saying so, but you don't seem to have an actual intinerary in mind, just a list of places - you've left a lot of planning till the last minute. You don't say how long you plan to be in Scotland, for one thing. If you can give us an idea of what order you want to do things in we may be able to give you better answers about bus or rail options.

Here is a copy of the driving tour I found on the internet. We are Sinclairs and wish to visit Sinclair historic sites. Airfare: we will fly standby from Chicago into London as we have a relative working for the airlines.
I don't think driving will be a problem but wondered if trains will be faster to these sites. I find the train schedules on the internet to be totally confusing! thanks for your help,
Cindy

Day 1
Don't miss Edinburgh Castle and, in the nearby village of Roslin, Rosslyn Chapel. The architecturally unique Chapel was founded in 1446 by William Sinclair, a grandson of Sir Henry Sinclair and the last Sinclair Earl of Orkney.

Day 2
A three hour drive from Edinburgh to Inverness, the beautiful capital of the Highlands. For a truly atmospheric experience, make the short journey to the battleground of Culloden

Day 3
Caithness on the far northern tip of Scotland. While en route, try to find time for a visit to Helmsdale, Lybster, Keiss and Wick, all places with Sinclair associations. At the northern end of Sinclair's Bay, near the area's principal town of Wick, lies the dramatic clifftop ruins of Keiss Castle. In Wick itself, you'll find an excellent museum and archive run by the Wick Society.

Day 4

The Castle of Mey, overlooking the Pentland Firth.

Day 5

The ferry trip from Scrabster on the mainland to Orkney takes 90 minutes. An inspirational Orcadian destination is St Magnus Cathedral. While here, you should also visit the Bishops and Earls Palaces.

Day 6

A day to explore Orkney's prehistoric past. Highlights include Skara Brae, and Maeshowe. Head to the Orkneyinga Saga Centre in Orphir for an overview of the island's Norse history.

Day 7

Kingussie and Newtonmore

I personally prefer trains- they serve Scotland very well. That said, it depends on what is a long distance for your Dad. Can he handle cross the street, climbing some stairs? Remember that is Edinburgh, finding parking may mean you still have a walk ahead of you. The train ride from Edinburgh to Inverness is great, but getting into and out of Edinburgh's Waverly station does involve some stairs. We stay at the Royal British which is across the street from the station. Inverenss is a lovely city, but we walk everywhere there. We stay at the Royal Highland- actually connected to the train station. Again, parking is a pain in the cities. Gas is also very expensive and Scottish roads are notorisly small and winding- even one lane in spots. I am not familar enough with Wick to make recommendations. We took a day trip by coach (bus) from Inverness to Orkney. It was wonderful but it is a VERY long day.

Thanks for this information! Dad can climb stairs, he just can't walk very fast or go long distances. He has alot of hip and back pain, you see. He has never been to Scotland and this could be the only time he ever gets to see where his ancestors came from. We'll be there just a week, which is why I'm trying to make efficient use of our time.

I hear we should avoid Edinburgh until after the 6th because of the festival, so we might go from London straight to Inverness.

Any thoughts appreciated!

My mom (87) can walk, but it's slow going and long treks through airports and when sightseeing are out of the question.

We always travel with a "transport wheelchair" like the one below. Everything about it folds down so it's easy to pack into a car trunk, but it's great to pull out when we need to move her long distances more quickly. In addition to ease and speed, the wheelchair takes away the worry of her falling when trying to negotiate the European cobblestones. The old sights over there are often not very friendly to those with walking difficulty.

You might check with a local healthcare supply firm to see if they can get you one before your trip.

Mom also has a hard time getting up onto or down from a train, so we don't take her on them. We rent a car where we can drive her right up to the attractions. Sometimes it suffices to just drive by a place and look at it from the car rather than parking and getting out.

Great advice from Patrick. All that walking is cumulative. He may be ok in the airport just taking his time, but that may mean he has less stamina later. A few days of travelling at that pace you've set may exhaust him and he may not be up to doing much the rest of the week. Or YOU may get exhausted. It is a lot of work being the navigator, transport manager, and schlepper of luggage. Whittle down your itinerary and you'll have a better trip.

Here is my opinion: From London/Heathrow, catch the train to Inverness (all trains due north leave from King's Cross, I believe). It's about a four-hour train ride. Once in Inverness, rent a car to travel around to your destinations or take bus tours. Get back to Edinburgh via train and then back to London/Heathrow via train. With the car, drop your dad off at the entrances (with luggage, if applicable) and then have him wait the 10-15 minutes while you park the car. Also, those collapsible chairs might be a good option for you because standing is also very hard on the body, so he could sit during your downtimes and/or while he waits for you and the car. Have fun and I'm sure your dad will greatly enjoy this trip.

If you only have a week, then your itinerary is too ambitious given that you have to make your way back to London.

Most excellent advice - thank you!