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Glencoe vx. Isle of Skye

Posted by (Long Island, NY, USA) on

Hello everyone,

Im sorry if this is a repeat e mail - I am still kind of getting the hang of this wonderful site and not sure what the protocol is for posting :)

your responses have been such a help! ive looked at all the websites suggested! Ive come to the realization though that Im squeezing too much in (sigh). Here is the new tentative plan...

Arrive in edinburgh early wed am 7/2 - stay two full days.

Friday am - take 8 30 megabus to inverness arriving at 12 30. rent car and use the rest of the day to explore, urquhart, lochness, culloden and maybe black isle. sleep in inverness.

saturday am - drive to eilean donan, spend day in skye, stay for night.

sunday - explore skye some more then drive back to invnerness -return car - sleep there.

monday - head back to edinburgh and spend night. fly out tuesday am.

the thing is - ive cut out cairngorm - thats fine with me. but i REALLY wanted to see glencoe and the harry potter steam train (im a huge fan)!! have no idea how to work that in or if i should even bother? Someone suggested using public transport to skye then glencoe then back to inverness but i think its too much. I think i have to choose between glencoe and skye - which would you choose? We are not able to stay longer and are flying out of edinburgh tuesday morning the 8th.
If I just see edinburgh, inverness and either skye or glencoe - thats still a decent amount right?! I feel so much pressure to squeeze as much in as possible but i also want to be able to soak it all in without feeling rushed and wiped at the end of the day. Switching from hotel to hotel is even a lot for me who usually prefers to have ONE hotel as a base. I haven't been there and Im already planning for a return trip to see all i don't see this time. Youre input is so very much appreciated! im becoming quite frustrated and bit overwhelmed...

What a great bunch you all are.....

Posted by
3250 posts

Hi Jennifer,
Wow! You have a difficult choice to make. I've been to both Isle of Skye and Glencoe and they are both great and unique each in their own way. Glencoe is very small--but it has lots of history--one main street, an interesting folklore museum and great options for hiking. The Isle of Skye is beautiful but much further north--with time constraints I might save the Isle of Skye for another trip.

Posted by
1819 posts

Glencoe is beautiful and evocative, but I don't think there is enough to do at Glencoe to fill an entire day unless you want to do some serious hiking. Skye is a much larger area that can easily fill a day or two, even without serious hiking.

Posted by
3428 posts

Cut Edinburgh to one day. Use train to Inverness and public transport or tour companies to see Urquart(there is a cruise up River Ness to castle and good day tour to Eilean Donan and Skye) Stay in Inverness longer! Do day trip to GlenCoe. Train back to Aviemore(caringorm mt.) then train back to edinburgh. We have found that we really prefer Inverness and area to Edinburgh. By staying there you for almost all of your time, you can maybe work in the train to Ft. William (harry potter trip).

Posted by
5 posts
  1. If you arrive at 12.30 in Inverness you won't get your list done that afternoon, despite the long days. To drive round Loch Ness and visit Urqhart Castle takes us a whole day ( I live just N of Inverness on the Cromarty Firth so the Loch Ness trip is a must for any visitors we have from England). Culloden, before it's new visitor centre, was a 2-3 hour experience and I can only think it would be longer now. The Black Isle, if you only visit Fortrose and Rosemarkie (including the Pictish Museum(Groam House)(and perhaps Chanonry Point to watch the dolphins from the SHORE and have them only a few feet away) and Cromarty that's another whole day.
  2. If you are going to Eilean Donan Castle go over to Skye on the Glenelg-Kylerhea (a 6 car ferry - no booking needed) and see the real Skye, as Bonny Price Charlie would have known it, as you head towards Broadford and Portree. Come back on The Skye bridge.
  3. Glencoe is beautiful and a great experience BUT if you have to choose, Skye wins hands down in my opinion (with or without a Harry Potters Steam train)

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