Hi,
my husband and I are leaving for Scotland on May 18th and can't seem to get a handle on planning an itinerary, any suggertions would be helpful,is the following possible easily.
19th arrive in glasgow drive to glencoe (need a suggestion for b&b.
21st drive to Skye need a b&b there also.
24th drive to Ullapool,then on to Scourie spend the night
26th ferry to Orkney via Gillsbay to St. Margarts hope for Orkney folk festival
ferry back to mainland on the 31st,heading back to glasgow
for flight back to US on the 2nd. looking for a stop over,maybe Inverness or Pitlochery, any suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks, lyn
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1819 posts
Hello Lynda,
I researched itinerary and accommodation for our upcoming Scotland trip for over a year. Here are three of the B & B that I booked after visiting hundreds of websites: Glencoe--nothing right there, but less than an hour away, just west of Fort William I chose Huntingtower Lodge. Skye--in Portree with a view of the harbor is BenTianavaig. For Loch Ness, right on the shores of the Loch, towards the west end I found Tigh Na Bruach. All are reviewed on tripadvisor. Let me know if I can help with other suggestions.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I assume that you're getting in mid morning on the 19th. It would likely take a little over two hours to drive to Glencoe. You should plan on more time as you'll want to stop for pictures. You drive past Loch Lomond. This is a two lane busy road so if you want to check out the Loch pull into Luss or wait till you get to the narrow bit. There are some beautiful views as you head north so budget time for a few stops. ; ) BTW off to your right will be the railroad and the West Highland Way, one of the UK's long distance walking trails. Also, you drive over a corner of Rannoch Moor which is beautiful in a bleak way. You go through Glencoe before you get to the town. Plan on pictures. There is a visitor center at the western end and it tells the story. It closes at 5:30 PM. I would google the area with B&B Glencoe as your subject and peruse the B&B's. Then check on Tripadvisor to see if there are any reviews.
You have a couple of choices or routes to get to Skye--the ferry at Mallaig or the bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. Portree is centrally located and has lots of B&Bs. Once on Skye it's still quite a ways to Portree. It will be good day of driving if you're stopping to take pictures. If you do the ferry, I think you need to reserve. Check out the Calmac website. http://www.calmac.co.uk/
Have you found the Undiscovered Scotland Website? http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/index.html It will be helpful.
Another useful site is visit scotland. http://www.visitscotland.com/
Also, Via Michelin is a useful site for route planning. Remember to add at least 20% to times and then think about tourist stops on top.
Pam
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Part 2. Are you taking two days to drive from Skye to Gillsbay? I think you'll want to. If you're planning on driving over the top, it's a beautiful drive, but is long. It's all two lane or single lane roads. Orkney is great. I've been trying to remember the B&B that we stayed in. It may have been Eastbank House. It was convenient. We were able to park on the street. I've lots of suggestions for Orkney if you need them. My grandfather was from St. Margaret's Hope. ; )
I think I would stay in Inverness on the the 31st. It's a great little city, well more of a town. ; ) It is the capital of the Highlands and you probably would have time to either go down to Loch Ness or out Culloden. There are tons of B&B's and some very nice restaurants. I would take the first to drive down to end close Glasgow. You can take the A9 south and make some detours--stop to see Blair Castle, or out to Queens view and over the mountain to to Loch Tay and drive through the Trossachs on your way south. You might want to stay in Paisley. I think you'll avoid traffic worries in the morning when you're catching your flight.
It sounds like a great trip and a good itinerary. It's a trip I would take. Please post back and tell us how it goes.
Pam
Posted by
Atherton, CA, USA
10 posts
If you like castles, try staying at the Scottish Youth Hostel in Carbisdale Castle, one and a half hours (by train) north of Inverness. We had a 3 person family room (bunk bed & a single) with ample bathrooms and showers right outside the door for 70 pounds a night total. The hostel has beds for about 150 people. In fact, we met a couple on the train who had rented out the entire castle for two nights for their son's wedding. The castle is a half mile walk up the hill from the Culrain train station (3 trains a day from Inverness) and the views from every room are incredible. They serve a 3 course dinner (12 pounds) at 7:00 pm, and you can get their continental breakfast for 4.25 pounds, or bring your own food and use the kitchen. Very peaceful retreat.