how many days in one spot for a Scotland tour?

Inverness is where you should base yourselves. We have been to Scotland numerous times and love Inverness. You can do day trips to Isle of Skye and Ellen Donnan castle, even a day trip to Orkney- we did that one this summer. It was a long day, but well worth it. We spent 5 nights in Inverness and I wish we had more! I'd also suggesst Aviemore for Whiskey Trail trips. There are several small companies that do thoses based out of Aviemore- check out Heavenly Highlands. Aviemore also has lots of hiking, horseback riding, etc and a microbrewery (tour with free samples). We love to stay at the Royal Highland (station hotel) in Inverness and at the Caringorm in Aviemore. Both places are easy to reach by train from Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Our problem is that we have no idea of drive times between places. We are considering two main bases. One in Crieff to do the south and east, and one near Aviemore for the north and west, with shorter (1-2 night stays) along routes to the Orkneys and back and near Skye. So... is a one day trip from Crieff to Melrose and Jedburgh too much??....

Consider NOT driving! We always use the trains and find them easy to use and VERY enjoyable. We have also used buses a little bit. If you are "staying put" in one place for several days, you will find train travel very easy. Check out some of the smaller day trip services. Many even do "one way" trips and will pick you (and your luggage)up in one place and drop you at your hotel (B&B/hostle) at the end of the trip. This would be especially good for doing the Whiskey Trail. Start at one end and stop at the other! We adore Scotland and I love getting to one place and staying there for several days.

Hi Charlotte
We considered that, as we love to take the train here in the states, but we also love the flexibility and freedom of having a car. And the 15 day pass for two travelers on ScotRail is about the same price as a car booked here in the states through Alamo. Of course that doesn't cover gas, but being able to explore that little side road or staying longer than a tour bus at some site makes it worth it. I just hope we don't have trouble with the left side of the road thing!

Thanks Kent, those discussions were great... and left me feeling like I don't know now what's the best thing for us to do! It seems it's one of those things that you just have to find out for yourself. Perhaps I'll spend a little time looking in to train and bus travel in the areas we've booked.

Your plan sounds perfectly wonderful to me. I had a freind who grew up in Glasgow and he always told me that if I can ever get Islay they make the best scotch in the world. Just looking at a map of Scotland tells you something about the road network or the lack of one. There should be no problem for you to drive on "the correct" side of the road. Kent is right about getting a car with GPS. We had it on our trip to the south of England last year and "she" was a Godsend. Even around Edinburgh the lanes on the roads and in the round-abouts are marked with directions. A "this lane to get to..." sort of thing.

Gwen,

What a great trip. Think about flying directly to Kirkwall in the Orkney's. Rent a car there and enjoy the isands. You can easily spend three days there. Then, leave the car in Orkney and take the ferry to Thurso--your rental car folks will help you work this out. It's small town! Then you can take either the bus or train to Inverness and pick up a second car. National has an office in town so you don't have to go to the airport. This will take most of a day. From here you can go back north if you want to--it's a couple of hours to Dornoch. Or you can go east to the Whisky trail which is at most an hour or so. Or you can go west to ullapool, probably two hours with photo stops. You could go southwest past Loch Ness toward Skye this will take a couple of hours. Just remember to factor in the photo stops. I love to drive in the highlands. I find the tiny roads easier. I even drive stick! It will be a wonderful trip.

Greetings

Driving in the Highlands shouldn't be too much of an issue, but ditch the car if you are going into Glasgow or Edinburgh. And make sure to get the smallest car that will work as petrol is more than $7 a gallon here.

Also, if you use a GPS, do NOT let it distract you from the road - sheep often stray/lay on the road and there may well be no shoulder for swerving. Additionally, if you go by GPS, make sure to check the route on an up to date map before you leave as the units all too often indicate routes involving closed roads or roads that are completely inappropriate for thru traffic.

Also, you should read the rental agreement carefully so you know which company will be responsible for any roadside assistance and which, if any, locations they will not come to as flat tires aren't uncommon.

Finally, I would book ahead for the ferry to Orkey - and check prices. Might be worth leaving the car behind.

Have fun!
Kate