We'll have been in the UK for several days so will be over the jet lag..
Arriving on a Sunday early evening, departing on a Friday morning.
Edinburgh is a must (flying in and out of there), but what is a good combination of other destinations within Scotland? We'll have a car.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2743 posts
Melissa, Here are two options you might consider:
1) Head over to Oban, which is a great base for visiting some of the islands. We did the Bowman three island tour which takes you to Mull, Iona and Staffa and loved it. We also went over to Kerrerra (sp?) and hiked around the island. There are a lot of islands you can reach from Oban. It is also close to Glencoe, which is a beautiful part of the highlands. You could stop in Glasgow on the way, if you enjoy big cities. I don't, although I love Edinburgh.
2) Head up to Inverness, which is a great base for exploring the highlands. You can visit Loch Ness, Clava Cairns, and Culloden easily with a car. From there you can head over to the Isle of Skye, which is my favorite place in Scotland. It is extremely beautiful and has great hiking. I would try to spend at least a night there so you can really see it.
Make sure you leave enough time to see Edinburgh. It is a beautiful city with lots of history. You can see the highlights in a day, but two or three would be better. You could even spend your whole time in Edinburgh and take day trips to Stirling and St. Andrews, which are great. It depends on what you enjoy doing.
Posted by
Portland, OR, USA
389 posts
Carroll had good recommendations. I also enjoyed my week just north of Edinburgh in the Grampian. There are so many castles you can't see them all. We stayed in Aberdeen and went north to Peterhead for the lighthouse and west and south for some amazing castles/manor houses. Little known are the ruins of a hotel (19th C.) that Bram Stoker used as his model for Dracula's castle. All that and Aberdeen has the university and some interesting sites itself.
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
With only a short time, I'd suggest you stay in Edinburgh. Do some day trips- you can get a coach trip to the Highlands for a taste of that part of Scotland. Take the bus to see Roslyn Chapel, do a day trip to see some whisky distilleries, etc. That way you won't loose time moving from place to place.