scotland

Aviemore in the Caringorm moutains is nice. Or waht about a tour along the whisky trail? Stay in some of the smaller villages in the Speyside area and enjoy the scenery and the whisky.

Go west young man......have you been to the west coast & the islands? You can see a lot in 4 or 5 days and then make your way up to the north east. Are you renting a car or taking trains/transit?

Stonehaven .. a couple of hours by train from Edinburgh on the way to Aberdeen. Walks and hiking, Dunnottar Castle, a beach, even a saltwater pool .. a lovely town: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stonehaven/stonehaven/index.html Do stop in at Robertson Bakery for a strawberry tart .. it was delish!!

Inverness; the battle sites and the West Coast (we hit ullapool, small fishing town).

Visit Skye, then take the ferry from there (Uig ferryport to Tarbert, Lewis). Overnight on Lewis, see Callanish and have a drive-around day, then take the ferry back to Skye.

My problem in answering is that we have been spending a good deal of time in the highlands and like it all. I don't know what your interests are, and small children would change everything. That said, here are some thoughts: Pitlochry has a summer theater season, and is a nice, if touristy town to stay in. See a show! Get online and find a schedule of highland games. They are really fun to watch, and whatever town you are in, you will enjoy. The area between Newtonmore and Grantown-on-Spey is very scenic, and there are multiple good choices for lodging and dining. There is a border collie herding farm with demonstration, as I recall between Kingussie and Aviemore, on the local road. Astounding, wonderful site to catch. Rothiemurchus in Aviemore should be investigated. Craggan Mill restaurant just south of Grantown-on-Spey is fantastic, one of our favorite in the world. The Dulaig B&B in G-on-S is highly recommended. Get the boxed series "the Monarch of the Glen" from the BBC site. A delightful series of stories about the highlands. We watched one or two a night before we went, and felt like we knew the place. The spectacular scenery you see on the series is around Newtonmore, and we visited many of the sites. One of these sites is the most peaceful, beautiful site on the planet. It is south of Newtonmore about 20 miles, at a place called Spaen Bridge. On the west side of the road is a road up a hill to an ancient church with an equally ancient cemetery. The view down the valley is stunning. You can take a picnic and just absorb the view, or do a short hill walk. Incidentally,the key to the church is in a small mailbox on the right of the road. (noted with a sign). You can go into the church and see their collection of art. Really.
To see this area, I would recommend the Coig Na Shee b&B in newtonmore. Just wonderful, and they loaned us their dog Rosie for a short walk up the hill.

If you play golf, do visit the local links. They are not as famous as the well known places (of course), but the golf is fun, and often you will make friends with the locals (they are very very approachable and friendly). Usually the fee is about 15-25 dollars as opposed to $500 at St. Andrews, and there are usually no crowds at all.

Correction, the Newtonmore golf course costs about $45 during the week (a yearly membership, though, is about $400). There is an open tournament in early june that, as it says, is open to anyone. A one day affair, could be a good deal of fun.