Scotland

Linda, I think I would add to Edinburgh and see at least Stirling from there. I would also consider St. Andrews. I think I would eliminate Oban, unless you want to go to the islands or there is something special to you there. I would increase Pitlochry. From there you can make a circle drive as far as Ft. William and back to Pitlochry. If you stay at the Craigatin House, Martin can advise you on routes and sights along the way. I might be tempted to omit Skye. It is okay and one day will allow time to drive around the entire island, but there is not all that much that is very exciting. There is quite a bit around Inverness. I would recommend Cawdor Castle in the Inverness area and Blair Castle in the Pitlochry area as worthwhile. Also, while we never frequent "outlet malls", the one just north of Pitlochry is a real eye opener.

Linda, I would recommend checking out Undiscoveredscotland.co.uk for your Scotland research. I found some great tips on places to go as well as driving tours on that site. Oh, and if you do go to Inverness, look into staying at the Pottery House, which is just south of town (about ten minutes or so) in the area of Dores. There is a small view of Loch Ness, it was specially built as a B&B, the breakfast was the best of my trip, huge bathrooms, closets with a mini fridge (including milk and filtered water) and robes, and very comfy beds. Really well-run place!!

I was going to suggest that you eliminate Oban and stay on Mull. But you could also add the day to Edinburgh and do the day trip to Stirling. It really is fantastic. I think your plan to rent the car in Inverness is a good one. There is a rental agency in townI believe it is National that is a five minute cab from the train station. I'm trying to decide where to add the additional day from Oban, and I think I would add it on in Inverness. You could easily do a day trip up Dornoch or a bit further past Golspie and see a great castle, Dunrobin. Or use that day to see loch Ness. Then, take you time driving to Skye. Go the Northern Route. It's gorgeous. Oh, heck, it's all gorgeous. :) Pam

Sorry, missed the car plan. I would definitely NOT use the train. Spend 1-2 days in Edinburgh and rent a car for any additional time to drive to Stirling/St Andrews, or other choices you make. Drive to Pitlochry, Inverness, Isle of Skye (if chosen), and on to the Lake District. Just checked the British rail site. You could train from Inverness in about 5.5 hours or from Glasgow in about 1.5 hours. The drive time from Inverness to Glasgow is likely on the order of 4 hours and 2 hours from Glasgow to Carlisle. You will definitely want a car for a stay in the Lake District, so you could either train and rerent or drive.

If you have not arranged accommodation in Pitlochry I can recommend the Pine Trees Hotel-lots of charm and the breakfast is wonderful.

Funny how everyone has their favorites- I've traveled Scotland three times by train and love it, but I was on my own. Sharing a car and driving would be cheaper if you are two or more. My favorite places in Scotland were Iona which is a ferry ride from Oban and Orkney which is a LONG day trip from Inverness. There isn't much in Inverness itself. Driving on Skye involves single lane roads filled with suicidal sheep. Learn the etiquette of the road there if you don't want to be cursed by the locals. I think that two days is plenty for Edinburgh and Stirling no more than a half day. I've only been through Pitlochry by train. Have fun- you can't see it all so decide what means the most to you. It is all beautiful!!! And the people are so nice!

Thank you all for your suggestions! I've looked at Undiscovered Scotland and realize a car will be necessary to find some less touristy places. When in Italy, we found the trains to be wonderful...Scotland, maybe not so great in some areas. We are thinking about re-evaluating our itinerary. Maybe leaving out either Skye or Oban since both are island places. We haven't booked anything since our plans are not concrete. Obviously this our first trip to the UK so any help is appreciated. Question: if we want to "wing it", how difficult is last minute booking of rooms for the night in September? We would have reservations for Edinburgh and our stay in London, and we will be staying with friends outside Birmingham. So would we be taking too much of a change of sleeping in a car or sharing a bathroom with a dozen of our new best friends winging it in Scotland?

We spent 4 weeks 1/2 hour from Oban (Isle of Seil) in 2009 and loved the area. We enjoyed Oban , the trip out to Mull for the day, and other out-of-the way places near Seil. There is so much to see in Scotland that it is hard to choose! Beautiful country! Enjoy! Julia

Our first trip to Scotland, we had rooms for the first few nights & a general route. We stopped each day around 4, went straight to the visitor center (every town seems to have one) and found a b&b for the night. Of course some were better than others, we needed two rooms & many had only one. But our whole trip was filled with meeting the local people who shared their homes with us. Several times, knowing our next stop, the host would call ahead to a friend, & arrange a stay. Our next trip we had six people & needed 3 rooms. I booked ahead but made sure we stayed in each place at least 2 nights. You arrive tired (driving isn't easy avoiding those sheep) & late in the day. Staying 2 nights gives you a full day in an area to explore & relax, then you can head out the next day. I've made that a travel rule ever since & it seems to work. Where ever you go in Scotland you will fall in love with it. No matter what route you take you will want to return to see more. Just relax and enjoy it.