Scotland in mid May

That's a great time to visit Scotland. The days will be long. It has the potential to be chilly so be prepared with layers. And ALWAYS with Scotland bring your rain gear. Boy, there are so many options! I think I would like to know a bit more. Are you interested in whisky? Is history of particular interest? Do you want castles? Do you want your castles furnished or as romantic ruins? Do you want stone circles? Basically, the scenery and the and the B&B's are everywhere. I can steer you to some great roads. BTW a great book is Iain Banks, Raw Spirit. It's not just about the search for the perfect dram of whisky, but a lot of it is about driving in Scotland. See if you can get a copy of it. Pam

Not into whiskey. But castles, ruins and scenic roads sound great. I have traveled Ireland extensively many times but first time in Scotland outside of Edinburgh. Didn't know whether to just make a coastal loop as in Ireland or head inland as well. Open to any suggestions.

Here are some of my favorite drives. Perthshire: I think that this is beautiful part of Scotland and it has some wonderful drives. You can take the A9 north to Dunkeld and take the A822 west to the A826 north to Aberfeldy. Aberfeldy is at Loch Tay. You may have heard of the Birk's of Aberfeldynow it's a walk you can take up the hill side to see a waterfall. Or, you can head to the south side of the Loch to see the Cranog Centre. It's an interesting stop that shows you how the Scots once lived. ; ) But, I would recommend heading over the Wade Bridge and taking the B846 past Weem. Follow signs to Fortingall & see the oldest Yew. Then head out and enjoy Glen Lyon. At the end of the glen there is a dam, you can keep going and circle down to toward Killin. It's a beautiful drive. Not too far past Fortingall is a nice gallery. Or, you could drive all the way up the A9 to Blair Athol and tour the Castle. It's a good one. (On the way you go through Killiekrankie which is one of the many places where the Scots fought the English.) Come back on the A9 and take the Queen's View Exit B8019. Stop and enjoy the view, but then continue west past Loch Tummel and all the way to Loch Rannoch. You're on the Road to the Isles. You can't drive all the way as the road stops on the east side of Rannoch Moore. But you can take some wee roads over/around Schiehallen, Ben Lawers and other mountains. Pick up the wee road on the south side of Kinloch Rannoch and follow it uphill. You'll meet up with the B846 which will take you over the hill and to Aberfeldy. Enjoy a meal at Aillean Craggan or better yet spend the night. Pam

Cairngorms to Aberdeenshire. Take the A9 north at Dunkeld take the A923 east to Blairgowrie where you can pick up the A93 north. This will take you right to the heart of the Cairngorm National Park. You pass the Glenn Shee ski area at the top of the pass. You'll turn right at Braemer and pass Balmoral Castle just before Crathie. A side trip to a great gallery: Turn left just past Balmoral and then turn right very quickly following the gallery sign up the hill. At the top is a beautiful garden, a nice little gallery and a beautiful view of Balmoral. I would recommend staying in Ballater or one of the other small towns in the area. From here you can visit lots of castles. There are ruinsKilldrummyand furnished castlesDrum, Fraser, Crathes and more. A great drive is to take the A939 north just out of Ballater. Stop at the Tower House Corgarff. It's different from the castles, but worth the walk up to visit for the view alone. I backtracked and took the A944 to the A97 where I stopped to visit Kildrummy. I then headed back to Ballater stopping in Alford at another wonderful gallery. A nice coastal drive along the Moray Firth is from Cullen and then along the A942 past Portknockie and Buckie. You can then drive on to Inverness. Also, thought if you are a fan of Local Hero you have to go further east to Pennan and Banff. I'll hit Inverness tomorrow. ; ) Pam

Pam, your commentary is great! I will get a map and try to plot it all. Thanks, Brian

Pam, can you route me along in a loop? Your first suggestion leaves us at Killin. Can you pick up from there, send us West and North and then loop us around to Inverness and back to Edinburgh in about 6 days? If you are familiar with that type of routing it would be great. If not I will blend in your suggestions. Thanks, Brian

Sure, I can suggest a loop with over nights. There are several ways to get to the west. I like the far north, but I'll first take you from Killin. From Killin you head west and pick up the A85. (If you are of the MacGregor you might want to swing south to Bajquhidder and see the grave site. Beautiful Glen out toward Loch Voile.) All others head west. At Tyndrum you have a choice. You can head west to Oban and then drive up the coast from there. I'm not a huge fan of Oban. I think it's a great ferry port to Mull and other isles and there is great history here, but I would head up north on the A82 and cross Rannoch Moore and drive through Glencoe. It's very impressive. You can stop and see the visitor center. There are a series of waterfalls that are beautiful. Once you get to Loch Linhe you can drive up the lochside to Fort William. You can spend the night in Fort William or in one of the smaller towns. From here there are so very many choices. You can of course, drive out to Skye via Mailaig. This is a gorgeous drive. You can choose to do something very different and drive around Ardnamurchan. (Fill up with gas!) No matter do check out the Glenfinnan Monument (The A830 west from Fort William.) This is where Bonnie Prince Charlie came ashore from France. Turn around and you'll see the Harry Potter Viaduct. If you do go to Skye, you'll want to make a reservation for the Ferry. Pam

Sure, I can suggest a loop with over nights. There are several ways to get to the west. I like the far north, but I'll first take you from Killin. From Killin you head west and pick up the A85. (If you are of the MacGregor you might want to swing south to Bajquhidder and see the grave site. Beautiful Glen out toward Loch Voile.) All others head west. At Tyndrum you have a choice. You can head west to Oban and then drive up the coast from there. I'm not a huge fan of Oban. I think it's a great ferry port to Mull and other isles and there is great history here, but I would head up north on the A82 and cross Rannoch Moore and drive through Glencoe. It's very impressive. You can stop and see the visitor center. There are a series of waterfalls that are beautiful. Once you get to Loch Linhe you can drive up the lochside to Fort William. You can spend the night in Fort William or in one of the smaller towns. From here there are so very many choices. You can of course, drive out to Skye via Mailaig. This is a gorgeous drive. You can choose to do something very different and drive around Ardnamurchan. (Fill up with gas!) No matter do check out the Glenfinnan Monument (The A830 west from Fort William.) This is where Bonnie Prince Charlie came ashore from France. Turn around and you'll see the Harry Potter Viaduct. If you do go to Skye, you'll want to make a reservation for the Ferry. Pam

Skye is a place where you can spend a long time. I took a week long photo workshop there once. For sure, you want to see the Cuillins. My sister and I visited Dunvegan decades ago. More recent reviews are not very strong. But if you have MacLeod connections you might want to visit. Also, on the way to Dunvegan is the Dun Beag Broch, which is interesting to clamber around on. I enjoyed Trotternish. It has impressive rock formations and in the southeast corner there is an old cemetery with very old graves. I also think that Niest Point is an impressive setting for a lighthouse. If you do this, stop off at the jewelry store. ; ) Use via Michelin to check your times. The quick visit would be to go as far in as Sligachan or Portree and then head back to the bridge and over the sea to Kyle of Lochalsh. Eilean Donan Castle is just down the A87 and is probably the most photographed castle. It's beautifully situated. Now you have another choice. You can continue on the A87 to the A82 up Loch Ness to Inverness. (Or veer south and back to Fort William.) Or you can continue north. If you continue north, you can go on the A890 to the A832 and east to the A835 and into Inverness. Or you could continue further north on the A896 through Torridon to Loch Maree or go further west to Applecross. This is spectacular. you can still get back to Inverness. You can do day trips out from Inverness as well. The loops are harder, but the view is different if the two directions, so don't shy away. I love Ullapool area. ; ) From Inverness, you can take the A9 south to Edinburgh and get there in about 4 hours.

Oh, and BTW when you're in Scotland, don't suggest that it was just Scots fighting Scots. For sure, you'll get SNP types on your case, but I think even other Scots would not accept the notion that the English were not involved. This battle was really bloody. Many Scots objected to the English Parliament's decision to invite William of Orange and Mary to be the Monarchs. The Scots wanted the Stuart Dynasty to continue. Some of the "Nats" still question Queen Elizabeth's right to the throne. Of course, I do think that many of these rabid "Nats" are a bit crazy. And, do explore Undiscovered Scotland. It's a wonderful Website. Pam

Pam, Wow!! Thanks a lot. I really appreciate your time and effort. I will map it out and see how it looks. This will make it much easier to plan and choose what to see. Lots to think about. Thanks again, Brian