Scotland Itinerary in the works...???

Bev - Your itinerary looks ok. The only change I would suggest is knock a day off of Glasgow and add it to Inverness. There are some wonderful tours that you can take from Edinburgh & Inverness. My wife and kids took a tour from Edinburgh that went to Sterling Castle and Loch Lomond(I was golfing that day). We used Puffin tours out of Inverness for a tour of the Isle of Skye. Nice small group of about 14 people.

Travel time from London to Edinburgh via train is about 4 1/2 hours and cost as little as £16.50. Travel time from Edinburgh to Inverness is about 3 1/2 hours via train and cost as little as £10.30. Travel time from Inverness to Glasgow is about 3 1/2 hours via train and cost as little as £10.30.

If you know your travel dates you can take advantage of discounts on train travel. www.eastcoast.co.uk is a site you can use to look at train costs.

I was in Scotland for a couple weeks two years ago and never used my own car. Re: Inverness
The ' Over the Sea to Skye' Tour from Inverness was great! Sign up at the TI downtown (don't wait as it fills quickly). It's an all-day tour in a small van done by Puffin Tours. Good narrative. Cost was 29 pounds per person, then. Puffin has other tours out of Inverness, as well, but I didn't experience them.
Clava Cairns is an ancient site located down a little country road behind the Culloden Battlefield. I actually walked the mile or so each was- it was a pleasant walk. The Cairns charge no entry and are very quiet and 'spiritual' feeling. There are various markers explaining what you see. Look to the right in a field as you approach the cairns and you will see a standing stone. As for the Culloden site, it is somewhat expensive if you go through the 'museum'which you're supposed to do. There is a nice little cafe there (before you have to pay). I spent little time at Culloden but if you have ancestors who fought there, it might be worth a visit.

This is a good, manageable itinerary. I, however, am not a huge fan of Glasgow, so if it were me, I'd stay there one night at most. I would take those days (and maybe one from Inverness) and stay in Skye for two or three nights. It's my favorite place in Scotland. Another option would be to stop in Oban after Inverness (assuming you take a day trip to Skye from Inverness) and take a ferry trip or two to some of the islands. But if you like cities, you may be happy in Glasgow.

I agree with Joel- the trains are so easy to use in Scotland! I also agree that Glasgow just isn't for me. I'd take those days and either stop in Aviemore (between Inverness and Edinburgh) for 2 or 3 nights or add them to London and Inverness. There are some great day tours out of Invernes- you can even go all the way to Orkney (long day- catch coach at 6:30 and don't return until about 8:00). Isle of Skye/Eliean Donan is a great day trip. Aviemore has lots to do- Mt. Caringorm- funicular and hikes, Routhmurchie estate with canoeing, walks, horseback riding and there's a microbrewery that gives tours and samples. You can do a day trip to some whisky distilleries, to Blair Athol and Blair Castle, etc. Let me know if you want to know where we stay... or have other questions.

Glasgow does have some good parts! And I say this having heard a horror story yesterday on a stay. Glasgow is good for music and it has some good museums. I would agree four nights is a lot. Flying out of Glasgow is an excellent idea. It's a great airport. So, why don't you spend your last couple of days there. Either add some time to Inverness or think about going to the west and staying either on Skye or Mull. An alternative would be to head back south and explore the Borders. A great town to stay in would be Melrose, or if you want something bigger Kelso. I've traveled to Scotland many times and I love the wee roads. PM me if you have an specific questions.

PAm

I second the recommendation for Oban. It is a sweet little town and a great jumping off place for visiting the Isles. If you decide to use rail travel, the Scottish Rail Pass includes the Ferries that take people out to Mull etc. If you go there, I highly recommend the day tour to the Island of Iona. Rick discusses it on his travel DVD of Scotland as well as in his tour book. Bowman's tours can be booked down by the wharf in Oban and you get a discount if you have a Rail Pass. Skye is difficult to travel without a car. I used a local guide who drove me and was glad because the roads there are really a challenge- often one way and crowded with sheep with "a death wish'. There are few fences to keep them off the roads. Local drivers get impatient if you don't know how to navigate the roads.

This looks like a pretty good itenerary. A few ideas you may want to consider...

1) Will you require a car for your daytrips outside of Edinburgh? For me there was enough in Edinburgh to fill 3-4 days easily, but if you want to see things outside the city many are easily accessible via bus/train which would save a few nights car hire and the hassle of any managing of said car.

2) I will second the idea of reducing your stay in Glasgow to 2 days or so and adding in either Skye or Glencoe or Oban. Skye is beautiful as is Glencoe and the latter (Glencoe or Oban) are situated nicely to take a day trip to Mull and Iona.

3) If you are up to a long day trip from Inverness, Orkney is great. In many ways it hardly feels like you're still in Scotland. If you go definitely look at visiting Skara Brae and perhaps if you can get on one of the tours, Maeshowe. Both are very interesting and worth a visit (there are a ton of other sites up there as well if you have the time and interest) - again, this is something to do if you are up to a long day trip.

Happy Travels!

Eric

Thank you everyone for such great suggestions. I will now go back and take a look at what I can do and definately repost and see what you all think.

Thanks again I really appreciate!

Bev