Scotland -- One-Week Itinerary

Most practical would probably be Edinburgh and Inverness. If you can work sightseeing into your "meeting" days in Edinburgh and have Sat. to Sat. for the rest of Scotland I'd add Aviemore or Isle of Skye. You can take the train from Edinburgh to Aviemore then from Aviemore to Inverness (not sure about train service from Inverness to Isle of Skye- we always did Skye as a day trip ). Inverness has several good companies that do lots of good day trips (and I wouldn't totally discount doing a distillery- It is an interesting process, even if you don't induldge and many are in lovely locations). Aviemore has lots of fun things to do, too. Hikes, the funicular or hikes up Mt. Caringorm, a restored steam train, canoeing, walks, etc.

Thank you! Assuming Edinburgh and Inverness, would the flight home best be from Edinburgh?

Dave, Yes, you should still fly home from Edinburgh. It's just plain easier. I've tried flying home from Inverness, but it just means catching a 6 AM flight. You may as well take the train back to Edinburgh. Have nice dinner and go to the airport at a sane hour. ; ) I agree with Toni that Inverness should be your second city. You could stop off at one of two place on your way north. If you like walking, you might want to stop off at Dunkeld and Birnam. The train stops there and there are some lovely walks. And, there is the music bar which often has music sessions. The cathedral and the small houses are very nice as well. It' s a small town that i really enjoy. Another option would be stop at Pitlochry. Check to see what is playing at the Festival Theater during your trip. I saw Aly Bain play there a few years ago. It's small intimate theater. And, the Explorer's Garden is worth a look. Up the train track is Blair Athol Castle which is great. You can walk to the castle from the train station. There's a hotel right at the train station and they were kind enough to let me leave my luggage with them while I toured the castle. In Inverness there are lots of day trips and you'll want to tour the battlefield. You can catch a public bus and then if it's a nice day walk over to the Clava Cairns. Also, there's lots of music in Inverness. Check out the Eden Court Theater. Edinburgh is wonderful. And you can do a day trip to Stirling quite easily on the train. Have fun! Let us know if you have more specific questions. Pam

Thank you so much for your answers! Our plans have changed somewhat. Now we will have some time before and during my meetings to see sites in Edinburgh, but our stay in Scotland after the meetings will be a little shorter. On Saturday after the meetings, we are thinking of taking a day trip to Stirling. How much time should we allow for that? Rick Steves only recommends three major attractions: castle, Wallace Monument, and Bannockburn Heritage Center. Any other recommendations in Stirling? Sunday we plan to travel to Inverness and stay three nights. We're thinking of devoting one day to do an organized tour to Isle of Skye. Thoughts or recommendations? The other full day there we're thinking of devoting partially to taking the tour to Loch Ness including boat ride and visitors center. We would also like to see the battlefield and Clava Cairns, perhaps after arriving on Sunday or Wednesday before heading back to Edinburgh (before our Thursday departure). We love dolphins so we are considering one of the dolphin tours. Any thoughts about the tour out of Inverness vs. the Ecoventures tour out of Cromarty Harbor? Any other thoughts about our plans or how we might fill in any remaining time?

Hi Dave, We spent 11 days this past June driving around the Highlands. Are you dead set against renting a car? You will be able to see much more if you have one and be able to use your short time much more efficiently. Many of the beautiful glens and lochs are not accessible without a car. I can give you lots of suggestions if you want to use a car, but I know very little about using public transportation.......We found Stirling Castle quite similar to Edinburgh's; with your limited time you might want to visit some other site......If you have some free time in Edinburgh, you might want to look into visiting the border abbeys. Dryburgh is a lovely romantic ruin.......Glasgow and Edinburgh are quite close together, so you can easily fly home from either one.

Dave your basic plan (new itenerary) sounds good. Inverness has an excellent Tourist Information Office. We have used Puffin Tours for several day trips ( I think they may have changed their name, though- do a search) including a day trip to Eliean Donnan castle and Isle of Skye. That trip also included a drive through at least some of either Glen Coe or the Great Glen- don't remember which at this moment. Jacobite Curises do some nice cruises up Loch Ness- many stop for a visit at Urquart Castle and it's visitor center as well as at Drumnadrochit (the small village to the top of the loch which has all the Nessie stuff). There are several good pubs there and some nice shops as well as some artisits' shops (pottery, painting, glass blowing, etc.). Most of the Nessie stuff is too kistichky for me, but the village itself is very nice. You can also take a local bus from Inverness up to Drumnadrochit- get to see a good bit of the loch and some lovely scenery, too. Don't worry about the transportation- we have been MANY times and never driven. Buses and trains are fine for seeing a great deal of Scotland.

I think your new plan is perfect. There is much to do and see around Inverness, and Skye is my favorite place in Scotland. Sorry, I am not familiar with the dolphin tours. I'm not sure I would devote any time in Scotland to dolphins as they are not unique to the country. Whatever you end up doing, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful trip.