Scotland-what to see?

How great to be staying near Perth! Perthshire itself is beautiful. In the immediate area there is Scone Palace, where traditionally Scotts acknowledged their Kings. The little town of Dunkeld is just up the road which has a ancient cathedral, restored little houses and a great pub. You pass through Birnam, of Birnam Wood fame, on your way to Dunkeld from the A9. If you want to stretch your legs there are some lovely walks along the Tay. See the TI in Dunkeld. A beautiful drive would be to take the A9 north to Queens View just north of Pitlochery, then at Tummel Bridge head south again over the mountain, at the bottom of the mountain instead of going back toward the A9 and Aberfeldy take a side trip toward Bridge of Balgie and see Glen Lyon. Oh and there are great day trips to Stirling, Edinburgh, up toward Inverness, or over to St. Andrews. You are very centrally locatet. You just need to be aware that the wee roads can take a while at times.

If you do head for Stirling or Edinburgh I would suggest that you take a short side trip to Falkirk and visit the Falkirk Wheel. It is an incredible feat of modern engineering

Pam, Thanks. We are definitely heading for some of the spots you mention.The golfer with us wants to see St. Andrews. The route numbers are helpful...you must have lived there or have been there quite a bit.
LB, I saw that Falkirk Wheel in books and it is a must see for me. Thanks Scott

The Aviemore area is very nice. There is a small beer brewery (the Caringorm brand) that does tours and gives free samples. There are walks, and other outdoor activities and the tram ride up the Caringorm Mt. is a beautiful trip. There is a restored steam train that makes round trips. We enjoy that village! Also Inverness is marvelous. Culloden, Drumnadrochit (village at top of Loch Ness), Urquart Castle, etc.

Edinburgh is a must! This may be the place you visit and stay overnight. If so, then in the morning head to Stirling....you should travel right through Falkirk, so you can stop and see the wheel!

I wouldn't miss Culloden and the Clava Cairns (after you go to Edinburgh, of course!). Culloden just re-did their visitors center - take the guided tour. I think it cost around 8-10# about 5 years ago, but in the hour of your tour, the battle is completed. It is very interesting (I thought).
Don't miss Edinburgh - but check into taking the train from Perth so you don't have to use the car that day. Orrrr....stay in the Dunfermline (home of Andrew Carnegie) area-ish, and then take the bus or train into the city. I would absolutely NOT drive in the city.
I would also consider hitting a distillery as well since you're staying in Perth. If you want to go to to any islands, I would hit Oban then go to Mull, Iona and Staffa. It can be done fairly quickly. Skye would also be nice as well.

Enjoy your trip!!

Hello folks, We are back from Scotland...what a beautful place! We drove 1100 miles in a week(on the wrong side of the road,well the correct side over there) and it was great! I loved driving the winding roads there and shifting with my left hand. It was easy to pick it up quickly, but man,there is not much space on those roads, especially when the trucks come by. The "wee" roads were the best! You see so many things that are otherwise missed if you avoid the single lane roads.I wish we had more time as we missed so much, but what we did see was awesome and the people so friendly!We saw: Falkirk Wheel,Higlands, Edinbaugh, several Castles including the Queeen's Balmoral,St. Andrews & East Neuk fishing villages,a night of Highland Games,the Firth of Forth Bridge,many Lochs and waterfalls,and of course sheep,sheep and sheep!! Thank you to everyone who contributed answers and ideas to my questions on here...they were very helpful, especially with the driving. You all helped us to better enjoy the experience. Thanks again,
Scott Vorlander, Collingswood, NJ, USA

Welcome to the Wee Roads Club! I love them too, and I love shifting with my left hand and the people and the scenery and the whiskey and the tunes. Shoot, I wish I were there! Ah, well, thanks for letting travel vicariously through your post.

Pam

The Wee Roads Club! I love it! The drive to Ullapool and Lochinver is fantastic. If you have time, I would highly suggest it. Nice little hotel called the Ferry Boat Inn in Ullapool too, if you decide it's too far home.

To follow up on the Ullapool reference. Take the ferry to Lewis and check out the standing stones of Callanish. More impressive than stonehenge in my view and significantly less frequented. Cheers!

I'll second the trip to Harris and Lewis. Check out the beaches and go on marvelous walks while you check the outer Hebrides.

I realize I'm too late on this question but, for anyone else reading this thread, Dunnottar Castle is great! From Edinburgh to Dunnottar it's about 2 hrs 30 min one way, and from Perth about 1 hr 45 min, but the castle is truly amazing and well worth a visit.