Just getting around to posting our family vacation to Scotland, it was a lovely trip and all without a car!
Airline: British Airways - FYI they now charge extra if you want to pick your seats!
1st stop: Edinburgh
We stayed in Kingsway Guesthouse and it was nice - rooms are all up a flight of stairs (FYI in case mobility is an issue), no air conditioning and windows didn't open, and it was actually pretty muggy! Edinburgh Castle was super crowded and we inadvertently arrived halfway through the changing of the guards, which stops everything (can't get in or out), but still a lot of fun. Royal Mile was also very crowded, but still fun, found a great art shop (Edinburgh Arts) that sold prints from Scottish artists, and I loved the shawls in Calzeat. Royal Yacht Britannia was a hit with the family, and they enjoyed being able to stop for coffee/tea onboard (and there is also good fudge along the audio-guided tour route!) The family liked going to hear the choir and pipe organ at St Giles - really beautiful! The Scottish National Gallery is a treat - perfectly-sized so that you can really see everything without "museum burnout," and some great paintings! Loved hunting for Harry Potter sites! FYI, taxis in Edinburgh are extremely reasonable
2nd stop (via train): Inverness
We stayed in Castle View B&B and loved it! You cannot beat the location! And we loved Mia (the resident terrier)! The B&B is walking distance from the train/bus stations, across the street from a grocery store, and right next door to the delicious Rocpool Restaurant! We went on the Jacobite Loch Ness tour out of Inverness for convenience - a bit of a let-down but some of that was because it rained. A highlight of the whole trip was a privately-guided day trip into the Highlands to see wildlife through Speyside Wildlife. We were picked up from our B&B in Inverness - we saw everything from red deer to mountain hare to red grouse! And, we finished the day at Chanonry Point where we got to watch bottlenose dolphins! Plus, the Highlands are just gorgeous! HIGHLY RECOMMEND this opportunity if you at all like the outdoors.
3rd stop (via train): Kyle of Lochalsh and Isle of Skye
A bit of a miscalculation on my part, there is a reasonable (but infrequent) bus that takes you on from Kyle of Lochalsh to Isle of Skye, but I had opted for a taxi so that we could have lunch in the seafood restaurant in the train station. The food ended up only being ok, and the taxi ride to Portree was pretty steep. Oh but Isle of Skye truly is everything that everyone says it is! We stayed in a B&B not mentioned in the Rick Steves' book, Kerrysdale B&B run by Lance, and it was terrific! It is a good 20 minute walk into town, but the quiet was welcome. To avoid a car rental, I had reserved with Skye Scenic Tours for an all day minivan tour of Isle of Skye - for us this was perfect because we couldn't have seen all of the incredible sites without the minivan, and we were picked up and dropped off right at our B&B. The crazy traffic on the little Skye roads only confirmed that it was the right choice for us. Isle of Skye is gorgeous and we enjoyed the tour, but it is a long and active day! The next day we took a taxi to Uig for a SkyExplorer puffin cruise - the boat took us out to the Ascrib Islands. We saw the adorably tiny puffins, but wished that the actual bird-watching time was longer. We took the bus back to Portree (doesn't run on time!). Best salmon of my life at Sea Breezes in Portree, washed down with Scottish cider!
We ended up taking the CityLink bus from Portree to Inverness to get back, and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this route! You go right past Eilean Dunan Castle and Loch Ness. We spent our last night back at Castle View B&B, had a delicious meal at Mustard Seed, then flew out of the Inverness Airport the next day (perfect choice, only 3 gates!). Still had to go through Heathrow, but worth it.