mamiller878

Need help with planning 3 days of exploring the countryside of scotland in mid-May with my husband (we're both in our 50s) This is what I've got so far, but am afraid I'm trying not to pack in too much so may need help editing. After 4 days in Edinburgh,

Day 1: take bus to airport and pick up car, drive to Sterling castle, through the trossachs to glen coe, late lunch in glen coe, then drive up to Dornie, plan to arrive before dark, and spend the night.
Day 2: Eilean Donan Castle, then take A87 to A851 to Sleat and take ferry to Mallaig. Drive to Fort William/Ballachulish and spend the night there.
Day 3: Drive back to Edinburgh (haven't figured out the route yet), return car at airport and either fly to london or take bus back to city to take train to London.

Appreciate your help
Peg

janisj

Day 1 is just about impossible.

EDI > Stirling (note the spelling) > Glencoe > Dornie is about a 5.5 hour drive. Most people need about 2 or 3 hours at Stirling Castle, another hour at least at Glencoe plus other places you'll want to stop (for at least photo ops) means you have between 9 and 10 hours on the road.

Day 2 seems weird since you want to stay the night at Ballacullish (hopefully not in Ft William) - which is right next to Glencoe and you will have driven through it the day before. Plus you will have seen almost none of the glorious bits on Skye. This is really just a 'drive by'

I would NOT go all the way to Dornie and would go to Skye unless you spent 2 night ON the island. It takes most of a day to get there and most of a day to get back so one night on the Isle is pretty useless.

Think about this - do Stirling as a day trip from Edinburgh by train. Really easy.

Next morning take the train to Inverness (about 3.5 hours. You will be in Inverness before lunch time. Collect a car and drive to Skye vial Loch Ness, Eilean Donan and the Bridge. This is about a 3 hour drive plus stops. Stay 2 nights.

Then spend the next day drive back to EDI - this will be about 6 hours in the car plus your stop at Glencoe.

mamiller878

Thanks janisj!,
I like the idea of doing Stirling as a day trip! Would it take an entire day if we started out early (8am or so?).

I had not intended to go to Skye as I thought, with 3 days, we just wouldn't have time. Planned that route through Sleat primarily as it seemed a way to take a different route back rather than retracing our steps. Really would like to see some of the beautiful scenery and like the idea of being able to stop along the way;hence the rental car. But also am feeling like train travel might be more relaxed. Have been reading about the West Highland Line and the beautiful scenery. Am thinking maybe we will skip Dornie. What about a loop that would include endinburgh, glencoe, down the coast to glasgow. Is there a way to do some driving/some train? We have 2 nights/ 3 days. Where would you suggest we spend the nights?

thanks!
Peg

janisj

>>Would it take an entire day if we started out early (8am or so?). <<

Nope -- Edinburgh to Stirling is under an hour by train city center to city center. MUCH faster than one can drive it when factoring in getting to the airport, collecting the car, driving, and parking in Stirling.

OK -- some tough love here. (there is another current series of threads where someone is trying to squeeze in <i>everything</i> - farther than you and a few more days than you -- but essentially the same issues)

There is GORGEOUS scenery in just about every single corner of Scotland. The travel is slow and trains don't go to the very best bits. Is the West Highland line wonderful - no question. But IF you want to take it out to Skye 1) you won't have a car to explore Skye, and 2) it will take most of a day to get there and most of a day to get back. It simply is not a practical option on such a short visit.

Now if you JUST wanted the train, Skye and nothing else -- yep -- take the train from Edinburgh to Mallaig, ferry to Skye, rely on buses (slow and inefficient) to see a bit of Skye then take the train back to Edinburgh two days later.

What would I do w/ just the short time you have? I'd either 1) plan a MUCH less aggressive itinerary -- like the Trossachs and Perthshire. OR Fife/St Andrews/Glamis/Dunnottar, OR the Borders/St Abbs Head/maybe a bit of Northumberland

. . . or 2) Take one of the three day trips w/ Rabbies. Like one of these https://www.rabbies.com/en/tour-scot...from-edinburgh

Rabbies is a great company that does small group tours in mini buses.

janisj

Oh -- meant to add -- you really don't have 'three days' on the road. It will take some time to get to the airport and arrange the car so say a couple of hours there, and then on your last day you will need to be back at the airport well ahead of time to drop the car and check in for your flight. So say you have a 5 or 5:30 PM flight to London -- you'd have to be back dealing w/ the car by about 3:00.

stevelyon

I can't add much, and this may be a stupid question but can't you pick up a hire car in Edinburgh itself, why go back to the airport?

janisj

>>why go back to the airport?<<

Actually -- that is the <i>one</i> thing I do agree w/ on the plan

The tram is so easy out to the airport and getting away from EDI to the west or north is a piece of cake. Whereas picking up a car and driving in central Edinburgh can be a bear.

Gardyloo

I will chime in with my own suggestions, which vary a little from others.

I for one am not that knocked out by Stirling Castle, although of course I appreciate its historical significance. But with such a limited amount of time, one has to make choices between many worthy options, and seeing more of the Highland countryside would - for me - take precedence over Stirling.

I also appreciate the appeal of Skye, but Skye takes a long time to reach, and once you're there it's BIG and not all that easy to get around.

So with the OP's time limitations, I'd suggest staying farther south, with a loop through Glen Coe, down the coast to Oban, possibly adding a day trip to Mull, then back via Kilmartin, Inveraray and Loch Lomond, like this - https://goo.gl/maps/L1qn3eVNtyr

With an early start* on Day 1 (see below for some thoughts on this) you could even stop in Stirling on the way and still have time to drive up into scenic and wild Glen Etive (just before Glen Coe) to get a sense of being "off the beaten path" in the Highlands.

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...ive/index.html

I'd spend the night in Oban, then make a command decision on Day 2 - either do a day trip to Mull (either with the car or using one of the several ferry/bus options) or spend the day exploring the area - Loch Awe, etc. In the afternoon, travel to Inveraray with a stop in (incredible and historic) Kilmartin, with its standing stones and other prehistoric monuments, carved gravestones and crosses in the churchyard.

http://www.westcoasttours.co.uk/
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...tin/kilmartin/

On Day 3, visit Inveraray Castle, the grandiose home of the Campbells, used in <i>Downton Abbey</i> as Cousin Shrimpy's digs. Then past Loch Lomond on the way back to Edinburgh airport.

This is still a pretty busy route, but with less driving and (IMO) more variety than a comparable amount of road hours heading north, rather than south, from Glen Coe.

* Not knowing the OP's plans in Edinburgh proper (4 days is cited) I'd just throw out the idea of moving to a hotel near the airport the previous evening, and maybe even collecting the car that night, so that an early getaway could be planned the next morning. I've stayed a couple of times at the Dakota Hotel between the airport and South Queensferry and recommend it highly. From the Dakota you're on the M8, M9 or M90 in minutes; you could even have dinner in Queensferry (an historic destination in its own right) the previous evening.

http://edinburgh.dakotahotels.co.uk/
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...rry/index.html

janisj

My opinion re Stirling (in this specific situation) . . . Either do it as a day trip from Edinburgh or don't do it at all. It is very large, very interesting and very historic. But so is Edinburgh castle. I'm not one to say 'seen one castle seen them all' - I've probably visited more than 100 or 125 castles in Scotland/northern England - but this trip is so short and Stirling does require a substantial time investment.

I know some really like Inveraray -- it is certainly fine, but is far down my own list of must see castles. Just different strokes.

And re Kilmartin -- I have really enjoyed my times in the glen. For first timers my gut feeling is IF they are interested in neolithic sites. standing stones, cairns it is a fabulous area. But for some it doesn't have the drama of other scenic parts of the country. I'm torn - Not sure one way or the other - some will find it an absolute highlight while for others it will be semi-meh.

When there is so little time - hard decisions.

Gardyloo

Oh I agree, Kilmartin may or may not be everyone's cuppa, but it needn't be a big time investment; you can visit the churchyard and be done in half an hour.

I'm not crazy about Inveraray Castle either - it's scenic from the outside (in a weird Victorian/French Chateau look-alike way) and the interior features a helluva lot of sharp pointy stuff, and if you have MacDonald blood it will be boiling. But Inveraray is in a lovely location, and the village itself is picturesque (the result of unrestrained Ducal power a couple hundred years ago.)

A trip to Mull might also satisfy part of the scenery + castle craving with a stop at, or just the sight of Duart Castle from the ferry - http://i.imgur.com/9kd53CN.jpg

<i>...Day 3: Drive back to Edinburgh (haven't figured out the route yet), return car at airport and either fly to London or take bus back to city to take train to London.</i>

You could add a couple of hours to Day 3 by dropping the car at Glasgow airport; most UK car hire companies won't charge a drop fee, or a very small one if any.

mamiller878

Thank you so much for all your comments. Very helpful and I will definitely edit my trip plans.

Now I have a major mistake in planning I'm trying to deal with. We decided to take the Caledonian Sleeper from Fort William to London. I booked the tickets only to discover that I can't return the car in Fort William! Have been trying to contact Scotrail customer service (I emailed and they told me I needed to call) but am not getting through and I"m not sure I"m dialing correctly. The number they gave me is : 0344810141. I know the country code for UK from the US is 011. And I understand there is usually a 44 just after that? What is the correct way to call???

janisj

011 44 then 344810141 should work (you need to drop the leading zero in most UK phone numbers)