Another Question re Scotland

Old Mar 21st, 2017, 01:44 PM
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Another Question re Scotland

Our plans have jelled for a ten day stay in Scotland, starting in Glasgow (three nights), picking up a car and going on to Skye (three nights), then near Inverness (two nights) and finally Edinburgh (two nights). My question is regarding sights near Inverness. We plan on spending our time near Inverness driving the countryside. From a purely scenic perspective - we have very little interest in malt whiskeys - would we be better off exploring the Cairngorm Mountains or heading northeast towards Caithness and John O'Groats? (We plan on seeing some of the Northwest Highlands while driving from Skye to the Inverness area.)

Thanks!

GotT
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 02:47 PM
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Well most people visit Loch Ness from Inverness. Since you will spend most of your day after leaving Skye, driving to Inverness, you will only then have 1 day to visit anywhere in the area before leaving again to drive to Edinburgh.

I don't think anyone would try to suggest you drive to John O Groats and back to Inverness in one day. Nor are you likely to be able to see much of the Cairngorms on a day trip from Inverness.

With only 1 day to work with, you are limited in what you can do.

Have a look here:
https://www.google.ca/search?q=inver...hrome&ie=UTF-8
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 03:43 PM
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I'm not a big fan of Inverness or environs, so frankly if it was me I'd shoot past Inverness and spend some night in whisky country (no "e"!) and travel to Edinburgh via Aberdeenshire and Angus. Look at Granton or even Ballater for the overnight, then south past Forfar and Glamis Castle, or out to the North Sea at Arbroath, on the way to Edinburgh.
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Old Mar 21st, 2017, 03:58 PM
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It certainly doesn't take 'most of a day' to drive from Skye to Inverness.

But me personally I wouldn't bother w/ Inverness at all. I'd either spend the time in the NW, OR do what Gardyloo suggests. Both offer much nicer scenery. And the Cairngorms are fine but you will have seem much more gobsmacking things elsewhere.

The big advantage to Aberdeenshire is it is closer to Edinburgh than is the NW. Ballater would be great.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 06:04 AM
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Thank you to all. And my apologies for the superfluous "e" in "whisky."
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 01:27 PM
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"It certainly doesn't take 'most of a day' to drive from Skye to Inverness."

LOL, it certainly does, if you add to the time it takes you in the morning before you leave and the time it takes you before you unpack your bag in the hotel in Inverness after you arrive, the time it takes you to, " (We plan on seeing some of the Northwest Highlands while driving from Skye to the Inverness area.)"

Duhhhh, I think it's pretty clear they will use up their day before arriving in Inverness. Unless of course they consider looking out the car window while speeding from A to B, to be having 'seen some of the Northwest Highlands.'
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 01:42 PM
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everyone (else) on this board knows I am not a pass-through-gawking-through-the-windscreen-type traveler and I never give that sort of advice. So knock your socks off . . .

From say Sligachan to Inverness (which isn't that great a place to stay in any case) is a 2-ish hour drive, so one can do a LOT of meandering to fill a day.

I would skip staying in Inverness and head across to Speyside or Deeside as Gardyloo suggested.
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Old Mar 22nd, 2017, 04:24 PM
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Even heading through Torridon and on past Achnasheen, Inverness is probably under three hours wheels turning from Kyle. If memory serves the OP is going in early June, meaning there'll be no shortage of daylight. Hell, the way I travel (different from janisj) I'd probably rocket up to Inverewe Gardens before heading south, but YMMV.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 08:27 AM
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Not sure it matters, GT and I tend to meander and wander unless we have time constraints. That said we are thinking of ditching the NW and instead head to the Ballate area as suggested. Looking into the possibilities there now. We could drive from Skye directly and spend 2 nights in the area. I prefer to avoid the one nighters when we can.
Thanks for the suggestions.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 10:51 AM
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Inverness has never really excited me, the idea of traveling across the pond to visit it is, frankly, off the scale.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 12:22 PM
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So where would you suggest?
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 12:48 PM
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My suggestion was a piggy back to Gardyloo's suggestion -- from Skye drive around and to Speyside and/or Deeside. You can stop at Urquhart if you want to visit it -- but then get out of Dodge and head around Inverness and towards Grantown-on-Spey or beyond.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 02:30 PM
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It dawned on me that for June trips, be aware that the northwest Highlands (and Skye for that matter) can also feature the Great Gathering of the Midges, enough to make you want to jump in the closest loch and end it all. Not that you'll be free of the little b*ggers on Deeside or in the Grampians, but they might be a little less maddening.
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Old Mar 23rd, 2017, 04:42 PM
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Thanks Janis. We will likely skip going toward Inverness altogether.

Hmmm. Midges-sounds like a good reason to pass on the NW.
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