ksjtravel

We’re working through our late May itinerary and feel pretty good about where everything has landed thus far. Below is our outline [five pages of detail on the working document—#careerprojectmanager]. A bit about our travel style: we spend as much time outdoors as possible and prefer not rushing from point A to B—there’s a lot of pulling over to take pics or driving down random roads to see where they lead. We’re drawn toward anything coastal, look for opps to meet locals to better experience a culture, love getting off the beaten path, prefer aimlessly wandering in a city to hurried sight-seeing, and seek out local food/wine in unique restaurants. Of note, we’ll have our extraordinarily go-with-the-flow 18 month old babe in tow.

Day 1 [May 25]: flight from ATL to EDI
Day 2: pick up rental car and drive toward Glencoe; Glen Etive; overnight Kentallen
Day 3: hike in Glencoe area then drive toward Skye via Mallaig-Armadale ferry; hotel in Portree
Days 4-6: explore Skye—lots of hiking and one very cool looking boat trip to Loch Coruisk; we’ll hit all of the must-see spots but please share anything off the beaten path we can check out due to our length of stay
Day 7: drive back to Edinburgh
Days 8-9: explore Edinburgh
Day 10 [June 3]: flight home

A few questions about driving routes, hikes and meals:
• Ideas for a quick, delicious lunch around EDI after picking up our rental car?
• Which is the more scenic route from EDI to Glencoe—M8/A82 or M9/A84—and recommended stops along each? We'll be coming back via the A87/A9 [skirting under the Cairngorms NP]
• Favorite Glencoe area hike? Have time for a scenic, 2-3 hour, semi-strenuous adventure [need to get to the ferry by late afternoon]
• Recommendations for a dinner spot between Armadale and Portree?
• Recommended stops along the A87/A9 from Skye to Edinburgh? Lunch?
• Favorite restaurants/cafes in Portree?
• Favorite restaurants/cafes in Edinburgh?

Appreciate the intel!

janisj

I only have time for one quick comment right now. Please clarify -is your flight out of atlanta on the 25th and you arrive the next day (day 2)? If so, driving that far (or at all) on your arrival is really terrible idea. And day 7 is one hellaciously long day . . With your travel style of frequent stops and 'meandering', Portree to EDI will be a 7 or 8 hour drive

historytraveler

Ditto.

ksjtravel

janisj--correct. Flight out of ATL on 5/25 landing EDI on 5/26 at 9:30a. I was thinking the early landing would give us time to get a rental car, grab lunch and make our way 3ish hours [more for us since we take it slow] to Glencoe ... I suppose as a half way point? Other ideas? Unfortunately starting our trip in Edinburgh doesn't work well because we're headed there at the end to meet up with some local friends the following weekend.

Also concerned about the long drive back from Skye but was really hoping to max our time there. The boat trip/hike we're doing to Loch Coruisk is out of Elgol ... maybe instead of driving back to Portree for the night, we could start making our way back toward Edinburgh with an overnight in Ft. William/Glencoe/Other?

Would you scratch the long drives all together and train from Edinburgh to Inverness and rent a car for Skye?

Thanks for the feedback!

ksjtravel

Follow up to my earlier note ... correction on that train to Inverness--doing some research now and see people suggesting Kyle or Mallaig.

janisj

Not really - you'd have to go into Edinburgh and then catch a train. Would make for an hellaciously long travel day. Are your flights already booked? And do you connect through LHR or fly directly into EDI? If not yet booked, I'd look into flying in to Inverness, spend the night there, collect a car the next morning and drive to Skye. Then you could do Skye > Glencoe > the Trossachs on your way back to Edinburgh.

If you are stuck arriving at EDI then I'd maybe try driving but no farther than maybe Stirling or Callander. The problem is you won't know how you coped overnight and how jet lagged you are until the day. And even if you feel good, jumping in a right hand drive car with no time to acclimate can be disorienting.

ksjtravel

Flights are locked and loaded--Delta connects us through JFK to EDI.

So Stirling or Callander our first night then drive on to Skye on day 3.

For the drive back, should we break it up with an overnight in Glencoe or just modify our typical slow travel and haul on down to Edinburgh?

I know 6-7 hours is a LONG time in the car ... more than I'm interested in ... but people on the www sure do lead you to believe getting from EDI to Skye is easy breezy!

janisj

>>So Stirling or Callander our first night then drive on to Skye on day 3. <<

That would work.

Oh, definitely stay a night in glencoe on the way back, at the clachaig inn if you can get in.

(>>but people on the www sure do lead you to believe getting from EDI to Skye is easy breezy!<< . . . And you believe everything you read on the interweb )

And no, taking a train to Mallaig or Kyle wouldn't work because there are no car rentals. This is VERY rural territory.

ksjtravel

From Stirling or Callander, would you wrap around the top [A84>>A85] or cut through the middle [A85] when heading toward Skye the next day? Also, found the Clachaig Inn during my preliminary research--looks perfect so we'll plan to stop for a drink/meal [no rooms at the Inn].

Would love more intel on the how to get the most of out of a little time in the Trossachs.

Also, want to put my questions back out there:
• Ideas for a quick, delicious lunch around EDI after picking up our rental car?
• Favorite Glencoe area hike? Looking for a 2-3 hour, semi-strenuous adventure
• Recommendations for a dinner spot between Armadale and Portree should the ferry out of Mallaig make the itinerary?
• In the event we don't don't head toward Glencoe on the return, recommended stops along the A87/A9 [skirting under the Cairngorms]? Fave towns? Where would you spend one night?
• Favorite restaurants/cafes in Portree?
• Favorite restaurants/cafes in Edinburgh?

Thanks!

dwdvagamundo

bookmarking. As always, Janis rules!

historytraveler

Have just a quick minute now, but will come back with suggestions for dinner/ lunch on Skye. For dinner, budget is important as Skye has some excellent but rather pricey places to eat. Pubs or 3/4 course meals?

ksjtravel

historytraveler--no budget but we do have our toddler with us so while we love a fancy evening out, she does not Please do share the spectrum though--pubs to 3/4 course meals.

We do have access to a babysitter for one night in Edinburgh. Considering https://thekitchin.com/.

Gardyloo

It really depends on how you feel about flying all night (and part of the previous day) then jumping into a car and driving on the wrong side of the road, navigating unfamiliar obstacles like roundabouts, while you're potentially sleep deprived and with questionable reaction times, not to mention a toddler in tow. Some might say it's contraindicated. Plus, and there's no reason for you to know this, that weekend (25-29 May) is a "bank holiday" weekend in Scotland, and the roads into the Highlands from the central belt on the Friday (when you arrive) are going to be pretty well packed with people getting away early.

I would give serious consideration to catching a train to Inverness on your arrival day, or if you want to get a car (which is fine, but be careful) I'd limit my driving the first day to routes that are mainly motorway or "trunk" roads, i.e. major divided or higher speed roads that won't require a lot of maneuvers.

Here's what I'd probably do: Grab a coffee or some such at one of the cafes outside the secure zone (Starbucks, Costa, some others) then get your car. Drive north over the Forth bridges on the M90 into Fife, and keep going through Perth and onto the A9 just past Perth. (You will need to navigate a couple of roundabouts before getting on the M90 and when getting off, but you'll have to at some point regardless.)

I'd proceed north on the A9 to Dunkeld, then hang a left and follow some narrow but pretty traffic-free roads to Aberfeldy and then on to Fortingall, a tiny but immensely historic village at the head of gorgeous Glen Lyon. Stay at the Fortingall Hotel. Visit the ancient Yew tree in the churchyard (oldest living thing in Britain, maybe Europe) and look at the thatched buildings, very unusual in Scotland. If you still have the energy, take a walk somewhere up Glen Lyon, but otherwise crash.

The next day, drive west past Loch Tay to Glen Etive for your walk, then sightsee briefly around Glen Coe, but spend the night at Glenfinnan along the Road to the Isles. This would be an easy but exceptionally scenic day. Glenfinnan has some great walks nearby - the Jacobite monument at the head of Loch Shiel, but also the "Harry Potter" railway viaduct behind the village. It's a very beautiful and evocative spot.

Then over the sea to Skye via the Mallaig ferry. Then after Skye, drive to Inverness and drop the car and take the train back to Edinburgh. That will put you in the central part of town without the fuss of getting from the airport into the city, and you shouldn't be faced with a one-way drop charge by returning the car at the Inverness station.

Here's a map - https://goo.gl/maps/FviZt7Hi9Jo

The reason for Fortingall vs. Callendar or some such is that this will give you a bit longer time on motorways the first day and relatively less time on <i>busy</i> 2-lane roads. The A84/A85/A82 route from the M9 to Glen Coe is quite busy - lots of trucks and cars - and (just my opinion) less user-friendly than the roads to Fortingall. By the second day you ought to be able to handle the driving more easily, and with an early-ish start you'll get to Glen Etive/Glen Coe before the Edinburgh/Glasgow traffic does.

Or, like I say, do the whole thing in reverse - train to Inverness, car back to Edinburgh. You could, for instance, take a taxi from Edinburgh airport to the Inverkeithing station just over the bridge in Fife, from which there are direct and one-change trains to Inverness throughout the day. That would put you into Inverness in the late afternoon, with plenty of time to conk out and get ready for the road trip starting the next morning.

Regardless, you need to make a plan and get your lodging booked asap. The bank holiday weekend can well make things tight.

janisj

Much as I usually agree with Gardyloo, I would not go out of my way all the way to Dunkeld, Fortingall and Loch Tay. From Stirling on to Callander, while off the M, is an easy drive. But as I first posted, I would not drive at all that day.

Heading in to Edinburgh, having lunch and taking a train to Inverness might be the best option after all. Get a decent night's sleep, collect a car the next morning, and be on Skye in a couple of hours.

ksjtravel

Gardyloo--I noticed the Spring Bank Holiday in my research but didn't think through the traffic implications! Good call. With that in mind, agree with you and janisj ... the train to Inverness sounds like it may be our best option. Any favorite hotels and/or pubs in the Inverness area? We have lodging locked down in Skye ... just need to get there

Thank you!

historytraveler

Regarding restaurant suggestions for Skye: For a dinner spot between Armadale and Portree there are several possibilities. The Ardvasar Hotel near the ferry port has a good restaurant as well as a bar for pub food. It's just a couple of minutes down a single track road from Armadale. It's been a few years since I've been there but I really liked the place and it doesn't seem to get run over with tourists. The Gaelic School, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, is nearby and its students and their families seem to frequent the place. www.ardvasar.com

Another good option is the pub at Eilean Iarmain. www.eileaniarmain.co.uk. This is also a place where Gaelic is spoken and they often have Gaelic music at the pub. Very good. The Duisdale Hotel has a good restaurant but will recommend the pub if dining with a toddler. Haven't personally eaten at the pub but it's not far from Eilean Iarmain. Personally, I prefer the Ardvasar or Eilean Iarmain. The Duisdale and Eilean Iarmain are along the A851 from Armadale to the A87. Note the Ardvasar is a left turn onto a single track at the ferry port. Eilean Iarmain is at Isleornsay just off the A852. Duisdale is just a wee bit further on the left hand side of road.

For Portree, the Granary is good as is Cafe Arriba but it was closed the last time I was there and I have no idea why. The Bistro at Cuillins Hills Hotel is
another option as is the restaurant at the Rosedale Hotel but the latter may not work with a toddler but check with them and see.

Gardyloo

Inverness isn't going to win any beauty contests, so I would make it easy and just stay at the Royal Highland hotel, which is adjacent to the Inverness train station. There's a branch of Europcar right in the Eastgate Shopping Centre across the street.

https://goo.gl/maps/9ovkgrw2K4M2

historytraveler

BTW, we stayed at the Royal Highland several years ago when out plans to rent a car hit a major hiccup ( long story ). We arrived in Inverness by train without hotel booking. I did have a few B&B 's written down but Mr. History spied the Royal. We went in and luckily they had a room left. We enjoyed our stay and had a very nice room. Now that was several years ago but it's very convenient to train station and may well be just as nice as it was when we stayed there.

ksjtravel

Just took a look at the Royal Highland--it does look very nice and has a few rooms available. Good intel, guys, thank you! Planning to run the updated game plan past the hubs over dinner this evening and may be back for more info.

historytraveler--appreciate the restaurant recos. Will look into all of these!

janisj

Yes, in this situation I'd probably stay at the Royal Highland- it is just soooo convenient to the station.