Help with Scotland Itinerary

Old May 14th, 2017, 04:30 PM
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Help with Scotland Itinerary

I just booked tickets for my husband (R) and meI to visit Scotland. We will be arriving EDI on Saturday morning, 8/26 and will departing EDI on Friday, 9/8.

We will stay in EDI for 3 nights and then travel to Cumbernauld. My son has friends there and they have asked us to stay with them (their parents) for a few days. We do look forward to seeing his friends again and I don't want to hurt any feelings, so I think 2 days will be sufficient. While staying with them, we can venture to Stirling and Falkirk one day and perhaps St. Andrews for one day. R's family has been traced to Fife. Will have to obtain more details on the location.

I just books flights today and haven't had time to really dig into this yet, but wanted to know if several of you would be willing to help with an itinerary (janisj and Gardyloo). We are mid-60's (gosh, how did I get here so quickly), good shape, love to explore, enjoy nature, will visit a few castles, walk/hike (probably nothing more than 1 hour in/out), perhaps visit 1 distillery and did I mention we love to EAT.

Looking briefly at Rick Steves' he recommends 2 days in Inverness, but in reading other recommendations, there seems to be more beautiful places to explore.

The host family has a caravan on Arran, that sounds wonderful but that is in the opposite direction of what we had in mind. Perhaps that will have to be another trip.

Prelim itin
26 - EDI
27 - EDI
28 - EDI
29 - EDI pick up car in morning - Stirling, Falkirk meet hosts and stay in Cumbernauld
30 - Visit St. Andrews/Loch Lomand - stay in Cumbernauld
31 - Drive to Oban - stop and explore along the way - overnight in Oban - probably want to stay out in the countryside rather than in town, unless you suggest otherwise
1 - Ferry to Mull/Iona - overnight in Oban
2 - Head to Skye - overnight - lodging recommendations? would prefer to stay under $200
3 - Skye - overnight
4 - ? was going to head to Inverness but reading it sounds like there are better places
Looking for suggestions on where and lodging?
5 - ?
6 - ?
7 - Stay in Cumbernauld
8 - return car and depart EDI

Regarding St. Andrews, does it make more sense to visit on the 6 or 7th and make our way to Cumbernauld?

Right now I am a little overwhelmed as I usually start planning many months in advance and I need to start booking our stays.

Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions, I am truly appreciative.

Camelotdb
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Old May 14th, 2017, 04:44 PM
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Just time for a couple of quick comments right now -- will post more later:

>>Looking briefly at Rick Steves' he recommends 2 days in Inverness,
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Old May 14th, 2017, 05:03 PM
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JanisJ - you are the best. I can be patient to wait for your recommendations. Bye-Bye RS!!

I originally thought about staying on Mull, guess I will go back to staying there.
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Old May 14th, 2017, 06:16 PM
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Another quick note. Although Arran may not fit your schedule this trip, you should know that it really is an excellent spot. You can find just about everything on the island in a rather compact form that you would by traveling through out Scotland...distillery, castle, ruined castle, small picturesque seaside villages, prehistoric sites and mountains that are as impressive as those in the Highlands etc.

With just a quick glance at your itinerary, I would suggest you spend an extra day on Mull ( janisj's advice too ) also spend another day on Skye. If counting correctly, I think that gives you one more day/ night which you could spend while traveling back to St. Andrews and Cumbernauld.
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Old May 14th, 2017, 06:36 PM
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Just got home -- and need to fix dinner but another quick comment:

Cumbernauld kills two three birds w/ one stone. You can visit w/ the friends, it is free , AND it would be a decent base for touring all of the Trossachs and nearby places which include Stirling, Doune, Inchmahome, Loch Lomond, Loch Earn, Loch Tay, Castle Campbell, etc etc etc.

So after 3 nights on Skye I'd drive through Glencoe and proceed straight on to Cumbernauld. I'd stay the last 3 nights in Cumbernauld (assuming you haven't overstayed your welcome by then )
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Old May 15th, 2017, 05:42 AM
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First big question, do you have accommodation already booked for Edinburgh? Yours are the last few days of the Festival and Fringe, and things in the city will be at the apex of madness.

Cumbernauld, eh? Interesting. You probably already know that Cumbernauld was a "new town" featuring all the "best" (oy) of British neo-fascist architecture of the 1950s and 1960s. It's something of a museum piece, I'm sure quite different now then when I went there fairly frequently when it was a site where the "new town blues" was endemic.

I looked at drive time from Cumbernauld to St. Andrews on Google, and it says 90 minutes. In. Your. Dreams. This would be a major day's outing, particularly if you did (what you should do) and include one or more of the East Neuk fishing villages (Crail, St. Monans, Pittenweem etc.) in the same trip. Instead, for a "Fife" day I'd look at Falkland, with its important palace and gardens, then I'd stop in incredible Culross on the way back. Culross is a stunningly preserved village on the Forth, used in a couple of Outlander episodes if you happen to be fans.

Staying in Cumbernauld I'd also definitely plan a day in Glasgow. There are trains every 20-30 minutes; it takes around half an hour to Queen Street Station. You could go museum or pub hopping, see the Cathedral, look for various Macintosh sites or tchotchkes, visit Kelvingrove Park and the University (and have lamb dopiaza at the nearby Shish Mahal restaurant, which will change your life.) Get your Rangers or Celtic gear, whatever.

Janis is a big fan of the Trossachs; I'm a little less excited, but if the weather's good you could take a boat trip on Loch Katrine, or get off the beaten path a little and drive up to Glen Lyon.

I'll leave the Mull/Skye bit until later. There are plenty of threads on this board discussing all of these options; the consensus is that Inverness is a great place to fill the tank or grab a Big Mac, but not a destination to seek out.

I would certainly try to turn the driving into a big loop as much as possible, and I'd also just caution that while the scenery throughout the west of Scotland (mainland and Inner Hebrides) is fantastic, there's a lot of fabulous scenery and fascinating towns in other parts of the country, especially in the northeast, from the whisky area stretching along the eastern slopes of the Cairngorm mountains down to the Aberdeenshire castles, the fishing towns along the Angus and Fife coasts, etc.
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Old May 15th, 2017, 07:11 AM
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I've never understood why anyone would want to stay in some strangers' house. It being in Cumbernauld would only increase my reluctance. I think Gardloo is being overly polite when writing, "Cumbernauld, eh? Interesting." and suggesting it has changed from, "a site where the "new town blues" was endemic."

It won an award TWICE for Scotland's 'most dismal town centre'. For a tourist who presumably wants to see the best of what Scotland has to offer, it obviously would not be on anyone's top 10 or even top 100 list of places to visit.

If a free bed is a budget necessity, then OK, stay there in the dark when you don't have to see what's around you. Otherwise, it isn't even a place I would want to drive through in the daylight.

This is Cumbernauld's claim to fame (and shame), the first Shopping Centre in the UK.
http://www.webbaviation.co.uk/galler...re-db56692.jpg

As for suggesting returning to stay a few more nights on your way back to Edinburgh, you gotta be kidding.
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Old May 15th, 2017, 07:33 AM
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Inverness is not the reason to stay in or near Inverness. What's near it counts: Cawdor Castle, Culloden, the Clava Cairns, drive to Dunrobin Castle, etc.

There's no way I'd stay with strangers in a strange land. The parents of your kid's friend are not your kid's friends nor yours. You can stay in the area and meet them for dinner or sightseeing or whatever, but staying with would be off my list.
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Old May 15th, 2017, 07:41 AM
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"British neo-fascist architecture of the 1950s"

probably "Brutalism" as the word "fascist" would have been unacceptable in 1950s

Is there lots of exposed concrete?
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Old May 15th, 2017, 07:57 AM
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It is starting to sound like a town that looks like the Barbican in London?
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Old May 15th, 2017, 08:27 AM
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It is starting to sound like a town that looks like the Barbican in London?

That's a disservice to the Barbican.

"Brutalism" is fine, as is "bloody awful" and "gulag," all of which were terms used frequently in regard to Cumbernauld.
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Old May 15th, 2017, 09:49 AM
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Folks (!) these are at least acquaintances not strangers. >>We do look forward to seeing his friends again
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Old May 15th, 2017, 07:13 PM
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Thank you all for your kind and not so kind comments and suggestions. Not that it matters to many of you...sons friend lived in the US and attended school with my son for many years, spending a lot of time at our home and their friendship is going on 22 years. He moved to New Zealand met a wonderful young lady from Scotland whom we had the pleasure of hosting for a week during their return visit to the US. My son was in their wedding in Scotland, and the brides family was very lovely and my son thinks very highly of them. He loved the beauty of Scotland and the friendliness of the Scots and he actually encouraged us to visit. They are anxious to host us and while we personally would rather have our own lodging, I don't want to appear rude and reject their reciprocal hospitality.

Moving along...yes, fortunately, I was able to confirm reservations in Edinburgh. While I don't have details on location in Cumbernaul, I do know they don't live in town centre, so hopefully that is a good sign!

I think we are still very confused on what areas to visit. We want to see it all and that is just impossible. We are going back to the drawing board...may insert Arran back in the itinerary. I will try my best to sort this out better and come back with more questions. In the meantime, I am always willing to listen to suggestions.

I am truly appreciative to all that replied.
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Old May 15th, 2017, 07:37 PM
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Arran is lovely -- but IMO Mull and Skye (or Mull and some of the Highlands) would be a better fit. UNLESS your friends really want you to stay in their caravan. Then sure, go to Arran for a couple of days (and drop Skye - AND start planning your next trip to Scotland )
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Old May 15th, 2017, 11:13 PM
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I lived for a few months on the mainland looking out towards Arran in a large caravan (long story), there was a rule, "if you could see Arran it was raining on the mainland, if you could not see Arran it was going to rain on the mainland".

Not trying to put you off, just be aware.

Research also, "midges"
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Old May 20th, 2017, 08:08 AM
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I now have access to a map and read a lot on here and Trip Advisor and here is a revised itinerary. Please let me know what you think. I think we are going to reverse our itinerary.

8/26 EDI - have reservations
8/27 EDI
8/28 EDI
8/29 Pickup car at EDI airport and head to St. Andrews and surrounding area - stay in Pitlochry - Atholl Villa Guest House or Old Mill Inn
8/30 Visit surrounding area - stay in Pitlochry
8/31 Depart next morning for Skye - still need lodging. I have searched vrbo, and two other websites, availability is getting low. Any recommended sites?
9/1 Skye
9/2 Skye
9/3 Depart for Mull - Ft. William, Glencoe loop around to Oban and ferry to Mull - still need lodging -
9/4 Mull
9/5 Mull
9/6 Depart Mull, still need to see Stirling, Falkirk, Loch Lomond. If we don't stay at friends in Cumbernauld, would Callander be a good place to stay for 2 nights to see these surrounding areas?
9/8 Depart EDI on 11:00 am flight. Should we stay close to the airport on evening before flight or would Callander or Cumbernauld be ok?

Again, thank you so much for your suggestions/comments.
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Old May 20th, 2017, 10:47 AM
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I personally wouldn't spend two nights in pitlochry (or even one night for that matter) but it isn't terrible. I'd maybe devote a full day and night to St. Andrews and tbe villages. Then the next night in glencoe before heading to Skye. But like I said Pitlochry would be OK.

But your route from Skye to Mull could be better. On 9-3 drive across to the Lochaline ferry and straight on to Mull. Don't go around through Ft William and Oban. Stay the extra night on Mull. You could stay one night in Tobermory and two in Fionnphort.

Callander would be a wonderful base for the last couple of nights.
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Old May 20th, 2017, 03:26 PM
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I also wouldn't stay in Pitlochry, in fact I'd probably avoid the A9 corridor for the most part.

Edinburgh > East Neuk villages (really a must-see if you're going to St. Andrews) > St. Andrews > Pitlochry is a pretty long day particularly if you're starting in central Edinburgh, going to the airport to collect the car, then heading out along the Fife coast. I'd be inclined to suggest visiting St. Andrews, but then spending the night in Angus, perhaps in Kirriemuir or Glamis, nice villages comfortably north of the Dundee area. (Or you could stay on the coast, perhaps in historic and picturesque Arbroath.)

Then I'd spend the next day exploring some of the glens and castles in Royal Deeside, perhaps spending the night in Ballater or possibly Braemar, before heading off to Skye.

I agree with Janis regarding a route from Skye to Mull; you could use either the Lochaline ferry or the Kilchoan ferry which will take you straight into Tobermory.

I'd hit Glen Coe (and nearby Glen Etive) on the way back to Edinburgh. I'd spend one night in Callendar but the last night near EDI; it looks like a Friday and with traffic and an 11 AM departure you'd be in a jam crossing the country in time to drop the car and check in. I like the Dakota Hotel in Queensferry; they also have a shuttle to the airport so if you dropped the car in the evening it would make the next morning very easy.

Here's a map showing a rough outline. Note Google's time estimates tend to be quite optimistic. https://goo.gl/maps/KAMFQJL6sGv . Use Undiscovered Scotland - http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/index.html - for information on the various villages and places.
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Old May 21st, 2017, 07:07 AM
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If you opt to stay in Callander, look into Annfield Guest House.

It was unfortunately booked when we were there last May.
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Old May 21st, 2017, 08:37 AM
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Another vote for Annfield Guest House..our favorite place we stayed last time we did a month in Scotland. Also loved Anstruther Fish 'n Chips.
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