wanderjahar

I could use some itinerary wisdom and guidance, please. I'm a 30-year-old woman and I'll be travelling to Scotland solo in late April/early May for a 15-day trip.

I took a first pass at an itinerary and ended up with two spare days. Womp womp. I'm looking to tweak. I am struggling with relative distance and time: how much is too much for one day, or, alternatively, where will I be bored out of my skull?

I'll be renting a car (god help us all), and flying into and out of Glasgow. I plan to stay mainly in B&Bs. I'm hoping to minimize one-night stays and the feeling of scrambling from point A to point B. "All travelling becomes dull in exact proportion to its rapidity."

- Day 01: Arrive Glasgow 1 pm. Overnight in Glasgow.
- Day 02: Glasgow. Overnight in Glasgow.
- Day 03: Glasgow to Oban: Pick up rental car. Balloch/Loch Lomond/Loch Fyne/Inverary. Overnight Oban.
- Day 04: Mull/Iona. Overnight Oban. [optional, not fully sold on this]
- Day 05: Oban to Skye: Castle Stalker, Glencoe, Etive Mor, Steall Falls, Ft. William, Road to the Isles / Glenfinnan viaduct. Overnight Skye.
[SOS] This seems like quite a bit for one day, and I don't want to rush this part. If it is too much, how should I break up Days 4/5/6 and where should I stay?
- Day 06: Skye. Overnight Skye.
- Day 07: Skye. Overnight Skye.
- Day 08: Skye to Ullapool: Plockton, Glen Torridon, Loch Maree, Ullapool. Overnight Ullapool.
[SOS] This also seems like maybe too long of a day. Is it?
- Day 09: Ullapool to Inverness: Urquhart Castle, Moray Firth, or Culloden. Overnight Inverness.
- Day 10:Inverness to Edinburgh: via A9 (Aviemore), Pitlochry, stop in Stirling. Drop off car in Edinburgh. Overnight Edinburgh.
[SOS] Planning error, somehow have two open days before I want to be in Edinburgh.
- Day 11:
- Day 12:
- Day 13: Edinburgh; overnight Edinburgh.
- Day 14: Edinburgh; overnight Edinburgh.
- Day 15: Edinburgh; evening train to Glasgow. Overnight in Glasgow.
- Day 16: Depart Glasgow early

Things I'm interested in or would like to do:
- Walking the countryside, but nothing that will make me want to die (i.e., won't be hiking up Ben Nevis)
- Photography as recreation
- Memorable (not necessarily expensive) meals
- Charming small towns
- Seafood, freshly caught (at least one time, I'm from a fully landlocked place)
- Afternoon tea, tea shops
- Books and bookstores
- Museums, particularly those off the off-the-beaten-path
- A class or a guided tour
- Distillery tour, one will be enough

Don't care at all about sports (including golf) or whisky though I am interested to learn about the process of how it's made.

I'm eager to hear to what I should cut and/or what is not on my list that's not to be missed. Thanks very much in advance for your help.

janisj

>>Day 03: Glasgow to Oban: Pick up rental car.<<

GLA is easiest the easiest place to collect a car/drive so you'd want to take the bus or a taxi to the airport and get the car there.

>>- Day 05: Oban to Skye: . . . This seems like quite a bit for one day, and I don't want to rush this part.<<

It is actually quite doable -- but what I'd do is stay the night in Glencoe and then drive to Skye the next day.

>> Day 08: Skye to Ullapool: . . . [SOS] This also seems like maybe too long of a day. Is it?<<

This drive is fine.

>>- Day 09: Ullapool to Inverness: . . . Overnight Inverness.<<

I would not stay IN Inverness. It is mainly a busy town. Stay outside of the city -- Beauly, the Black Isle, Nairn, Culloden or somewhere else.

>>- Day 10:Inverness to Edinburgh: via A9 (Aviemore), Pitlochry, stop in Stirling. Drop off car in Edinburgh. Overnight Edinburgh.
[SOS] Planning error, somehow have two open days before I want to be in Edinburgh.<<

I would take those two days and add one to the Inverness area and one in Dunkeld.

You will find plenty of all of your wish list so don't worry about that. For the one whisky distillery -- do Talisker on Skye.

janisj

Oh, meant to add -- While Edinburgh is one of my favorite places on earth -- I'd consider cutting one or even two nights and back everything up a day/or two.

I'd use one day to stay a night ON Mull, and maybe another night in the northwest/Ullapool area.

wanderjahar

Thanks to you both for your advice.

Janisj: thanks very much for the tips. I do plan to pick up the car in Glasgow. I also appreciate the advice on where to stay on the outskirts of Inverness and where you'd add more time. Turns out I have one more day -- making three spare to play with.

Let's say I add a night in Ullapool swap a night in Skye for a night in the Glencoe area -- I'd be looking at:

Glasgow, 2 nights
Oban, 2 nights
Glencoe, 2 nights
Skye, 2 nights
Ullapool, 2 nights
Inverness, 2 nights
Edinburgh, 3 nights
Glasgow, 1 night

That still seems like it might be too breakneck of a pace -- what do you think?

janisj

That is a very nice division of time. . . I would 'consider' staying the two nights on Mull instead of in Oban. But staying in Oban is OK too.

If it doesn't screw things up too much . . . With a 1pm arrival at GLA you could collect your car and drive just a short distance to Loch Lomond and stay that might in Balloch. Then head out tbe next morning to Oban / Mull and the ready as you plan. That way you could spend the last couple of nights in Glasgow before flying out.

I usually advise against driving on arrival dat, but just 30-45 mins from GLA and you would be in stomp,ace lovely on Loch Lomond