Places you choose to travel in Scotland

There's plenty of stuff in Scotland that I would find interesting that others would find uninteresting.

So what types of things do you consider uninteresting?

The key about planning a trip to Scotland is that unlike other countries where you plan by location, for Scotland you ought to plan by topic. Are you into castles? geology? Lakes? historical routes? coastal scenery versus highlands scenery? churches? No matter what your area of interest is for sure Scotland will knock your socks off!

I personally love lakes, castles and scenery. Consequently my visit to Scotland included Edinburgh, Loch Lommond, Loch Ness, Loch Leven, and Loch Eilt (Harry Potter movies-- Hogwarts Lake!!). I also visited Fort William, Inverness (home base). I need to return to cover Isle of Skye which is on My Bucket List.

The places in Scotland that most appealed to me were not the places where there was the most to see and do.

If you're looking for the most to see and do (as you stated) then you should stay in Edinburgh and Glasgow - cities are always the places having the most things to do.

But you will be missing the beauty of the countryside and the charm of the small towns/villages.

Appeal comes in many forms and you must choose what appeals to you most.

Some of the towns I enjoyed were: Luss, Pitlochry, Ullapool, Plockton, Portree. And then there are places that are not towns: Inverewe Gardens, Culloden, and seal watching some place on Skye.

Well what appeals to me is a huge variety, cities, countryside, mountains, castles, scenery, small towns...

I've been to Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews, Perth, Aberdeen, Loch Ness, Isle of Skye, and tons of small places (like Stonehaven, Pitlochry, Dunkeld). My favorite places are Glencoe, Glamis Castle, Crathes Castle Gardens, Dunnottar Castle, Drummond Castle Gardens, The Jacobite Steam Train....

I've not been disappointed with anything. My number one place is a tie between Glencoe and Isle of Skye. I guess the question is what do you like to do or what do you want to see? A week will only give you a small taste of Scotland.

A week is a very short time for Scotland - it is a big/magnificent place. The above posters, myself, and lots of other Fodorites have posted to many, many threads asking similar questions (usually w/ a bit more background info from the OP to help us give recommendations)

So you can do a quick search (the search function works really well) to get started. Then click on DESTINATIONS above to get some more info. Then you can come back w/ just a tad more focus.

We'll need info like the time of year, if you will be renting a car or relying on public transport, what sorts of things interest you/bore you to tears - etc.

W/ just a week you will run out of time loooooong before you'll run out of things to see/do or have a chance to get bored.

You might want to look at my trip report. Just click on my name to find it.

Here are some places which I found really magical:

- Inchmahome Priory on an island in the Lake of Menteith - incredibly atmosheric, picturesque, historically significant, easy to reach both from Edinburgh and from Glasgow - and strangely overlooked by most guidebooks.

- A steamboat ride with the Sir Walter Scott on Loch Katrine - very scenic, and a true, almost noiseless steamboat is completely different than a ride with a boat that is propelled by a diesel engine.

- A few hours at Cameron House, Loch Lomond. Loch Lomond is a most beautiful lake at the foothills of the highlands. Cameron House is just at the right place for beautiful vistas and a relaxing time. A grazing menu at Martin Wishart's will be a very special experience.

- A stroll through the village Culross, including a visit of the church and of the beautiful garden below the church (including a chat with the proprietor).

- Highland Games. I was once able to visit the highland games in Callander, but there are many other places. Just be at the right place at the right time.

Another reason we really can't give you too much info w/o more from you:

The places Echnaton mentions like Inchmahome Priory (tied for my very fav place w/ Dunnottar, Mull and the Trotternish Peninsula) is only open/accessible from April - Oct and one really needs a car. The Sir Walter Scott only runs on weekends between now and April. And so forth -- it really is difficult to give any practical advice w/o knowing at least a bare minimum from you.

I thoroughly enjoyed Stirling, Pitlochry, Blair Castle, and Edinburgh during our week in Scotland. Now I have a long list of other places I want to go on our next trip there.

We had less than a week to explore Scotland and through the helpful advice of people on this board, chose to spend it in and around Glen Coe (for hiking and scenic drives) and Edinburgh (for history and culture), with stops at Stirling Castle and Doune Castle (of Monty Python fame).

My family is from Scotland, and I've been lucky enough to spend a lot of time exploring different areas. Glasgow is a great city for music and art. Edinburgh is fun for shopping and the typical "touristy" stuff.

Driving up the west coast from Glasgow to Oban is really beautiful. The Hebrides are a very special, unique experience. The islands have a raw, natural beauty.

The people on these boards are soooo helpful. You will get lots of info.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. I need to do more research on this and will have to re-check my itinerary.

Click on my name too for my trip report from a couple of months ago.

My husband and I just had a 9-day Scotland trip in October. We were amazingly blown away by the beauty of Scotland. We went to Edinburgh, Isle of Skye, Glencoe and west highland areas, and Stonehaven. Our favorite places are Isle of Skye, Glencoe, and Dunnotar Castle. There are no words to describe the intense beauty of these places. My husband and I constantly sighed and shouted with overwhelming joy when we were in Scotland. We felt like two big kids exploring a gigantic playground. Scotland is spectacular. No words can do its justice. The sceneries are diverse, interestingly and mysteriously magical. we were never bored or dissatisfied. Edinburgh is nice and worth seeing. But the countryside dotted with so many sheep is the Scotland I love. You have to go and see it for yourself to understand why Scotland can make your heart ache. I LOVE LOVE Scotland. Thank god for this heavenly land.

Let me put in a word for the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway. These areas are often forgotten by visitors, yet are every bit as lovely as the Highlands. With only a week to spend in Scotland, I would visit the Border Abbeys and branch out from there.

If you study even a bit little of Scottish History, it will make you feel like you are walking in the footsteps once trod by great Scots. Here are many of the battlefields the country was forged on, and the secret routes of the Reivers.

We're just wrapping up our 2wk adventure in GB with the first 7 nights spent in Scotland.

We spent 3 of those nights in Edinburgh and the other 4 driving in the northern area. We chose the following route and loved it:
Edinburgh to Aberdeen (going through St. Andrew)
Aberdeen to Inverness (going through Balmoral Castle)
Inverness to near Dornie in Glenshiel (going by Loch Ness and Eileen Donan Castle, which I would highly recommend the inside tour!)
Finally Glenshiel back to Edinburgh via Stirling and a stop at Rosslyn Chapel.

I'm sure there are lots of helpful people here who can give you very specifics but I'd be more than happy to share our specific experiences on the route mentioned above. We did this during the first week of November right after the time change. GL!

Edinburgh then drive north to Inverness. Set the TOM TOM to go the scenic route! You'll travel through lots of out of the way and interesting places. We particularly enjoyed Creiff.
Follow Loch Ness south around the Western Side. Many, many places/castles/historic sites to stop and enjoy along the way. We stayed at a beautiful B & B right on the Loch in Fort William. Sit on the banks and chat to locals - the stories and yarns are priceless.
Travel south to Oban.
Kintyre and then Isle of Arran on the car ferry.
From there we then visited Glasgow.
The culture, the music, the food, the history, the people.....and the tartan.....oh I want to go back.