julesm

Hi everyone, my husband and I are traveling to the UK for the first time this summer and will be hiring a car. We would love to get suggestions and advice on our itinerary. We love to hike and photograph beautiful natural scenery, and we try to avoid cities when we can. We'll be driving into Scotland from England.

Our current plan is:

Day 1: Starting around the late afternoon or early evening, drive from the north Lake District to the Trossachs, but not sure where to stay overnight within the Trossachs (possibly on the west side of Loch Lomond).
Day 2: Spend the day exploring the Trossachs and then head up to Glencoe. Stay in Glencoe overnight.
Day 3: Hike and sightsee around Glencoe, then head to Skye. Stay in Skye.
Day 4: Skye
Day 5: Skye
Day 6: Ferry to Mull. Explore Mull, Iona, and Staffa. Stay in Mull.
Day 7: Continue exploring Mull, Iona, and Staffa. Stay in Mull (or Oban?).
Day 8: Drive to Edinburgh airport by way of the Trossachs, Callander, and Stirling, stopping at famous sights along the way. Stay in airport hotel.
Day 9: Flight home.

Is it redundant to drive through the Trossachs twice? Is there enough to see on the west side of Loch Lomond (which we'd probably see on the trip north because that looks like the more direct route to Glencoe), or are all the best sights on the east side? We're very interested in Stirling Castle, Doune Castle, Inchmahome Priory, and Falls of Dochart.

Is it better to stay in Mull or Oban on night 7?

We'd appreciate any help you can provide on this itinerary. Thanks!

janisj

>>(possibly on the west side of Loch Lomond).<<

Most of the Trossachs are on the east side of the Loch. But since you will be driving through there on day 8 look at Luss.

I'd probably stay on Mull and take a morning ferry to Oban. Though if you do take a late afternoon ferry he day before you will have a shorter travel day to EDI.

>>Day 6: Ferry to Mull. Explore Mull, Iona, and Staffa. Stay in Mull.<<

Which route - I'd take the Lochaline to Fishnish ferry.

Dogeared

Too much moving around for my taste and too little time actually spent anywhere. My question would be how many hours do you think you will spend driving vs. spend actually doing/seeing things anywhere? It looks to me like you will spend more hours in the car than out of it other than when you are sleeping or eating.

You have 7 full days to use. Other than 2 full days on Skye, you are spending every day moving.

janisj

The only long-ish driving days are from the Lakes up to the Trossachs and from Mull/Oban to EDI and both of those are really only 3.5 to 4 hours tops. The rest - the drives are very scenic and would be part of the experience.

julesm

Thank you, Janis and Dogeared! Most of my questions below revolve around the driving times, as we're unsure what to expect with the roads.

>>Most of the Trossachs are on the east side of the Loch. But since you will be driving through there on day 8 look at Luss.<<

If most of the Trossachs are on the east, we wouldn't mind driving through the east side twice, especially since we have most of the day on Day 2 to explore there, whereas on Day 8 we'd have less time due to driving to the airport. Do you think it would add a lot to our Day 1 driving time to go to Callander rather than Luss? It does look more circuitous since our final destination on Day 2 is Glencoe.

>>Which route - I'd take the Lochaline to Fishnish ferry.<<

Thanks for the tip. I know Google Maps isn't exactly reliable, but it says that it would take well over 4 hours to travel from Portree to Fishnish. Is it really that long?

>>Mull/Oban to EDI and both of those are really only 3.5 to 4 hours tops<<

I read on the forums aout needing to add 25% to 75% to the Google Maps driving times. It says it'll take about 4 hours to get from Mull to the airport. Without stops, do you think it would actually take a lot more than that?

>>Too much moving around for my taste and too little time actually spent anywhere.<<

Dogeared, that was our initial concern as well, but I think we will stay in Mull for two nights and then at least have the 2 full days in Skye and 1 full day in Mull.

janisj

Google Maps is notoriously overly-optimistic.

Portree to Lochaline takes about 4.5 hours . . . but Portree to Oban takes maybe even a little longer.

Most routes will take longer than calculated but Mull (or rather from the ferry terminal once you arrive in Oban) to EDI would take about 3.5 hours IME. The drive across Mull will add a LOT of time to that.

julesm

Thanks, Janis, that's very helpful.

Would it add a lot to our Day 1 driving time to go to Callander rather than Luss, since it is a more circuitous route to Glencoe? We were thinking of seeing Inchmahome Priory and Falls of Dochart on Day 2, and saving Doune Castle and Stirling Castle for Day 8.

janisj

>>We were thinking of seeing Inchmahome Priory and Falls of Dochart on Day 2, and saving Doune Castle and Stirling Castle for Day 8.<<

That would work -- but Day 8 would be very long including Doune castle maybe 45 mins or an hour and Stirling castle 2 or 3 hours.

Where are you driving from in the Lakes? From say Keswick -- the drive times to Luss or Callander would be almost identical

julesm

>>That would work -- but Day 8 would be very long including Doune castle maybe 45 mins or an hour and Stirling castle 2 or 3 hours.<<

Hmm, in that case, we might do Doune Castle on Day 2 and save just Stirling Castle for Day 8. We're driving from Keswick, good to know the driving times are the same.

One more question. The car ferry to Mull is expensive. Would it make sense to do a ferry+bus tour from Oban instead to save money? Or are Mull/Iona/Staffa awesome enough to stay on Mull and get the full experience? We definitely want to see Fingal's Cave.

janisj

Stay on Mull if you can fit it in the budget.

The tours are OK but staying on the island would be MUCH better IMO/IME

julesm

Thanks, Janis. We're having some second thoughts about going to Mull/Iona/Staffa. I read that it is more quiet and peaceful, but the scenery is not as awe-inspiring as Skye. We're mostly interested in spectacular scenery and are willing to tolerate the crowds to see it. I wonder if you think we'll be missing a great opportunity if we omit the two days in Mull in favor of an extra night each on Skye and in the Trossachs, with the added benefit of less overall driving.

Also, did the ferry prices drop recently? I read that the ferries are expensive, but these prices seem very reasonable: https://www.calmac.co.uk/oban-craign...mmer-timetable

BritishCaicos

I actually wouldn't do both islands and I'd do Mull. The hills on Mull aren't as quite as spectacular but the wildlife is the best in Britain (because there are less people).

Iona is a very magical place and the beach walks on Mull are far better.

We enjoyed 25oC for a week on Mull last year in May. We snorkelled with seals at 7am, basking sharks in the afternoon and saw many sea eagles. Just spectacular.

I've never liked Skye that much because of the tick list tourists.

Gardyloo

<b>julesm,</b> welcome to Fodor's!

Could you give us an idea of your overall route, especially the part before Scotland? You say you're driving from the Lakes with a late afternoon or early evening start the first day, but depending on <i>where</i> in the Lake District, day of week, etc., this could be a very long day.

It's heresy in some quarters and comparisons always run the risk of oversimplifying things, but to me the scenery in the Trossachs and the Lake District are not <i>that</i> different to warrant a focus on both. I'm not of the "seen one, seen 'em all" persuasion, but if you're spending several days in the Lakes, you might reduce the time in the Trossachs and substitute somewhere else for an overall more rewarding time.

As for the Mull v. Skye debate, there's no winner or loser. Both are dramatically beautiful places. Yes, Skye is more popular, but it's also bigger and with more tourist infrastructure on the ground. The approaches to Skye, both from the north (Kyle) and the south (Mallaig) are magnificent parts of the country. But Mull also has stunning approaches, and if your overall itinerary is more focused on the south and central belt of Scotland, coming from the Lakes, then Mull and Argyll can give you a great picture of the Highlands and Inner Hebrides, and save hours and maybe days of driving in doing so.

You would have plenty of time to include Iona and Staffa, and make some fascinating stops to learn about history and prehistory in the area, such as Kilmartin Glen south of Oban. While these areas are not exempt from tourist pressures, they're generally less impacted than the Loch Ness - Great Glen - Skye zone. You could see Glen Coe (or better IMO, nearby Glen Etive) en route, have time to pass through the Trossachs on your way to Edinburgh.

Speaking of which, do you plan to spend any time in Scotland's marvelous capital, or is this trip all about countryside? Again, give us an idea of your overall plan and maybe we can be of more help.

julesm

BritishCaicos and Gardyloo, thanks very much for the info!

The wildlife on Mull sounds pretty awesome. I've heard more than once that Iona is magical. Could you expand on what you mean?

We will have spent 3 nights in the Lake District and will be driving up from Keswick on a Saturday, staying in the Trossachs the first night in Scotland. Very interesting to know that the Trossachs are not too different from the Lakes.

>>Mull and Argyll can give you a great picture of the Highlands and Inner Hebrides, and save hours and maybe days of driving in doing so. <<

From Google Maps, it seemed that the driving time wasn't more than a couple hours different between driving to/around Skye and driving to/around Mull. Am I interpreting the map inaccurately?

We actually won't be spending any time in cities, as this trip is all about the countryside. Our primary purpose of the trip is to see stunning scenery. While we appreciate that Mull and Iona are peaceful, we would rather see breathtaking scenery. From online photos of Skye and Mull, we thought that Skye fit that purpose a little better. Based on that, we're tempted to choose Skye over Mull. Do you think there is a beauty in Mull and Iona that photos cannot capture?

We definitely haven't ruled out trying to see both (as in the OP). We just wonder if we should have more focus and spend more time seeing just one.

janisj

Your main problem is that all three of us (BritishCaicos, Gardyloo, and me) are pretty much the main Mull advocates on Fodors. So you are getting a bit biased view.

Much of Skye is drop dead gorgeous. Iona is not mostly about dramatic scenery -- but more about atmosphere and history. Mull has some of the best beaches in all of Scotland but no looming mountains like the Cullins, nor formations like on the Trotternish.

So from what you say -- maybe skip Mull - spend an additional night each in Glencoe and on Skye.

Hard for me to advocate that -- but different places fit different criteria better and Glencoe and REALLY exploring Skye sounds like it fits your wish list.

julesm

>>main Mull advocates on Fodors. So you are getting a bit biased view.<<

Haha! Well, I appreciate getting the devil's advocate point of view to what we think we want. And there's still the option of doing both.

>>spend an additional night each in Glencoe and on Skye.<<

Is it because the Trossachs are somewhat similar to the Lakes that you suggest moving one of the spare nights to Glencoe instead of to the Trossachs?

janisj

I'm not saying drop a night in the trossachs. They are my favorite corner of scotland. Im suggesting the Trossachs, Glencoe, and Skye and skip oban and mull.

janisj

I was posting from my phone and was losing coverage . . . Meant to add. . . The Trossachs are so much a favorite that I traveled to Scotland to scatter mom and dad's ashes in the Lake of Menteith . . .

julesm

We're definitely looking forward to spending time in the Trossachs. We already have at least one night planned there, so now the only question is whether to allocate night 2 to the Trossachs or to Glencoe. Not sure which one would benefit more from the additional time.

Night 1: Trossachs
Night 2: Trossachs or Glencoe?
Night 3: Glencoe
Night 4: Skye
Night 5: Skye
Night 6: Skye
Night 7: Skye
Night 8: Airport hotel

janisj

There is more to see/do in the general Trossachs area - Inchmahome, Doune, Balquhiddar, Killin, lochs/waterfalls etc. One night would only give you a few hours in the region.

Glencoe is glorious but one night would be fine IMO/IME unless you were doing some very serious hiking. You wouldn't have a long drive from Glencoe to Skye so you could have 2 half days to devote to the glen.