How far north into the highlands can train service be taken? can buses be used to other locations from there? I do not necessarily wish to take the structured tours and want some flexibility.
Railway travel in Scotland
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Trains go all the way to Wick on the northern coast and to the Kyle of Lochalsh and Malliag on the west
www.scotrail.co.uk/timetables-routes/1831
www.scotrail.co.uk/timetables-routes/1801
buses go to towns and villages but may not be as frequent as you would wish. Of course a car would get you to remote places when you want.
Thanks, I appreciate ur response. I am considering car rental however am apprehensive of driving in Scotland....how are roads and left sided traveling?
The roads are wonderful; narrow in places with twists and turns, but that's what the steering wheel is for isn't it?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxLfG0rj-Q4
Driving on the left is just like driving on the right. Face forward and off you go. Everyone else will be doing it so it will feel quite normal. Heck, when you go back home you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.
You are being disingenuous.
Driving in cities, particularly Edinburgh, is not simple.
One lane roads with passing places are unknown except in a very few mountain locations in the US and without some instruction and some practice will be difficult for many Americans.
Similarly, only in the rural far west do we have livestock in unfenced pastures and it is rare enough there. Sheep wander on roads in many parts of Scotland. There is nothing like a sheep in the roadway ahead and a German with a caravan on your rear bumper to help one remember the prayers of one's childhood.
Finally, roundabouts (US traffic circles or rotaries) are rare away from the east coast in the US, and going round them in the what one's brain insists is the "wrong" direction takes some getting used to.
There is nothing wrong with driving in the rural north or the Borders where traffic is lighter, but I would take the trains trains in the band of Glasgow-Stirling-Edinburgh and up the east coast to Aberdeen and Inverness.
Of course, the West Highland Railway from Glasgow to Mallaig is one of the great scenic railway journeys in the world, and the train from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness allows you to look at the lovely scenery rather than,navigate or fight traffic.
You do need a car for Glen Coe, for Loch Torridon, for Inverewe, and for Balmoral
You could see if www.transportdirect.info is of any help in investigating local bus services.
You can either take the mindset that highlights the differences in driving conditions and engenders anxiety, or believe that if you're competent enough to drive in the US you can also drive in Scotland.
check out these fine sites IMO for lots of good info on Scottish trains - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Two Scottish lines are ubiquitously deemed to bed amongst the most scenic in all of Europe - the Inverness to Isle of Lochlash line and the Mallaig to FortWilliam to Glasgow line, this one slicing thru the desolate Rannoch Moors - you can take buses from Kyle of Lochlash to the Isle of Skye and then when leaving Skye a ferry to Mallaig, on British mainland for the scenic railway to Glasgow as I have done a few times.
There may be a Scottish Railpass of some type that also includes ferries to and from many islands if traveling enough.
Thanks everyone. My husband and I are east coast American drivers. We will use public transportation in Glasgow and Edinburgh...it was the highlands I was concerned about. I need to research places to see to develop a route. Will begin in Edinburgh and end in Glasgow. Will definitely begin to investigate places u mentioned!
ackislander has said enough enough to give one nightmares
(tsk tsk 
)
Some clarification - no one would recommend having a car IN either Edinburgh or Glasgow so no need to fret about driving there.
"One lane roads with passing places are unknown except in a very few mountain locations in the US and without some instruction and some practice will be difficult for many Americans."
Not IME. When I've taken first timers and they did any of the driving, most single tracks weren't a problem. Their consensus being the passing places, slower speeds, and general courtesy of oncoming drivers made single tracks a lot easier than they expected.
". There is nothing like a sheep in the roadway ahead and a German with a caravan on your rear bumper to help one remember the prayers of one's childhood."
True - livestock can be an issue -- but that German won't get through any faster than you will -so don't sweat it
"Finally, roundabouts (US traffic circles or rotaries) are rare away from the east coast in the US, and going round them in the what one's brain insists is the "wrong" direction takes some getting used to."
Again -not IME. Roundabouts work great and after the first maybe 3 or 4 you shouldn't have any problems. They help keep traffic moving and IMO are much better than traffic signals.
About roundabouts: There are many types/sizes and it is true some of the massive/multi-dual carriageway ones can be confusing. But those aren't they types you'll ever encounter in the Highlands/rural bits. There roundabouts can be anything from easily navigated loop w/ 2 or 3 exits to (literally) white circle painted on the pavement in the middle of a junction. (That is the American definition of 'pavement' - in 'Britspeak' pavement means a sidewalk)
One can manage rural Scotland by train/bus - but one can see a lot more and have a LOT more flexibility w/ a car.