Suggestions :

Fly into Glasgow, down the M74, explore Dumfries and Galloway, over to Ayr ferry to Arran, ferry to Kintyre drive up to Oban, ferry to Mull and "other islands" back to Glasgow.


There are en route :

Golden Eagles
Red Kites
Sea Eagles
Hundreds of varieties of wading birds, warblers, finches etc etc
Various whales
Orca
Basking sharks
Seals
Porpoise
Otters
Dolphins

Etc, etc

There are many, many castles and great small hotels, restaurants en route

Just a thought.

We did this last summer in a week.

You are very nice to report back on how you were helped. So many don't.

I would love to take Dickie_G's route.

We were in Scotland for the first time about 1 1/2 years ago. The Orkney Islands were our absolute favorite! They contain some of the oldest and best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe. The village of Skara Brae is believed to have been inhabited from around 3100 BC. The Ring of Brodgar is close by and very cool to see. We appreciated this area so much more than Edinburgh.
Like you, we are going back again - in June - to spend more time and see the places we did not see.
Enjoy!

I missed your trip report in September and just read it, lots of great ideas there. I was in Scotland four years ago and am planning to go back this summer. We really enjoyed Islay, and I see that is on your list of possible destinations.

I will be following this thread to get ideas for my own trip in August too.

Any of your 3 ideas would be great. Choosing will be hard and there is no 'wrong' choice.

Dickie_G's is another great option.

How long do you have?

The bits of my June TR covering the Borders and Dumfries area might give you a few ideas.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/saddest-weirdest-funnest-trip-ever.cfm

Our most recent visit to Scotland: we did a long wide loop beginning in Edinburgh, along the villages of Fife to St. Andrews, to Braemar and Balmoral along the River Dee and into the highlands. From there to Grantown-on-Spey, Inverness, Drumnadrochit and Loch Ness, south to Glencoe and Loch Lomond. (Had done two forays into Skye in earlier years)...continuing through the Argyll Forest and the Rhododendron Park, to Dunoon...ferry across to Gourock, south through Ayre, Kilmarnock to Gretna, Carlisle and the Lake District.

We took three weeks for this portion, and then after some time in North Wales, turned in our car at Holyhead, ferried across to Dublin to cover the entire Irish perimeter, for another few weeks. Enjoyed it all immensely. Had excellent lodgings and meals throughout. Leisurely, scenic and fun trip. And relatively pleasant weather (early spring).

I write for a living so I don't write TR's (did one once), but instead organize my pics to tell the story..these were scanned pre-digital.

Stu

Here they are, Portia:
You could certainly widen the loop and take in Skye or any other locale. N, E, W, or S.

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/ScotlandEnglishLakesAndWales#

"You could certainly widen the loop . . ."

Not necessarily - depends on how many weeks we are talking about.

Thank you for the suggestions! They all sound good. janisj's report gave me some great ideas, and I'm ready to embark on Dickie_G's itinerary right now. Stu, your pictures make me a little embarrassed to have posted my amateurish ones. Work interferes with the trip we would like to take, so we'll have no more than 10 days, including flying time. Our son's girlfriend is from the Borders, and urges us to visit her part of the world, but I'd prefer to do that after Abbotsford reopens. Also, we promised our son we would bring him along when we went to Islay. If his schedule permits, that may be the trip to take. If not, we save it. You all are wonderful! Keep it coming!

Follow this link for places on the Scottish coast, including Orkneys, Shetland, Inner and Outer Hebrides, east and north-west coasts:

http://postcards-pfte.blogspot.co.uk/