Please critique my itinerary for our visit to Scotland this spring. We will be arriving in Edinburgh Sunday night (flight from Norway) where we will pick up our rental car and spend the 1st night at a Hotel near the airport just off the M9. (3 miles from airport)
1 Night Edinburgh Airport: Monday morning we will travel to Stirling Castle arriving by 9:30am opening, we will visit the castle then travel on A84 toward Callander stopping at Bracklinn Falls. From Callander we will continue on A84 to A85 stopping at Kilchurn Castle then on to Oban and check in to our B&B for the next two nights.
2 Nights in Oban: Tuesday we have a Three Island Tour scheduled for Mull, Iona and Staffa Islands this will take a full day.
Wednesday morning check-out of B&B travel from Oban via Glencoe, Fort William and Mallaig/Armadale via Calmac Car ferry (This will take all day) to Portree, Isle of Sky. Check-in to B&B for the next three nights.
3 Nights Portree Isle of Sky: Thursday and Friday enjoy Sky, we have several driving/hiking tours lined up and will take advantage of the longer daylight hours during our stay.
Saturday morning depart Skye via the bridge stopping at Eilean Donan Castle heading south through Fort Augusta stopping for the night at Pitlochry, Perth or Dundee. I’m not sure about this night as I haven’t decided rather we should visit St Andrews Sunday morning or drive on to Edinburgh Airport Saturday night.
Saint Andrews-Edinburgh-Sunday: Visit the Old Course at Saint Andrews and tour the town. After visiting the area we will drive to the airport and return the rental car and then catch the Airlink Bus into the City Center checking into our hotel.
3 Night Edinburgh:
We visited Edinburgh in 2011 and just want to revisit some of the sites and see a few new items like the Pandas at Edinburgh Zoo. We will depart late Wednesday night on the Caledonian sleeper to London. So we will have three full days in Edinburgh.
Scotland Itinerary May 12-May 22, 2013
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There's an Isle made of sky? Or Isle of Skye? I wonder if British auto-correct applications make intentional misspellings or just throw random vowels around where none are needed (color, valor, harbor).
"I haven't decided. . . " - does the other part of "we" get a say?
" . . . stopping for the night at Pitlochry, Perth or Dundee" - kind of wondering if there's a good choice in that bunch. Perth, maybe, if you want to visit Scone Palace (which is worth the detour). Pitlochry is much ado about nothing. Dundee's best known for the bridge that fell apart a few decades ago. Do you want proximity to the next destination or something to do that afternoon for your entertainment?
Wondering if you're underestimating the time you'll have to drive on the St Andrews to Edinburgh day, but Janis will probably ring in and discuss that.
>> but Janis will probably ring in and discuss that.<< Reporting for duty
"2 Nights in Oban: Tuesday we have a Three Island Tour scheduled for Mull, Iona and Staffa Islands this will take a full day."
Have you already booked the tour? If not, I wouldn't stay in Oban at all. I'd take the ferry to Mull and stay both nights on the island.
"Oban via Glencoe, Fort William and Mallaig/Armadale via Calmac Car ferry (This will take all day) to Portree"
That drive won't take all day unless you are doing some serious hikes. Oban to Portree takes about 4 hours and a detour into Glencoe will add at most and hour and probably less.
"stopping for the night at Pitlochry, Perth or Dundee"
None of the above. If you want to stop over, I'd stay in Dunkeld.
"I’m not sure about this night as I haven’t decided rather we should visit St Andrews Sunday morning or drive on to Edinburgh Airport Saturday night."
Definitely go to St Andrews. Dunkeld to St Andrews is about 50 miles - 1.5 to 2 hours max. Spend a few hours in St Andrews, then visit Crail and Anstruther. Have an early dinner in Anstruther and press on to EDI. Drop the car and take the bus into the city.
The whole day Dunkeld > St Andrews > Crail > Anstruther > EDI is approx 120 miles and 3.5 to 4 hours total drive time plus stops.
Be sure to pre-book the Pandas . . .
We did a chunk of what you are proposing last year. Tips/photos:
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/scotland-trossachs-skye-and-loch-ness-an-indydad-trip-report.cfm