PatrickC

I will arrive Inverness by flight on 9/4/2017 around 1pm from London and plan to drive to Drumnadrochit for an overnight stay. I plan to drive the next morning to Eilean Donan Castle, cross the Skye bridge and take the ferry at Armadale to Mallaig. I intend to stay overnight at Fort William. I am not sure whether this is doable in a day as I also plan to stop at Glenfinnan on my way from Mallaig to Fort William. The next morning, I will drive to Edinburgh for a 2 nights stay. After 2 nights in Edinburgh, I will leave Edinburgh and spent a night at Keswick before heading to Manchester. I plan to stop at York but again it depends on the time I spent in the Lake District.

So the itinerary looks like this:

Day 1- Arrive Inverness, overnight at Drumnadrochit
Day 2- Drumnadrochit-Eilean Donan Castle-Armadale-Mallaig-Glenfinnan-Fort William
Day 3-Fort William-Edinburgh
Day 4-Edinburgh
Day 5-Edinburgh-Keswick
Day 5-Keswick-York-Manchester.
Day 6-Manchester-London by train

I am just not sure whether this itinerary is even possible as I really cant gauge the time needed for each destination and driving conditions. Hence the request for any assistance. I may be able to add another day to the above itinerary but would have to cut short my days in London. I am planning to spend 6 nights in London before heading back to Australia.

My other option is to fly into Edinburgh and make my way to Inverness and continue with Day 2 itinerary. One of my friends suggested that I fly to Edinburgh and then drive from Edinburgh to Inverness and not fly directly from London to Inverness.

Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Partick C

Gardyloo

I suppose day 2 is doable but you're not going to have much time to see anything, particularly on Skye. And assuming you're using date notation for next April, you're also likely to see everything through wet windows or possibly in a gale.

To be honest, I'm not in love with this plan at all. I understand the appeal of Skye and seeing Highland monuments and castles, but it's really not a great time of year for that, especially if you're playing beat the clock on wet roads. The same goes for the Lake District - might be nice, might be pretty glum. (The weather comes off the Atlantic and the west side of Britain <i>can</i> be noticeably wetter than the east.) Your current route has you zigzagging all over the place, using up a lot of hours.

Thinking out loud, I wonder if you might not do a Highland day trip from Edinburgh - maybe out to Glen Coe via Stirling and back via Loch Lomond - and call it good, then skip the Lakes but head south on the east coast, visiting the Northumberland coast and castles, then marvelous Durham, before ending in York. Just a thought.

janisj

>>I plan to drive the next morning to Eilean Donan Castle, cross the Skye bridge and take the ferry at Armadale to Mallaig. I intend to stay overnight at Fort William.<<

Sorry but . . . why?

The best parts of Skye are at the far end of the Isle and you won't see much of anything. You are basically spending that day w/ a photo Op at Eilean Donan, crossing a tiny bit of Skye . . . only to end up staying in <i>Ft William</i>.

One possible fix . . . >>Day 1- Arrive Inverness, overnight at Drumnadrochit<<

There is no need at all to stay at Drumnadrochit. After collecting your car at the airport, you can be at Urquhart by about 2 PM and after say an hour exploring the Castle you can be ON Skye by 4:30 or 5PM. You would bes staying somewhere on Skye that night - Sligachan would be good.

Then you can drive from central Skye to Glencoe including a stop at Glenfinan in about 4.5 hours. Stay in Glencoe instead of Ft William.

Keswick > York > Manchester will be about a 5 hour drive w/o any stops -- so about 10 or 11 hours if you actually want to spend any time IN York.

Your plan needs re-thinking.

janisj

Didn't see Gardyloo's post and I agree I don't really like most parts of the plan either -- my suggestions were mainly to fix it a little.

janisj

Oh -- and whether you are traveling in April or September would make a little difference but not all that much.

PatrickC

Hi Janisj

>>I plan to drive the next morning to Eilean Donan Castle, cross the Skye bridge and take the ferry at Armadale to Mallaig. I intend to stay overnight at Fort William.<<

Sorry but . . . why?

I thought taking the ferry would be fun.

One possible fix . . . >>Day 1- Arrive Inverness, overnight at Drumnadrochit<<

>>There is no need at all to stay at Drumnadrochit. After collecting your car at the airport, you can be at Urquhart by about 2 PM and after say an hour exploring the Castle you can be ON Skye by 4:30 or 5PM. You would bes staying somewhere on Skye that night - Sligachan would be good.<<

I was not sure that I could make it to Syke from
Inverness in a day considering that I would like to stop at Loch Ness for a bit. Never been to Scotland and not sure of the road either. I would add this idea to my itinerary.

>>Keswick > York > Manchester will be about a 5 hour drive w/o any stops -- so about 10 or 11 hours if you actually want to spend any time IN York<<

I might stay in York instead of Manchester and drive to Manchester the next day. Is that better?

Hi Gardyloo

>>Thinking out loud, I wonder if you might not do a Highland day trip from Edinburgh - maybe out to Glen Coe via Stirling and back via Loch Lomond - and call it good, then skip the Lakes but head south on the east coast, visiting the Northumberland coast and castles, then marvelous Durham, before ending in York. Just a thought.<<

That is possible as my son want to visit Alnwick Castle as it was the location for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films. He is a Harry Potter fan and hence the visit to Glenfinnan. He will be thrilled if we head to the Castle. Never thought of that route. Do I need to stay overnight if I follow this route or can I stay overnight in York?

Thank you for your comments.

Gardyloo

<i>He is a Harry Potter fan and hence the visit to Glenfinnan.</i>

Well here's an idea for an overnight excursion featuring one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. The West Highland line - https://www.scotrail.co.uk/scotland-...williammallaig - plays a big part in all the Hogwarts Express scenes. The line runs from Glasgow (or Edinburgh) to Mallaig via both the Rannoch Moor and the Glenfinnan Viaduct, both featured in the Harry Potter movies. (The Rannoch Moor - a stunning wilderness just east of Glen Coe - is where the Dementors invade the Hogwarts Express. Rannoch Station is also used in the films.) You could do a long day trip out to Glenfinnan or Mallaig and back, not have to drive, and enjoy the scenery with no worries. Or spend the night in Mallaig, and return to Edinburgh and THEN collect the car for the drive south, saving time and money.

janisj

>>Sorry but . . . why?

I thought taking the ferry would be fun.<<

OK - a failure to communicate here

My comment had absolutely nothing to do w/ the ferry -- in fact I thought it was understood I was suggesting you take the ferry here >><i><blue>Then you can drive from central Skye to Glencoe including a stop at Glenfinan in about 4.5 hours.</i></blue><<


My 'Why?" was re driving on to Skye and then leaving immediately vis the ferry. That makes no sense.

>>I was not sure that I could make it to Syke from
Inverness in a day considering that I would like to stop at Loch Ness for a bit. <<

I wouldn't have suggested you could <i>unless</i> you could. As I posted, from the airport to Loch Ness/Urquhart Castle to Sligachan on Skye is easy and you would be there by late afternoon. Staying at Drumnadrochit would really waste a night on an itinerary w/ no time to waste. So you could stay that night ON Skye, then take the ferry the next mid day, see Glenfinan, and stay the night in Glencoe.

That would save you from staying in Ft William (nothing special)


Alnwick Castle is glorious - and is near other great sites like Bamburgh Castle and Lindesfarne.

Re a day trip from Edinburgh -- consider a tour w/ Rabbies

like this one:

https://www.rabbies.com/en/tour-scot...lands-day-tour

They are a terrific company that does small groups - 16 or fewer passengers in mini buses. Not anything like those mammoth bus tours you might imagine.

OR -- From Edinburgh they do this one to Alnwick, so you could do your driving trip through the highlands and still see Alnwick.

https://www.rabbies.com/en/tour-scot...rders-day-tour

janisj

I keep posting the same time as Gardyloo

Yes -- the West Highland Line is great -- it does eat up a LOT of time and you will have to completely reorganize your plans.

Some prefer taking the train -- others prefer <i>seeing</i> the train cross the Viaduct -- which you can do if you time your drive right (I've done both multiple times and both have their advantages)

PatrickC

>>Some prefer taking the train -- others prefer seeing the train cross the Viaduct -- which you can do if you time your drive right (I've done both multiple times and both have their advantages)<<

I prefer to drive rather than take the train. Just read about the West Highland Line train ride. Looks good but I will still prefer to drive.

I like the idea of driving to see Alnwick and thereafter make my way to York. Do I need to stop overnight between Edinburgh and York? Might save Lake District for another trip.

The plan to drive to Sligachan and to Glencoe via the ferry sounds good.

I need to rearrange my itinerary after York as I plan to visit Anfield before heading to London.

PatrickC

Hi Janisj

>>There is no need at all to stay at Drumnadrochit. After collecting your car at the airport, you can be at Urquhart by about 2 PM and after say an hour exploring the Castle you can be ON Skye by 4:30 or 5PM. You would bes staying somewhere on Skye that night - Sligachan would be good.<<

Is there any reason you picked Sligachan? Not many accommodations there. Only one if I am not mistaken. Bradford has more accommodations to choose from.Bigger town too.

janisj

>>Is there any reason you picked Sligachan? Not many accommodations there. Only one if I am not mistaken. Bradford has more accommodations to choose from.Bigger town too.<<

Yes -- Look at a map of Skye. You'll notice that Sligachan is sort at the central crossroads of the entire island. Driving on Skye is slow to VERY slow. Many of the roads are single track and even on the two lane roads you are lucky to average 30 or 35 MPH. So being based as central as possible saves hours of car time.

And yes -- there is only the Sligachane hotel (and camp ground). But it has good accommodations and is one of the few places on the Isle that serves food straight through the day.


(Broadford isn't a town really -- just a wide spot in the road The only 'real' town on the island is Portree)



. . . And IF you stay in Glencoe (instead of not-terrible-but-not-so-nice Ft William) definitely look at https://www.clachaig.com - good pub, live music, and right in the glen . . .

PatrickC

IF I were to stay in Sligachane, could I drive to Portree and still head back to Glencoe via Mallaig or it may be best to head straight from Sligachane to Mallaig and enjoy the scenery all the way?

janisj

There is no reason really to drive to Portree -- it is simply a town. If you are going to be on Skye at all, use your limited time to see the scenery, not the banks, shops and tea rooms in Portree.

The main scenic area out of Portree is the Trotternish peninsula north of town - but w/ just a few free hours on Skye you really don't have the time.


••••• Now -- as both Gardyloo and I mentioned -- your plan is VERY rushed and not really terrific. Distances in that part of Scotland are farther than they may appear and the travel can be VERY slow. This is sort of squeezing an 8 or 10 day trip into 4 days. My suggestions have been mainly to help you work out a way to fit Loch Ness/Skye/Glencoe/Edinburgh into your extremely short visit. It isn't perfect and isn't what I would recommend if I was starting from scratch -- but it is (barely) doable. To actually get anything out of Skye one really needs to stay a very minimum of 2 nights and that is still too short. •••••

PatrickC

Sorry, just realised that the flight from London to Inverness lands at 2.15pm instead of 12. Would the plan to drive to Sligachane be feasible?

PatrickC

Thank you for your comments. I appreciate your advice. I believe I can give another day around FW/Glencoe and Skye before heading to Edinburgh. Where do you propose I stay for the 3 nights around Loch Ness/Skye/Glencoe?

bilboburgler

While you may prefer to drive, I'd just think that through again. I would drive in Scotland but take the train south of Edinburgh.

Up to you of course.

PatrickC

>>While you may prefer to drive, I'd just think that through again. I would drive in Scotland but take the train south of Edinburgh.<<

Do you mean taking the train to York? Sorry if my question sounds silly.

janisj

>>Where do you propose I stay for the 3 nights around Loch Ness/Skye/Glencoe?<<

OK -- two nights ON Skye - (either at Sligachan or if you can't get in there, in Portree). That will give to almost 2 days on Skye (1 full day and fractions of 2 days).

Then one night in Glencoe so you'll have time for the ferry, exploring Glenfinann, and Glencoe.

This is still awfully rushed but more doable.

I would drive straight from the airport to Skye w/ just a short stop at Urquhart Castle. You will be driving along the bank of Loch Ness -- no need to stop anyplace except at Urquhart and a quick photo stop at Eilean Donan. It will be about a 3 hour drive plus 45 mins to 1 hr at Urquhart and 10 minutes at Eilean Donan. So even w/ the later flight you will have time.

janisj

the thread didn't top . . . ttt