sonicdeb

I am reposting since I got so few answers. My grown daughter and I are taking a "girls" trip this Sept 4, 2012, arriving by train in Edinburgh from London and flying back from Inverness to London on Sept. 14. We have booked accomodations in Edinburgh for 3 nights. I am planning on renting a car and leaving Edinburgh the morning of Sept. 7. This is itinerary I have planned and just wondering if the drives/plans are doable and questions about overnights. We are following some of our clan history ,visiting castles and seeing the beautiful landscape.I know the roads can be slow at times, especially in rain.
Here is the plan:
Sept 7-pick up car at airport and drive to Roslyn and Melrose Abbey up to Linlithgow with overnight at Airth Castle( ancestor once owned it).
Sept 8-Depart to Stirling and see castle,Bannockburn,Wallace Monument, and possible Doune Castle. Depart for Dumferline to see the Abbey and then on to Perth. Overnight in Perth.
Sept 9-See Scone Palace and then drive to Glencoe and Glenfinnan. Overnight in Glencoe or Fort William or continue to Skye?
Sept 10-Fort William to Eilean Donan castle and Kyle of Lochalsh? Maybe Overnight on Skye or back to Loch Ness? Overnight in Loch Ness area for 3 nights? Visiting Culloden Battlefield,Urquart Castle,Loch Ness and sites around Inverness ( Fort George,Cawdor Castle) .
Sept. 14-depart for Inverness airport to return rental car and for flight back to London.
Is there room for a day in Portree and Skye or should we just stay in the Loch Ness area and continue northward?

janisj

Assuming you mean Roslin (where Rosslyn Chapel is), day one is OK. But there is a lot more to see around Melrose- especially Dryburgh.

Now for the Skye/not Skye question. Whatever you do I would NOT stay in Ft William. Perth to Mallaig for the ferry is about a 4 hour drive. W/ stops at Glencoe and and Glenfinnan makes about 6-6.5 hours in transit. I actually think you can fit Scone Palace in on the day before. Stirling first thing in the AM for maybe 2 or 3hours, then the Wallace Monument and on Dunfermline and Perth. (BTW - Neither the Wallace Monument nor Bannockburn are musts IMO -but since I've been to both more than once that is easy for me to say )That way you can get a much earlier start the next morning and have PLENTY of time to get to Skye by mid afternoon. I'd stay at least 2 nights on Skye. Then the rest of your time near Inverness

Is Scone on your must list? It is very nice but if it isn't essential, I'd do Doune and then head west instead of north to Perth. But then again that is just my personal preference.

sonicdeb

Thanks so much for your help. I do mean Roslin (oops). We are following Robert the Bruce sites and that is why we want to see Bannockburn and Scone Palace. Is is longer to go from Glencoe up to Fort Augustus and across to Kyle of Lochalsh or go straight across to Mallaig? I am just concerned about reaching the ferry on time.

tjhome1

Deb - The crazier the quesion the more people will weigh in with a response.

To Skye is the answer.

Skye was the absolute highlight of our driving tour round Scotland back in the summer. You will find that you have plenty of driving time after your last visit of the day so yes on 9th drive on to Skye. Janis gives excellent advice about Fort William (and almost everything else).

We found we spent the whole morning at Stirling Castle when we visited. Buy a cheap edition of Scotland The Best by Peter Irvine on amazon, no need to get the newest, and take a look at the Undiscovered Scotland website.

Tim

sonicdeb

Thanks Tim. Everything I have read about Skye indicates that it is a "must see". I just know that distances between places in different countries can be deceiving on the maps, so I just wanted to find out approximate times from site to site. I am glad that it seems we will have enough time to get to Skye. I really appreciate the tip on Stirling and I will see about the book. I have been looking at the Undiscovered Scotland website for info as well.

ESW

This is a good site for planning journeys. Not only does it give you the route it also gives the distance and an estimate of time needed (allow extra for stops).
http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp

sonicdeb

Thank you. That is a great help.