LostOnSafari

Hi! We will be traveling from Belfast to Scotland in August. I am trying make the most efficient use of our time so I believe we will fly. The problem is I can't decide where to fly into- Glasgow, Inverness, or Edinburgh. Ideally we would like to see Skye, Glen Coe, Loch Lomond, and Edinburgh. I know that we do not have enough time to see everything, depending on where we fly into I can get us in either the night of Aug 9- or the afternoon of Aug 10. We are hoping to be in London no later than the night of Aug 15th/ 16th at the latest. I was looking at day tours of Skye, or even a 2-3 day tour hitting the highlights. It has been suggested that we rent a car, but I would love to have a guide for commentary, and a tour would keep us on a time schedule. I like to lose myself in destinations and I am afraid we just don't have that luxury on this trip.

janisj

Edinburgh wil be a HUGE issue. You will be there during the Festivals/Tattoo so most places will already be booked up and those that aren'r will be at double (or more) their usual rates.

So, as much as I adore Edinburgh, - and because you have almost no time - I'd probably fly into Inverness, pick up a car and head to Skye, Glencoe, drive along Loch Lomond, drop the car at GLA and fly down to London. Even just that will be very rushed.

Maybe 2 nights near Inverness, 3 nights, 1 night in Glencoe, then drive down to GLA and take an afternoon/ evening flight on the 16th.

LostOnSafari

Thank you for you good advice! Unfortunately my traveling companions are insisting that we spend at least a few days in Edinburgh. I know that I will see Scotland again, but this will most likely be their only visit. So against better judgement it looks as if we will be flying into Edinburgh early on August 10th and spending one night at Hotel Du Vin, departing on a 3 day tour to Skye with Discover Scotland, and returning to Edinburgh for 2 nights before departing for London & Paris. Now I need to decide how best to spend what little time we have in Edinburgh. If nothing else our whirlwind trip may serve as an example of what not to do.

janisj

OOPS -- noticed a missing bit - should have said >>Maybe 2 nights near Inverness, 3 nights on Skye, 1 night in Glencoe, then drive down to GLA and take an afternoon/ evening flight on the 16th.<<

>>Unfortunately my traveling companions are insisting that we spend at least a few days in Edinburgh<<

That is really too bad. You will love the activity and vibrancy of Edinburgh, but you will not really be able to 'see' much of it.

>>Now I need to decide how best to spend what little time we have in Edinburgh.<<

You will be sharing Edinburgh w/ a couple hundred thousand others so queues will be enormous and you'd need to book all your dinners well before the trip.

Don't get me wrong, I've been to Edinburgh in August several times over the years, most recently in 2015 and 2016. But I went specifically for the Tattoo/Festivals and planned my trips many months out. It really isn't a time for a first visit. When I want to sightsee -- I don't go there in August.

historytraveler

I have to agree with janisj, you will have a very difficult time getting to and seeing the sites you want because of the huge crowds. It's is great if there specifically for the Festival, a PIA if not.