BritishCaicos

Here is the house we rented on Mull

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Vacatio...rides_Sco.html

Perfect for a toddler as long as the weather is fine. If it isn't, then I'd head to the Caribbean.

janisj

Polo1425: When figuring your drives -- I assume you are using one of the on-line calculators - you need to add significantly to times.

The one from Edinburgh to Stirling is pretty accurate because it is Motorway all the way. But that is the last motorway you will see and you really do need to add 24% to 75% (sometimes even more) to most of the times. Especially in rural areas w/ narrow roads -- all you need is get behind one caravan (travel trailer), or heavy lorry, or encounter sheep in the road and your 2 hour drive easily becomes 3 hours.

The driving ON Mull and ON Skye can very very very slow, but anywhere in the highlands or on the coast can be slow as well.

historytraveler

I wanted to add that I've driven from Portree on Skye to Edinburgh. I think it took about 7 hours with a few stops along the way. While doable for adults, I think it's too long if traveling with a toddler. There is a big difference if traveling solo or with another adult and traveling with a toddler. And, yes, you do need to add time to any of the journey planners.

Polo1425

Thanks for all the tips, especially the notes about drive times. We will reconsider our itinerary and expect to be flexible. Much appreciated!

Polo1425

Okay, slight revisions based on recommendations here.

Day 1: Arrive in Edinburgh
Day 2: Edinburgh - Royal Mile, National Museum, Castle, Arthur's Seat (not expecting to do it all, just ideas)
Day 3: Drive to Stirling, have lunch, continue on to Oban.
Day 4: Oban
Day 5: Oban, possible boat tour/Isle of Mull
Day 6-9- We'd like to find a base - somewhere near Skye, Loch Ness or Inverness and rent a cottage for 4 nights. Then we'll do small trips from there to explore. I'm looking into rentals now. Ideally we'll also see the Fairy Pools and Eilean Donan Castle, among other things.
Day 10: Return to Edinburgh
Day 11: Depart Scotland.

sparkchaser

For Days 6-9, it's probably best to base yourself in Inverness.

BritishCaicos

Inverness ?

If find really strange as a base. Syke is a world class location. It's an obvious base.

A boat trip for wildlife from Oban makes much sense. The trips go to the "inland sea" formed by Mull, Skye, Coll and Tiree. It's full of dolphins, minke whales, pilot whales, frequent Orca and basking sharks.

The basking shark population is blooming following attempts to fish them 50 years ago. There is current work in the sound between Coll and Tiree to investigate whether the sharks breed there. Last year over 100 were spotted in one location!

sparkchaser

I said Inverness because it is within a 90 min drive of most of OP's desired stops. Plus it has Hootananny and Gellions and The Room and Johnny Foxes.

Polo1425

BritishCaicos, I'm still in the early stages of boat trip research, but it seems that many of them are 10-12 hours. I don't think our toddler can hang quite that long being out all day. I was looking into driving ourselves - taking our car over on the ferry from Oban, driving across Mull, and then a quick ferry to Iona. We'd at least get to explore the islands, but we'd have some more control over our timing and how long we stay.

I would absolutely LOVE to see any of the animals you described above, but I suspect our best bet for that kind of tour would be a private one and I don't think it's in our budget.

BritishCaicos

Elgol is a good spot.

Beautiful and close to the ferry.

bilboburgler

while B&Bs in china and germany are interesting they are not that relevant to the UK.

Some B&Bs just want adults and that is their marketing choice.

Some hotels have the same rules in the UK.

I'd travel less, enjoy more.

historytraveler

If wanting to tour Skye, Inverness area is not the best place to stay. It's 2 12 hours to Portree ( not many sites to visit between crossing the bridge and Portree unless you head toward Armadale ).

BTW I love Skye but Mull is beautiful too. Iona is a magical place IMO especially if you get away from the crowds a bit. I have always wanted to stay on Iona for a few days but haven't yet managed it.

dwdvagamundo

bookmarking in case airfares come down.

janisj

>>I said Inverness because it is within a 90 min drive of most of OP's desired stops. <<

IF one was relying on public transport then basing IN Inverness makes a lot of sense. But w/ a car, one can stay absolutely <i>anywhere</i> and staying IN the city would be my last choice.

BritishCaicos

Hi Polo

It's really good to see a poster who comes back and communicates.

It's so frustrating to have given time and effort only to see no response,

I do think Ffionphort is perfect. Mull is beautiful, the area around the village is absolutely full of Golden Eagles and Hen Harriers. We regularly see dolphins swim between the village and Iona. Iona is a 5 minute cheap foot ferry away, Iona is very magical.

A good walk south (1 hour) takes you to Erraid with Caribbean standard beaches and a large colony of seals. I am going to snorkel with them in May.

Loch Na Keal is around an hour from Ffionphort by road , it's the main site to see the Sea Eagles in action. Huge birds with a 2.5m wing span. Loch Na Keal is very dramatic.

To cap all this, the boat trips from Ffionphort are much shorter than from Oban, as you have driven half way to the sea locations which the trips head towards.

Staffa and Lunga are around a 4 hour round trip by boat from Ffionphort.

If you visit between May and July, Lunga is swamped by Puffins : it's an incredible experience as they are very approachable, very naive as to how awful humans can be and very lovable. People actually use the trip for emotional therapy.

The volcanic rock formations of Staffa are world famous, as is Fingal's Cave on the island.

The only downside is that it is around £120 to take the car on the CallyMac ferry from Oban to Mull. It's about time the Scottish Government increased the ferry subsidies. Which is why this year we are leaving the car in Oban, going as £7 foot passangers on the ferry and renting the Camper. It's much more cost effective.

janisj

agree w/ everything BritishCaicos says. Yes, taking a car on the ferry is expensive, but it is sooooo worth having one on the island.

The trips out to Staffa (the boat stays long enough to explore Fingal's Cave and some of the island, and Lunga, Iona via the foot ferry, castles, gorgeous beaches, eagles, seals and PUFFINS ( I <i>LOVE</i> puffins.)

I've stayed in Fionnphort 3 times (twice in a terrific B&B and once in a rented cottage).

I really enjoy Skye, but Mull is maybe even better for a family stay -- so much to see and do.

BritishCaicos

"agree w/ everything BritishCaicos says"

Other than the fact that I still can't spell Fionnphort.

Which is something probably due to me being a half Scottish, a quarter Welsh and a bit English!

BritishCaicos

I don't know how to post photos but we took one from the beach in FIONNPHORT looking across to Iona abbey with dolphins leaping in the foreground.

janisj

I don't have dolphins (have lots in other places like on the Black Isle and from Ft George)

But I do have one of a glorious sunset on that same beach w/ a ewe/two lambs lying on the sand and the abbey in the distance . . .

RM67

We took a couple of boat trips cruising the area around Skye and Raasay, one departing Portree, one departing the mainland. They were shortish (1-2hrs?) but we saw a sea eagle (which swooped down in response to fish thrown from a boat), lots of seals, including pups, and through the glass bottom of one of the boats, the most enormous jellyfish I've ever seen. It glowed like moonstone. There were also binoculars handed round so we could look for otters (none spotted on our watch unfortunately).

One of the cruises had the added benefit of departing a pier in Localsh that had a superb seafood trailer where we got Cullen Skink and Jaffa cake ice creams!

Seal pics attached:-

https://www.flickr.com/photos/494523...7630903321624/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/494523...7630903321624/