2 July weeks in Scotland
 

I would appreciate suggestions on this plan. Am I spending too long in any of my base cities?
​​​14th Flight from US to Edinburgh
15th Arrive, Get car and Visit Edinburgh Castle, Drive to St Andrews
16th Sunday, walk Old Course, Drive to Aberdeen17th, Tour Dunnottar Castle
18th, Tour Aberdeen or day-trip TBD
19th, Drive to Glenfiddich Distillery and on to Inverness
20th, Tour Culloden battlefield and environs
21st, Tour Inverness or day-trip TBD
22nd, Drive the Great Glen to Glencoe, then on to Oban
23rd, Take Boat to Isle of Mull
24th, Tour Oban and west side of Loch Loman
25th, Drive to Stirling, tour Falkirk battlefield and environs
26th, tour Stirling castle then explore Trossachs
27th, Drive to Edinburgh hotel, tour Holyrood and/or Roslyn abbey.
28th, fly home

Just quick about the first day - I'll have time to post more about the rest, but the first day is really a total non-starter :(

Don't know what time you land at EDI and whether it is a long haul flight??

But if it is a long haul flight, one 1) should not drive on their arrival day, and 2) in ANY case driving into central Edinburgh and back out is an awful idea. Plus heavy duty sightseeing like Edinburgh Castle can be a tough slog with jet lag. (if it is short haul like in from DUB that's a whole different thing though visiting Edinburgh Castle and driving to St Andrews on the same day doesn't make a lot of sense. ) If the jet lag is too much, you can visit the Castle when you return to Edinburgh at the end.

Maybe consider staying in central Edinburgh that night, take the tram back out to EDI Sunday AM, collect you rental car at the airport and drive out to St Andrews then. OR rearrange/reverse the itinerary so you are over on the east coast/St Andrews on the 2nd Sunday of your trip.

Thank you so much for your response janisj. I love your suggestion, as it is a long haul flight from the eastern US. Since it is Less than a 2 Hour drive from the Edinburgh airport to Saint Andrews, we can still get to the Old Course before lunchtime.

I confess I felt a little exhausted reading this plan, but maybe that's just me. I fear you're probably underestimating the amount of time you'll spend looking out the car windows, but so be it. How many in your party, ages and interests? First time in the UK or veteran visitors?

I also think you should "back load" Edinburgh, saving it (car-free) for the end, maybe even changing Stirling to a train day trip, or a Rabbie's excursion. For the first night, I'd consider someplace close to the airport, maybe in South Queensferry, which is not only close to EDI but also quite attractive and historic. Maybe stay at the historic Hawes Inn (where Robert Louis Stevenson reportedly got the inspiration for Kidnapped) or at the Orocco Pier, at the water's edge. Get the car the next morning and head into Fife. Here's a video about Queensferry:


Beyond that, it seems like a lot of driving, but it's your trip. Scotland seems small on a map, and one can get the impression from the likes of Google Maps that it's easy to get around, but the reality is a bit different Travel is not that fast, and, importantly, there's so much to see and such diversity, that any period of days, be it a week, or two, or a month, means one will have to decide what not to see, and that list will be long regardless.

Some practicalities come up, chief amongst which is the need to book accommodations, especially in the high-demand areas like Edinburgh itself, and especially the Oban-Mull area. This area is not as (insanely) popular as the Isle of Skye, but it's catching up. I'd settle on an itinerary and start booking accommodations asap.

I'd also give a thought about reversing the route to a clockwise loop. IMO approaching the likes of Glen Coe from the east greatly enhances the drama.

Just some random thoughts...

Thanks for your post. My brother is 75 and I am 71,and while we are both in excellent shape but will only do easy hikes and moderate castle exploring. I would appreciate your suggestion on whether we should scrap the Aberdeen base and concentrate on the Great Glen, Oban and the greater Edinburgh area. I agree with your suggestion to concentrate the Edinburgh sites on the end of the trip. Is there easy tram or train connections between Queensferry and central Edinburgh?
Thanks - JTM

Public transport in Edinburgh is great -- buses, the tram, relatively inexpensive taxis.

I wouldn't use South Queensferry as a base to explore Edinburgh but for the first night it would be great. Then if you did feel up to it you could take a bus into the city centre - around 25 minutes to St Andrews Square. Or if you were at the Hawes Inn you could walk less than half a mile to the Dalmeny train station and then its maybe 20 mins to Waverly Station.