A Base in the Highlands of Scotland
 

My husband and I and my 13 year old son are going to be in Scotland in the beginning of October. We want to see things such as Culloden, the Clava Cairns, The Isle of Sky, Glennfinnan Viaduct and do some easy - moderate walks. Can anyone tell me where we should base ourselves during our visit? We will be there for about 8 days.

There are some real Scotland experts around and no doubt they will show up, but I will only say here that I think you will enjoy Skye more if you stay on Skye for at least 2 nights. I particularly liked the area of the Trotternish, and specifically a hotel with a faboulous view of the Hebrides called Duntulm Castle Hotel

http://www.duntulmcastle.co.uk/

Thanks so much for the link. It looks great.

That is a great part of the country. W/ 8 days in the same general area like that, you have lots of options.

One would be to rent a cottage for a week and use it as a base for day trips. A good central area would be near Beauly/Muir of Ord. From here you could do day trips to places from Nairn to the Black Isle to Dornoch to Skye to Loch Ness and beyond. Here is one good option http://www.assc.co.uk/defaultpage121...propertyid=336 Cottages on a farm just west of Beauly (w/ a nine hole golf course at the bottom of the garden)

If you didn't want to stay a full week in one place - by Oct many cottages will rent for shorter breaks.

Or - Another option would be stay 3 nights in a hotel/B&B near or east of Inverness. This would be a good base for the Whisky trail, Nairn, Culloden, Inverness, Ft George, the Black Isle. Then 2 nights on the west coast somewhere (like Plockton/Ullapool or anywhere in between). Then 2 nights on Skye - go over on the bridge and back by ferry so you'd see both Eilean Donan and Glenfinnan. Then one night near Ballachulish/Glencoe for Glencoe/Loch Linnhe/Rannoch Moor.

There is terrific walking in all those areas.

Thanks so much for the information. I am really enjoying checking out the links and making plans for my holiday.

Fraser? You are definitley in the right part of the world!! I happen to know that the Lovat Arms in Beauly is owned by Frasers (there's a shock).

So, anyway... You're either talkig about a 2 stop hol, based on somewhere in Nairnshire and somewhere like Lochcarron; or what janis said.

Hotel or self catering?

Thanks for the message. We don't mind either hotels, b and bs or self catering.

Well, how about the Golf View in Nairn; and the Plockton Hotel in Plockton?

Are you doing Fraser roots, Claire?

Sorry for the delay in replying Sheila. No, I'm not really following Fraser roots. My family is actually Finlay and McPhail.