barbara313

Below is an itinerary I've drafted for my upcoming trip to Scotland, May 10-25, 2008. We're focusing primarily on the Highlands/Islands - had hoped to fit in Orkney and more of the Borders, but didn't want to be rushed. As it turns out, we do have one open day - would it be best to spend an extra day on one of the driving tours (we will have a rental car)? I welcome your feedback and suggestions!

Saturday, 5/10 – Arrive @ 10am in Edinburgh. Spend portion of afternoon sight-seeing.

Sunday, 5/11 – Edinburgh – Royal Mile and Calton Hill

Monday, 5/12 – The Borders driving tour (visit Melrose Abbey, Dryburgh Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey, Kelso Abbey, Abbotsford House, Floors Castle). Overnight in Edinburgh.

Tuesday, 5/13 – Drive to Stirling in the a.m. and visit Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument. Trossachs driving tour in the afternoon (visit Callander, Aberfoyle, Loch Katrine). Overnight in Killen.

Wednesday, 5/14 – Hiking in Glen Coe in the a.m. (Lost Valley – Coire Gabhail OR The Pap of Glencoe). Hiking in Glen Etive in the afternoon. Overnight in Killen.

Thursday, 5/15 – Argyll driving tour (visit Oban, Island of Seil, Kilmartin, Loch Awe, Inveraray). Ferry, and overnight, in Mull.

Friday, 5/16 – Mull (Torosay Castle/Gardens, Duart Castle, Tobermory). Overnight in Mull.

Saturday, 5/17 – Day trip to Iona. Overnight in Mull.

Sunday, 5/18 – Hiking in Mallaig/Fort William (Peanmeanach village and beach OR Glenfinnan viaduct circuit; Silver Sands of Morar). Ferry to Skye early evening. Overnight in Portree.

Monday, 5/19 – Skye (hiking - TBD). Overnight in Portree.

Tuesday, 5/20 – Skye (hiking - TBD). Overnight in Portree.

Wednesday, 5/21 – Drive to Plockton (Eilean Donan Castle, hike to Duncraig Castle from Plockton). Overnight in Plockton.

Thursday, 5/22 – Drive to Cannich (hiking in Glen Affric). Travel to, and overnight in, Inverness.

Friday, 5/23 - Inverness (Culloden, Clava Cairns, Castle Stuart and Cawdor Castle). Overnight in Inverness.

Saturday, 5/24 – Overnight in Edinburgh.

Sunday, 5/25 – Depart @ 9am

historytraveler

Day 12 (Borders) is trip overload IMO. Frankly I'm not sure it's even possible and even if it was, it would certainly be rushed.

Very little of Kelso Abbey remains, so you could easily do it along with a visit to nearby Floors Castle. Likewise Melrose Abbey and Abbotsford House are close together. You could combine these four.

Personally, Jedburgh Abbey is my favorite and has the most extensive ruins.

You need to cut back on your proposed visits.

janisj

I agree - Melrose Abbey, Dryburgh Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey, Kelso Abbey, Abbotsford House, and Floors Castle is impossible in one day. That list would take a good 2 or 3 days. Plus there are many other great castles/sites you will pass and want to stop. Even if you were staying overnight in the Borders it still would not be possible to visit all those sites in one day. Well - you could drive past all of them in one day. But visit - nope.

The rest of your itinerary isn't bad - except I would not stay IN Inverness. There are many nice towns/villages/rural B&Bs near Inverness - but the city itself is not all that nice.

BTW - it is Killin.

Barbara_in_FL

I can't comment on the whole itinerary, but having spent some time in the Borders and Argyll last year, I agree with the comments about the Borders day, and would say the same thing about the "Argyll driving tour" on the following Thursday. Unless you are really planning on simply driving past or through all those places, it is too much. Better to pick just a couple of those places and give yourself time to get out and walk around, or to have a nice meal somewhere. (You could easily spend a few hours just in Inverary, for example.)

Looking at your itinerary, I thought I would drop the Borders day altogether and instead give myself an extra day in Edinburgh. If you have fair weather you can go walking at Arthur's Head and warm your legs up for Glen Coe and Skye.

I hope you have a lovely trip, whatever you decide.

barbara313

Thank you for your responses. I've since rearranged the itinerary, allowing 2 days for the Borders tour, and 2 days for the Argyll tour. In doing so, I eliminated the stopover in Plockton, and shortened our stay in Skye by a half day.

This is our first trip to Scotland - are there any other sites/stops that we should make time for that haven't been included...?

Itinerary

Saturday, 5/10 – Arrive @ 10am in Edinburgh. Royal Mile and Arthur’s Seat. Overnight in Edinburgh.

Sunday, 5/11 – Edinburgh – Royal Mile continued, and Calton Hill. Overnight in Edinburgh.

Monday, 5/12 – The Borders driving tour (visit Melrose Abbey, Dryburgh Abbey, Jedburgh Abbey, Kelso Abbey, Abbotsford House, Floors Castle). Overnight in Selkirk.

Tuesday, 5/13 – The Borders tour continued. Overnight in Selkirk.

Wednesday, 5/14 – Drive to Stirling in the a.m. and visit Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument. Trossachs driving tour in the afternoon (visit Callander, Aberfoyle, Loch Katrine). Overnight in Killin.

Thursday, 5/15 – Walking in Glen Coe in the a.m. (Lost Valley – Coire Gabhail OR The Pap of Glencoe). Walking in Glen Etive in the afternoon. Overnight in Killin.

Friday, 5/16 – Argyll driving tour (visit Oban, Island of Seil, Kilmartin, Loch Awe, Inveraray). Overnight in Inverary.

Saturday, 5/17 – Argyll driving tour continued. Ferry to Mull early evening. Overnight in Fionnphort.

Sunday, 5/18 – Mull (Torosay Castle/Gardens, Duart Castle, Tobermory). Overnight in Fionnphort.

Monday, 5/19 – Day trip to Iona. Overnight in Fionnphort.

Tuesday, 5/20 – Drive to Isle of Skye. Walking in Mallaig/Fort William (Peanmeanach village and beach OR Glenfinnan viaduct circuit; Silver Sands of Morar). Ferry to Skye early evening. Overnight in Portree.

Wednesday, 5/21 – Skye (walking - TBD). Overnight in Portree.

Thursday, 5/22 – Walking in Skye in the a.m. Drive to Cannich in the afternoon (Eilean Donan Castle, and possibly walk Caisteal Grugaig (Dun Totaig) Broch from Letterfearn). Overnight in Cannich.

Friday, 5/23 - Walking in Glen Affric. Overnight in Cannich.

Saturday, 5/24 – Inverness (Culloden, Clava Cairns, Castle Stuart and Cawdor Castle). Overnight near EDI.

Sunday, 5/25 – Depart @ 9am

janisj

I really like the changes you've made (quick learner )

Where are you staying in Fionnphort? If you haven't booked a place yet - I can recommend Seaview http://www.seaview-mull.co.uk/ Lovely folks, great food and wonderful location w/ view over to Iona/the Abbey and a short walk to the Iona Ferry.

May 24 will be a long day for sure - but doable.

jjkbrook

I havent been through the West Highland areas you are visiting but just wanted to comment that driving trips in Scotland can take a long time and be tiring - with the predominance of two lane roads and the need to be constantly turning and passing - so leave ample travel time.

Barbara_in_FL

You're right, the driving can be longer than it looks on a map. We found this site helpful for planning actual driving times:
http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/planner_main.jsp

One thing barbara313 will find helpful is that the days will be pretty long in mid-to-late May -- more time for driving in the evening on those long touring days.

janisj

barbara313's latest itinerary doesn't really have any long driving days - except for that last Saturday w/ sightseeing up north before driving back to EDI.

The rest of the days are all very doable and w/ mostly 2 and 3 night stays. So not bad at all (and I am usually a broken record that folks are trying to go too far in too short a time)

barbara313: Some will quibble that you should do 3 nights on Skye and 2 on Mull - but that would only be a subjective opinion since both islands are wonderful. I think 3 nights Mull/2 Skye is fine and the entire itinerary is well balanced both for types of scenery/sites and for drive times.

zippo

I'd consider skipping Mull & Seil, they wont add to the experience much considering the rest of the itinerary.
Eilean Donan castle - stop for pictures only.
Glenfinnan - check out the monument.

janisj

I could not disagree more -- Mull and Iona plus a boat trip out to Staffa/Fingall's Cave could be a highlight of anyone's trip.

FlaAnn

I second (or third) the driving comments. Edinburgh to Stirling is a snap, but then you head into the countryside and getting from Callander to Killin alone is a trick. It's a twisting road where more than one tourist has come to grief, so drive carefully.

But if you can spare a few minutes, stop at the Woolen Mill outside Callander on the right hand side of the road and spend a few pennies on a bag of veggies for my friend Hamish, who is unquestionably the cutest example of a Highland cow (or to be exact, a steer) in the world. I go there just for him whenever I'm in Scotland. After you wipe the slobber off your hand, you might want to know that the Callander library has free internet and is a lovely little stop down a side street beside a park on the river.

Good travels.

sheila

Good itinerary. Only change I'd make is to stay somewhere nearer Glencoe and Glen Etive than Killin.

barbara313

Thanks to everyone for the helpful tips!

Janis - I had planned on staying at Seaview while on Mull/Iona, based on the wonderful reviews I've read on this site! However...Zippo's comment about skipping Mull altogether has me second-guessing. Just curious why - is it due to the fact that some think Skye is just more beautiful?

Also, would it be worthwhile to allot more time to the Trossachs/Loch Lomond...? As it is now, I've only given it a half day.

janisj

different strokes . . .

Sheila also isn't really a huge Mull fan - but she said your itinerary was good. Zippo gave no reason for skipping Mull - maybe he had a bad experience there or something. Here are some reasons to include it. Amazing white sand beaches, Duart Castle, Tobermory, Fingal's Cave (a must IMHO), the Treshnish Isles and just lovely scenery.

I LOVE Mull, and I LOVE Skye. They are really totally different. Skye is generally more dramatic. But then, Iona/Staffa are unique experiences. I would advise dropping one or the other IF you didn't have enough time - but you have plenty of time to visit both.

just my 2 ’ (or make that pence) . . . . . .

barbara313

Thanks, Janis. I'll keep the itinerary as is.

One other question - based on our overnight locations (Edinburgh, Selkirk, Glen Coe, Fionnphort, Portree, and Cannich) will it be necessary to make b&b/hotel reservations before we leave? Or should there be plenty of availability in May to just wing it?

janisj

I would definitely pre-book Edinburgh, Glen Coe, Fionnphort, and Cannich (if you specifically want to stay there)

You are between the bank holidays so places will be available and you can go into the Tourist Information Center in any town and they can find you a B&B in the area.

I'd personally not show up in Edinburgh or on Mull w/o a booking. For Skye - I'd pre-book for sure if there was a specific place I wanted. But otherwise I'd just go to the TIC in Broadford as soon as I got on the island and get a booking from them. Do you specifically want to stay in Portree? Someplace like Sligachan might be more centrally located for exploring the entire Isle.

Cannich is very rural so if that is specifically where you want to stay - yes you probably should pre-book. But if you just mean in the countryside W/SW of Inverness you'll pass lots of B&Bs w/ signs out.

In the Borders - Anyplace in the Galashiels/Melrose/Selkirk triangle would be a good location and w/ TICs in all three towns you wouldn't have a problem.

meks

Would agree with janisj regarding the itinerary and the areas to pre-book accomodation.
On Skye I personally prefer to stay in Portree as there is slightly more to do there, Sligachan is more remote and quieter but might suit if you are on the go all day touring around.
Mull is nice but be prepared for single track roads on both Skye and Mull as these will slow you down and tire both the driver and the navigator.