I applaud those who have successfuly driven on the left in the UK, I really do. I myself am not strong nor brave enough to try it. I have traveled around Scotland (and England) quite happily by train and bus. It may not be as convenient as driving oneself, and it may not get you everyplace you want to go, but it's worth considering. Once you have a tentative itinerary in mind, go to the train website at www.railtrack.co.uk and look up schedules. There is a Freedom of Scotland railpass you might want to check out at the Britrail website too. And like Mr. Go said, don't try to drive within Edinburgh (probably not in Glasgow either), take public transportation, a taxi or walk.

On of our fondest Scotland memories is the trip we took to Logan Garden on the SW coast. Caught the bus in Stranraer. Had a great chat with the driver Duncan. He greeted folks on this regular route, got kisses from little kids. He dropped us off at the driveway to the garden and told us when he would be on his next loop. He picked us up and took us on the southern part of his route so we could see the most southernly town in Scotland. We refer to him as "our man Dunc." Yep, I like to take the bus!

We lived in Scotland for three years and drove here, there and everywhere. Some of our fondest memories were of driving in the highlands listening to Runrig and other Scots music groups.

When we visited a few years ago, we opted to use public transportation. In the few days we had there, we took buses and trains.

We landed in Glasgow, took the bus to Gourock, then the ferry to Dunoon and back, then to Glasgow and Edinburgh on the train, followed by a bus to Milnathort. Eventually, we based ourselves out of Paisley. We stayed with friends and used buses and trains for our day trips.

We did take a trip on the West Highland Line - the scenery was spectacular.

If you are uncomfortable driving on the left, there are public transportation options. We found the bus schedules to be very good and they did go our way. (Milnathort was a little off-the-beaten-path, but the bus had a good schedule to get us there.)

Enjoy Scotland!

I don't think there is an choice here. If you don't drive you'll miss everything. Stopping for directions is the best. Stopping to view the wonders of the Highlands is even better. You're not going to see a piper on the side of the road from a train. Driving on the other side of the road is a layup. Remember the steering wheel is also on the other side, we keep going to the wrong side of the car for most of our trips there. It's the adventure and we found that if you pull off to the wrong side, you get a freindly wave. Go for it!

Scotland is Fabulous, don't miss the west coast/highlands.

My wife and I spent two weeks in Scotland recently with no car and only one taxi ride (which we could easily have walked if we had known the way). We visited Stirling, Perth, Glasgow, Maillag, Edinburgh, plus day trips to Skye and Culross. Of course there were destinations we couldn't efficiently get to without a car, but we didn't have nearly enough time to enjoy all the opportunities that train, coach, and walking offered to us. We found the agents at train and coach stations to be amazingly patient and helpful. The West Highland Rail from Glasgow to Maillag landscape views are wonderful and not accessible by auto. We took advantage of hop-on/hop-off city tour coaches in Stirling and Edinburgh (tickets good for 24 hr) once around to get the overview, then to stop off where we wanted.
My opinion: if you have really specific destinations in mind that can't be reached without a car and if you are young and adaptable enough to stand the stress of driving on the Scottish side, then go for the car. If you have a more flexible agenda, then you wil have a wonderful visit regardless.
P.S. Our thanks to Sheila, Janis, and others for their insights which were valuable planning resources for us.