We are excited about our Aug. 18-31 vacation (flying to EDI), but we need help figuring out where to go and how much is doable given our logistical challenges. For the first 8 days, we will be a family of 4 with adult (late 20s) daughters. Then on Aug. 26, one daughter flies home from GLA and the other meets a friend, so for the last 5 days it'll just be my husband and me.

We are enthusiastic travelers eager to immerse ourselves in quintessential Scotland--its landscape and nature (we like to hike/walk), culture, history, castles and ruins, prehistoric sites, architecture, gardens, and local color--most of what's on everyone's Scotland list except not golf or whiskey. Husband and a daughter are geologists, so would love to see and learn about some cool geology. We are not shoppers and would gladly skip really touristy places (esp given August crowds) unless they are must-sees. If possible, we'd rather not change lodgings every day, instead staying in places where we can spend at least 2 nights and explore clusters of sights.

I had originally thought we'd do a big circuit around the country, but given that we need to get our daughter to GLA, I wonder if two smaller loops make more sense. Or, if there is a train they could take from wherever we are, that could work, but it'd mean their leaving us sooner. Anyway, here's what I'm thinking:

1) Arrive Edinburgh morning of Sat., Aug. 18 and spend 2 or 3 days to get over jet lag, explore city, and enjoy the Fringe. Leave Aug. 20 or 21 (Mon. or Tues.).

2) Rent car and start first loop to parts west (most interesting for our daughters?). I had been thinking of Skye, but given the crowds and distance and suggestions from Gardyloo I read in other posts, perhaps the Trossachs/lochs, Glen Coe, Mull (with Staffa/Fingal's Cave), and perhaps some of the Argyll area (would it fit?). We'd need to be near enough to GLA by Sat. night, Aug. 25 (somewhere in Trossachs?) so we could take daughter next morning. Is this loop doable in only 4 or 5 days? What would fit in? If it wouldn't include much time for Trossachs, my husband and I could stay after the girls leave.

3) Eastern loop for DH and me. Some friends raved about a B&B in Aboyne, east of Cairngorns National Park. Is that a reasonable destination and via what? Stirling? Dunkeld? Returning south on a more eastern route? Dunnottar Castle? I am finding it hard to gauge distances and driving times. We just need to be back at EDI the afternoon of Fri., Aug. 31 for our flight home.

I would dearly love any suggestions--thoughts on the overall plan, suggestions of places to base ourselves (either towns or actual lodgings), sights to include or omit. Have I got it all wrong and am I missing something much better? Oh yes, and we have a vegetarian, a non-red meat eater, and a non-seafood eater, which sounds pickier than we really are. We go with the flow, but if you have a great vegetarian suggestion, I'd appreciate it.

A lot to ask, I know, but I thought I'd get it all out. We've had some terrific trips thanks to Fodor's experts. I appreciate you all enormously.

It sounds as if you haven't booked your accommodations in Edinburgh. Get on that NOW -- and be a bit prepared for sticker shock. Definitely try to get tickets to the Tattoo. If you want to avoid crowds and touristy stuff -- Edinburgh in August will be tough.

One 5 day loop of the Trossachs and Mull/Iona is very doable. It is an easy drive from anywhere in the Trossachs or around Loch Lomond is an easy drive to GLA.

Aboyne is on Deeside smack in the middle of the Castle trail. Maybe three days in Aberdeenshire for places like the Bullers of Buchan, Dunnottar, castles like crazy, then a couple of days in Fife (St Andrews, the Isle of May, fishing villages) then back to EDI.

https://thomaslindie.wordpress.com/2...ers-of-buchan/

( BTW - in Scotland it is Whisky . . . not whiskey - and going to one distillery could be interesting even if one isn't a whisky drinker - and there is a LOT to Fife/St Andrews besides golf))

To clarify, will your non-flying daughter meet her friend in Glasgow? I'm going to assume so, or perhaps getting to their meeting point doesn't present major logistical challenges.

I think the outline plan makes sense - Edinburgh for a couple of days, then the west, back to GLA to drop daughter(s), then somewhere else for a few days. Janis's idea is very good, or another alternative might be to head south, through the Borders out to the Northumberland coast, then back to Edinburgh. A big loop something like this - https://goo.gl/maps/Qxu19CTc7J52 . The Borders is beautiful and historic, and any shortage of castles and history would be more than compensated with Alnwick, Bamburgh, the Holy Isle, and some of the fishing villages along the North Sea coast, like St. Abbs, Dunbar, etc. Use Undiscovered Scotland - https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ - to read about the various places under consideration.

Definitely book accommodation for Edinburgh during the festival. You might also look outside the city (e.g. South Queensferry or the airport area) and just resign to commuting into the city for your culture fixes.

Oooh, wonderful suggestions, janisj and Gardyloo. I'll enjoy digging into the details. I like your comment about crowds in Edinburgh. I'm sure it'll be fine for a few days, and then we'll get out of town. Alas, we don't yet have reservations, but I'll get on it. Any suggestions? A good part of town to stay in? We don't need fancy--just clean and comfortable. Quirky is always fun.

As for the non-flying daughter, her plan is to travel with a friend who is studying in Edinburgh this year. My guess is that they will leave planning to the last minute, so I'm not going to worry about it. If they don't meet somewhere we already are, I assume our daughter can get herself there from Glasgow.

Keep the suggestions coming.

I just checked Expedia for 3 nights (18 - 21 Aug.) and as expected, most hotels in the central part of the city are US$250 - $400. There are lots of B&Bs that might be cheaper, and my go-to place if I'm driving, the Dakota Hotel in South Queensferry is under $200 for those nights. (The Dakota has a shuttle to the airport, from which you can take a streetcar/tram into the middle of the action.) A cab from Queensferry to, say, Princes Street, would cost around £20, £40 return, but you might easily save that in hotel costs.

If you want to stay in the core, then I'd look at anything in the New Town or Old Town or nearby, for example the Apex in the Grassmarket, or the Best Western Bruntsfield, both of which were less than $300 for those nights.

>>Any suggestions? A good part of town to stay in? We don't need fancy--just clean and comfortable. Quirky is always fun.<<

At this point it is about pot luck -- stay wherever you can find something that fits in your budget. To give you an idea -- a perfectly located Travelodge just off Princes Street near the terminus of the tram line at St Andrews Sq which can normally been had for about £40/$60 a night will run £171 (fully pre paid non-refundable / no breakfast) to £200+ / $280+ (flexible rate inc. breakfast) for your dates. And this is for a stripped down Travelodge -- modern, clean but very basic.

Thanks for the prod. You were indeed right that Edinburgh hotels are largely exorbitant or booked in mid-Aug. We opted instead for an air bnb apartment on Rose St. that can accommodate the four of us and should save us some money on meals. I also managed to reserve tickets to the Tattoo--just barely, judging by the seating chart. Now for the next part of the trip...

I'm thinking two nights for the Argyll area, two on Mull, and two for the Trossachs, which brings us to my daughters' departure. Does that sound about right? Do you have suggestions for where to make our base for each? Or any particular lodgings? Thanks.

I'm sitting in an NBA arena just now so can't post much . . . But your 2-2-2 nights is a good division of time.

Rose St is a great location. Do expect it to be a bit noisy (but nothing like old town at that time) because the street is full of cafes, bars and pubs.

Another consideration: Given my husband and younger daughter's strong interest in geology, is a visit to Arran worth the extra mileage? I assume the geologic features there are not also elsewhere, and it does seem particularly interesting to geologists, but sometimes travel writers oversell. I know. I was one. ;-)

If we should fit Arran in, how best to do it? I have so much trouble figuring out the travel time involved what with slow roads and ferries. Should we a) make it our base by getting there from Edinburgh in one day and spending 2 nights on the island, b) do it as a day trip from wherever we base ourselves on the mainland, or 3) split our nights (one in Kilmartin or Inveraray and one on Arran)? I know I said we prefer to spend at least 2 nights in each place, but if it makes more sense, we can make an exception.

Did I mention how much the two of them love geology? My older daughter and I just grin and enjoy their enjoyment.

Darn. grrrr! I posted a long response . . . and the site went down.

Here is the quick and dirty:

Arran is lovely, but me personally - I would not substitute it for other areas you were going to visit. The geology of Staffa etc would trump Arran IMO. It is often called 'Scotland in miniature' because there are coastal, highland and lowland areas plus a handful of castles.

If you do decide to include Arran, then I would do JUST Arran, the Kintyre Peninsula, and Mull/Iona. That would eliminate any time in the Trossachs.