Fellow Fodorites I need your help. I’m planning a trip to Scotland around the end of April of 2006, and I’m debating between a Rick Steve’s or a Globus tour, or do my own “wing it” tour. I wouldn’t really be winging it; I thought I would basically follow the paths of most tours hitting the high points such as Edinburgh, Perth, Pitlochry, Inverness, the Isle of Mull, the Isle of Skye, the northern city of Wick, and Glasgow.

First question – I’m planning on picking up a car in Edinburgh and taking about 14 – 16 days to drive to the areas I mentioned. Is that too much driving? Should I eliminate an area to enjoy Scotland more? I can’t add more days to my trip. How are the roads and driving conditions? I know they drive on the wrong side, and I did a little of that driving in Ireland two years ago. I’m assuming April will not be a heavy tourist month so traffic and parking should not be an issue.

Second Question – How about public transportation (trains, buses, ferries)? Will I miss too much in the country side and be too far away from the smaller towns and cities relying on public transportation in Scotland to get me to my areas of interest?

Third question – The tours take around 12 to 15 days. Will they be rushing it gong from one end of Scotland to another? I’ve done a Globus and Cosmos tour so I’m aware of the games they play stopping at “their” selected spots and offering some corny extra $$$ activities. One “sampler” tour was too much sightseeing from behind the bus window the other was real good with plenty of free time to take in the sights I wanted to see. Rick’s tour seems good, although a bit pricy.

Thanks in advance for your help.

That is a very doable trip on your own - w/ 2+ weeks you wouldn't have to rush at all. I personally would never take a tour to Scotland. There are just too many terrific places to stop and explore and you wouldn't have the chance on a tour bus.

assuming you have 14 days (plus 2 days travel time to/from), there are a hundred different itineraries you could take. But in general -- 2 days in Edinburgh then pick up a car. North through Stirling, Perth, Blair Atholl, Inverness, the far north, the north west coast, Skye, Mull, Oban, Glasgow would be fine in 12 days.

Now, I don't mean staying IN some of those places (like Stirling or Inverness) but just the general route.

I really enjoy the far north, especially the NW coast -- but you could save a lot of time and visit areas like Fife and the Castle Trail if you drop the northern bit up through Wick and back southwest.

April is still fairly early - not a bad time at all but the weather could still be cold and wintry (or it could be really nice). That is another reasion I'd think about only going as far north as Inverness or maybe a bit farther.

Janis, thanks for your response. I was about 80% in favor of a self guided tour, your comments add the additional 20%. I will have 14 days full to tour Scotland, however, I realize some sights and places will have to be omitted from my itinerary. I don’t want to be racing around to try to squeeze in every place and every sight. I’ll be diving into maps, tour books and checking this site for places to stay and sights to see over the next few weeks. I’ll post an itinerary to solicit comments from my fellow Fodorites.

Great. As I said your specific route could go a hundred different directions. So if you do check some maps/guide books and posts on here and then come back with a semi-refined itinerary we can help you fine tune it and give advice. I'd like that better than us just laying out a route for you.

I'm with Janis on the question of an organised tour. For a half day or full day, perhaps. For a week or two at a time, no. Go it alone and the flexibility to spend more or less time wherever it suits you will add infinitely to your holiday.
Driving conditions - away from the central belt and major cities, the roads are generally quiet. Most big towns get busy arund 8 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 6 p.m. The major routes - any motorway (coloured blue and with an M number on most maps) or any trunk road (long distance A roads between major towns) will have their share of idiots willing to risk their lives to save ten seconds on their journey, but as long as you drive sensibly you'll be OK. Away from the main towns, roads are nearly always one lane in each direction so you need to allow time for getting stuck behind slow moving traffic with no good place to pass. In the far north, north west and the islands the roads are often so narrow that you need to stop to let cars pass in the opposite direction. Again, take your time and there's no problem. Parking in the bigger cities can be difficult and will be expensive. Most other places it's not a problem - often free, unlikely to be more that 3 or 4 GBP per day. April 14 to 17 2006 is Easter weekend which can be busy in the popular tourist places, later in April it's usually quieter until the English bank holiday in early May.
Public transport is an option for day trips but would be too restrictive to rely on it for your full holiday.
Skye, Mull, Wick, plus all the other places you mentioned, in two weeks is ambitious. Skye and Mull are big islands and can't be properly done in a day. My choice would be not to try and visit every corner of the country but to leave some time to visit one or more places off the main tourist routes - Fife, the Angus Glens, Kintyre, Ayrshire... I'd better stop before I get jealous.

I realize that the great majority of people on this forum are "do-it-yourselfers," but I would like to put in a good word for an escorted tour. We just got back from the 15 day Globus "Scottish Highlands and Isles." It was outstanding in every way - the itinerary, tour director, hotels and meals were exceptional. And, yes, we had free time to do a lot of things on our own. The really nice thing was not sitting behind a steering wheel all day. I would definitely recommend this tour.

flabobcat

I'll respond to the public transit portion of your question. I think that the train is over rated and tooo expensive for movement around Scotland.

We have enjoyed our bus trips. You may want to get a car for certain parts but you can get around pretty well by coach. We found that the coach took us where we wanted to go. We also had more chance to visit with folks on the bus.

We have been on busses when school kids are coming and going, this is a whole new look at the place! LOL

We have rented cars and they are handy but we prefer the bus. It's not that we won't ever rent one, but I don't think we HAVE to rent one to enjoy the country.

Have a grand time!

Like Janis I don't think you are trying to do too much in 14 days, although what you do will still have to be superfical and will barely touch the surface.

Every time I see someone mention ANYWHERE outside the virtual triangle- Edinburgh, Inverness, Skye- my heart lifts, so, although you could have a perfectly good holiday in the Central Belt, I would urge you not to ditch the north coast (why did you put it in in the first place?)

Public Transport will get you a long way, but we have these great big hills in the middle which ruin the ability of the trains to go from East to West where you would want them too; and in the very rural areas buses can be few and far between. I have to say, though, that my public transport based friends, like Danna and Roger always seem to have great experience of people, if not sights.

I wouldn't do an organised tour, but I'm me. That bit, you have to decide for yourself.

What sort of things do you want to see? and what sorts of places do you want to stay in?

You guys are unbelievable – thanks for your comments.

My interests in Scotland are to see the old world sights (the Medieval and Victorian ages), get a sense of the Scottish people and their way of life, and to enjoy the gardens and countryside scenery by walking and hiking some of the trails I have read about. I live in Sarasota, Florida, and although it’s a beautiful place, I’m sick of the flat, boring Florida landscape. I will probably spend about 85% of my time in the smaller towns and countryside and the remaining 15% in the big cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. I find staying at family run hotels and B&B’s in the smaller towns a great source of getting to know the people and a good source for local sightseeing information.

I’m just getting started with some web sites and my first tour book. So far two areas have peeked my interest; Perthshire (with towns like Aberfeldy, Glen Lyon, and Pitlochry) and the Isle of Skye.

To Bubb2 – I took two tours with Globus and I enjoyed both of them. The 15 day tour you mention I looked at and it still has a little of attention. It also has given me a starting point for places of interest. Thank you.

To Danna – I had the same experience in Italy last year. I toured around Milan and the Lake District using 100% public transportation. I think I’ll be mixing some car and public transportation on the Scotland trip. Thank you

To Sheila – I just started looking at the Wick, Thurso, and Northern Isles area, are they are very high on my list. Thank you

To Cragellachie – Thanks for the great driving and places to see tips