Hello everyone. Looking for advice on my planned itinerary for Scottish higlands, early October this year. I know roads are narrow and winding, etc, so I tried to keep that in mind. I don't want to see Edinburgh and Glasgow, since I've been there and am only interested in scenery/nature, etc. We are driving a camper van/small motorhome, so if anyone knows some good discrete places to wild camp, that's also welcome. We will use camping sites when we don't find wild camping spots/parking spaces for the night.

Day 1: Flight arriving about 4 p.m. in Edinburgh, pick up car, go to Stirling. We will probably just look at castle from afar and not go in the day after, (eager to get on the road!)

Day 2: Doune - Callander - top of Loch Awe - Rannoch Moor - Glencoe. Probably some walk near Glencoe, the Lochan walk (in evening or morning after).

Day 3: Glencoe - Fort William, Mallaig (road to the isles). Stopping for some short walks in Glenfinnan, Arisaig and Loch Morar.

Day 4: One of the morning ferries to Armadale on Skye. Drive to Elgol, catch the boat trip to Loch Coruisk.

Day 5: Elgol - Portree. Then take some time off driving and just relax, probably. (I know there's a LOT to see in Skye, I just dont want to be driving non-stop all days).

Day 6: Drive around the Trotternish Peninsula. Walk to Old man of Storr, possibly also a walk in fairy glen. Is it possible to see Quiraing "from afar" or is it necessary to do the walk and see it up close? Time seems short for so many walks... Probably try to drive to somewhere near Kyle of Lochalsh in the afternoon/evening, for a good start the next morning.

Day 7: Eiliean Donan castle (fast stop), then down to Fort Augustus (probably via Loch Cluanie and A887 road), then on to Gairlochy/Spean Bridge.

Day 8: To Dalwhinnie, maybe quick visit to Distillery. Then on to Dunkeld, see cathedral and the Hermitage.

Day 9: Down to Edinburgh, perhaps a short stop in Perth on the way. Return the camper van and flight then leaves at 5 p.m.

I really did want to see Loch Carron and Torridon also. But I think time makes it hard to squeeze it in? Since I prefer that we dont have to drive more than a couple hours each day, if possible. And it seems Torridon area deserves a few days to be able to enjoy it? Am I right skipping this wonderful area (with a heavy heart)? Any ideas and opinions welcome. I have been to Scotland before (not Skye, but day tours into the Highlands). My partner has not been to Scotland at all (except Edinburgh), so I'm thinking this is a good first trip for him. He will also be doing the driving all the time, so I don't want him to have to be behind the wheel more than 1, 2 or 3 hours every day. Any "must-sees" along this route, that I've missed? Feel free to give any tips. Thanks a lot, cheers! /Nordic viking visitor, who comes back to haunt Scotland!

Lochness can't be missed! I may be an adult but who doesn't want to look for Nessie? I would recommend Urquhart Castle as a fantastic place to visit and view the lake whilst getting a taste of Scottish history!
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/...uhart%20Castle

Hope that's helpful!

Oh hello, thanks for quick reply I have thought of the Urquhart castle, until now I have dismissed it, since we will get a good view of Loch Ness anyway, from Fort Augustus. (And I liked fort Augustus last time I was there, cute little village and strolls by the canal system). I will consider Urquhart also though, if we feel we have the exra time to drive up there. Seems like an interesting castle ruin (and we can't get enough of those, can we? ). Thanks for the input!

I beg to differ regarding Loch Ness. The whole Nessie thing has resulted in the tackiest, cheesiest tourist "attractions" you can imagine on the Loch Shore (I don't include Urquhart castle itself in this, but it's a ruin and there are many better preserved castles in Scotland to see). There are also far more scenic spots along your itinerary, so I honestly wouldn't bother making a special detour to see Loch Ness.

We did 3 nights in Callendar, 3 in Skye and 2 around Loch Ness so similar to your loop but perhaps a little slower on the front side. We did enjoy the drive from Callander to Portree with stops in Glencoe and Glenfinnan.

Lots of pics:

http://ukfrey.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06...highlands.html

Tommy and I (Weegie, RM67) recently visited some of the areas you mention (Loch Carron, Applecross peninsula, Torridon, Skye/Portree) and posted a trip report and pics which might sway you one way or the other (hopefully the weather won't ;-))

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-july-2012.cfm

I know bugger all about camping, but do remember seeing signs in some of the laybys prohibiting overnight stays, so it might be worth scouting out stopping places well in advance...

Gordon_R: I agree a bit there, with the whole Nessie thing Will see if my partner insists on Loch Ness, or if we cut it out of the itinerary.

Indy_dad: Lovely pics! I bet the drive to Portree is lovely. How did you guys feel about time on Skye? I'm still debating with myself, whether I should make it 2 days or 3 days on Skye. Right now I'm thinking: First day on Skye: Loch Coruisk, second day: Elgol - Portree - Trotternish Peninsula (Old man of storr), then start moving away from Skye.

The reason is I would love to be able to fit in Glamis castle in the end of my journey, but that's half a day or one day out, also. And day 9 will be a bit stressful to fit in a castle, considering that I have to be on the airport a couple of hours before the flight, and return the camper van for inspection, etc. Everything always takes longer than you imagine, right? Why is there soooo much to see? Gaaah!

RM67: Wonderful pics! I think I will save the Torridon area for another trip. My dream trip is 2-3 weeks just touring Torridon and also Sutherland, up north. Ullapool, Tongue, Durness, etc. Great reasons to come back!

Any more tips or advice, keep 'em coming. Thanks

We had a hard time allocating the limited number of days as well. In the end, particularly with the weather cooperating for us, the 3 nights / 2 days worked out well. Trotternish was a full day for us with the Old Man and Quiraing walks. We did the Dunvegan pensinula for the other and decided to save the southern bits for another time.

Sounds like you've already mapped things out. It was a big help for me to get a large, paper map of Scotland to actually pinpoint the option and gauge the distances.

Tough choices!

Sounds ok

indy_dad: Yes, there's so much to see, which makes the choices tough. I think I'll go with southern Skye one day and Trotternish peninsula one day, and then move on. It will be 3 nights 2 days on Skye. If all goes well I'll try to see Glamis castle in the end of the trip.

I don't have a paper map, but I've tried to calculate distances on internet maps, which seemed accurate (Bing Maps). I think we will be doing an average of 2-3 hours of driving each day, with stops in between, which should be ok for my driver/partner hopefully. Thanks for your input!

Isle of Skye is worth at least 3 full days. It is a magical place. We are still haunted by its beauty and moody weather. Since our last visit to Scotland 2 years ago, we took 4 trips in Europe and none inspires us like Isle of Skye. You want to take your time and enjoy this special place. However, to explore Fairy Glen and some parts of Skye, you really need a small car. The road is very narrow. And one more suggestion, look up castle stalker. Its setting and surrounding landscape deserve a stop; it will transport you back in time.

Just how big is your motorhome going to be? The road down to Elgol on Skye has some incredible scenery (even more so than Trottenish to be honest) but is a very twisty, single track road with some extreme gradients down to Elgol harbour at the end. We had to stop for several minutes while a herd of highland cattle squeezed past our hire car (happily without sustaining any damage).

thefengs: I agree, I totally think that Skye would be worth 3 days. Probably 7 days, if that was possible! The problem is that another equally important part of the Scotland visit, is to see a magnificent, functioning castle. Big and impressive, etc. And so far, searching the internet, I have only come up with 2 good alternatives for that. 1 is Dunrobin castle, but that's too far north for us to fit in. The other is down south near Perth (Glamis castle). And that will take atleast half a day. So, as much as it pains me, I have to cut a day out from the Skye visit! Must come back there another time!

Gordon_R: It's not the biggest motorhome, it's a campervan for 2 ppl. Following your advice, I looked at the parking spaces in Elgol, (Streetview google maps), seems to be 2 areas of parking, one more up the road and one down in the harbour. I hope we don't have to park all the way down, cause that looked like tricky roads down there!

Quiraing is one of the highlights on isle of Ske. You practically drive up to the top, park yur car, then walk up to the hill for as short as 3 or 4 minutes and you will be rewarded with the most spectacular view you can imagine. It is very accessible and worthwhile. It is awe-inspiring and one of the most beautiful places I have seen. In your planning, you said that you will try to avoid driving for too long. My experience with Isle of Skye is that you will never feel tired while driving because the whole time, you will be ooh aah non stop enjoy the ever changing landscape. This is what I love about Scotland; it is more than destinations--the journey from a to b is rewarding and awesome too. you will never ask "are we there yet?"

thefengs: Yes I really want to see Quiraing. I don't know if we can drive up there from the Staffin side or not (which I would prefer), thinking about our campervan, if it will be possible to come from that direction, since Im guessing it would save a lot of time. Our campervan is 6 meters long, I think. I read somewhere about a very tricky curve on the Staffin side.... hmm. Will try to check it out on Google maps. Will def. try to find time for Quiraing though. As long as we don't have to hike a long way to get there, it should be ok. Thanks. If someone has any more thoughts feel free to add them.

I have just been doing the Highlands coast on my blog around the British coast, so you might want to take a look at the link below to get some idea of the area. Plockton is beautiful and not too far from Skye/Eilan Donan, so you might want to consider including that.

http://postcards-pfte.blogspot.co.uk/

Hello again everyone, thanks for responding. I am considering some changes in my itinerary and would love some responses as to whether the changes are doable or if I'm trying to cram too much in. Driving a campervan as before.

Day 1. Arrive Edinburgh late afternoon, night in Stirling. (Skipping the castle, want to go north).
Day 2. Drive from Stirling - Glen Coe, stopping at a few places on the way for short walks, photos etc.
Day 3. Glen coe - Skye (Road to the Isles).
Day 4. Southern Skye
Day 4. Northern Skye, walking by the Old man of Storr, and/or Quiraing. (Which is worth a "longer walk" out of these 2? Seems too much to take long walks at both places. Ending day in Kyle of Lochalsh or near the bridge.
Day 5. Drive from Skye Bridge - Inverness - Golspie. According to maps and forums this should be a 4 hour drive plus stops.
Day 6. Visit Dunrobin Castle near Golspie for a few hours. Then drive down to Aviemore, (about 2 - 2,5 hours driving).
Day 7. Drive from Aviemore down about an hour to Blair castle, spend a few hours there. Then drive to Dunkeld area (about 30 mins drive).
Day 8. Look around a bit at the things to see in Dunkeld.
Day 9. Head back down to Edinburgh and the flight.

Would love to hear from people who have done similar trips, or people who have lived in the areas. I am a bit worried that I am putting too much into these few days, but it seems that most days we do 2-3 hours tops in the car, and one day is a longer drive (about 4 hours), so I think we will manage. Do you see any obvious mistakes in the itinerary? Is Dunrobin castle worth a long drive to see? I am eager to see the falconry show that they have! Thanks for all your advice!!!

<i>Day 4. Northern Skye, walking by the Old man of Storr, and/or Quiraing. (Which is worth a "longer walk" out of these 2? Seems too much to take long walks at both places. Ending day in Kyle of Lochalsh or near the bridge. </i>

Too much time or too much energy to do both? We did both with lunch in between and had time to continue around the peninsula. We did cut out the 3rd tentatively planned hike (Fairy Glen) though.

I think the Quiraing is the more spectacular of the two but it's also the easier one to cut short and still get something out of it. The first bit of the Old Man is a little dull and you'd need to do a chunk of it to clear the forest. I say do both!

Note: for the Quiraing continue on to the upper lot to cut out a steep climb if you are looking to conserve energy.

Skye Bridge to Inverness is pretty straight forward (2 - 2.5 hrs) so 4 hrs on to Golspie should be doable (though I didn't do that part).

I recommend you reconsider skipping Stirling Castle. It is wonderful and can be toured without taking a huge chunk out of your day. Instead of stopping for walks on the way to Glen Coe, I would take the walks in Glen Coe, which is spectacular.

indy_dad: Oh, thanks for your reply! I will try to do a walk in both Storr and Quiraing, perhaps a shorter walk in Quiraing. I am afraid that we have to save a bit of time maybe. The reason is that we wish to drive back and stay the night somewhere near the Skye bridge for a good start next morning. On our day on Trotternish peninsula, we will first drive up To Trotternish from either Elgol or Sligachan. In the end of the day (afternoon) drive back to the Skye bridge. So the reason for not taking 2 long walks is due to driving times. I think in october it gets dark pretty early too, and don't wanna be driving in the dark in Skye. Might hit some poor sheep then, we don't want that! Thanks a bunch!

portia: I am considering your advice too... The thing is, we might stay that night in Glen Etive near Glen Coe. We are hoping to do a walk in Glen Etive in the afternoon while it's still daylight. On the way to Glen Etive/Glen coe, we also sant to make a bit of a longer stop/detour by Kilchurn castle (top of Loch awe), the detour and stop will be probably about 1 - 1,5 hour extra. That's why I am hesitating to do Stirling castle on the same day... But i Will consider the possibility of doing a quick tour of Stirling castle in the morning, maybe an hour? My partner doesn't like getting up too early though (we probably won't start driving/doing things earlier than 9 - 9.30 a.m. any morning...) THanks for advice! Keep 'em coming.