Any thoughts on this itinerary for a family trip to Scotland in June 2025? This trip was originally booked for 2020 as a retirement gift for my husband from our sons and daughter but was rescheduled for this summer. We will have 7 adults and 2 children (ages 10 and 12). We plan to rent two cars and will probably have 4 drivers who can switch off. And yes, I know that we are planning this much later than is ideal but it is coming together.

Note: We are spending more time in Edinburgh than originally planned so that we can accommodate various schedules. Day 3 and 4 are the only days we will all be together before one family member has to leave.

Tentative Itinerary
Day 1 – Some of us arrive in Edinburgh ahead of the others.

Day 2 – Husband and 3 sons play golf near St. Andrews (not the Old Course) or near Edinburgh.

Day 3 – Daughter, SIL and 2 grandchildren arrive early in the morning. Tour Edinburgh Castle, etc.

Day 4 – Tour of St. Andrews Old Course, visit the pro shop, return to Edinburgh.

Day 5 – Drive to Oban, 3:30 pm tour of the Oban Distillery (booked). Stay overnight (hotel booked).

Day 6 – Drive to Inverness, spend some time in the Glencoe area along the way. Stay in the Inverness area.

Day 7 – Another Golf outing for most of the family. (In Nairn, Kingussie or elsewhere?)

Day 8 – Do some sightseeing in the area, focusing on scenery rather than history.

Day 9 – Drive from Inverness to Dunnottar Castle. See castle, stop in Stonehaven, return to Edinburgh.

Day 10 – Some head home while others continue their travels in the UK.

Questions
1) Could you advise on the best route from Edinburgh to Oban? We are not planning to stop at Loch Lomond or the Trossachs on the way, and we'll sample the Glencoe area after visiting Oban. The main reason for going to Oban is to tour the Oban Distillery, and we have a tour booked for 3:30 pm that day.

2) Any suggestions for sampling the beauty of Glencoe on our way north to Inverness? Maybe go see the Three Sisters mountains, have lunch at the Clachaig Inn, and stop by the Glencoe Folk museum? (My husband and I were there in 2023 but it will be new for the others.)

3) For a group more interested in scenery than history, any recommendations for some sightseeing while using Inverness as our base? Maybe Plockton or Nairn if Ullapool would be too far or the road too congested?

4) What might be a fun outing with the grandchildren (10 and 12 years old)while the others are golfing? I see that there are a variety of activities in Aviemore and a Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore. Also, my granddaughter asked about pony trekking so I want to explore that as well. (She has been taking riding lessons for two years now.)

5) What might be the best route to take from Inverness to Dunnottar castle? I would hope to reach the parking lot by 2 or 3 pm if possible. My husband’s Keith ancestors came from Aberdeen, so that is one reason that he and the rest of us would like to see the castle.

Thank you!

Random thoughs and questions - knowing the days of the week helps with some of this. For example -- what day is Day#4/St Andrews. If it is a Sunday here is no play and you can walk/'sightsee' the entire course. All other days there is active play and while you can see bits, you can't 'tour' the course.

Day 9 is REALLY tough. Just the straight drive I'ness > Dunnottar > Edinburgh takes about 6 hours butts in seats. When adding lunch and about 2 hours at Dunnottar makes this a rough day -- especially trying to coordinate 2 cars.

Q1) You will drive right through the Trossachs. Depending on where in the city you are starting from, Edinburgh > Oban Distillery will take about 4 hours without stops - maybe a bit less if you are lucky.

Q2) Oban > Glencoe Visitors Centre > Inverness is a 4 hour drive w/o stops. And you will want to stop lots -- at minimum Glencoe, Spean Bridge and Urquhart Castle. This will be a pretty long day. The best viewpoint for the Three Sisters is about 3 miles up the main road from the Visitors Center.

Q3) If you are more interested in scenery than history, there might be better bases than Inverness. Ullapool is about a 4 hour R-T and Plockton a little more. An I'ness > Ullapool > Plockton > I'ness drive woul take close to 6 hours with lots of backtracking.

Q4) In Fife the kids would probably enjoy the Scottish Deer Centre https://scottishdeercentre.co.uk or a boat ride from Anstruther out to the Isle of May for sea birds (PUFFINS ) If they are golfing in Nairn/Inverness area there are Dolphin cruises in the Moray Firth.

Q5) The best route would be via Keith, Huntly (a wonderful castle to explore but you wouldn't have the time), Stonehaven. This is really a 2 day drive if you have it There is Keith, Huntly, Dunnottar and Glamis Castle is right on the route as well.

If it was me -- unless Oban is a must for some reason -- I'd skip Oban and visit a distillery up on Speyside -- one tour is very much like every other distillery. Edinburgh > Glencoe w/ an overnight then on to Inverness might be a better use of your time than squeezing in Oban.

. . . plus overnighting in Glencoe/Ballachulish would give you time to drive down Glen Etive which is even better scenery than Glencoe

Thank you, janisj I always appreciate your input on Scotland (and have read your responses to others as well as responses to threads I started in 2019 and 2023).

Our visit to St. Andrews Old Course is on a Thursday. They offer guided walks at 10 am, noon and 2:30 pm that take place “around the 1st, 17th and 18th holes of the Old Course.” Our group is content with that option since we won’t be in the area on a Sunday.

Q1) Thanks for the info about how long it would take to drive from Edinburgh to the Oban distillery. Glad we opted for the 3:30 pm tour!

Note re Oban vs Glencoe: I had worked up an itinerary that skipped Oban in favor of going to Glencoe on a Friday, seeing Glen Etive along the way and staying overnight at the Clachaig Inn (which had availability that night!). But the itinerary pivoted to include Oban at the request of my husband and the Scotch whisky drinkers in the family who really want to go where Oban single malt Scotch whisky is made. (I loved our drive down Glen Etive in 2023 and wanted to share that beauty with the family but our time is limited.)

Q2) Oban > Glencoe > Inverness: At one point I had a stop at Urquhart Castle on our itinerary as well, but will play that by ear. Perhaps stopping by Kingshouse Hotel for coffee and a snack would at least give my family a glimpse of the beautiful views and whet their appetite for a drive along Glen Etive on a return visit...

Q3) I think we are locked into the Inverness area for our base, partly due to the availability of accommodations there. (Also, one son may need to head home from there part way through our trip.). It would be nice to find one outing that shows some of the beauty of the area whether it is an all day private Rabbies tour to the Isle of Skye or a trip to either Ullapool or Plockton.

Q4) The grandchildren arrive after the first golf outing so I am looking for an activity while we are in Inverness. We might need to hire a driver/guide to facilitate the transportation for the grandchildren and me, depending on where they decide to play golf. (I took a quick look at the Scottish Tourist Guides Association site yesterday.)

Q5) I really appreciate input on the proposed Inverness > Dunnottar > Edinburgh drive. Would it help to stay somewhere along the way and tour Dunnottar Castle the next morning? OR perhaps drive from Inverness to Edinburgh and do a day trip to Dunnottar Castle the next day?

As an aside, I had noticed the town of Keith along the way. Haven’t yet found any connection to the Keith clan but still interesting. Is that route preferable to traveling through the Cairngorms due to relative beauty or length of time it takes to travel that route?

Boat ride to the Isle of May
My husband and I plan to spend a few extra days in Scotland after our offspring leave, and I am adding that to our list of possibilities. I love puffins and have only seen them once - off the coast of Maine.

I had been thinking of a short trip to the Isle of Mull or Ullapool after the rest of the family heads home, but exploring other options now that Oban and Inverness are in our group itinerary. I might looks at options- perhaps along the eastern coast.

Thanks again!

Just very quick -- I'll address some of the other issues when I get a chance later.

Yes -- absolutely if you can squeeze in a night between Inverness and Edinburgh that would be much better than trying to drive the whole distance and visit Dunnottar on the same day. Starting in Inverness you could visit Keith plus some castles / sites on Deeside and spend the night in Stonehaven or nearby. Next morning you could hit Dunnottar and have enough time to perhaps squeeze in Glamis if anyone is interested -- or that could be the day for the Deer Park which is between Dunnottar and Edinburgh.

Dunnottar doesn't really work as a day trip from Edinburgh since it would be a nearly 6 hour R-T drive.

If you do an online search you will find plenty of pony trekking opportunities. Perhaps for you as well as the children. You really don't need any experience for most treks. They adjust to the level of the riders.

Good to know about adjusting to the level of the riders. Thanks. I have been doing an online search and reading reviews - ever since I asked the grandchildren if there was anything that they would especially like to do in Scotland. Looks like there are several options. Hoping that it might work for my daughter to go with her kids after they (my husband, sons, daughter and SIL) go golfing. Guess we'll have to figure that out when we get closer to the time.

Thanks for your quick response! I will check in with our group about the various options.

oh-- meant to add -- contacting Rabbies re a private day trip out of Inverness could be a terrific option to see some of Skye or someplace else on the NW coast. And let the drivers relax at least one day.

Have they decided where to play up north? If they can spring for it -- Royal Dornoch would be fabulous. I don't really play but of the golfers I've taken to Scotland -- 7 or 8 on 4 different trips -- Dornoch has been right up there as as their favorite course -- a couple even preferred it to the Old Course. One trip I took two friends/co-workers and arranged rounds for them at Prestwick, Troon, the Old Course, Carnoustie and Dornoch, and Dornoch turned out to be their fave. They even booked a second round for the afternoon.

Thanks for your additional input, janisj - I will pass this info about Royal Dornoch to my husband. My husband and most of our offspring have been taking golf lessons the past few years to improve their games. Some of them might not all feel comfortable playing on a very good course for fear of slowing down other groups but that's great info to have!

As for the Isle of Skye, one of our sons had planned to surprise the family in 2020 (before the pandemic cancelled our trip) by arranging for a day trip to the Isle of Skye. I think he is still planning to reach out to Rabbies about a private tour. And this might be an excellent way to spend one of our days in the Inverness area and give the drivers a rest. While my husband and I had two nights on the Isle of Skye in 2023 (staying one night at Sligachan and one night at Eilean Iarmain), he was busy driving and said he would welcome the opportunity to enjoy the scenery this time.

Re enjoying Glencoe - the Clachaig is in a great location amidst the big mountains so a stunning spot to have lunch.As is The Kingshouse.
The ski centre opposite has a chairlift which operates in summer and takes you easily up into the mountains.A 10-15min (albeit sometimes boggy walk on a track) meanders its way up to the best viewpoint.Fantastic spot.

Or you an actually walk along part of the old road above Glencoe which is easily accessed as you drive north on the A82.There is a long layby for parking beyond the Meeting of the Three Waters waterfalls. The track meanders for about a mile giving amazing views over Glencoe from the off.Quite a fun one for the kids too.We strolled along it just two days ago, high above the A82 and the sometimes madding crowds at the main car parks.We felt a million miles away.Let me know if you need better parking/route directions.

The Visitor Centre area really doesn't give anywhere near the best views of the glen, tucked away as it is.

Definitely break that drive to Dunnotar up with an overnight! Stonehaven is very pleasant at the harbour.

From Inverness, to me, Torridon gives the best day's drive you can do for scenery.I think Rabbies or one of the small group operators is doing it now but check.It's 90 mins from Inverness and you an either stay around that magnificent area, stroll, Jo's Cafe (if you decide to drive), drive along the Diabaig road perhaps, do a flat easy spectacular walk in Coire Nobuil - tons to do if you love the Great Outdoors.There is also a small Deer Museum and red deer grazing nearby.Usually stags in Glen Torridon.Loch Clair also makes for a lovely easy stroll.
If you go all the way to Applecross over the Bealach na Ba mountain pass(a wow) the Inn is really buzzy and does some great pub food in a gorgeous location.

Castle Stewart Golf Course might also be worth considering when you are in Inverness.

Aviemore has a ton of things to do for young people.The Reindeer Herd is lovely to see and there is an option to join them grazing on the hill and helping to feed them.Quad biking, kayaking, clay pigeon shooting, zip lines, bike hire, cycling and walking trails - it's very well set up for activities.

The funicular is back in service too now...

https://www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/mountain-railway/

The old Glencoe visitors centre had utterly magnificent views and IMO gave a better sense of the grandeur / drama of the landscape/history. But the 'new' one (not new - it was moved more than 20 years ago) is tucked in the woods so it doesn't visually impact the glen.

Scotlandmac Thanks for all the great info! Not sure how much time we will have in Glencoe during this visit but will keep your input in mind. We stopped at the Kingshouse for coffee before driving through Glen Etive in 2023 and enjoyed the beautiful view from the picnic tables. We also stopped by the Clachaig Inn, and I am thinking we'll try to have lunch there unless it will be too crowded on a Saturday.

Really appreciate your tip about the drive to Torridon! If we don't do that with our family (on a Rabbies tour or independently), I think my husband and I will plan on doing it after they leave. (And yes, Rabbies does offer a tour.) It looks like a gorgeous drive! One of my favorite drives in the Lake District is the one that goes through Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass, and the route on the way to Torridon looks even more beautiful. Thanks also for the tip about the Castle Stewart Golf Course. And the info about Aviemore.

My husband and I may end up going to see Dunnottar Castle after the others leave due to time constraints, and I would definitely plan to spend at night in Stonehaven.

Thanks again!

Yes, the new Glencoe Visitors Centre only gives a little glimpse of the glen when you walk out to the turf and creel house.

Will most rental cars meet the low emission standards necessary for driving within the LEZ (Low Emission Zone) in Edinburgh? We aren't planning to pick up rental cars until we are about to head to Oban, but it would be convenient to be able to park at our hotel the night before we leave and park at a hotel again for a night when we come back to Edinburgh when we circle back to Edinburgh for a night. Thanks!

Just an idea -- driving in Edinburgh can be quite an ordeal. It would be easier to pick up and drop the car out at EDI. If your hotel is convenient to the tram that's is an easy way to get out to EDI, otherwise a taxi can drop you right at the rental centre at EDI.

Thank you all for your input! We are close to finalizing our itinerary but waiting for the group to decide whether they want to have 3 or 4 nights in Inverness. This will partly depend on when one of the group has to head home and whether the group prefers having a third day in Inverness or seeing Dunnottar Castle. My husband and I will go there later in our trip if we don't get there with the family.

Tentative Itinerary #2

Day 1 – Some of us arrive in Edinburgh.

Day 2 – Husband and 3 sons play golf at Gullane Golf Club, course 1 (booked).

Day 3 – Daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandchildren arrive. Tour Edinburgh Castle, etc.

Day 4 – Tour of St. Andrews Old Course, visit the pro shop, return to Edinburgh.
[Pick up rental cars that evening or the next morning.]

Day 5 – Drive to Oban, 3:30 pm tour of the Oban Distillery (booked). Stay overnight (hotel booked).

Day 6 – Drive to Inverness, stopping in the Glencoe area along the way. Stay in the Inverness area (3-4 nights).

Day 7 – Golf outing for most of the family. (Near Inverness or in Nairn or Kingussie?)
[The non-golfer and two grandchildren enjoy some other activities.]

Day 8 – Sightseeing - maybe private tour of Isle of Skye or drive to Torridon area?

Day 9 – Spend another day in the Inverness area?

Day 10 - Drive from Inverness to Edinburgh. Last night together.
[Return one of the rental cars]

Day 11 - Daughter and her family travel to London for a few days, probably by train. My husband and I continue traveling in Scotland. Others will fly home.

Thanks again!

Itinerary
Day 1, Mon – Some of us arrive in Edinburgh (hotel booked).
Day 2, Tue – Husband and 3 sons play golf at Gullane Golf Club, course 1 (booked).
Day 3, Wed – Daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandchildren arrive. Tour Edinburgh Castle, etc.
Day 4, Thu – Tour of St. Andrews Old Course, visit the pro shop, return to Edinburgh.
Day 5, Fri – Pick up rental cars,drive to Oban, 3:30 pm tour of Oban Distillery (booked). Stay overnight (hotel booked).
Day 6, Sat – Drive to Inverness, stop in the Glencoe area along the way. Stay in the Inverness area (house booked).
Day 7, Sun – Golf outing for most of the family. Grandma and grandchildren find alternate activities.
Day 8, Mon – Sightseeing - maybe private tour of Isle of Skye or drive ourselves to Torridon area?
Day 9, Tue – Another day in Inverness area. Maybe head to Kingussie and Aviemore.
Day 10, Wed - Drive from Inverness to Stirling, see Stirling Castle. Stay near airport and return one of the rental cars.
Day 11, Thur - Family leaves. My husband and I spend 4-5 more days in Scotland before returning home.

Questions
1) One of our sons will be leaving Inverness to head home to LAX. He was thinking of taking a train from Inverness to Edinburgh and then flying to LAX out of EDI. It looks like another option could be to fly from INV to LHR and then take a flight to LAX. Any thoughts on whether one is a better option than another?
2) Any suggestions for a hotel relatively close to the Edinburgh airport? We will just have our daughter, SIL, and the two grandchildren with us that night.

janisj Thank you for your input re driving a rental car in Edinburgh. Having done that in London, we liked your suggestions of picking up the rental cars at EDI even if it delays our journey to Oban a bit.

Scotlandmac Thanks again for your input re Glencoe and Aviemore. We decided to spend a third day in the Inverness area partly to have time to check out Kingussie, Newtonmore, and Aviemore. Having watched The Monarch of the Glen, I was interested to read that it was filmed in this area.

I’d always fly from Edinburgh rather than London - I tend to avoid the big London airports like the plague given delays/issues etc.

Check the airport hotels on booking.com for price or Airbnb for somewhere a bit further afield.We recently used Premier Inn Edinburgh Park - 10 min drive from the airport if you still have the car.

Kingussie Golf Course is a lovely very scenic inland course with views to the Cairngorms and in lovely condition too.A really enjoyable holiday course.My two boys, golf nuts, used to play it when we were in the area and I loved the wander round it too.
Nairn is right by the sea though it has two courses, one championship (or close to it) standard the other for mere mortals.
Fortrose Golf Course runs out and back along by Chanonry Point, the best land based dolphin watching spot in the UK.Can’t get any more links than that!

Torridon is far less mileage and the full equal of Skye though quieter and looks very different too.

Ardverikie Castle is privately owned and not open to the public as such, but you can walk through the estate as it is a ‘through’ route’ but no cars.Can be tricky to find parking outside the estate’s pretty gatehouse these days but it is possible - just -if no one has got there before you.You can easily walk to the lovely beach used in the filming too.

Re flying -- Flying out of EDI is easy. HOWEVER -- there are limited US flights and if things go pear shaped getting re-booked could be a hassle. There are many US/LA bound flights every day out of LHR so if a flight is cancelled or seriously delayed there would be lots of options the airline could put him on.

In this case I'd probably fly out of LHR -- It can be all on one booking INV > LHR > LAX