almondtree

Hi,

We have an insanely limited amount of time in Scotland (5 full days) and you will think we are crazy when you see what we want to do. We will be starting from the airport - going all the way to Isle of Skye and then back to Edinburgh. This is the anticipated riouting and I need a bit of advice for where to stay the 2 nights we are away from Edinburgh.

Day 1 - drive early a.m. from airport hotel to Aviemore (overnight)
Day 2 - drive to Isle of Skye (overnight - where? )
Day 3 - drive to Edinburgh (arrive late afternoon/early evening)
Day 4 - Edinburgh
Day 5 Edinburgh
Day 6 - depart for U.S. early a.m.

I would appreciate some suggestions about days 1 and 2 as far as better cities to stop in overnight. I know this is ambitious and probably crazy. Any help is appreciated.

Barbara_in_FL

What is it on Skye you want to see? You will be spending a lot of time in the car and won't have much time to actually enjoy it, let alone drive around the island. If I remember correctly it is close to 5 hours to drive from Skye to Edinburgh, so to arrive in the late afternoon or early evening you would really have to leave right after lunch. Why not pick Aviemore or Skye, but not both? Just curious. We did self-catering when we were there a few years ago, but for a single night I would stay somewhere in Portree where I could get out of the car and maybe walk to dinner.

janisj

If you want to go to Skye -- Why on EARTH are you going north to Aviemore? That makes no sense.

Which airport and is it necessary to spend one night of your very limited time in an Airport hotel?

Where are you arriving from?

What do you hope to see on Skye?

Once you answer those questions, we can help you w/ an itinerary

EJTravel

I travelled by train from Edinburgh to Skye,only briefly stopping in Inverness and skipping Loch Ness to do it. Perhaps I missed something on Skye, but it was disappointing unless you like windswept, quite bare ground with glimpses of the sea. It's terrain you can see many places in the world whereas the lakes are more unique. More time in Inverness and a trip to Loch Ness seems like time better spent. Perhaps there is another reason for you to go to Skye. If so, enjoy.

janisj

"<i>More time in Inverness and a trip to Loch Ness seems like time better spent. </i>"

Sorry - of course there are different strokes for different folks . . . but to recommend Loch Ness over Skye is ludicrous.

NOT that Skye is the be all and end all - one can have an absolutely lovely Scottish holiday w/o stepping foot on the island. But Loch Ness is one of the <i>least</i> scenic lochs in northern Scotland (and Inverness is just a town). Perhaps one should actually visit a place before recommending it.

Rubicund

True janisj, agree completely. almondtree, unless you have a real reason for visiting Aviemore, leave it out of this trip. It's just a detour for no good reason. On Skye head for Portree. It's the largest town (and it's small) on the island with a reasonable selection of hotels and B&B accommodation.

EJTravel

Yes, to each his or her own. I did not care for Skye, but found Inverness intriguing. Also, the B & B on Skye was awful. Too bad janisj chose to use such condescending language instead of simply respecting a different opinion.

adrienne

<< Perhaps I missed something on Skye >>

You unfortunately did miss it. I did not find Skye barren; there are mountains, rolling hills, and cliffs. Skye is lush and rugged and robust.

http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/scotland1998/68
http://modigliani.shutterfly.com/scotland1998/61#62

adrienne

I would skip Skye and go right to Edinburgh w/o a car; take the bus or train. The drive will not be easy and it will be long. It took me 2 days to go from Portree to Glasgow but perhaps I'm a slow driver. LOL

You will not have enough time on Skye to reap the benefit of the island and will perhaps come away with a negative perception as you will not have time to experience it.

janisj

EJ -sorry you were offended. But you honestly could not have seen much of Skye. Skye is not my favorite corner of Scotland - it isn't even my very favorite island. But it is an <u>absolutely</u> gorgeous place. Head and shoulders above Loch Ness. Did you take a lightening day trip - maybe that explains things.

Skye http://tinyurl.com/bpmghxc

vs

Loch Ness http://tinyurl.com/ctahuod

Just no comparison.


Perhaps you could tell us what you found intriguing about Inverness

EJTravel

Thanks for the links to pictures, janisj! I like cities, so was intrigued by Inverness and I know more history associated with it rather than Skye. I was at the end of 3 months in the UK and had been studying Arthuriana and Victorian poets at Oxford. The crazy stories linked to Nessie intrigued me.

The Skye in your pictures is beautiful. Looks like a good place for hikers. Yes, I was in Skye for a single day. Now that I think about it, the year I was there in 1977 was one of the hottest on record at the time. Skye was not green as shown in these pictures. Perhaps that was due to the hot, dry weather.

Hope the almondtree who started this post enjoys Skye if she gets there.

janisj

OMG - 1977. Probably 1/3 of Fodorites weren't even born yet

And re Inverness . . . It was a <i>VERY</i> different place <u>36 years ago</u>. It is now mainly a busy commerce center.

EJTravel

Funny, but true, janisj!