crazy4Hawaii

Okay, I'm beginning to have a better idea what I'd like to see - and with only a week, that's crucial! I want to spend 2-3 nights in Edinburgh and 2-3 nights on Islay. To complicate things, I'd like to visit Ben Nevis distillery in Ft. William and ride the Jacobite train between Ft. William and Mallaig.

Date - June 2007
Thursday night London to Ft. William Caledonian Sleeper
Departure Friday (eight days later) from Glasgow airport

I'd rather only drive a car on Islay and use public transportation the rest of the time but will keep an open mind.

Please, help me build an itinerary...

janisj

Sheila is def the Islay expert on here, but I think she is off on holiday. So here is what I think for what it's worth.

can't be done. Not by public transport. Well it CAN be done - isn't physically impossible. But Islay is a harder place to visit (worth it though) than Skye or Mull or some of the other isles. You need to drive all the way down to Kennacraig on the Kintyre Penninsula for the ferry. And that is a seriously long drive to Edinburgh. Plus you also need 1 or 1.5 days for Ft William and the Jacobite train.

You can fly to Islay from Glasgow. So the only way I see it working would be something like

Train to Edinburgh, visit Edinburgh 3 days.
Train to Ft William, take Jacobite and tour distillery. 1 night 1.5 days
Train to Glasgow, fly to Islay for 3 days
Fly to GLA to depart

janisj

To clarify a bit - that would be the sleeper train from London to Edinburgh.

GeoffHamer

The ferries to Islay (www.calmac.co.uk) go from Kennacraig which is on Citylink's bus route from Glasgow to Campbeltown (www.citylink.co.uk); the bus goes via Arrochar & Tarbet (a station on the Glasgow - Fort William railway line) and 'Rest & Be Thankful' (a mountain pass which is also on the Oban-Glasgow bus route). You can check other bus and train connections on www.transportdirect.info. Most of these services run only two or three times a day, so you need to check schedules carefully. Using trains and buses, you see more scenery than a car driver.
In additional to the Jacobite steam train, there are other diesel trains between Fort William and Mallaig, and the scenery is just as beautiful.

crazy4Hawaii

Thank you, Janis and Geoff. It may not seem worthwhile to make such an effort to get to Ft. William since I'd rather visit Islay than Skye. Would you comment on one island over the other for a first-time visitor? My favorite single malts come from Islay, which is what brought that area to my attention. It looks like Glasgow is my key to that area, either by plane or bus.

When you are moving through beautiful scenery by train or bus, does the driver/conductor comment on what you are seeing? Or is there perhaps a "Scotland by rail" type book I could take along?

noe847

I'd bring a good map on the train. It will show the rail line, and you can follow where you are by the stops/towns. You can identify the mountains and lochs out the window.

GeoffHamer

For some reason, Skye has always been the most well-known of Scotland's Western Isles, but others may be just as beautiful. Mull, for example, is a similar size, has mountains, pretty villages and castles. If Islay is the island you want to see, then go there and, if you don't have time to see Skye as well, then save Skye for another visit to Scotland. Islay is a mountainous island and has the advantage that there are fewer tourists (and probably few people who even know how to pronounce the name). The bus journey from Glasgow to Kennacraig will take you past Loch Lomond and over the 'Rest and be Thankful' pass, and will be worth doing for the scenery. Take a map and a guide book, and don't be afraid to ask locals about the local sights.

janisj

If you dream of Islay, that that is where you should go. You will get back to Scotland again - plenty of time for Skye or elsewhere on another visit.

Cutting Ft William/Mallaig helps 10000%. It was the trip up to Ft William, detour to Skye, and zigzagging to Islay and Edinburgh that was the problem. That is a 2-week itinerary.

In your week+ you would have time for Edinburgh and Islay. I'd take the train up to Edinburgh. Stay Fri, Sat, Sun nights. Monday morning train to Glasgow. Bus to Islay (or fly if you want). Stay Mon, Tues, Wed nights on Islay. Bus or fly back to Glasgow for Thurs night. Fly out Friday.

carolyn

How do you pronounce Islay?

janisj

Ila (Eye - la)

sheila

I'm back!. This was posting 2128 on the list, so sorry, it took me a while to find it.

crazy, are any of these days absolutely fixed? And do you feel you have to ride the Jacobite in both directions? Because we can do it, just not necessarily in this order.

crazy4Hawaii

Hey, Sheila -
Nope, at this point in time I've very flexible...
Fire away with any suggestions you might have. I've copied all the Edinburgh information you gave me and I'm grateful for all of your help!

sheila

OK; I think the best I can do is thisbr />
You need to arrive on a Tuesday by sleeper. Change trains and do the Jacobite thing. The distillery is open into the evening in the summer so you can see it on your return to Fort William.

Then, either spend the night in or near Fort William and get the bus to Oban in the morning or get the bus to Oban in the evening and spend the night there.

If it was me, I'd head down to Oban that night (the last bus is 6.20pm, so you'd have about 2 hours at the distillery, which fortunately is near the bus station).

Next day see Oban (see the distillery if you fancy it); but be on the pier at not later than 3 .20pm, and get the boat to Islay. Arrange for Mckenzie's to have a car waiting for you at Port Askaig. Spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday on Islay, and either fly or get the bus to Glasgow, then get the train to Edinburgh, for Sunday Monday and Tuesday, getting the train and bus back to Glasgow airport at the end of it.

crazy4Hawaii

Masterful! Thank you so much. I know that it would be easier to visit Skye, but for some reason I hear Islay calling to me...

sheila

Hey. me too