Need Advice on London/Scotland Trip
 

We are planning a two week trip to London and Scotland and could sure use some advice. We will be in London for 3 nights, then to Scotland for 9 nights, and back to London for 2 more nights before comming home. My plan had been to spend 3 nights in Edinburgh, 3 in Ft. William and 3 in Aberdeen and take day trips. Now, I am wondering if I have us moving too much and it also sounds like Ft. William is not the place to stay. We are going for the last two weeks of May...Help!

I don't necessarily think you are moving too much. However, 3 nights in either Aberdeen or Ft. William seems a little excessive to me. In fact, after Edinburgh I would probably spend only two nights in some places and see more of the country. I much prefer Inverness to Aberdeen; and if you can make it to Skye or other of the Hebrides, the experience is well worth the extra distance.

If you've never been to London or Scotland before, then the matter of time spent in each place may depend on your preference for city sites, history, museums, theaters, churches, etc. OR scenic beauty, hiking, golf, etc. I've been to both several times, and I think London and Edinburgh are great places to visit. Both have an A+ mix of sights, with easy train connections to nearby points of interest. For example, with Edinburgh as a base, there are easy outings to St. Andrews, Glasgow, and Stirling by train. (If you need a hotel, the Ibis is clean and ideal near the Royal Mile, moderately priced, easy access to train station, sites, etc.) London has great museums, theater, palaces, shopping and churches. You can also 'day trip' to nearby points like Windsor, Salisbury, Dover, etc. For first timers, I would give both London and Edinburgh at least 5 days each, with day trips from those bases included. The first day into London is jet lag recovery, and then the trip to Edinburgh (by train?) is 4+ hours. This would leave you four nights for a trip into the Highlands/Islands at one location like Ft. William or Inverness as a base.) Save Aberdeen for another time, and don't go back to London if you can help it. If you can fly out of Glasgow rather than going back to London, that would save you time and energy. Edinburgh also has an airport which connects back to flights going out of London or Brussels. There's also a small airport at Inverness which connects back to hubs. If cities aren't your thing, and you love outdoors, hiking, lochs, etc., then by all means give yourself more time in the Highlands/Islands instead of London and Edinburgh.

Syldrown<BR><BR>I do think you should ditch Fort William, but Inverness (as a city) is not much better. <BR><BR>Aberdeen is very nice, but unless you have family ties, an odd pick for a first trip. Why not stay somewhere like Dunkeld, and then you can do day trips to the west and the north and still be in the Highlands?

Ok, we're going for a revision. We fly in and out of London, that is why we plan on being there 3 days at the beginning and 2 days at the end of the 2 week period. Plus, I could only get tickets for Lion King at the end of the trip! We wil go to Edinburgh by train and I 'm still thinking 3 nights in Edinburgh, with a day trip to the Borders area, and one to Stirling and Fife. Then, maybe 3 days doing the Islands...what do you think about Kintyre Penninsula and Campbeltown? Maybe one day down there, then a couple of days around Skye??? What area would be a good place to stay for that? Then, we have 3 days left for the Highlands...stay in Dunkeld?? Drive back to Edinburgh and train back to London. We are looking for nice B&amp;B's in the $100-$150 range, and would like to splurge on a castle stay at some point. I know I'm full of questions, but I really do appreciate your words of wisdom!

OOKKK! Now you're cookin'!<BR><BR>This is MUCH better. <BR><BR>Can you time this to be leaving Edinburgh on a Sunday. Zip up to Tarbert, and see Kintyre. Take the early ferry to Islay and spend two days there and on Jura. Catch the Wednesday ferry to Oban, and an evening boat to Mull. Thursday catch the little ferry to Lochaline, then go round Ardnamurchan to Mallaig and get the ferry to Skye. Sped the night on Skye then drive back down through Glencoe and Strathyre to Edinburgh!!

I love this whole plan!! But, shouldn't we have a little time in the Highland area?? I really wish we had more time!! We actually will be leaving Edinburgh on a Friday...why did you suggest a Sunday? What do you think about the Highland area?

It's all a bit complicated- what, for example is &quot;Highland&quot;? There's a geographical fault line which runs from Stonehaven on the east coast to Helensburgh on the west, and everything north of it is &quot;Highlands&quot;. Or do you mean the Gaeltachdt? Where Gaelic was/is the common language? Because most of that trip is in the Gaeltachdt. Or do you mean where the mountains are? because there are lots of mountains where I was sending you. It's down to what it is you want to see/do.<BR><BR>However the Wednesday on Islay thing was important because that's the only day the ferry goes to Oban.<BR><BR>Could I make a sort of reverse suggestion if your bookings are not made?<BR><BR>Take the train to Fort William or Mallaig instead of Edinburgh. You can get the sleeper and they tell me that's one of the great railway journeys of the world. I'd personally go all the way to mallaig, but that depends on getting a hire car to pick up there, and I'm not certain about that. If you do it, you will cross the Glenfinnan Viaduct, now famous thanks to Harry Potter. Most of that train journey in Scotland, north of Glasgow is in the Highlands. I assume you would be arriving on a Tuesday morning?<BR><BR>Then take the ferry from Mallaig to Skye and wander over the island to catch the ferry at 9.40am the following day from Uig. Take the ferry from Uig to Lochmaddy on North Uist, and spend a couple of days wandering down the Outer Hebrides. You can cross by causeways to Benbecula, South Uist, and Eriskay (the Whisky Galore island), and apart from the stunning (if flat) scenery, you will get much more flavour of the Hebridean way of life than you would elsewhere in Scotland.<BR><BR>Spend two days and one night there and get the 7.50pm overnight ferry back to Oban on Thursday night.<BR><BR>Then you can do Glencoe and at this stage I'd suggest one of two things depending on whether you prefer water to hills. Either backtrack a little and go down Loch Awe To Inverary and round Loch Fyne to Tarbert and spend the night there, see Kintyre the following day, back to Tarbert and take the little ferry to Portavadie and either cross the Clyde to Gourock and a quick swing up the M8 for your last three days in Edinburgh, or drive off the Cowal peninsula and round to Edinburgh.<BR><BR>If you go the other way stay east and go through Tyndrum and Crianlarich to Killin and along Loch Tay to Dunkeld, then go down to dundee on the main roads the next day and wander to Edinburgh through the fishing villages of the east Neuk of Fife.<BR><BR>How about them apples?<BR><BR>

OK, Easter is finally over and we have been pouring over the Map. Wednesday in Islay is a real problem. How important are Islay and Jura? We are still thinking 3 days in Edinburgh, then drive to Oban, staying two nights in Oban We will do the Kintyre Penninsula one day, and Mull the next day. Then drive to the Isle of Skye and stay there two nights. The next day we will drive back to Edinburgh, stay there that night and train back to London the next morning. How does this sound??? Approximately how long a drive is it from Skye to Edinburgh??

Pooie answer; there's nothing wrong with doing that but it's boring.
As you may have spotted from my posts, I think Mull is no great shakes. The reason i lighted on Islay other than it's my favourite Inner Hebride, is that the stepping off point is Kennacraig on the Mull of Kintyre; and you can go straight on and back again. Personally I'd far rather do that than Mull; but it's all a question of taste.

How about, missing out this stuff and getting the boat from Oban to South Uist, going up through the Uists and coming back onto Skye from Lochmaddy, instead?

Skye to Edinburgh? 4-4 1/2 hours

This is what we have decided (I think!). After 3 days in Edinburgh, we will drive the the Isle of Skye and stay two nights there. We will leave Skye from Armadale, take the Ferry to Mallaig, drive down to Lochaline, then short Ferry to Fishnish and drive up to Tobormory (I really want to see this). Then back to Craignure and Ferry to Obon. We will stay in this area a couple of nights, with day trips to Kintyre and Islay (for you, Sheila!). Then, a couple of nights in the Stirling/Perth area before going back to Edinburgh. Comments?? Sheila, could you tell me what you suggest we do on Islay (of course the Whiskey...but what else??)

I'll cut off my nose to spite my face here. YOU can't do a day trip to Islay. You'd have to get up at 4am, you'd get home at 8pm and you'd get 4 hours on the island.

The rest of it's fine. Do Kilmartin Glen and Loch Craignish in detail instead.

Suggest Dunkeld for your East coast stay.