Need Advice on Scotland Itinerary
 

I am planning a trip with my husband in early October to Scotland and have been reviewing the Fodors travel boards on trip recommendations. I am having a really hard time in nailing down my itinerary (did not have this problem with my Italy trip three years ago). Maybe I am trying to cover too many things, but I cannot seem to get a good handle on distance and travel times between sites.

We will be arriving in London from the U.S. early on the morning of October 3. Plan on catching a train the same day to Edinburgh rather than spending the night in London. We will have October 4 through October 10 to tour Scotland (7 full days). Need to be back in London mid-afternoon on October 11 as we will be meeting up with friends later for dinner.

Plan to spend October 4 and 5, at least, in Edinburgh to see area and take tours. Dates and places are open after this. We will not drive in Edinburgh, but my husband is willing to rent a car for touring the rest of Scotland as long as we stay out of the cities. My original plan was to then head northeast to the Fife/Angus areas for the fishing villages, then up to Iverness (unsure if we should stay over night somewhere on the way to Iverness). The route would then go on through Loch Ness, Ft William and Oban(?). Then Collander/Stirling/the Trossachs (assume Collander/Stirling areas would require 2 or maybe 3 days).

I don't think we would mind doing a day or so that would be mostly driving, as long as we are stopping at the major sites, but still advancing to our next location of stay. However, maybe the plan to take in the Fife/Angus areas is not wise. Should it be excluded, should we reverse the direction after leaving Edinburg and include Skye instead?

Also, do we need to book lodging in advance, or would we be safe in October and be able to find nice places as we went (i.e., B&Bs)? I definitely plan to arrange for lodging in the Edinburgh area. Any advice from those experienced with Scotland would be greatly appreciated.

To me, the answer to your question is a no-brainer:

Head westward toward the Highlands and The Isles (Mull and/or Skye).

As is my custom in other posts, I warn about iffy weather and to be prepared with alternatives if, and when, the weather makes touring unpleasant. Regrettably, with Scotland, this "if" is more likely to be a "when".

Based on this, I would certainly not make any B&B reservations. (Those places won't be filled anyway, I don't think.)

Personally . . .

I like the Skye idea better than the Fife/Angus fishing village idea primarily because I think the scenery is more dramatic and appealing GENERALLY in Western Scotland.

Inverness is OK as a base because of the sheer numbers of places to stay but I think you'll find the town is pretty ho-hum and there are better deals in the environs, out toward Cawdor or Huntly castles.

Inverness to Ft William, Skye, Oban is a pretty drive. There are quite a few choices scenery-wise for diversions along that route. Ft William is pretty forgettable except as a base for visiting other areas. Oban has a very scenic setting on the bay . . .

Then drive from Oban toward the Callander / Trossachs and the area around Killin (Lake Kenmore), Crianlarich, Aberfeldy, Gleneagles is some of my favorite scenery in the world.

DONT DO THIS - but to give you an idea for distance and travel time, I once left Edinburgh at about 9:00am and drove the circle you've described (almost) and made it back to Edinburgh by 9:00pm.

Have fun.

Another vote for Skye!

Based on my one week trip of Scotland last month, here are my views:

1. Please make sure to rent a car to drive out of Edinburgh. You will want the flexibility of being able to stop and start, and going by my experience of some of the views, you'll be stopping every 10 minutes to take in the scenery
2. Try and avoid the main roadways/highways, cause they will not afford you very good views. Select slightly smaller roads, the ones which drive along lochs / the coast and you will love it
3. I could not understand why Inverness is so popular - in my opinion, you should try and drive further north and spend the night in a small village somewhere instead of staying in Inverness
4. Be sure to make the drive between Fort William and Glasgow - the area around Glen Coe is God's own country.

Enjoy!

If you're going in October, it's out of season and you certainly don't need to book accommodation in advance as you will have no problem finding B&Bs wherever you go. The weather in the autumn can be very variable and your itinerary should be flexible to take account of this. There are times when it rains on the west coast and the east coast is sunny - or vice versa. The west coast generally has better scenery but there's no point in driving around in pouring rain.

I think you COULD do what you are seeking to but the previous advice you've had is good. Do less.

I'd stick to places with decent sized towns in striking distance at that time of year. You won't have any trouble getting rooms

Everyone thanks for your helpful comments. The opportunity for this trip came up suddenly, leaving me little time for a thorough research. We are really looking forward to getting away and enjoying a new adventure.

We just returned from a trip to Scotland, and we covered a lot of the territory you are considering. I wrote a detailed report of that trip (do a search for Scotland Report). I think the East Neuk is skippable, though I was less impressed with Skye than a lot of people are. I agree that the west coast has generally better scenery than the east, with the exception of the Cairngorms, which were stunning.

I am biased but see our website for places to visit and things to do in the Stirling & Trossachs area.

Kilronan http://www.kilronan.co.uk