I personally think you have too much Skye. But otherwise it's fine.

Butting in with a question here, because I always respect the opinion of the above posters on Scotland.

I notice that in several threads people are told to drop Fort William or to skip it.

When I drove through there in 1998, for some reason I put it on my list as a place to stay if I ever came back. Now of course I can't remember why. So can any of you clarify why it's 'not' on your lists of places to stay. I tend to usually follow fodorite advice.

Sheila,

Were would you add the extra day to if I only spend 3 days on Skye?

Thank you

hoping, Fort William has the disadvantage of being a horrible town in a lovely location. It's got two or three pieces of ghastly failed economic engineering attempts- the pulp mill and the smelter- and swaths of 1950s Council Housing. The shops are rubbish and there's 1 decent restaurant. The hotels (with the exception of the Inverlochy which is waaaaay beyond my budget) all cater for mass market bus tours. It's the sort of place to go to because you can't avoid it.

k, based on what you've already got in there, I'd take an extra day south of Oban in Kilmartin Glen and around. Marvellous pre-history, lovely public gardens, the Crinan canal and the Moine Mhor

Kilmartin Glen with its prehistoric sites would make a excellent stop on your tour. In or near the village of Kilmartin are the Museum of Ancient Culture,the Kilmartin crosses and Carnasserie Castle.Have lunch at the museum. (www.kilmartin.org) Then as Shelia has also mentioned visit Moine Mhor and Dunadd. Stop at the Crinan Canal to view a man-made creation and if you're interested in natural phenomenona, you could do a trip out to Corrievreckan from Crinan.

Sheila, thanks. It must be the lovely setting which I remembered and the pictures of Inverlochy, which is also beyond my budget.

k, I'll be anxious to read your trip report when you return.

Well I am still trying to figure out my plan but here is the list of accomodations.

Ediburgh - 2 nights (I don't have that one decided)
Grantown on Spey - 3 nights Kinross House
Mull - 2 nights Seaview (should we spend one more night on Mull?
Skye -3 nights Lodge at Edinbane
Trossachs 2 nights- Not sure need a suggestion for what area to base ourselves in.
Kilmartin area 1 night (need a base for this area and B&B)
Edinburg - near airport don't have a choice yet

Any help would be appreciated.

Re Mull - 2 nights are fine if you take a morning ferry over. But if you don't arrive until the afternoon, I'd probably add a 3rd night.

Is your list the order in which you are traveling? It seems sort of a figure 8 route. It would flow just a bit easier if you went Edinburgh > G-on-Spey > Skye > Mull > Kilmartin> Trossaachs > EDI.

As for the Trossachs area - Lots of places to choose from. In/near Callander, or in/near Killin would be good. Near Callander would be a good choice but just about anywhere in the region would be convenient for touring around.

Spent a week at new Year in the Trossachs. I'd probably go with Callendar. Couple of very nice places in the main street

Sheila,

Do you remember the names of the places that you stayed in Callendar?

Thank you

We didn't stay in Callander. We had a a house on Loch Arklet. I did eat in Callander Meadows on the main street and I set it aside as somewhere I WOULD stay.

I'm surprised to hear someone suggest 3 nights on Skye is too long. It's barely enough to glimpse enjoy half the island.

Also, I think it would be helpful if the person mentioning things to do indoors in Skye would specify what they have in mind. I'm glad the original poster has moved up the travel period. I found little indoors on Skye to interest me personally, but there are many tourist "attractions" I avoid.

This is our plan so far. 2 nights in Ediburgh, 2 nights at the Kinross House on Grantown on Spey, 3 nights at the lodge on Edinbane on Skye, 3 nights at the Seaview on Mull, one night in Kilmartin and 2 nights in the Trossachs. Is there any of these places that we do not need to spend nights in that could be combined with other places. i.e. Kilmartin and the Trossachs or Grantown on Spey with another location?

kpilling: I personally think you have a wonderful plan there. Sure - any place could be cut back -- but each place could also be lengthened. I'd not change a thing.

people may have individual quibbles w/ this stop or that location -- but what you have there is very doable and not rushed at all.

We spent a week on Skye in August and never ran out of things to do (or look at). Kilt Rock, the Quraing, the coral beach at Claigan, Dunvegan, etc., there always seemed to be something elseto see.

We really enjoyed staying in Dunblane - close to border Abbeys, convenient train to Edinburgh, Drummond Gardens, Stirling....

Okay - I'm ready to go back!

Sorry - my comment about Dunblane should have been prefaced with "As far as a nice village in Central Scotland,"

twina49: I agree Dunblane is nice -- but close to the Border Abbeys??

Janis - We thought it was close enough to give us a nice day out, and since the abbeys are so close together it was easy to visit two or three of them.

Oh - I'm not saying they aren't doable from Dunblane -- it was just the "close" bit I was commenting on . . . . . .

Sort of like Inverness/Skye -- very doable but not close to each other. Though most of the roads between Dunblane and the Abbeys are faster than up north.

(agajohnson has been reported)

A slight change in our itinerary - looks like we may have to do it opposite of what I have posted. 2 nights in Edinburgh, 2 nights Trossachs, 1 night Kilmartin, 3 nights Mull, 3 nights Skye, 2 nights Granatown on Spey, and one 1 night back in Edimburgh.

Can anyone tell me the approx. travel time between Mull and Skye? Also approx. travel time between Skye and Granatown on Spey?

Thank you for your patience