Please help with Scotland itinerary
Jan 4th, 2004, 11:13 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Please help with Scotland itinerary
Can someone please critique our itinerary for Scotland, the second half of a month long trip to Ireland/Scotland? This is one of those once-in-a lifetime trips; probably won't be back, so want to see as much as possible. Husband & I are not seeking a "restful" vacation -- "ambitious" is ok, "unreasonable" is not. Are these driving distances reasonable? Also, are we missing any "must sees?" Thanks much!
Jan 4th, 2004, 12:34 PM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You posted the actual itinerary on a different thread. I'm adding it here to help. I'll answer later:-
Day 1: arrive Glasgow airport, pick up car, N on A82 to overnite in GlenCoe area.
Day 2: Drive to Isle of Skye (over Skye Bridge
Days 3 & 4: Skye
Day 5: drive to Inverness (route over Skye Bridge, NE on 890, 832, 835 into 9 to Inverness
Day 6 day trip to Orkney Island sights (Puffin Espress: a long day, but a break from driving & cheaper than our own car on ferry) sleep Inverness
Day 7: from Inverness base, drive different circuit of highland countryside: ??835 to Ullapool, 837, 9176 to 9, back to Inverness.
Day 8: drive E on 96 thru Aberdeen, S on 90 to Dunnotar Castle. Sleep around here
Day 9: Castle Drive along Deeside, then S to 924 & 9 to Blair Castle. Sleep around here
Day 10. Drive to Stirling, sleep here
Day 11 turn in car at Edinburgh airport, train to city center
Days 12, 13, 14 in Edinburgh
Day 15 flight back to Dublin
Day 1: arrive Glasgow airport, pick up car, N on A82 to overnite in GlenCoe area.
Day 2: Drive to Isle of Skye (over Skye Bridge
Days 3 & 4: Skye
Day 5: drive to Inverness (route over Skye Bridge, NE on 890, 832, 835 into 9 to Inverness
Day 6 day trip to Orkney Island sights (Puffin Espress: a long day, but a break from driving & cheaper than our own car on ferry) sleep Inverness
Day 7: from Inverness base, drive different circuit of highland countryside: ??835 to Ullapool, 837, 9176 to 9, back to Inverness.
Day 8: drive E on 96 thru Aberdeen, S on 90 to Dunnotar Castle. Sleep around here
Day 9: Castle Drive along Deeside, then S to 924 & 9 to Blair Castle. Sleep around here
Day 10. Drive to Stirling, sleep here
Day 11 turn in car at Edinburgh airport, train to city center
Days 12, 13, 14 in Edinburgh
Day 15 flight back to Dublin
Jan 4th, 2004, 12:54 PM
#3
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 24,291
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Your itinerary sounds good, and I'm glad you're going to Skye, which we love. My only suggestion would be to keep the car one day longer to see the sights around Edinburgh and then using your last 2 days in that city. You've done an excellent job of not rushing things, always a temptation.
Jan 4th, 2004, 01:00 PM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,873
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You are hitting some terrific areas -- but a few suggestions:
on day 2 go from Glencoe to Ft William and then the A830 west to Mallaig and catch the ferry to Skye. The road out to Mallaig is beautiful and you can stop at Glenfinnan.
Then on day 5 take your planned itinerary over the Skye bridge to the mainland.
I would not stay IN Inverness. It is a good central area for the things you want to see but is basically just a small (but too big) busy city with lots of congested traffic. Stay somewhere just east of the city like near Culloden or Clava Cairns, or west of the city near Beauly or Muir of Ord.
On day 9, unless for some reason you want to go though Kirkmichael, I'd go a little farther south and catch the A 923 at Blairgowrie over to the A9. This is actually a prettier drive than the slower A924.
I usually like to stay a little longer in each area but you have worked out a pretty good itinerary that covers a lot of ground.
on day 2 go from Glencoe to Ft William and then the A830 west to Mallaig and catch the ferry to Skye. The road out to Mallaig is beautiful and you can stop at Glenfinnan.
Then on day 5 take your planned itinerary over the Skye bridge to the mainland.
I would not stay IN Inverness. It is a good central area for the things you want to see but is basically just a small (but too big) busy city with lots of congested traffic. Stay somewhere just east of the city like near Culloden or Clava Cairns, or west of the city near Beauly or Muir of Ord.
On day 9, unless for some reason you want to go though Kirkmichael, I'd go a little farther south and catch the A 923 at Blairgowrie over to the A9. This is actually a prettier drive than the slower A924.
I usually like to stay a little longer in each area but you have worked out a pretty good itinerary that covers a lot of ground.
Jan 5th, 2004, 01:23 AM
#5
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Couple of questions first:-
What time do you arrive at Glasgow?
I, too, would recommend the Mallaig Armadale route onto Skye. Apart from anything else you will get the benefit of seeing Arisaig and the views across to the Small Isles.
I also agree about not staying IN Inverness itself if you can avoid it. I know that Puffin tour leaves at sparrowfart, so it may be the lesser of two evils to stay in the town.
I'm not good on more obscure road numbers so can I assume and/or recommend that you drive from Deeside over Glen Shee to Blacklunans, then west to Bridge of Cally and Kirkmichael and down onto the A9 at Pitlochry, leaving an easy run up to Blair Atholl.
It'sa good itinerary, cathing the important stuff and doing some less obvious things too.
What time do you arrive at Glasgow?
I, too, would recommend the Mallaig Armadale route onto Skye. Apart from anything else you will get the benefit of seeing Arisaig and the views across to the Small Isles.
I also agree about not staying IN Inverness itself if you can avoid it. I know that Puffin tour leaves at sparrowfart, so it may be the lesser of two evils to stay in the town.
I'm not good on more obscure road numbers so can I assume and/or recommend that you drive from Deeside over Glen Shee to Blacklunans, then west to Bridge of Cally and Kirkmichael and down onto the A9 at Pitlochry, leaving an easy run up to Blair Atholl.
It'sa good itinerary, cathing the important stuff and doing some less obvious things too.
Jan 5th, 2004, 12:13 PM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thank you all for your help! (I posted this earlier today & don?t see it here?forgive me if this ends up duplicated). Here are a couple of responses to your suggestions:
1. Sheila & Janis, I planned the route to Skye for over the bridge because I thought the ?Road to the Isles? (Fort Wm to Maillig) was more difficult to drive (based on 1 friend?s experience & a guidebook also). If you all don?t think there?s any significantly higher difficulty level, I would LOVE to go that route instead. Stopping in Glenfinnan for the monument & the viaduct would be great (can you see the viaduct from the monument area?) Then we would take the bridge route upon leaving Skye.
2. All of you counsel against staying IN Inverness. Sheila, you?re correct that our plan is because of the early departure for the Puffin Express day tour to Orkney, so the night before that tour should stay as is planned. But we WILL revise the other nights to somewhere outside of the city.
3. Underhill, I?m wondering what other areas around Edinburgh you?re thinking of when you suggest keeping the car one more day. I do want to, on one of those Edinburgh days, take the bus to Roslin to see the chapel.
4. Sheila, you asked what time we?re arriving in Glasgow: I have not finalized those flight tickets yet, but I see that Easy Jet has a couple of morning flights (Belfast to Glasgow), one of which leaves at 8:00 a.m. So I would hope by mid to late morning we could be on the road. Are you thinking perhaps that, if early enough, we might be able to make it to Glenfinnan & stay there for the night rather than in Glen Coe area? How long of a drive would that be (Glasgow airport to Glenfinnan)
I have one more question, which you may or may not be able to help me with. I?m pricing round trip air fare from Chicago to Dublin, and wondering if we should grab the fare of $491, or if you think it could possibly go lower than that (we tried to go last year, but had to postpone till this year?last year?s price at this time was about $630-650, so 491 seems great!)
Thanks once more for all your time and help!
1. Sheila & Janis, I planned the route to Skye for over the bridge because I thought the ?Road to the Isles? (Fort Wm to Maillig) was more difficult to drive (based on 1 friend?s experience & a guidebook also). If you all don?t think there?s any significantly higher difficulty level, I would LOVE to go that route instead. Stopping in Glenfinnan for the monument & the viaduct would be great (can you see the viaduct from the monument area?) Then we would take the bridge route upon leaving Skye.
2. All of you counsel against staying IN Inverness. Sheila, you?re correct that our plan is because of the early departure for the Puffin Express day tour to Orkney, so the night before that tour should stay as is planned. But we WILL revise the other nights to somewhere outside of the city.
3. Underhill, I?m wondering what other areas around Edinburgh you?re thinking of when you suggest keeping the car one more day. I do want to, on one of those Edinburgh days, take the bus to Roslin to see the chapel.
4. Sheila, you asked what time we?re arriving in Glasgow: I have not finalized those flight tickets yet, but I see that Easy Jet has a couple of morning flights (Belfast to Glasgow), one of which leaves at 8:00 a.m. So I would hope by mid to late morning we could be on the road. Are you thinking perhaps that, if early enough, we might be able to make it to Glenfinnan & stay there for the night rather than in Glen Coe area? How long of a drive would that be (Glasgow airport to Glenfinnan)
I have one more question, which you may or may not be able to help me with. I?m pricing round trip air fare from Chicago to Dublin, and wondering if we should grab the fare of $491, or if you think it could possibly go lower than that (we tried to go last year, but had to postpone till this year?last year?s price at this time was about $630-650, so 491 seems great!)
Thanks once more for all your time and help!
Jan 5th, 2004, 03:56 PM
#8
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,873
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That airfare seems OK - you might be able to get it lower - but also they could go higher, and then you would be up a creek.
as for the drive out to Mallaig - it isn't really any more difficult. There are some single track bits but I actually find the drive easier then the A87 to the Kyle of Lochalsh because the traffic is normally lighter. The monument/acqueduct is beautiful. The view is world famous - walk up on the hill and look down over the monument and down Loch Shiel.
If you want to keep your car an extra day and do a day trip to the Borders it would be easy. I'd get an early start and head south to Melrose/Dryburgh and then back north towards Edinburgh and stop at Roslin for Rosslyn Chapel. You probably would not have enough time to see Floors and get to Roslin in time to get inside the Chapel. Kelso Abbey takes no time at all because it is basically a ruin in the town administrative center. So unless you do go to Floors I'd skip it. Whereas Melrose takes a while to see and Dryburgh is the loveliest of all.
Linlithgow is east of Edinburgh and not convenient to combine w/ your route to Roslin/the Borders. If you want to see it (it is terrific) after you have dropped off your car you can take a quick train from Edinburgh right to the center of the village. Or, you can visit the palace and then turn you car in at Edinburgh airport and take the airporter shuttle bus back into Edinburgh.
as for the drive out to Mallaig - it isn't really any more difficult. There are some single track bits but I actually find the drive easier then the A87 to the Kyle of Lochalsh because the traffic is normally lighter. The monument/acqueduct is beautiful. The view is world famous - walk up on the hill and look down over the monument and down Loch Shiel.
If you want to keep your car an extra day and do a day trip to the Borders it would be easy. I'd get an early start and head south to Melrose/Dryburgh and then back north towards Edinburgh and stop at Roslin for Rosslyn Chapel. You probably would not have enough time to see Floors and get to Roslin in time to get inside the Chapel. Kelso Abbey takes no time at all because it is basically a ruin in the town administrative center. So unless you do go to Floors I'd skip it. Whereas Melrose takes a while to see and Dryburgh is the loveliest of all.
Linlithgow is east of Edinburgh and not convenient to combine w/ your route to Roslin/the Borders. If you want to see it (it is terrific) after you have dropped off your car you can take a quick train from Edinburgh right to the center of the village. Or, you can visit the palace and then turn you car in at Edinburgh airport and take the airporter shuttle bus back into Edinburgh.
Jan 6th, 2004, 12:15 PM
#9
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The itinerary sounds good to me. Ullapool is really lovely, though you're missing some of the southerly western coast -- around Oban and Loch Awe, which IMO was some of the best scenery we've seen.
I highly recommend Braelangwell House as a base near Inverness -- it's on the black isle, about a 30 minute drive outside the city, and was one of our favorite lodgings in Scotland. We didn't miss anything by not staying IN Inverness.
http://www.btinternet.com/~braelangwell/
I highly recommend Braelangwell House as a base near Inverness -- it's on the black isle, about a 30 minute drive outside the city, and was one of our favorite lodgings in Scotland. We didn't miss anything by not staying IN Inverness.
http://www.btinternet.com/~braelangwell/
