Request for September Itinerary review and help
Jul 29th, 2008, 04:51 PM
#1
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Request for September Itinerary review and help
My Scotland trip is coming up quickly, oh boy!! (Arrive Edinburgh Sept 6th - depart Sept 18th, so 12 nights) and I need help please! I would like to ask everyone his or her opinions on what I have planned so far.
Mainly I will be visiting the Highlands and I am having a hard time judging how much I will be able to cover in a day of driving to comfortably enjoy seeing everything as I drive alone. Ideally I don’t wish to spend more than 3-4 hours driving any day if possible. I am a solo traveler from the US, older single female adventuring out on my own for the first time! I want to experience #1 the beauty of Scotland’s people, countryside and sea life and and hear traditional music where possible.
Night #1 and #2 – (6th & 7th Sept). I arrive in Edinburgh in the early evening, and will spend two nights at a B&B. I have purchased a Hop on Hop Off bus ticket to get around Edinburgh on the 7th and also a Heritage pass.
Night #3 – (8th Sept). picking up a car as I leave Edinburgh and head to Stirling and then to Inverary to spend one night.
I am thinking about driving down to the Crinan Canal <- opinions please) I saw a programme and that area looked beautiful to me. Would there be another place I should drive to enroute to Oban that anyone recommends instead?
Night #4, 5 (9th Sept +10 thth Sept.) in Oban, arriving mid day to early evening, settle in and see the town somewhat.
2nd day in Oban, take a ferry/and or tour to Mull and Fingals Cave.
That is as far as I have planned with respect to reservations.
After Oban I have 7 nights left. (However, the last night I need to arrange lodging near the Inverness airport that would have airport transportation available or be within a reasonable taxi distance to it early on the 18th.) Any suggestions?
Back to planning….I was thinking I would find a central location (? Fort Williams, Ballachuish, Glencoe or where? ) to spend Night # 6 & 7, & 8 (11th & 12th & 13th Sept.) and do day trips to:
>Glencoe, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs area one day. Is this too much for one day?
>Drive the Road to the Isles or take the Jackobite train to Mallaig and back on the 2nd day. Then have another day open to fill as I wish.
Night #9 and 10, (14th & 15th Sept). Drive to Skye and spend one or two nights in Potree. Or just one night and then night 10 in Ullapool.
Night #11 and 12, (16 th & 17 th Sept.) leave Sky and drive to Inverness area. (Or drive from Ullapool to Inverness)
I hope this has not been too confusing. I feel like I am trying to do too too much in too short a time, but everything I read about, I want to see so I am having a hard time deciding and a hard time judging what is reasonable. Comments, advice and critique are welcomed! Many thanks! Faith
Mainly I will be visiting the Highlands and I am having a hard time judging how much I will be able to cover in a day of driving to comfortably enjoy seeing everything as I drive alone. Ideally I don’t wish to spend more than 3-4 hours driving any day if possible. I am a solo traveler from the US, older single female adventuring out on my own for the first time! I want to experience #1 the beauty of Scotland’s people, countryside and sea life and and hear traditional music where possible.
Night #1 and #2 – (6th & 7th Sept). I arrive in Edinburgh in the early evening, and will spend two nights at a B&B. I have purchased a Hop on Hop Off bus ticket to get around Edinburgh on the 7th and also a Heritage pass.
Night #3 – (8th Sept). picking up a car as I leave Edinburgh and head to Stirling and then to Inverary to spend one night.
I am thinking about driving down to the Crinan Canal <- opinions please) I saw a programme and that area looked beautiful to me. Would there be another place I should drive to enroute to Oban that anyone recommends instead?
Night #4, 5 (9th Sept +10 thth Sept.) in Oban, arriving mid day to early evening, settle in and see the town somewhat.
2nd day in Oban, take a ferry/and or tour to Mull and Fingals Cave.
That is as far as I have planned with respect to reservations.
After Oban I have 7 nights left. (However, the last night I need to arrange lodging near the Inverness airport that would have airport transportation available or be within a reasonable taxi distance to it early on the 18th.) Any suggestions?
Back to planning….I was thinking I would find a central location (? Fort Williams, Ballachuish, Glencoe or where? ) to spend Night # 6 & 7, & 8 (11th & 12th & 13th Sept.) and do day trips to:
>Glencoe, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs area one day. Is this too much for one day?
>Drive the Road to the Isles or take the Jackobite train to Mallaig and back on the 2nd day. Then have another day open to fill as I wish.
Night #9 and 10, (14th & 15th Sept). Drive to Skye and spend one or two nights in Potree. Or just one night and then night 10 in Ullapool.
Night #11 and 12, (16 th & 17 th Sept.) leave Sky and drive to Inverness area. (Or drive from Ullapool to Inverness)
I hope this has not been too confusing. I feel like I am trying to do too too much in too short a time, but everything I read about, I want to see so I am having a hard time deciding and a hard time judging what is reasonable. Comments, advice and critique are welcomed! Many thanks! Faith
Jul 29th, 2008, 05:21 PM
#3
You'll have a wonderful trip!
Having said that, your ideas/itinerary are quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.
You say EDI > Stirling > Invereray, then several days later you plan on a day trip from Ft William/Ballchulish down to the Trossachs/Loch Lomond. This doesn't make much sense. Just about any route you take from Stirling to Invereray would have you traveling through the Trossachs and seeing Loch Lomond.
Oban really doesn't warrant 2 nights (and Ft William doesn't warrant ANY nights)
Consider something like:
• Edinburgh 2 nights.
• Somewhere west of Stirling 2 nights (to see the Trossachs, Loch Lomond, Stirling, Inchmahome, etc)
• Then drive to Oban and take the ferry to Mull for 1 night
• Across on the ferry to Lochaline up to the Corran ferry drive and detour to see Glencoe, then out to Skye. This would be your longest driving day but still very doable. 2 nights on Skye
(So far this is only 7 nights so you have 5 days to play with. You could have added a night in Invereray or another night on Mull.)
Then you have either 4 or 5 nights for the northwest and near Inverness. This would let you see a LOT w/o any long driving days.
For your last night - I'd stay in Culloden or Nairn or somewhere between. The airport is NE of Inverness and it would not be a bad taxi ride from anyplace along there. Some B&Bs will even provide a ride to the airport for less than the cost of a taxi.
Having said that, your ideas/itinerary are quite a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.
You say EDI > Stirling > Invereray, then several days later you plan on a day trip from Ft William/Ballchulish down to the Trossachs/Loch Lomond. This doesn't make much sense. Just about any route you take from Stirling to Invereray would have you traveling through the Trossachs and seeing Loch Lomond.
Oban really doesn't warrant 2 nights (and Ft William doesn't warrant ANY nights)
Consider something like:
• Edinburgh 2 nights.
• Somewhere west of Stirling 2 nights (to see the Trossachs, Loch Lomond, Stirling, Inchmahome, etc)
• Then drive to Oban and take the ferry to Mull for 1 night
• Across on the ferry to Lochaline up to the Corran ferry drive and detour to see Glencoe, then out to Skye. This would be your longest driving day but still very doable. 2 nights on Skye
(So far this is only 7 nights so you have 5 days to play with. You could have added a night in Invereray or another night on Mull.)
Then you have either 4 or 5 nights for the northwest and near Inverness. This would let you see a LOT w/o any long driving days.
For your last night - I'd stay in Culloden or Nairn or somewhere between. The airport is NE of Inverness and it would not be a bad taxi ride from anyplace along there. Some B&Bs will even provide a ride to the airport for less than the cost of a taxi.
Jul 29th, 2008, 05:53 PM
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Hi janis! So happy to get my first response from you 
I’ve read so many great posts of yours and imagined you might be rolling your eyes when I asked if doing Glencoe, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs would be too much for one day. ha ha
I don’t think I have done the greatest of jobs with looking at it in a map- sense, and I totally agree with the comment about going to-ing and fro-ing so much. That is exactly how I was feeling, but having made certain reservations already, that is how it was looking atm. I wish I had asked for advice much earlier than now! Thanks so so much. I will take a look at how to re-do parts of it.
As far as staying on Mull for one night, I nixed the idea of taking a car there due to the cost of taking it over on the ferry. Memory has it as quite an expense. That being said, I would need to leave my car somewhere on the mainland overnight (not sure how I can do that exactly) and I would need to take my luggage with me. Therefore I am not so sure it makes sense still. What do you think?
I will check out Nairn or Culloden too for my last night with needs of being able to get to INV in the morning.
I’ve read so many great posts of yours and imagined you might be rolling your eyes when I asked if doing Glencoe, Loch Lomand and the Trossachs would be too much for one day. ha ha I don’t think I have done the greatest of jobs with looking at it in a map- sense, and I totally agree with the comment about going to-ing and fro-ing so much. That is exactly how I was feeling, but having made certain reservations already, that is how it was looking atm. I wish I had asked for advice much earlier than now! Thanks so so much. I will take a look at how to re-do parts of it.
As far as staying on Mull for one night, I nixed the idea of taking a car there due to the cost of taking it over on the ferry. Memory has it as quite an expense. That being said, I would need to leave my car somewhere on the mainland overnight (not sure how I can do that exactly) and I would need to take my luggage with me. Therefore I am not so sure it makes sense still. What do you think?
I will check out Nairn or Culloden too for my last night with needs of being able to get to INV in the morning.
Jul 29th, 2008, 06:11 PM
#5
I'd personally much prefer to go to Mull by car and explore the island on my own instead of a coach tour from Oban. But that's just me.
Ferries aren't bad at all if you get a Rover ticket. For instance 3 ferries for Oban-Craignure (on Mull), Fishnish (on Mull)-Lochaline, and Mallaig-Skye would total £55 for the car plus £9.40 for you. Or Oban-Mull, Mull-Kilchoan, and Mallaig-Armadale would cost £64.00 for the car and £10.70 for you.
A Rover or Hopscotch ticket is like a ferry pass - you buy a ticket that covers all three ferries and your own passage.
Ferries aren't bad at all if you get a Rover ticket. For instance 3 ferries for Oban-Craignure (on Mull), Fishnish (on Mull)-Lochaline, and Mallaig-Skye would total £55 for the car plus £9.40 for you. Or Oban-Mull, Mull-Kilchoan, and Mallaig-Armadale would cost £64.00 for the car and £10.70 for you.
A Rover or Hopscotch ticket is like a ferry pass - you buy a ticket that covers all three ferries and your own passage.
Jul 29th, 2008, 06:22 PM
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Faith, just a reminder for next time -- you are more likely to get posts from the experts you wnt when you mention the destination IN THE TITLE -- i.e. "Review my Sept Scotland itinerary,please help!"
Otherwise, Scots-experts may see the "nothing" header and not open up the message at all -- you are just lucky that JanisJ idly clicked on it, and was thus able to get the helpful advice you thanked her for.
Otherwise, Scots-experts may see the "nothing" header and not open up the message at all -- you are just lucky that JanisJ idly clicked on it, and was thus able to get the helpful advice you thanked her for.
Jul 29th, 2008, 06:36 PM
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Excellent point travelerjan! Thanks so much! I am such the newbie and am learning Thanks for pointing that out.
With that in mind....To any that read these few threads, I will be reposting my request for help with a better title!
Thanks for pointing that out. With that in mind....To any that read these few threads, I will be reposting my request for help with a better title!
Jul 29th, 2008, 07:07 PM
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Hi janisj!
I reposted my query as" Scotland Itinerary review and help request" On it, I changed things up a bit, and I would appreciate your feedback when you have time....Thank you!
I reposted my query as" Scotland Itinerary review and help request" On it, I changed things up a bit, and I would appreciate your feedback when you have time....Thank you!
