ttt

Stevie

just so you know I'm not ignoring you. I just don't think I've anything to add here.

Go to Loch Lomond area and then up north to Glencoe. Spend the night in GLencoe area. Maybe you'll find The King's House Hotel, where we stayed a few years ago. It is our in the wild, with nothing else around.

As you go up north from Loch Lomond, you will see the hotel on the right side. There is only nature there, no civilization around. Just you and the mountains and the mist and the gnats or whatever they are called there (I forgot), those annoying insects.

If you read my trip report, to hich I gave you the link in a post above, you will see what I mean.

Go to Loch Lomond area, see Balloch village, then Luss, then straight to Glencoe. After that go to Skye.

I hope I helped you make a decision.

Midges. The annoying insects, those focus of evil in the Scottish world, those creatures, are called midges. :)

I don't think I ever saw this thread before :(, it must not be posted under the topic United Kingdom.


Anyway, I wanted to recommend this boat trip for you for on Skye (http://www.bellajane.co.uk/boattrips.asp). We did the standard return trip, and it was amazing.

You are going to LOVE Scotland :)

Yes, midges! Thank you!

Ha! Midges!

But I beat them, I still remember! They just found me in the wrong place: the valley of Glencoe, in the middle of the wilderness, with mountains lost in the heavy low mist, with deep silence in the air, with that lonely building, which is the King's House Hotel, and hundreds of camping tents behind it; and even if it was quite cool outside, that kind of nature, that kind of surrounding transported me away from those midges, and I didn't even bother to feel them.

They bit me without me giving them satisfaction. No, but that kind of nature won. I gave it all to it and I couldn't care less about those midges.

sheila, any recommendation on above itinerary?
Where to spend what days?

hullo?

steviegene, I never saw this thread either - I usually just check the "UK" indexed posts. Anyway, here's my $.02 - I would say do Callander, then head west to Skye, going through Glen Coe and Fort William before heading to the ferry at Mallaig.

Coming back from Skye, I'd take the bridge. You will see completely different and equally beautiful scenery from the journey to Skye. Then go with janisj's suggestion to "tour some of the area around Lochs Tay/Earn/Tummel, Perth, Blair Athol."

There are previous recommendations for good towns to overnight in that area. Because of particular circumstances of my travel, we have always stayed in Pitlochry, which does have its charms (and many of the tourists may well be gone in October).

After that circuit, you will have had a nice taste of Scotland and you will have some ideas of what you want to do next time - including those areas you didn't get to this time around.

So, there's my vote!

Also, didn't Sheila come up with a rather brilliant route for misha? I just gave a glance at misha's thread, and you could adapt it for your trip (may need to do it in reverse). I think it entailed cutting Stirling, but picking up other nifty sights.

Thanks noe,

Im just having a hard time with planning a sensible driving vacation. It is difficult to know where to go - where to stay.

Here is another question. I found a great place to stay in Buchlyvie for our first night of driving. It is a farmhouse, which my husband is very interested in. Would that bring us very out of the way. could we reasonable do this...

Edinburgh pickup car, stirling, callander, aberfoyle and then Buchlyvie?

stevigene there's a black hole in my knowledge areound the Trossachs. I don't know the area, I wouldn't do what you're doing (which is not to say there's anything wrong with it), so I can't really add much

ok, thanks anyway.
anyone else want to comment on my above question

steviegene, the farmhouse isn't all that far out of the way. I think you could still make it work. Especially if it's something your husband wants to do.

Do you have a full country map with you now? You to trace routes and judge distances based on what you have seen recommended, while, at the same time, figuring out which (few) stops interest you and your husband most. Frequent stopping can make a short drive into a long day of exploring. Since you have a short trip and are going over to Skye then you are limited in how many things you can stop for.

So, choices will need to be made, and the two of you need to be the ones to do it! On to the options:

You could take the fast route from Edinburgh on the M9 to Stirling. Or you could follow the route that misha2 did, through dDnfermline, Culross, etc.

From Stirling you could take the direct route on the A811 to Buchlyvie, maybe going on to give a look around Loch Lomond at the end of that day. OR, you could take the A84 thourgh Callander then the A821 past Brig o' Turk, through Aberfoyle then to the A811 to Buchlyvie.

That decision will depend on what route you take leaving Skye - if you take Sheila's recommended route, you will pass Loch Lomond on the way east, and you could take 2 days to do what she said is a long day, maybe stopping somewhere in the Port Appin/Oban area. The following day, you could explore Loch Lomond on your way back to the Edinburgh airport area. (I hope I'm correct on the the amount of days you have available).

I don't think I'm being totally clear, but really, the decisions that need to be made are yours to make. There's no right or wrong route. Scotland is full of beauty, has lots of little roads, and many rewarding places to stop. The fact that your route takes you nowhere near my two favorite places in Scotland is OK. You will find your own fabulous spots, and you might not even have liked my favorites!

Stay another night in Callander - and see Loch Lomond and the Trossachs. This website may help you if your not sure what to do around that area there are some photos on the website.
http://www.scotlands-best.com/lomondtrossachspark/

noe, thanks for the detailed response. It is VERY much appreciated.....
which are your 2 favorite spots?

steviegene, here's a great thread:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34849733
(SCOTLAND: Addict - 50 Reasons Why!)

On that thread I listed my 2 favorite places, and also added my 3 favorite drives (of the ones that I have seen, and there's LOTS more of Scotland that I want to see). Your route could (or already does) incorporate all of these drives.

You are getting so much info you are probably in overload status about now.

But just a couple of quick comments -- 1) Buchlyvie is not that far from the Callander/Aberfoyle area so would be a fine place to stay.

and 2) you seem to be trying to handle Loch Lomond and Callander/the Trossachs as two different geographic regions. They are all cheek by jowl. The Trossachs/Buchlyvie/Callander/Loch Katrine and even Stirling/Doune are all very close to each other. A 2-days/nights stay anywhere in the area would give you time for all of it.

thanks janisj!
We were contemplating staying two nights in the Trossachs area...
But, of course, the other option is to stay only one night in Callander/Buchlyvie and then 2 nights skye then 1 night more north on our way back towards edinburh (pitlochry for example.)

But also, I was thinking that if we do only stay one night in Buchlyvie, will the drive up to skye the next day be too long?

oops, I think your answer on my other thread ...

(in short - 2 days stay at Buchlyvie so you can see Stirling, the Trossachs, Loch Lomond, etc, then drive to Skye the third day out of Edinburgh. Buchlyvie to Skye w/ a stop at Glencoe is very doable.)

Answers my question. So you are saying...
Day 1: pick up car, go to stirling, callander, aberfoyle, overnight buchlyvie.
Day 2: tour loch lommond, luss, through glencoe and up to skye.

So, after skye no the return to edinburgh, would you recommend going a more northerly route, through Pitlochry for example?