Scotish Highlands
 

We are planning a 10 day trip to Scotland in September. We will arrive in Glasgow, hire a car & drive to St Andrews for two nights.

WE are looking for suggestions or recommendations for four nights in the highlands before traveling to Skye for 3 nights.

My thoughts were that somewhere around Aviemore might be a good place to explore the highlands.

After our three nights in Skye, we need a suggestion of somewhere nice to stop over for one night before flying out of Glasgow.

Any help would be appreciated.

Avoid Aviemore like the plague.

You could stop off in Dollar.
It's a nice little town with a castle.

It's a pity you have only one night on the way back or I would have suggested getting the ferry from Claonaig, to Arran.
You could get the other ferry to Ardrossan and from there you are not far from the airport

There was a Scotland Trip Report posted on this forum this month www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2It covers some of the areas you are interested in and provides up to date information. This has also links to photos etc.

For further more detailed Photographs etc but older information about the areas you intend to visit have a look at http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/WebX?128@@.eed91a1

Are you flying in transatlantic? and is this your first time driving on the left?

I ask because GLA to St Andrews is nearly 100 miles and the most diresct route will take over 2 hours. That is a real slog after an overnight flight. Must you be at St Andrews the first night? If not, you could 1) stay the first day/night in Glasgow and pick up the car on day 2 after recovering from jetlag. or 2) drive just as far as Loch Lomond/Drymen or possibly Stirling and continue on to St Andrews the next day.

A agree - Aviemore is not your best choice.

Meks didn't post the full link so I'm not sure which trip report he meant - there have been several this month.

3 nights on Skye? What for? Make it one night as there's lots of places to see in Scotland. Consider popping down to Newcastle and west from there to Hadrian's Wall which has a visitor's site and a museum.

kaneda: Sorry, but advising someone who has such a short time is Scotland to go all the way to Newcastle/Northumberland makes no sense at all. And to have to ask why 3 days on Skye probably means one has not been there. Northern England is a fabulous place - but not for this trip/itinerary.

And on top of that - advising i night on Skye means there is very little time FOR Skye. It will take 1/2 a day to get there and 1/2 a day to get back leaving barely 1 day to see everything on the Isle . . . . .

oops - that should be " . . . advising 1 night on Skye means . . . "

Maybe this is the trip report meks wanted

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35014346

janisj - thank you for posting the full link to the review I had been thinking about. I would also agree that it is probably better missing Aviemore.

d1carter and noe847 have mentioned and included photographs of Glen Affric and that is a nice area to visit, the scenery can be excellent it is generally quieter than the likes of Skye, but the road needs concentration as it single track with numerous twists and turns.

What's so bad about Aviemore that it should be avoided?

We actually were planning to stay at Fairwinds Hotel at Carrbridge near Aviemore.

Well - you did say Aviemore and that is what we reacted to. Carrbridge is different - it is about 10 miles from Aviemore. Need to be specific when talking about places

I'd still rather stay elsewhere - but absolutely nothing wrong w/ Carrbridge.

Actually, he said " somewhere AROUND Aviemore"

Ranald, I'm a wee bit less doctrinaire about this driving on arrival stuff. I've done it myself, although I do think jetlag is worse west/east than east west.

I would say that Glasgow- St Andrews is a pretty easy run, almost all on good roads. Take the M8 to the turning to the Forth Bridge, cross the bridge into Fife, and follow the signs. If you're tired, stop.

"The Highlands" covers a huge area(it doesn't cover Dollar:)). Personally I find the Central area round Aviemore a wee bit boring, but only by comparison with other places. Carrbridge is a pretty town. Other places you might consider would include, Dulnain Bridge, Kingussie, or Nethy Bridge.

Personally, I'd probably head further west- the area round Kintail or Torridon, or even Glen Affric. But there are lots of lovely places in the Northern Cairngorms too.

You could even split two and two if you wanted.

For your last night, I'd suggest you stay somewhere on Loch Lomond side- The Drovers' Inn at Inverernan? Or Cameron House if you're stinking rich.

I'd follow Sheila's suggestion and do 2 nights and 2 nights. That way your daily explorations are likely to involve a bit less driving/backtracking. Plus you'll get to experience a different town/location.

I'd advise against taking the Forth Road Bridge as the road works are on going.. Kincardine Bridge would be an alternative though there's still roadworks in & around that area but not as bad. Checkout http://www.feta.gov.uk/ for updates..

For your last night, Inverary on Loch Fyne might work nicely. If you have a few extra hours you can explore the Kilmartin area for neolithic sites or a ruined castle or two. The drive to Glasgow airport took us about 1 1/2 hours on a Sunday morning.

The George has a cheerful pub and restaurant for your last night's dinner. There's also a famous seafood place nearby.