Scotland
 

I'm planning a trip to Scotland in the fall. Not counting a day and last night in Glasgow, we will have 7 days and a car. Is Glasgow,Edinburgh,Balmoral,Loch Ness, Skye, Glencoe, Mull and Loch Lomond too much to fit in? If not, would we also be able to do Melrose, Dumbries, Culzean or would that be too much? We do not want to be rushed and realize that it takes twice as long to get places as it looks like on the map.

Your itinerary looks a bit ambitious but it depends on whether you will be just passing through areas like Glencoe and Loch Ness or if you're going to spend time to explore.

I did a trip similar to yours but over 2 weeks: Edinburgh, Pitlochry, Colloden, Ullapool, Plockton, Skye, Ft. William, and then stayed in Gourock for 3 nights and explored Culzean, Stirling, and Luss.

You won't need the car in Edinburgh; much better to walk or take a cab and the trip from Glasgow to Edinburgh is very easy via public transportation.

I advise picking up the car when you're leaving Edinburgh. I found the driving to be slow, especially the farther north we went. Many roads are one lane (not one lane each way but one lane) and watch out for the sheep!

Isn't Melrose on the border? If so, you're covering a lot of ground from Skye to Melrose. I'm sure Sheila will jump in and give her very expert opinion.

Sure, you can do that. Were you meaning to stop to fill up with petrol?


Actually, I think that's a bit much. Lose an island, and the Borders and you might just make it.

Thank you both for the info. I'm thinking maybe we should do a loop from GLA to EDI and north to Glamis, Cairngorm Mtns, Loch Ness, Skye, Glencoe, Mull and back to GLA. We do want to catch as many castles and abbeys as possible and a couple of lochs. Recommendations on ones to hit or miss?

I'd skip Mull.It won't add much that isn't in the rest of your itinerary & takes a chunk of time.