Paula

Hi Everyone.<BR>We are planning a trip to Scotland in early September and would like any comments or suggestions regarding our itinerary &amp; hotel choices.<BR><BR>Arriving in Glasgow for 1 night and looking at the Old School House B&amp;B. Picking up car the next day and off to Oban (Glenburnie Guest House)for 1 night. <BR><BR>Over to Mull for 2 nights (Tobermory Hotel)and then off to Skye for 6 nights. Looking at Rosedale Hotel in Portree(2 nights) Flodigarry Hotel(2 nights) and Dunvegan Hotel(2 nights) <BR><BR>Back to mainland for overnight stay in Glencoe (Glencoe Hotel) and then on to Edinburgh (drop off car)stay at Castle View Guest House.<BR><BR>Any comments on our hotel choices and alternatives would be appreciated. Also any suggestions of sights not to be missed other than the usual guidebook recommendations?<BR><BR>Thanks to you all.<BR><BR>Paula<BR>

Paula

Hi. <BR><BR>Bringing this to the top again in hope of someone replying. <BR><BR>Would really appreciate some input from the Scotland experts.<BR><BR>Many thanks,<BR>Paula<BR><BR>

Paula

Hi.<BR><BR>Bringing this to the top again in hope that someone will reply.<BR><BR>Would really appreciate some input from the Scotland experts.<BR><BR>Many thanks.<BR>Paula<BR><BR>Paula

bo_jack

I do not know any of the specific hotels that you propose. However, September is an excellent time of year to visit. Why the &quot;hotel hopping&quot; on Skye? If you have a car, most points on the island are accessible within 2-3 hours of Portree. I do like Skye, but I would probably find 6 nights to be a little much.

Carolina

Hi, <BR>your trip sounds very interesting. I cannot comment about your choice of hotels except for the one in Glencoe which I stayed near. We went in there for evening drinks, if my husband and I hadn't been with two young children we would have liked to have stayed there. We rented a cottage in Glencoe and stayed there for one week.<BR>The only thing that I wouldn't like about your plans is the frequent changing of hotels. The distances are not that great in the most part and I find it less stressful to unpack for at least a few days at a time and takes day trips from a base.<BR>If you want any more information, feel free to e mail me and I will reply.<BR>

Sheila

I'm working about 100 hours a week and tho' I saw this last night it was too late to do anything. Sorry.<BR><BR>I don't know the Glasgow or the Oban B&amp;Bs, but the Tobermory's nice and in a good location. Oban is FULL of B&amp;Bs, but none I could find it in my heart to recommend.<BR><BR>The Rosedale's fine. I have it in mind that the Flodigarry is a bit odd, but I may be mixing it up with somewhere else. I'll check with my brother who was the source of this calumny, and get back to you. <BR><BR>I don't know the Dunvegan nor the Glencoe Hotel. The Holly Tree at the bottom of Glencoe is good and in a great location, should you have doubts.<BR><BR>Sights I'll have to do later. What interests you?

jay

Paula,<BR>Tobermory Hotel, right down on the main street of the town,has a good reputation. On the Mull/Skye leg of your holiday you might enjoy crossing from Tobermory to Kilchoan, then 20 mls east along the Ardnamurchan peninsula to Salen and then approx 22mls north to Lochailort. From there its a further 20 mile drive to Mallaig and the Macbrayne Ferry across to Skye (30min sail). A short 60ml journey, but I would reckon it to be one of the most scenic on the West Coast.<BR>Ardnamurchan Point is the most westerly on the Scottish mainland, with its granite lighthouse and magnificent sea views to Rum, Skye and the Outer Hebrides. The geology of the area is literally text book material(Cone sheets and Ring dykes). The silver sands at Sanna Bay. The Bonny Prince Charlie associations with Lochailort and Loch nan Uamh. Loch Morar, the deepest loch in Britain. The list could go on and on.<BR>You may not be looking for accomodation in this area due to its short distance from your target areas of Mull and Skye, but I could recommend Feorag House near Glenborrowdale and Kilcamb Lodge in Strontian, both with great food and friendly service.<BR>Have a great holiday.

Paula

Hi Everyone.<BR>Thanks so much for all your helpful replies.<BR><BR>Sheila - please let me know about the Flodigarry as I don't want to make an expensive mistake. Dinner, Bed&amp;Breakfast is 200pounds per night which in Canadian dollars will be over $500. We chose this place for its fantastic setting and thought it would make a nice change from staying in the centre of a village as we are doing in Portree and Dunvegan.<BR><BR>Our main interests are walking/hiking, historical sights and interesting pubs. <BR><BR>We always find it more interesting to change locations as it gives us a different perspective rather than staying in one place.<BR><BR>Looking forward to any other suggestions.<BR>Paula<BR><BR>

Clousie

Hi Paula,<BR><BR>I'm certainly not an expert, but we loved the location of the Fairways B&amp;B in Tobermory. High on a hill overlooking the sound (?) rather than being right in the downtown area. Just a short walk into town.<BR><BR>We didn't go to Skye, but thought our best walking was on the tiny isle of Ulva. Having to turn over a sign at the dock to signal the ferry to come over was a hoot, too.

Mickie

Hello Paula,<BR><BR>We stayed at Flodigarry a few years ago and found the grounds/view to be lovely as I recall. I can't say that we were all that fond of the hotel itself. It was okay, but I don't think that I would return. I can't quite verbalize why exactly but Sheila's use of the term &quot;odd&quot; fits. The place that I would return to in a heart beat is Eilean Iarmain (Isle Ornsay) on the Sound of Sleat. It certainly isn't central so it may not be the best spot at which to base yourself but, even if you stay only one night, it should not be missed. We found it to be charming, romantic...I could go on... but then there is the issue of the eye of the beholder. The location is perfection and only a few minutes from the ferry back to Mallaig on the mainland. <BR><BR>Good wishes for a wonderful trip!

frank

Stayed in the Flodigarry, good place, food served in the conservatory, some good walks nearby.The place is an old country house, the &quot;oddness&quot; others speak of would be the design of the bar.

Cindy

Paula:<BR><BR>We spent four weeks in Scotland this summer, and loved it! I don't know anything about the hotels you've mentioned, but have some alternative suggestions. <BR><BR>1) If you are willing to drive past Tobermory to Calgary, there's a wonderful B&amp;B there called Calgary Farmhouse. It's a short walk from Calgary Bay, which is really pretty, and if you drive on past, the cliffs are like the Big Sur in California (stunning!). If you're artsy or outdoorsy, they have this &quot;Art in Nature&quot; walk that is really interesting. We loved it (and if you have children, they'll love it.) Also, another idea -- I have a friend who stayed at the Glengorm Castle up past Tobermory. She loved it!<BR><BR>2) Instead of staying in Oban, we stayed in the Barcaldine Castle, about thirty minutes (maybe a little more, but not too much) north of Oban. I absolutely loved it! It's small and just so castley. Once again, it's wonderful for children, but also for adults. By the way, when you're in Oban, you might want to climb up to the castle ruins that overlook the town. It's a fun climb.<BR><BR>3) We stayed at a self-catering (as they call it) cottage in Skye called Taigh na Troan (or was it Taigh na Traon?) for five nights, and LOVED it. It was up past Uig, which meant that it took a while to get to the other parts of the island. but it was just so fun being so far away from everything. That was after about three weeks of heavy traveling, however, so it was a nice place for us to rest up.<BR><BR>4) I agree that six nights in Skye may be a bit much, not because it's not WONDERFUL (it IS!), but because there's so much else to see. And I'm wondering if you might want to consider taking a ferry from Uig over to Harris for a night or two. Harris has the most gorgeous beaches). One of them, Luskentyre, has these sand dunes that are HUGE, and the water is so turquiose, and if you like the beach, you just have to go there. By the way, don't look for beaches in Skye. You'll be sorely disappointed. Just an idea. <BR><BR>When you're in Skye, check out the Fairy Glen (up near Uig). It's this funky terrain that's just so magical. We expected fairies to show up at any moment.<BR><BR>The places I've mentioned are on the web if you search. If you have any questions, e-mail me, because I don't check this very often. (Only when I'm pining for Scotland.)<BR><BR>Have fun! Sounds like a great trip! Oh, one more thing -- how many nights are you staying in Edinburgh? It is so quaint, you'll want at least two nights there. And, you'll probably want to stop in Stirling on the way. (I think it's on the way.) Okay, I'll stop now.<BR><BR>

Snoopy

No comment other than the same that several people have already made; 6 nights on Skye seems like quite a bit . . . are you just telling us about one portion of your trip?

Sheila

OK, I've a bit more time this morning<BR><BR>You're not leaving yourself much time for Glasgow. Depending on what you like I'd suggest you have a look at some of the Charles Rennie McIntosh stuff, have dinner at Rogano, or maybe go to the Lighthouse.<BR><BR>On your way to Oban, time it so you can spend as much time as possible in Kilmartin Glen. The visitor centre is a good place to start, but it's in Kilmartin itself at the top end.<BR><BR>I agree with the route to Skye and I think you'd love a couple of days in the Outer Isles in the middle of those 6 days, rather than spend all 6 on Skye. Skye's nice and 6 days there would pass easy, but there's more. An alternative would be to sort the timing so you sailed overnight from Oban to Lochboisdale; stay at the Polochar, nip over to Eriskay on the new causeway and come off on the North Uist to Uig ferry. Then use your 4 Skye days. <BR><BR>I agree about Eilean Iarmain; and apart from that Skye's great charm is the scenery. Other stuff too, but really it's about how it looks. The Aros Centre has closed circuit TV views of eagles. My brother says that the Flodigarry was not the odd place. He then went on to say you SHOULD stay at the odd place, (which he says is very interesting, really) but can't remember what it was called!!<BR><BR>At Glencoe, take a walk through the Lost Valley.<BR><BR>You're going to have a ball.<BR><BR>You've got good advice here on Mull. Go to Iona for sure; and spend an evening in the Mishnish pub on the harbourside in Tobermory.<BR>

Kim

We stayed at the Glenburnie B &amp; B in Oban this last summer. It was delightful. Ask for a room with a water view!

Paula

Thanks everyone who sent their helpful suggestions to my questions. I really appreciate your responses.<BR><BR>Sheila - we did consider a trip over to the Outer Hebrides but were put off by the lengthy ferry ride from Oban to South Uist - also a bit apprehensive about the possibility of a rough crossing. We may re-consider if you have any further thoughts on this. I never saw anything about an overnight ferry just a 6-7hr late day crossing?<BR><BR>Also if your brother remembers the name of the &quot;odd place&quot; do let me know.<BR><BR>Thanks again everyone - we are really excited about this trip. We have been to Scotland once but never made it over to Skye so that is the reason for the 6 days there.<BR><BR>Paula

Sheila

Paula, you're quite right. I checked the timetable and the overnighter is on the way from Lochboisdale to Oban. It is however 5 hours and over 2 are up the Sound of Mull which is completely sheltered by Mull from the raging Atlantic. You'd be pretty unlucky to get &quot;raging&quot; in early September in any case.<BR><BR>The Uig-Lochmaddy run is only 2 hours, if you don't fancy the long route. I do strongly advise you spend a day or so out there. The experience is quite different from Skye.<BR><BR>We did have Fodoites stay with us last year who's stayed in the Greshornish and were not impressed.

Cindy

Paula:<BR><BR>We spend several days each on Harris, North Uist (drove down through South Uist) and Barra. We loved all of them -- they were all very different. But I would recommend taking the ferry from Uig, Skye to Tarbert, Harris for your trip for several reasons -- because of the shorter crossing and because the beaches are so dang pretty. We were there two nights, and spent one full day (got back at midnight!) driving up through Lewis (Standing Stones, Garry Beach, etc.). It was all just so wonderful! If you do go to North Uist, plan to eat a meal at Langass Lodge, and I'd recommend Kathy Simpson's B&amp;B. It overlooks a beach in the Balnarad (or something like that) Bird Reserve. Also, you can go over to Berneray, and they have this beach that is four miles long, and totally empty -- so beautiful! It's hard to get to, you drive through a bunch of fields of machair till you can't go any further, then hike over the dunes, and there it is. The ferry from Barra to Oban wasn't rough, but it did take five hours, which was enough to make me need my Dramamine. It was a beautiful ride. Still, with your time constraints, I'd do two nights on Skye, two on Harris, then back to Skye for two. That way, if you just fall in love with Harris and want to stay an extra night, or want to ferry over to North Uist for an extra night, you can, and then back to Skye for just one night. <BR><BR>Still pining for Scotland,<BR><BR>Cindy

Paula

Hi.<BR>Thanks Cindy for your replies. First of all we will be in Edinburgh for 3 nights at the end of our trip. Stayed there once years ago at the then North British Hotel which is now the Balmoral-very expensive now.<BR><BR>We are getting tempted with the idea of the Outer Hebrides. My husband is very keen to go but I was the holdout due to the long ferry crossing - I did know about the shorter crossing from Uig but it means retracing our route and a longer drive around, however the idea of splitting the Skye trip with a visit to Harris etc, may just work. We will see if it works for us.<BR><BR>I had already considered staying at Langass Lodge for 1 night as it looked so lovely so thanks for the positive note about the meals.<BR><BR>Thanks to you Jay regarding your posting the route from Tobermory - I never saw a crossing from Tobermory to the route you mentioned but will recheck my maps. What was the road like? Looks pretty basic on the maps we have. Let me know.<BR><BR>Again, thanks to all of you who took the time to respond, I appreciate your helpful suggestions.<BR><BR>Paula

Sheila

The road from Lochaline to Strontian abd round to Mallaig is mostly single track, but there's very little traffic