Several of us are considering a trip to Europe in mid-April. We will have approximately 12 nights. One of the destinations under serious consideration is Scotland. We enjoy cities (historic buildings, museums, fine dining) as much as we do scenic areas for walking and hiking. Of interest, especially in this part of the world, are also castles and gardens. When thinking about Scotland, our mind gravitates to Edinburgh, the Highlands, and the Hebrides. We're considering an itinerary that would combine each of these elements. Glasgow is of interest as well, time permitting. We are non-drivers and will rely on a combination of public transport, taxis, and private day tours.

For the Highlands, we're looking at the Glen Coe Valley. Is this a good base for a couple of days of hiking?

Loch Lomond - is there a good place to spend the night and enjoy the area? Perhaps a cruise on the lake?

Both Mull and Skye pique our interests, but with 12 nights, we may not have enough time for both. What do you think - better to stick with one or aim for lesser time on both? We are drawn to Skye by the availability of scenic hikes. Mull calls to us for Duart Castle but even more the abbey on Iona and the geology and puffins of Staffa. Is mid- to late-April too early for puffins? Which would you recommend given our other stops?

Would we miss much not going as far as Inverness? We're open to including as well as flying out from Inverness.

Thanks so much for your help.

"Both Mull and Skye pique our interests, but with 12 nights. . . "

Unfortunately, 12 nights is nothing really so very little time for either island . . . ESPECIALLY for non drivers. April can have lovely weather-- or winter storms -- or both. There is very little public transport in some of those areas. If you want to hit rural areas, and especially islands, car-less, I suggest you look at the offerings from Rabbies. https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-...from-edinburgh.

How experienced are you? - Short hikes/walks on the Glencoe valley floor can be fine most any time of year (though wet), but Aonach Eagach and the summits along there require major stamina and I'd think you'd want a guide or companion who knows the area. See if you can locate the video Michael Palin did several years ago of his traverse and you'll see what I mean.

Dreaming of Scotland is always nice.

I have visited Edinburgh (separate trip), Glasgow, Oban, Mull and Iona (same trip).

Scotland was a challenge in terms of fitting in and deciding where to go. I believe I was there for 9 days in May, 2019. I had not one day of rain.

It is a beautiful country. Trains are not especially modern and can be quite crowded.

I’m a walker and loved the isles. Mure is stunning but tricky without a car - very infrequent buses make it near impossible to see much unless you plan to stay in one part of this rather large island all day. Iona is a little gem but too quiet for some. It was my favorite part of my trip. I left Mure early and added a day to Iona. The evenings on Iona are quiet magic.

I have heard Skye is the place to go… I’m not sure if it was janisj who gave me such great information. Hopefully she’ll pop by.

I don’t recall loving Glasgow. Edinburgh was more charming.

And just like that!

Hi Janis!

Puffins lay their eggs in late April or early May. Many colonies were struggling last year due to disease and limited eel-worm (over fishing?), bird flu is still loose in the UK.

As janisj says the weather could be glorious or miserable. So, if you come, every day needs a plan B. You will need boots and wet weather gear.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback.

@janisj, appreciate your suggestion on guided group tours. We prefer to travel independently though. For harder-to-visit places such as the islands, we thought we would arrange a private tour or hire a taxi to take us around for the day from a base like, say, Portree on Skye. On the walks and hikes, I've done some reading and watched a few videos; we're not likely looking at summiting or even the more technical hikes but instead trails that we could accomplish in half a day or the better part of a day.

@gruezi, appreciate the comparison. Helps with our narrowing. And good to see you on here; it seems like ages ago when I last saw you at the GTG in DC.

@bilboburgler, weather may definitely be a challenge to predict, especially these days. Would you say that April is generally worse than another time of the year? Are we better aiming for a different month? I understand there are no guarantees though.

This is dated info, from 2006, but maybe still relevant or at least food for thought.

We traveled from Edinburgh to Mallaig by train, spending a night in Fort William. Then by ferry to Armadale, Skye, where our rental car was delivered from an agency in Kyle of Lochalsh. Except for one night in Broadford, we used Portree as our base in Skye, and did numerous small walks and visited sights in Trotternish and Waternish peninsulas.

I also hiked to the summit of Bla Bheinn (Blaven), which is a fabulous walk even without going to the top.

After a week on Skye we returned the car to the agency located right next to the Kyle railroad station, thence by train eventually back to Edinburgh. You could possibly manage something similar with taxis if you didn't want to rent a car.

This was a July trip and our weather was fairly miserable, even by local standards so we were told. Nonetheless, a fabulous trip, we have good rain gear.

Regarding puffins, in 2018 we saw LOTS of puffins on Skomer Island in Wales in mid-June, after the eggs but before they went back out to sea.

Good luck.

June and July would be better.

But midges start end of May

But midge clouds are broken up by light winds

"Would you say that April is generally worse than another time of the year? Are we better aiming for a different month? I understand there are no guarantees though."

Ok -- weather can be great or truly awful and anything in between at any time of year. Not a reason to not go but just a consideration. I've hit heat waves between late April and late September . . . and freezing/sideways rain during the same timeframe - sometimes on the very same trip. That's a given, but it does make things more complicated when one is car-less. The 'chances' for better weather would be later -- but the 'more likely' good weather months are also the busiest. As Bilboburgler says -- midges are an issue.

Re Rabbies -- they also do personalized/private tours (or at least did pre-covid). You might want to contact them and see what they could arrange for you. Getting to Glencoe would require a bus from Ft William but then backtracking to Ft William to catch a train to Mallaig. Having a driver would just make the whole thing easier. So maybe using Rabbies for some of your itinerary and public transport for other bits. Do realize that in rural areas the bus service is sometimes few and far between. Because Skye is so large and the travel is so slow a driver would be pretty much necessary.

Are you still thinking about the south of France? I’m curious what made you consider Scotland instead?

I’m no expert in either region, but I did spend a year in Edinburgh in the early 70s at the university, and much as I love Scotland (I’ve been back a few times since), the weather can definitely be (ahem) a damper. As others have said, it can be beautiful or miserable, often both in the same day!

Of course, the gray and rainy weather definitely enhances the mood of the medieval Edinburgh, known as “Auld Reekie” (or Old Smokey) for the days when smoke from coal and pest fires hung over the city. And the Highlands and the Isle of Skye have wonderfully dramatic vistas. But fair warning - the weather is, well, the weather.

I have long ago memories of traveling in September which, I think, might’ve been the most beautiful and even the dryers time.

Fodorites are so helpful. I step away for a bit and come back to all this information.

@Nelson, thank you for letting me know your experiences. Knowing that someone else did a part of it is always reassuring.

@bilboburgler, thank you. It may make more sense for us to save Scotland for higher season. Even if weather is unpredictable, perhaps higher season means more transport options.

@janisj, thank you. I realize that not having our own car means added time and expenses. In most instances, it's been okay with the exception of New Zealand, in which we forked over much more than we normally would. I will make a note to contact Rabbie's should we proceed.

@progol, good to see you here too. Thanks for the tidbit on Edinburgh. South of France remains an option and high on the list. Similar to what I am learning with regards to Scotland, mid-April may be early in the season, especially for Provence, and more limiting in terms of transport options if COVID is not limiting our options already. Given the pandemic and the unknowns, I'm trying to settle on 4 or 5 destinations and do a good amount of planning on each so that I can make a decision in March (which is much later than I would normally secure flights and accommodations) depending on infection rates, general openness of destinations, etc. In addition to South of France and Scotland, other places I am looking at are Southwest England, Eastern France (Alsace and Burgundy), and Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Places that we've already looked at and set aside are Switzerland (too early for snow to have melted at the higher elevations for hiking) and Greece (would love to wander among all the ancient ruins, but not enough time for a first trip). The common theme across all the options is some ability to be in the open countryside and enjoying nature. We love cities and the museums, churches, homes and castles, etc., associated with it too, but with the pandemic, don't want a trip that is only urban.

@tripplanner, have you been to or considered Andalucia? Southern Spain would tick all the boxes and, weather-wise, I'd think it would be perfect in April. We were there in the latter half of May and even hit a heat wave, but it's a great area and there are opportunities to hike there. Seville is one of my favorite cities and I could see you and your gang enjoying it!

"@bilboburgler, thank you. It may make more sense for us to save Scotland for higher season. Even if weather is unpredictable, perhaps higher season means more transport options."

I wouldn't try Edinburgh or Skye in 'high season' which is mostly July 1 through the end of August. Skye has become exceedingly popular, and Edinburgh is a total zoo (amazing but REALLY crowded and REALLY expensive) the entire month of August due to the Fringe/festivals/Tattoo. If you were to postpone Scotland I'd choose either mid-May through mid-June, or September.

@progol, no, we've not made it to Andalucia. We've visited Madrid and Barcelona on past trips and enjoyed both. I had not thought of southern Spain - or Portugal for that matter - because it seems similar to what we just seen and experienced in Morocco. Having visited both, would going to Andalucia so soon after we've returned from Morocco make it seem redundant?

@janisj, thanks for the additional information about timing. The timing for this year will be a little different but we typically travel during the second half of May, which sounds like a good time to consider Scotland.

Good thing coming out of this exercise is that we may have other options in the can, so to speak, for future trips.

progol will definitely post, but Morocco and Andalucia are very different, despite the Moorish heritage. And it�s very easy to visit using public transportation, unless you want to see several white villages. We spent two nights in Ronda, but you can easily find a driver for the day, or take a small group tour to cover 3-4 towns.

Another vote for Rabbies in Scotland, they have small groups and excellent services, you won�t be disappointed.

@geetika, thank you for the feedback on Andalucia as well as the confirmation of Rabbies.

I completely agree with geetika. Seeing the Moorish architecture is only a part of seeing Andalucia - the culture and the landscape are entirely different. And seeing the Moorish architecture in Spain is a different experience. It�s also influenced by other cultures so it�s got a very different feel. Andalucia is an amazing place to visit - one of our favorite trips.

I do understand your concerns, and maybe you want to visit someplace completely different - and Scotland would definitely do that - but you couldn�t go wrong if you went to southern Spain.

@progol, thank you. Appreciate the comparison. Hard to go wrong I guess.

Maybe this is over-complicating things, but what about a 2-base option? In mid-April you can fly from Edinburgh to Nice or Marseille for around US$124 most days (typically via Amsterdam or Paris) or to Naples for around $130. Set up a simple open-jaw transatlantic itinerary (home to City A, City B to home) and enjoy spring in the Scottish capital then a few days warming up on the Amalfi coast. Not too shabby. (Or speaking of Amsterdam, what about some tulips?)

I'd personally skip the western Highlands and islands at that time of year. While it CAN be nice it can also be wet and gloomy, with rain and mist obscuring the scenery you've come to see. Do you feel lucky? Instead, there are plenty of outdoor activities one can undertake right from Edinburgh - walks in the Pentland Hills, or along the Firth of Forth coastal trail between the ancient villages of Cramond and South Queensferry, with welcoming (and historic) pubs at both ends. Or walks along the Water of Leith, eventually to the Royal Botanic Garden, splendid in the spring, or through Holyrood Park (where you can almost be fooled that you're in the Highlands) to the ancient Sheep Heid Inn, a wonderful old pub in the village of Duddingston, now part of the city. https://goo.gl/maps/yyi3RNoQjnSyUhMBA

Or with an interest in historic towns, buildings and gardens, an hour or two on the train or train+bus from Edinburgh will get you to the lovely Fife village of Falkland, where the Royal Palace and its gardens are famous around the world. Falkland was used extensively in the Outlander TV series, for what it's worth. There are lots of similar day-trip destinations from Edinburgh, in all directions.

Then out to the airport and to someplace warm and sunny, or wherever your fancy takes you.

Just a thought, anyway.