Scotland in May route question
 

If I am arriving in Inverness via sleeper train and have given myself roughly three days to travel by car to Ediniburgh, what route would folks recommend I research on these forums? Would a relatively straight shot run me into places of interest, or would I be better off shooting in another direction and taking a less direct route? We are outdoorsy and would enjoy some medium-level walks. I'm particularly interested in nature and birding, so any don't-miss areas for me? It seems most people recommend we leave Inverness pretty immediately, so I won't plan a night there.

Let me amend my question:

Should we start from Aberdeen or Inverness? What advantages does each hold as a starting point? It seems Aberdeen would allow us a more coastal route. Any preferences from folk between these two routes?

A few suggestions regarding your itinerary and interests:

From Inverness you could go to the Fort William area and climb Ben Nevis. Don't know if this falls into the medium-level walk critera. I did it several years ago, and it wasn't that bad, but then I was much younger.

Another and perhaps better option would be to head over to Loch Garten (good for birding) near Boat of Garten via the A9. Visit the Abernethy Forest RSPB Reserve at Loch Garten and the Highland Wildlife Park near Kincraig. There are also a number of walking/hiking possibilities in the area.

From there you could easily get to Loch Rannoch another great place for hiking and wildlife.

For more information on bird-watching go to www.the.soc.org.uk. Try www.ramblers.org.uk for information on hiking/walking.

Three days should allow you plenty of time for these activities. Edinburgh is not all that far from Inverness.

On the birding question it would help to know what time of year you're doing this.

However you COULD do Strathspey- Abernethy, Rothiemurchus etc- and down to Stonehaven for seabirds, then Vane for wildfowl and waders. That would be a full 3 days. There's masses of interest on a direct route; and the land laws in Scotland mean you can walk just about anywhere.

Can you give us some feedback here?

I'm sorry. We'll be there in early May. We have 3-4 days in Scotland, and I am wondering where to spread my time, more in the middle of the country or the east coast, as we head towards Edinburgh for the last day of the trip. I had tenatively scheduled two evenings in Dunkeld at the beginning of the trip. Am I cutting too much out by going there directly the first night and using it as a base for the three days before Edinburgh? Sheila, it sounds like you are describing the coastal route--would that be a better use of our time than the more central route?
Julie

I guess I think you should spread about a bit. Early May is too early for sea birds but good for migrants and summer passerines.

I would definitely schedule a day on Speyside. If you can get your asses out of bed early enough, you can get capercaillie from the CCTV point at Loch Garten, you should get osprey there too, and all sorts of upland birds. You can walk on teh resrve and Rothiemurchus to your heart's content; short walks, long walks, on the level and up mountains or your choice of the foregoing.

I think I'd then meander over to Strathbeg on the Aberdeenshire coast, and go for waders and wildfowl the next day. Come down the coast a bit To Collieston and walk round the NNR there. Then either come down to the East Neuk on day three and walk part of the Fife Coastal Walk, or come back into Dunkeld and walk up into the woods at the Hermitage or Birnam Wood.

Those are three pretty superficial options that would give you a good range of countryside and bird species.

Sheila, can you clarify what you mean by superficial?

They barely touch the surface

Although you don't want to overnight in Inverness you should take a trip along either the north or south shore of the Moray Firth to look for dolphins. Kessock Bridge just outsied Inverness is a popular vantage point, as is Chanonry Point further along the north shore. North of here is known as the Black Isle and is one of the best places in the UK for Red Kites.
Purely a personal choice but I would choose the osprey nesting site at Loch o the Lowes near Dunkeld over Loch Garten. From Dunkeld you're not too far from Doune where there's another good site for red kites.
If you know what you're looking for, a walk along a quiet shoreline almost anywhere in Scotland will give a surprising number of different birds. It's maybe a shade early for the big seabird colonies to have any young, but as most of these sites are on specatcular cliffs they're worth a visit at any time.

Some great suggestions so far.

Arriving in Inverness, you could easily spend a day or so exploring the immediate area, whether you choose to stay in Inverness or not.

Going north to the Black Isle, you could also go to Udale Bay and Nigg Bay for waders and sea birds and the possibility of ospreys in the Udale Bay area also. You could go right out to the lighthouse at Tarbert Ness for waders, ducks etc.

There is a popular walk at Rosemarkie in the Fairy glen where you can see all sorts of woodland birds and dippers, wagtails etc. Buzzards are easily spotted as you are driving around the Black Isle and keep your eyes peeled for the red kite!

Have a look at the Aigas Field Centre site www.aigas.co.uk which gives you a good idea of what the area holds that would interest you like Corrimony reserve.

An evening stroll around Ness Islands, spotting the Inverness birdlife after a nice meal at somewhere like The Mustard Seed is a fine way to end a day in the Highlands.

Happy planning!