burnhamski

I'm almost afraid to! But, here goes:
Day 1 Arrive Edinburgh (via London), take a nap & maybe a city tour
Day 2 & 3 Edinburgh
Day 4 - Drive up coast thru E. Neuck villages, thru St. Andrews (not golfers) with brief stop (secret bunker), to Dundee, overnite in St. Andrews area
Day 5 & 6 - Stirling area, and Loch Lomond / Trossachs
Day 7 - a few castles enroute to Inverness (basically as much as we can squeeze into a long day)
Day 8 - drive to Scrabster for mid-day ferry to Orkney - explore and overnite on Orkney
Day 9 - Explore Orkney, late afternoon ferry to Scrabster, drive to Nairn for overnite
Day 10 - Cawdor & Ft. George, maybe quick stop at Culloden, then leave late afternoon for drive to Skye for overnite
Day 11 - Skye (overnite again)
Day 12 -Loooonnnng drive from Skye to Arran for overnite
Day 13 - Explore Arran, overnite again
Dy 14 - Drive to Glasgow & see what we can in a few hours & pack to return next morning.

We are seasoned travelers who are accustomed to 1) moving around and living out of bags; 2) putting in long days if necessary in order to maximize what we see. On this trip, we have 3 nites in Ednburgh, 2 in Callander area, 2 on Skye, and 2 in Arran, the rest in transit. One friend once commented that our trip "wasn't a vacation, it was boot camp!" I'm actually kind of proud of that. With a lot of prep work, we accomplish 50% more than most people, and come back feeling that we've had a great trip. The plans are always ambitious, nearly always accomplished, and done a pace we find to be efficient but not breakneck. Not for everyone, but it works for our family. I'm getting excited to have a rough itinerary, and have hotels nailed down. Look forward to working out details.

janisj

Have you ever driven in the UK and specifically Scotland before? You aren't talking motorways/freeways. In a lot of places you will be lucky to average 35/40 mph. Just driving as far as you can to "accomplish" a list of places to tick off isn't really the best way to see things.

I personally think having one day on Skye (which is all you will have free) only to immediately drive to Aran to only have one day free there is rushing too far to see too little.

Josser

Given good traffic conditions, you can reckon on the Skye to Arran drive taking you just over six hours. That will not be easy motorway driving either but much of it will be on narrow roads where to have to stay really alert.
Especially in July, you will need to book your car onto the ferry.
I would think that it is hardly worth it for just two "nites".
Arran is a great place to spend a relaxing holiday, but I'd miss it out on this trip.

burnhamski

That's always the problem, what NOT to see on a given trip. It's not that I'm keeping track and want the list to be 2 1/2 pages long. It's that there is obviously way more than we can possibly see in 2 weeks, and I'm trying to see as much as we can by detailed planning, and on a few days, a lot of driving. And by seeing I don't mean just zipping thru a town and saying, there - done! We will have some time here & there for some short walks/hikes, maybe an hour for riding on one of the island, and we will be spending some time in some castles/museums. The driving will be a challenge on a couple of the days, but it can't be much worse than the roads (actually, road, since there's really only 1) in Iceland, which are 2 lane, narrow, and in many places, not paved. One or two driving days is ok with us, because we're not on a highway at 70 mph, we're going through some towns and seeing lochs and hills and things we don't see here in NJ. I do have a problem eliminating things...

The ferry reservation suggestion is a good one, and something I haven't gotten to yet - thanks. Has anyone done the Claonaig ferry to Arran? Any reason not to?

janisj

&quot;<i>I'm trying to see as much as we can by detailed planning</i>&quot;

You probably need to accept that your finely detailed plan will go out the windo in about the first day and a half (or possibly in the first hour and a half)

janisj

or out the &quot;window&quot; . . . .

sheila

I think you may be underestimating the power to slow down, not only of the stunning Scottish scenery, but of the average single track road in the Highlands

I'm going to try, at the weekend to give this a deeper once over for you, and hopefully help you to get more out of your trip

MissPrism

The only problem with the Claonaig Ferry is that it is rather dependent on weather conditions.
It is quite small and it's first come first served.
We took it last May. We arrived at the terminal to read a notice that because of high winds it was going to land in Tarbert.
We drove to Tarbert and the woman at the visitors centre told us that the skipper was making up his mind about making the crossing and they'd know in about two hours.
We went to a nearby cafe for lunch and the wifie came in and told us that he had decided to make the crossing and was going to arrive at the official terminal.
Back we drove and finally got the ferry. Luckily we are not bad sailors. It was a bumpy journey.

Mimar

Many of the roads in northern Scotland are one-lane, not two, -- that's one lane total. And twisty. Fortunately there are lots of passing places, but the driving is just not that fast.

I'm not sure why you're so intent on visiting Aran. Two nights on Skye seems the obvious thing to do.

burnhamski

MissPrism: So, the irregularity of the Claonaig Ferry is something else to consider... Good info - thanks. Wonder if I bring a phone number if we can call en route to confirm if they are likely to be running. Otherwise, better plan on the Ardrossan-Brodick ferry.

I have been warned on nearly every trip that what I'd planned was impossible to accomplish, and we have been able to see all that we set out to, without feeling unduly stressed. I hope that despite ambitious plans, Scotland will be the same.

My thread started with what to do about visiting 3 islands (Orkney, Skye &amp; Arran) and I hear from different people that each should not be missed. And I really have trouble saying &quot;no, I'll skip it,&quot; so present plans are to see each one for a full day. Which means we're up and about by 8, and return to shower and have dinner at 8 or so in the evening. I hope we can do it, and enjoy it all as much as we have some of our other over-planned trips. The driving will be a challenge, and I guess I can only say after next July if it's better or worse than Iceland.

I just don't see what we can cut out and not feeling like we've missed something special. I really, really appreciate the thoughtful suggestions, but feel stuck - don't know what or where to cut.

janisj

&quot;<i> have been warned on nearly every trip that what I'd planned was impossible to accomplish, and we have been able to see all that we set out to, without feeling unduly stressed. I hope that despite ambitious plans, Scotland will be the same. </i>&quot;

That about sums it up - you have received a TON of great advice from several &quot;Scotland experts&quot; - including some who live there - and you have dedcided your plan is best. It is your choice afterall - Go for it. But many will agree you are making some serious miscalcualtions.

You <i>may</i> be able &quot;to see all that you set out to&quot; see --- but since you don't know half of what's there to be seen . . . . you will miss much more than you will see.

Maybe that sounds harsh - but you haven't been there and we have. We really are trying to help you. For some reason you <u>must</u> see Aran even though it just doesn't fit in your itinerary. But like I said - it's your trip, go for it.

burnhamski

I'm really sorry if I have offended any of you have offered the benefits of your insight &amp; experience. I certainly don't mean to come off as ungrateful, because I do appreciate all of the advice - thru Fodors and personal friends - many of whom offer a different, and sometimes conflicting, perspective. I've made some modifications, but can't / don't want to eliminate any more of Scotland. We've been warned by guides in Paris and Rome and Florence that our plans were impossible (at first) but ultimately managed to satisfactorily visit the places we felt were &quot;can't miss.&quot; This may be the trip that changes my track record, but I hope not. I do appreciate your help, am sorry if our tentative itinerary seems to indicate that I have ignored advice. I have considered, gone back to the books, gone back to Mappy to look at drive times, and decided (at least for now) to go for it. It is a long and very expensive trip, not likely to be repeated for a few years, and really want to feel that we've done all we possibly can. We do come home a little tired, but so far, always very satisfied.