dalia

Hi Everyone,
My boyfrined and I are planning to travel to Scotland in August.
We have decided to use the MacBackpackers Jump on/ Jump off ticket (£65 each), mainly because of the guaranteed accommodation.

Our provisional itinerary is as flows –

Day 1 Fly to Edinburgh
Day 2 Edinburgh
Day 3 Edinburgh –Fife (sleep Pitlochery)
Day 4 Killiecrankie, Grampian Mountains, Culloden: Loch Ness (sleep Inverness)
Day 5 Inverness
Day 6 Rogie Falls, Loch Carron, Wester Ross, Kyle of Lochalsh (sleep Kyleakin-Isle of Skye)
Day 7 Isle of Skye (sleep Kyleakin)
Day 8 Isle of Skye (sleep Kyleakin)
Day 9 Eilean Donan Castle, Ben Nevis (Sleep Fort William)
Day 10 Glen Coe to Oban (Sleep Oban)
Day 11 Islands? (Sleep Oban)
Day 12 Glen Lonan, St Conan's Kirk, Loch Awe, Kilchurn Castle, Glen Orchy, Glen Lomond, Drive through Stirling to Edinburgh (sleep Edinburgh)
Day 13 Depart Edinburgh for Dublin

We have booked our flights to and from Edinburgh, but have flexibility with how many nights to spend in each place.

Any feedback re. too long/short in places would be great. Also if anyone has been on a MacBackpackers tour, did you enjoy it, was there enough free time/ flexibility??

I will post our Ireland Itinerary separately, any feedback would be much appreciated also.

Thanks,

Dalia

janisj

for a tour, generally fine. A few minor comments -

The second day/night in Inverness - since you included so much detail elsewhere I assume you mean to spend the day IN Inverness. If so, I don't see the point. Inverness is not a place to spend a day when you have such limited time. But using Inverness as a base - for the north, or even a day trip to Orkney is OK. Not knowing what other options you have for overnights w/ Macbackpackers I don't know where else you could go that day.

Day 12 is a LOT - "drive through Stirling" would indicate exactly that - drive through but not having time to tour the castle or anything else. I'd stay the night in Stirling that night (if an option)

What time is your flight out of EDI?

dalia

Thanks for the feedback.
Would it be better to have 2 nights in Pitlochery/ 1 night in Inverness??

My flight from Dublin is at 14:50, so I should still have the Morning in Dublin, before getting to the Airport.

Thanks,

janisj

No, Staying in Inverness would be fine - as long as you use it as a base to see something else. Ft George, a boat trip out to see the dolphins, Cawdor or Brodie Castles and so on.

Inverness and Ft William - especially Ft William - are not that great. But as bases to see other things while on a tour they would be OK.

Is Stirling an option for accomodations? W/ a 3:00 p.m. flight you could see the Castle in the morning and still have plenty of time to get to EDI. Even IF you couldn't make a macbackpackers connection and had to pay your own way to get there.

Pausanias

I'm guessing from the long stay on Skye and the stop at Ben Nevis that you like hiking. If that is the case, I'd take that day in Inverness and spend it hiking at Glen Coe.

alanRow

Day 9, wake up in Skye, cross to mainland, visit castle, travel to Fort William, climb Ben Nevis, return to ho(s)tel, sleep

Might be a bit of a long day

sheila

"Day 3 Edinburgh –Fife (sleep Pitlochery)"

you do know that Pitlochry (nb spelling) is not IN Fife? From the coast it will take you maybe 2 hours to get there.

"Day 4 Killiecrankie, Grampian Mountains, Culloden: Loch Ness (sleep Inverness)"

What does "Grampian Mountains" mean? Not to be picky, but you could spend a lifetime there and not know them. Is it just the route or are you planning something in particular?

"Day 5 Inverness"

I agree with janis. Why?

"Wester Ross,"

massive area. What did you have in mind?

On Skye, Kyleakin's not the most central location.



I cannot place Glen Lomond, but in seeking to find it I see how you put your itinerary together. Generally it's pretty good. Hits the high spots and allows you some margin off the beaten track.

have a good trip.