touschez

I have been diligently researching for my long awaited trip to Scotland in September. I'm afraid now, I may be too late to book where and when I would like. I'm traveling with a friend and we are hiring a driver/guide who has suggested an itinerary but I'm afraid it's too much area from what I've read here on other posts. There seems to be a lot of backtracking in the Loch Ness/fort William area. I'm not sure why this route was chosen, but I think we can do better, and would really appreciate some knowledgeable eyes as far as the time involved and what areas we are spending too much time and where not enough.

We can spend about 2 1/2 weeks and I know we will miss a lot. The areas of most interest are castles, villages, natural beauty of which there is SO much! so the Highlands,the Glen Coe, the lochs, not necessarily Loch Ness, on Skye the Old Man of Stor, and Fairy pools, on Lewis the Callanish stones and Black village, though stones and a comparable village anywhere would be fine.

Here is the proposed itinerary:

Day 1 EDINBURGH on our own

Day 2 EDINBURGH Rosslyn Chapel and Scotts View

Day 3 TWO nights INVERNESS
Drive to St Andrews and Falkland Palace, Fife Coast, Pitlochry, Queens View House of Bruar arrive Inverness

Day 4 Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor & Nairn

Day 5 TWO nights PORTREE
Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor & Nairn, Applecross, Plockton & Coastal Touring, arrive Portree

Day 6 South Isle of Skye, Elgol & Talisker Distillery

Day 7 TWO nights TARBERT on HARRIS
North Isle of Skye Portree & Trotternish Tour, arrive Harris

Day 8 Isle of Harris and Lewis Outer Hebrides

Day 9 TWO nights FORT WILLIAM
Maillaig scenic drive to Fort William

Day 10 Fort Augustus, Urquhart Castle & Canals

Day 11 TWO nights OBAN
Fort William, Ben Nevis & Glencoe Valley , arrive Oban

Day 12 Oban Town, Bay & Whisky Distillery

Day 13 ONE night GLASGOW
Inverarary Castle and Gardens to Glasgow and city and environs tour

Day 14 depart

Gardyloo

Can you clarify? Do you want to make this a fully escorted tour with a private car and driver? Or would you be willing to drive yourselves?

Based on the information provided, yes, you are proposing much too much in terms of area covered in the time allocated. In my view wholesale pruning is much needed; the Western Isles, for example, are not places one can visit in a day or two.

But please clarify your expectations on independent v. escorted touring and we can be more forthcoming.

touschez

Thanks for your reply Gardyloo

We would spend the first few days in Edinburgh on our own and would then need a driver, unfortunately. My friend can't do the driving and I will be jumping in and out of the car for the photography spots, which will be in the thousands, I've no doubt. I know we wouldn't require or even want, all day every day guiding but see no other way to get where we want to go.

janisj

I'm sorry - but that driver/'guide' must have a screw loose

And what small (or large) fortune would you be paying him?

>>I'm afraid now, I may be too late to book where and when I would like.<<

I wouldn't think so - September is not all that busy in Scotland. European and British and North American schools are all back in session so it will be folks w/o kids and OAPs (Old Age Pensioners) who will be touring around.

Let's start over completely. What sorts of things do you want to see/do . . .

janisj

I was posting the same time and didn't see your last post . . .

For starters, look at tours with Rabbies leaving from Edinburgh https://www.rabbies.com/en They are small groups and you could do one or more of them.

There are other good options as well . . .

touschez

Hi janisj! I haven't figured out how to do the quotes to reply to yet so bear with me......

Thanks for your comments.... I think there are loose screws in there too! and exorbitant price, which is why I"m looking on my own now. Relieved to hear I should have options for booking tho I've checked on a few there are some sold out already for that time frame... making me anxious .

I've looked at a few guides I"ve found on my own online and they are booked as well. Scotland is hot now I guess due to Outlander. I have been thinking about Scotland for at least 5 years never thinking it would be 'discovered'! haha!

Does Robbie's do private tours as well. We really wanted to have that advantage of flexibility to change our time as the weather and interests demanded. We've been on tours before and hate to waste time for bathroom stops, shopping, lingerers, etc. and not be able to stop where we want for photos or whatever. My friend and I have taken several trips lately as our husbands aren't interested in the same type of adventures! and have been on some very nice tours but they waste so much time.

Are there any other companies that do private driving?

As for interests, we love history and historical places, the castles, gardens, villages, pubs, and above all the natural scenery. The photos I've seen can bring me to tears. Scotland is magnificent. Not so interested in cities, so Edinburgh to start with will be fine.

janisj

Not Robbie's . . . Rabbies. And yes -- they will do private https://www.rabbies.com/en/info/priv...-touring-group

They are a long established and very good local company.

touschez

janisj, and Gardyloo, would you have any suggestions for a route that would make more sense than the one we have now? I have read as many posts here on scotland that I could find, ( I am not crazy about the new format here..... it's been a while since I've been on Fodors, but used to love the previous format. so much easier to navigate....). And I have seen that it would be best to stick to the West... I'm wondering if we should even drive through St Andrews area on the way out of Edinburgh. Golfing is of no interest, but if it's lovely scenery and architecture that's something else. Or should we head directly west towards Stirling and Glen coe. How far north should we go?

touschez

Thanks, I have a request in to them. Holding my breath on the rate.

janisj

I think you'll warm up to the new format with more use. Lots of useful new features. All the stark white takes a bit of getting used to but I actually like the new format better (after a couple of weeks of kvetching )

>>And I have seen that it would be best to stick to the West... I'm wondering if we should even drive through St Andrews area on the way out of Edinburgh. Golfing is of no interest, but if it's lovely scenery and architecture that's something else. Or should we head directly west towards Stirling and Glen coe. How far north should we go?<<

Your options are limitless really. Yes, IMO Fife is 'worth it' with scenic fishing villages, St Andrews - more than just golf (the West Sands, Castle and Cathedral ruins, etc), Falkland and more. Or up the coast and into Aberdeenshire for - Glamis, Dunottar, the Castle Trail, etc. Or down into the Borders (the Abbeys, Traquair House, Abbotsford, St Abbs Head etc). Or far northwest and the Hebrides. Or the Trossachs and Argyll. Or the Southwest. BUT with just 2.5 weeks you need to be fairly selective.

>>And I have seen that it would be best to stick to the West... <<

Not necessarily. There are wonderful areas ALL over. But f you want to stick to the western highlands and islands -- that is fine. We can't really decide which is most 'you'.

touschez

Not necessarily. There are wonderful areas ALL over. But f you want to stick to the western highlands and islands -- that is fine. We can't really decide which is most 'you'.

So I'm playing with trying to get the quotes, but don't seem to have it figured out yet...

I think 'ME" from what I've seen in photos so far, is everything! but sadly I can't do that, so will have to save the Borders, and Southwest for a later trip to England or Ireland if I'm lucky enough, and the c500 would be too much to include, so I would focus on the Highlands and the best of the islands, whatever that might be. I know Skye is always named and I wouldn't want to miss it. I would love to see the Callanish stones, but are there a lot of stones other places that aren't as famous/popular? I can't get a feel for what else is on Harris, or how big it is. I know the beaches are supposed to be spectacular but we obviously won't be sunbathing The recommended hotel is in Tarbert, does that seem like a good place to base? I've also seen several other islands mentioned ..... are all the islands similar or completely different? I'm a victim of armchair traveling so I may be bombarded with 'sights' that aren't really all they're cracked up to be.... i.e. fairy pools... are the photos edited to look so magical or are they really that special?

So the priorities are pretty much what I have in my original post.... The areas of most interest are castles, villages, natural beauty of which there is SO much! so the Highlands,the Glen Coe, the lochs, not necessarily Loch Ness, on Skye the Old Man of Stor, and Fairy pools, on Lewis the Callanish stones and Black village, though stones and a comparable village anywhere would be fine.

So many questions and

historytraveler

If you decide to use Rabbies they will be very helpful in designing an itinerary that fits your requirements with, of course,experience in traveling times etc. With two weeks you should be able to spend a few days in Edinburgh, drive to Skye ( perhaps with a detour to Fife ) and then on to Lewis and/ or Harris. There are standing stones all over Scotland but those at Calanais are probably the best. Also on Lewis and worth visiting is the Black House an excellent example of a traditional Hebridean house. Dun Calloway is one of the best preserved Iron Age. broches in Scotland and near Calanais. It would make a wonderful trip if you did a circular drive of Harris with its moon-like landscape on the east coast and the contrast with the west coast which is more mellow but still beautiful with its sandy beaches. Quite a contrast.

touschez

>>Dun Calloway is one of the best preserved Iron Age. broches in Scotland and near Calanais.>>

Thank you history traveler, I did't know about the Dun Calloway. I can hardly wait.....

Are there any other recommendations for a guide if Rabbies doesn't work out?

janisj

Just quick . . . I'd wait for your response from Rabbies. Their normal small group tours are so good and they are so knowledgeable that I honestly don't think other guides would be better or more cost effective. I'm sure they would be cheaper that a Blue Badge which is sort of the gold standard.

this won't help, but all the islands are different . . . My favorite Neolithic sites are actually in Orkney but the Calanais are terrific too. I love Skye but LOVE Mull.

historytraveler

Can’t argue with janisj as I feel much the same.I do have a particular affinity with the Western Isles and Lewis and Harris are favorites. Harris has such diversity in geography which I think makes it special. Mull is wonderful. Some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen made so with what I can only describe as seeing it in a wash of light, shadows, mists and rainbows. Iona has its abbey but also some beautiful beaches and walks which many visitors miss. Then there’s Staffa and Fingals cave. Don’t get me started.

For Lewis, at Stornoway there are several museums. One is the Loom Centre which explains and demonstrates the techniques of weaving the famous Harris tweed. I also loved visiting the folk museum at Siabost. It has an interesting collection of Hebridean artifacts, but the most charming aspect is the pictures and collections which the local school children have done. It gives you a very personal look at life on the island.

The driver/ guides with Rabbies are excellent so let us know what they recommend. They can also book rooms for you although I have on a couple of occasions booked my own. Their tours are very reasonably priced, so shouldn’t be a problem.

Gardyloo

I too would wait for Rabbies, but I'd also suggest you work a bit on the "master plan," as it were.

A couple of thoughts in that regard. First, with two weeks you might be best served by picking areas that offer a fairly high density of the sorts of things you want to see or experience. "Castles, villages, natural beauty" and things like standing stones or other prehistoric leftovers are all over the place, but they're not always especially near to one another, with the result that you can spend a lot of time moving from one site/sight to the next, consuming hours and money if you're dependent on tour guides or packaged excursions.

So for example, take Argyll and Mull. You've got picturesque villages in the likes of Inveraray on the mainland and Tobermory on Mull. Castles ranging from Duart Castle overlooking the ferry route to Mull, Inveraray Castle in - duh - Inveraray, Castle Stalker sitting out in the water just off the road between Glen Coe and Oban. There are groups of standing stones on Mull, and a very large collection of standing stones, stone circles, burial cairns and other bits and pieces of prehistory on the floor of Kilmartin Glen, a few miles south of Oban. Plus, on Mull you've got wonderful scenery, access to more ancient history on Iona; and on Mull and in Oban a couple of decent small distilleries producing very acceptable whisky. These marvelous places are all remarkably close to one another, and while they're not identical to, say, the stones on Lewis, they're much easier to access, and in a couple of days on Mull you could see the sorts of things that would take much longer if you went all the way to Skye, then to Lewis, or flew to Orkney for standing stones... hope you see what I mean.

There are other "clusters" of marvelous sights and experiences like this. Royal Deeside, west of Aberdeen, offers pretty villages, terrific scenery, numerous castles, and lots of whisky. Fife and Angus the same - fishing villages, St. Andrews, castles, Falkland... Or if you could see fit to cross the border for a day or two, the combination of the coast east from Edinburgh - out through the East Lothian and Berwickshire fishing villages to the English border, then south to castles, history, villages and splendid scenery along the Northumberland coast - Lindisfarne, Bamburgh, Alnwick... stunning stuff just a couple of hours from Edinburgh.

The point being, maybe look for sites or areas that are not just wonderful in their own right, but which provide good representation for the sorts of things you want to see, ideally relatively close together so you can do more visiting than riding around in cars.

touschez

janisj, Thanks for your thoughts.... I have an email to Rabbie's and hope to hear from them tomorrow to get started!.

touschez

historytraveler..... >> Mull is wonderful. Some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen made so with what I can only describe as seeing it in a wash of light, shadows, mists and rainbows. Iona has its abbey but also some beautiful beaches and walks which many visitors miss. Then there’s Staffa and Fingals cave. Don’t get me started.>>

sounds just magical! Will look into Mull more seriously after considering your, janisj, and Gardyloo's thoughts about it!

Also good to know about all of the interesting places on Lewis. The original itinerary is there on a Sunday which would mean we'd miss everything.

touschez

Gardyloo I so appreciate all of your excellent advice... that is just what I'm looking for... areas that have a lot to offer without a lot of driving time. Just because we will have a driver doesn't mean that that is what we want to do all day. Each area you mention sounds fascinating and well worth exploring. It looks like I still have quite a bit of research yet to do. Looking forward to hearing back from Rabbie's hopefully tomorrow.

janisj

maybe start on the undiscovered Scotland site https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/

​​​​​​​just gobs of useful I formation . . .