Hello! I am in the midst of planning our first trip to Scotland (in June) with three other adults and want to make sure, because of all the "cautionary" tales of non-U.K. citizens biting off more than they can chew distance-wise, that the following is doable. Could any "experts" on Scotland advise? It would be much appreciated. Here is our draft itinerary:
Day 1--Fly to Scotland;
Day 2-3, Arrive Glasgow, obtain rental car and stay two nights in hotel in Glasgow; Day 4-5, Drive to Stirling via Dumbarton, Gartochan, and Loch Lomand and stay two nights in Stirling Highland Hotel; Day 6, Drive to Inveraray via Aberfoyle, Calender, and Killin, and stay one night in Inverary; Day 7, Drive to Ft. William via Inveraray Castle and Glencoe, and stay one night in hotel; Day 8, Drive to Skye via Kyle of Lochalsh, and stay one night at The Three Chimneys; Day 9-10, Drive Skye to Inverness via Drumnadrochit, Loch Ness, and Urguhart Castle and stay two nights at Culloden House; Day 11, Drive to St. Andrews via Culloden Battlefield, stay one night in hotel; Day 12, Drive to the Borders, stay one night at The Wheatsheaf, Day 13, Undetermined as yet; Day 14-18, Stay in Edinburgh

Thank you very much for your input!

Perfectly reasonable. Book the Three Chimneys now, tho'

You have worked out a very leisurely itinerary. None of your days are horrible driving-wise. As Sheila says - you must book the Three Chmineys as far ahead as possible

just two suggestions.

1) Do not stay in or near Ft Wiliam. You can easily drive from Inveraray through Glencoe and to Skye in one day. There is virtually nothing of interest in Ft William.

2) I'd stay 2 nights at the Wheatsheaf in the Borders. There is a lot to see/do in the Borders and w/ two full days you will still only scratch the surface. Or - you could stay 2 nights in St Andrews to visit the coastal fishing villages and Falkland Palace. Doing either of these would still get you to Ediburgh by Day 14.

If you wanted to add 1 day to St Andrews AND 1 day in the Borders - then you could cut one day out of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is terrific but it is very compact and you can see a LOT in 3 or 4 days.

Thanks to Sheila and Janis. We have booked two nights at The Wheatsheaf, per your suggestion and booked The Three Chimneys.

One of the couples is celebrating an important anniversary, and we were contemplating staying at Inverlochy Castle on Day 7--hence the route. Does that change your opinion on whether to stay in that area one night?

te: That is different. Inverlochy Castle is wonderful. The comments about Ft William were because many people think it is the logical place to stop, but there really isn't any reason to stay in the many B&Bs that line the A82 main road through town. But this castle hotel is about 4 or 5 miles outside of town and you will really enjoy your stay there.

Personally I'd adjust to be at the House Over By and eat at the Three Chimneys.It is, after all, one of the top 100 restaurants in the world. The Inverlochy is a posh hotel- the same the whole world over.

Check out http://www.kids-scotland.co.uk for kids stuff and also www.visitscotland.com
Some ideas