steviegene

I know what you mean!
Im having such a hard time figuring out what to see and which ways to go. I know I want to spend 2 nights in Edinburgh and 2 nights on Skye...but as for the rest... Im just not sure.
There are so many nice looking towns - and castles! As for places to stay. VisitScotland.com has a feature where you can search by town and availability. If you are looking to stay in Callander (recommended to me by janisj) I thought the Knowe Guesthouse looked really nice! But of course, I havent been there!
Let me know how your planning goes...I would love to know your final plans!

sheila

Misha

I've lost the plot here. Post what is fixed and I'll try to fill in your gaps.

steviegene

ttt

janisj

Poor misha, every time you work out a rough itinerary someone suggests somewhere else to visit. You simply do not have time to see everything. You can't pick wrong, but you also really can't do Fife/the east coast and Skye/the west coast in what is basically 4 days. So bite the bullet either stick w/ going to Skye and back -- or -- toss that out and plan an itinerary around the east coast instead.

misha2

Thank you!!

It is fixed that I will stay at the Sheraton Grand in Edinburgh for four nights and I have made a two night reservation in Broadford, Skye at a new B&B called Tig an Docahis(it was featured in Scottish Interiors and was available at great rate.)

I have one night between Edinburgh and Skye and one night between Skye and Edinburgh (before our early afternoon departure.)

I've played around with lots of routes and scenarios. (Thanks to you, janis and others I have this much down.)

But, I am open to anything. Because we got a great deal in Skye I don't mind spending more for the other nights if there is someplace really special you suggest. I've contacted lots of places people here have suggested and have found many to be unavailable.

Should I go up and down on
slightly different eastern coast routes or go up on a more central path (Perth Dunkfield etc) and down towards the east(Glen Coe, Loch Lommond?)

Or, if you think neither of these works I'm okay , too.

Thank you.

noe847

Misha, your thoughts in the middle of this thread make the most sense. If you are going to do Skye, then use the time you have to leisurely get there (staying overnight) and get back, seeing some of the hundreds of things you could see. Keep St. Andrews as a day trip from Edinburgh. As for Skye, definitely do the bridge one way and the ferry the other. We took the bridge to and the ferry from, and I couldn't have been happier with the scenery. I liked seeing Glenfinnan coming down the ridge. And do take the little road on Sleat.

noe847

For your return, you will need to think about some extra time at the airport for the new security checks, which may affect where you stay the night before your flight home. Edinburgh is not the largest airport but you will probably need more time that you would have, say, last month. We were able to get some information from the airport sites online for our family's various returns from Glasgow (Aug. 13) and Gatwick (Aug. 20, Aug. 21).

misha2

Thanks Noe. I was thinking it might be faster to stay at someplace like Culross, Dunfermiline, or Linlithgow (Janis had suggested these before the security issues) than to drive to the airport from Edinburgh. Am I mistaken about this?
Does anyone have more suggestions of good places to stay in any of these places?

MargaretandTony

I guess the bottom line is Scotland is very spread out and every part of it is beautiful. We leave tomorrow for a 10 day trip and if it wasn't for Fodor's I'd be missing out on half of our itinerary. IMHO don't miss St Andrews. It was the highlight of our last trip. So beautiful! We took a guided tour and the trip there was hilarious with a very witty driver. Also he got his small mini-bus into little villages along the way that bigger busses and people not familiar with the area would surely miss. I think we were gone about 4-5 hours and worth every penny to let someone else do the driving and narrating! For our first 5 days on this trip we will be staying at an apartment in Edinburgh. It is a five star and I thought very reasonably priced during the Int'l Festival. It is called A Flat Apart and run by the owners of the Ashdene Guest House. When we return I will post our opinion of our accomodations. Second place is The Oatfield House. Can't wait to relax there for a couple of days. Thanks everyone for all your help and good luck for all those in the planning stages.

misha2

I plan to take a day trip to St. Andrew's or I would risk estranging my husband.

Do you remember the company or the guide at all?

janisj

Topping for misha - is this the one you can't post to??

misha2

Yes, janis. This is the one that won't allow me to top off. I can post to it. However, it doesn't reach the top of the list.

But, here is what I have so far. Because of the difficulty finding places I decided to pick lodging and figured my route could work around it.

I would love opinions on the places. I have booked them through the Scottish Tourist Board and there is a very minimal fee if I cancel.

Edinburgh -- Sept 2-6 -- Sheraton Grand
Sept 6 -- Pierhouse in Port Appin (I read somewhere that Shiela likes this place)
September 7&8 -- Tigh an Dochais -- awaiting rating. But, the web site looked great.
September 9th -Arden House I looked in Linlithgow upon Janis' suggestion.

So, now I'll rent a car.

Any opinions on these places?

steviegene

the pierhouse looks beautiful!

noe847

I have no knowledge of your proposed lodging, but I'll take a stab at a proposed route while we're waiting for someone with a bit more experience to chime in.

Leaving Edinburgh, go to Stirling, then take the A811 to Loch Lomond or detour a bit through the Trossachs, passing through Callander, Brig O' Turk and Aberfoyle before hitting the A811. From Balloch, take the A82 north along Loch Lomond to the A83west to the A819north to the A85 west. From there, you could go into Oban to look around or head north on the A828 to Port Appin.

The next day, you could approach Skye either on the ferry or the bridge, saving the other for the return. If it were my trip, I'd drive up the A82 and take the A87 west to the bridge. I liked the view of the Five Sisters going this direction and the view of Eilean Donan as you approach the water.

Do your Skye thing, and when leaving, drive the little road on the Sleat Peninsula, and take the ferry to Mallaig, then the A830 to Fort William (some parts might still be single track). You could stop at Glenfinnan, which is about halfway to Fort William.

From Fort William take the A82 up through Glen Coe, visiting the visitor's center, etc. I particularly like the drive in this direction. The views of Glen Coe going up are amazing, and then Rannoch Moor and the drop down into Tyndrum are also quite beautiful. We always stop at the Green Wellie Store in Tyndrum, tourist trap that it is. Nice place for a pit stop, and we have bought our wellies and garden clogs there. You'll come down through Callander then make your way to Linlithgow on the M9 or on smaller roads.

There are various places along or near to these roads that you could stop and see if your time permits.

misha2

Thank you so much gopack!

How do you know all this stuff? I think this sounds perfect.

Besides Glencoe are there other "must-sees" on this route that you would recommend?

Is Glenfinnan worth it?

Lastly, anyone out there with comments on this lodging?

janisj

Testing. Misha is having problems getting this thread to top . . . . . .