I have gone back through many trip reports and I am still researching and taking notes before I ask too many questions.

I do have one question to help me get started. We (me, DH, and sweet mother) are going to spend 17 nights in Scotland next summer. I am trying to plan the route and start looking at lodging. We are planning (all tentative right now) on leaving Edinburgh after 3 nights and heading toward Skye. I was thinking of stopping overnight somewhere but Pitlochry seems too close. Are there any suggestions? Inverarry, Ft. William or just head on over to Skye? Or, any other suggestions?

I was thinking of 3 nights in Skye before we head down the coast visiting Mull, Oban and Islay.(staying several nights in each place). I am trying to minimize too much driving time as this is a little hard on my sweet mother - she is very fit and is able to do most of the walks we plan but riding is hard on her.

I should also note that we love to visit museums, we all like scotch, castles, short hikes, great food. I really do appreciate any advice!

I personally don't like Pitlochry much. Nothing 'wrong' with it but unless one is attending the theatre -- I'd rather stay elsewhere.

Ft William is a a bit better than a dump - not horrible or nasty - but just a lot of cheap or overpriced B&Bs/guesthouses and not much else. If one was staying several days to hike/climb mountains I could maybe see staying there. But not really.

If it was me . . . I'd stay one night not that far from Edinburgh. In the Trossachs (near Callander or thereabouts). Lots to see in the area - Stirling and Doune castles, Inchmahome priory, etc. Then the next day I'd see the Falls of Dochart in Killin, then stop in Glencoe, then see Glenfinnan before boarding the ferry at Mallaig.

Or skip Glenfinnan and go via the bridge. If you do that, I'd take the ferry when leaving Skye and see it on you way to Mull.

I was hoping you would answer! Thank you for the frank and honest advice! We had wanted to visit a special place that my husband stayed years ago in Stirling so we may go that way. I will follow up on the other locations. Thank you so much.

<< <i> If it was me . . . I'd stay one night not that far from Edinburgh. In the Trossachs (near Callander or thereabouts). Lots to see in the area - Stirling and Doune castles, Inchmahome priory, etc. Then the next day I'd see the Falls of Dochart in Killin, then stop in Glencoe, then see Glenfinnan before boarding the ferry at Mallaig. </i> >>

That's essentially what we did:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

Agree with janisj and indy_dad. If you get chance stop for the atmospheric walk up to Campbell Castle(Castle Gloom).

http://www.visitscotland.com/info/se...mpbell-p248551

Thank you all so much! I have read so many reports and I have gotten some great ideas. Here is a very ROUGH itinerary. Please see if you think this is reasonable.
Day 1 Arrive Edinburgh
Day 2-4 - Edinburgh
Day5 - Drive to Trossachs
Day6-7 - Trossachs
Day 8 - Drive to Skye
Days 9-10 - Skye (and surroundings)
Day 11 - Drive to Oban (tour around town)
Day 12 Ferry to Mull
Day 13-14 - Mull(and surroundings)
Day 15 - Ferry to Oban (tour south)
Day 16 - Drive to Edinburgh
Day 17 - Depart

I am sure I am missing some things (especially ISlay) but I can't seem to make it fit in and make it reasonable travel days for my sweet mother. Again, I really do appreciate any advice!

Any advice? Topping

Hi, I'm out of town and have very spotty Internet access. Wil post this quick.

Looks pretty good, but you have very little time on Skye. I'd make one change of staying an additional night there, skip staying over in Oban - drive directly from mallaig to either of the Mull ferries.

Thanks Janisj, I had not seen the ferry crossing from Mallaig! That makes a difference. I am adding another night to Skye.

We stayed at a lovely castle called Inverlochy in Fort William several years ago. The little town of Fort William did nothing for me, but the castle (located just outside of town) and its grounds were lovely. We did a beautiful hike nearby (can't remember the name of it but the staff at the castle recommended it). One caveat - part of the hike is a little scary with steep ravines, but there were people with little kids doing it, so we forged ahead. The huge waterfall at the end was amazing. The food at the castle was delicious (they have a Michelin star).

Inverlochy Castle is expensive, but it satisfies several items on your wish list - location, castle, great food, hikes and scotch (there is a scotch bar at the castle and I think a scotch plant to tour nearby). Here is the website:

http://www.inverlochycastlehotel.com

A

No idea on itinerary - we just drifted, but we loved Skye. Could have spent the whole trip there!

Two tips when drinking Scotch, if you were not already aware.

Some have a smoky/peat flavour from the barley being over peat smoke. Drink these straight unless you want the smoky flavour to be stronger, then add a bit of water. Diluting makes the smoky taste stronger not weaker! Go figure!

Add water in very small amounts. Dip a straw into a glass of water and put your finger on the top to trap the water in the straw. Then use the straw to drip water into your scotch. Better to have too little than too much water.

The ones from Islay tend to be the smoky ones.

Now you know all I know.

>>Diluting makes the smoky taste stronger not weaker! Go figure!<<

Some are so smoky you can actually smell wood smoke wafting up from the glass.

Just to be argumentative, let me propose a somewhat different route.

Map - http://goo.gl/maps/CGUi1

Places on the map, rationale:

Inverary: About two hours' drive from Edinburgh (past Loch Lomond) Inverary is the seat of the Campbells, and Inverary Castle is a major landmark. The village itself was a "model" village, a style popular in the 18th and 19th century (when the landlords were really big into social engineering) but Inverary is a lovely little gem of whitewashed cottages, pubs and shops. The landscape is 100% "romantic highland," the fish (and especially oysters) coming out of Loch Fyne are to die for, and it would be a great place for a first night (or two) in the Highlands.

Kilmartin: Kilmartin is a tiny village (basically a church, a hotel and a few cottages) that sits overlooking Kilmartin Glen. While the churchyard is excellent (some very old carved crosses etc.) it's the valley floor below it that's the draw. There are over 150 prehistoric standing stones, burial cairns, stone circles, and on and on in the Glen. Standing in the churchyard and looking over the valley one is struck at how logical it is that people have been living in this lovely spot for millennia. It's a truly remarkable place.

Mull: I picked Tobermory as the point of reference on Mull mainly because who can resist pink and blue buildings?

Tobermory - Skye: I picked the Kilchoan ferry to save having to go back through Oban then up through the Fort William area. Between Kilchoan and Mallaig you'll be on some pretty small "B" roads but you'll have them to yourselves and the scenery on the Ardnamurchan peninsula is crazy beautiful.

Take the ferry from Mallaig over to Skye (I used Uig as the endpoint, out where you'll hear spoken Gaelic now and then.) Then return to the mainland over the Kyle bridge and go past Eileen Donan castle (no Skyfall antennae about) then back down the Great Glen through Fort William to Glencoe. Read up on the Glencoe massacre (and remember it when you're in Inverary) before you get there, but otherwise enjoy the superb scenery around Glencoe. (I'd especially suggest a drive up Glen Etive at the uphill end of Glen Coe itself - pretty cool stuff. I stopped there a few weeks ago on a quick roar around the Highlands, and caught this pic - http://www.flickr.com/photos/58865367@N06/9034953663/ )

Then back to Edinburgh and done. Castles, clans, Neolithic ruins, remote places, cozy pubs... what's not to like?

Sorry, misspelled "Inveraray" throughout.

Gardyloo's route is good too -- Either Edinburgh > Mull > Skye or Edinburgh > Skye > Mull would work about equally.

I've actually done it both directions.

>>Some are so smoky you can actually smell wood smoke wafting up from the glass.<<

That is the idea, but it is peat smoke and it is delicious! Major faux pas to call it wood smoke! Do be careful.


TRIVIA AHEAD
Peat diggers in Ireland (& Scotland?) used a special shovel that was L shaped not T shaped, ie the handle joins the blade to one side, not in the middle as in normal shovels.

Catholics tended to use left footed ones and were thus called left footers. Protestants, right footed ones.
Well, that's the story anyway.

Thank you all so much! I am still working on final itinerary. I have realized that the Mendelssohn music festival will be occurring on Mull while we are there. We all like this type of thing so we would try to attend some performances. Has anyone been to this? I know this is perhaps a silly question, but how soon should I start looking/booking those car ferries across to Skye and Mull? I am not sure if they even have schedules posted this far in advance. I guess I was worried it would be very busy on Mull with the festival.

CalMac http://www.calmac.co.uk/
Publish a winter and summer timetable. Summer starts 29th March. I love the website, all those islands and I've visited so few

All the info you need is on the Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) ferry website: http://www.calmac.co.uk/. No need to book a year in advance. I usually do book between a day and a week or so in advance, though I've never yet encountered a full ferry. There is normally no fee to change to a different ferry crossing after booking, for example if you arrive at the dock early.

We've never had a full ferry either. Once or twice we have arrived early and have been put on the departing ferry.