hi
planning a trip #1-edinburgh, aberdeen, iverness, pitlochry, trunberry #2, edinburgh, fort william, isle of skye, pitlochry, turnberry.

We will be driving and want the best scenic, cultural expereience etc. etc.

Thanks

How much time do you have for your trip?

I hope you're two lists were not listed in the order you wanted to visit them. Yikes.

I'll second the question: not including the days you arrive and depart from Scotland, how many days do you have?

I'd never read of Trunberry and had to map it.

#1 makes a nice loop .. but .. ends with .. going to way down there .. in one big jump ...

Sorry .. how many days?

Also, when is your planned trip? That could be helpful info for feedback.

>>I'd never read of Trunberry and had to map it. <<

He/she no doubt means Turnberry - a famous golf course resort in Ayrshire.

Fort William and Inverness are inexplicably popular "must-sees" on this forum - there must be a crap foreign guidebook somewhere (shurely not Fodors ) that recommends these places. Can't understand why, the surrounding areas to these towns are great but visiting the town centres themselves, nah.

Perhaps it's romance trumping reality

I've had a romantic love of Scotland since childhood: Loch Ness Monster = Inverness .. Greyfriars Bobby = Edinburgh (fyi, I did enjoy reading a recent book that Bobby was two dogs, not one, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ity-stunt.html )

Another romance going strong after 20 years is that of Jamie and Claire Fraser and the whole Outlander series, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlander_(novel) The opening setting is Inverness, so it'd go on many a trip itinerary for that reason.

<i>Fort William and Inverness are inexplicably popular "must-sees" on this forum - there must be a crap foreign guidebook somewhere (shurely not Fodors ) that recommends these places. Can't understand why, the surrounding areas to these towns are great but visiting the town centres themselves, nah.</i>

Inverness has a hopping trad music scene and some great restaurants. Plus it's central to all those great sites you allude to.

But please, go ahead and continue to tell people to skip it -- I could use encountering into less loud, obnoxious American tourists while I'm there.

I'ness is in the center of a lot of great sites - but the town itself . . . meh. If one doesn't have a car - then staying IN Inverness is fine. But w/ a car -- IMO it would be much MUCH better to stay elsewhere.

Ft William . . . not too terrific for sure. Sorry but the town just isn't a 'destination'.

Why Pitlochry particularly? It is a decent town near some pretty scenery - but unless one is attending the theatre not really much reason to detour through there.

Maybe if you tell us why you've chosen these specific places -- thing you want to see nearby . . . OR . . . They are just places you've heard of.

Turnberry has a gorgeous hotel and world famous golf course -- are you staying/playing there?

As the others say, we need to know how many days you have for the trip.