Laoghaire

Mark...Ordinarily, I would ignore a comment such as yours, because you are obviously having a bad day, so I will ignore your rudeness, and just say---Husband and I never felt "rushed". We enjoyed every minute of Scotland, and saw what we wanted to see in our time frame. Whatever floats your boat...enuf' said.............Helen

rush

I'm afraid that Americans are very unwilling to settle and enjoy any place.<BR>I remember being in a shop in Chester when a group of elderly Americans came in to buy bottled water. They said that they were going to &quot;do&quot; Ireland that day and if they had time on the way back they were going to &quot;do&quot; Wales.<BR>This was all going to happen in one day.

sylvie

I appreciate all the input. Sorry that it brings up that recurring testy issue about us Americans (yes I am one) and our driving. To throw my explanation into the mix - I don't want to spend ALL my time driving but it is darn hard to know for sure from the other side of the ocean how long drives will take. It is also hard to know exactly how much there will be to do in one place - which is one of the reasons I have solicited opinions. I find that guide books tend to make everywhere look so fantastic that they really are as much hinderance as help in planning an itinerary. I planned a trip to England and didn't have this trouble - I picked London and the Cotswolds and was quite content. I just find each part of Scotland sounds beautiful, different and equally interesting. That leads me to solicit input and then because I am relying on the input and info of others I can't seem to narrow down what I want to do.<BR><BR>If you are all still willing to help, what about narrowing it like this<BR><BR>Day 1 Edinburgh<BR>Day 2 Edinburgh<BR>Day 3 St. Andrews back to Edinbugh<BR>Day 4 drive to Mallaig - ferry to Skye<BR>Day 5 Isle of Skye<BR>Day 6 Isle of Skye to Ft. William (late aft.<BR>Day 7 Ft. William, Glencoe, Oban<BR>Day 8 Drive to Glasgow<BR><BR>Any better?

Sheila

Much better. Miss out Fort William and stay somewhere about Ballachulish- the Holly Tree is usually a good bet

janis

This is much (!) better - a really doable itinerary. I agree with Shiela - don't stay IN ft William. Stay near there, Ballacullish, Glen Coe or Corpach are good.. Ft William is primarily a place on the way to someplace else full of B&amp;Bs and not much else.

Jim

I agree that this itinerary is much better. I just returned from a trip in September, and the one thing I regret was not having another day for Skye. Here you've traded in a day on Mull for an extra on Skye, which is probably a good decision (nothing against Mull, I haven't been there, but you might as well choose one of the islands instead of trying to see both in a short period of time). I also agree that you should opt for someplace like Ballachulish instead of Ft. William. This will put you closer to Glencoe. The drive down to Oban is beautiful, and we ended up spending more time in Oban then expected.

Laoghaire

Hi sylvie...Suggestion re BandB near Glencoe and in Ballachulish--Husband and I stayed at the Ardno House BandB last year and I would go back to Scotland just to stay at Pam Weir's BandB! Beautuful home overlooking Loch Linnhe, great food, awesome front bedroom, can't say enough good things about it. Pam is friendly, gracious, and very knowledgable concerning the area. Website is:http://www.milford.co.uk/scotland/accom/h-a-1902.html Recommend it highly...Helen

Snoopy

Stirling - - great castle, ho-hum surrounding geography, for what it's worth. Doune Castle is nearby, empty but interesting. I also liked Castle Campbell in Dollar, Central. I mention this only because your agressive itinerary.<BR><BR>curious, rush, et al. - WHY DO YOU CARE HOW MUCH TIME AMERICANS TAKE TO SEE ANYTHING? WHY DO YOU FEEL COMPELLED TO MAKE DIM-WIT COMMENTS ABOUT IT? WHY DOES IT BOTHER YOU? Read Sheila or janis, they think there's too much driving also, but they dont try to make sylvie out to be a moron. Good grief on a bun.<BR><BR>By the way, I plan to visit Scotland in late May 2003 and I intend to maintain an average speed of 60km/hr 24 hours a day for the entire 14 days that I will be there, Le Mans style, and I will tape a video camera to the roof of the car and watch my video when I get back home. Why bother with a hotel, we'll just trade off driving and sleeping. Afterall, I am an American!