<i>I think we may enjoy a couple days of festivities and the performing arts scene.</i>

It's like nothing you've ever experienced. There isn't a basement, church hall or meeting room in the whole city that doesn't have some sort of event going on, meeting the needs of the highest of brows to the... opposite.

I've taken it upon myself (and others might do the same) to produce a "what if" plan for 11 days (you said 10 to 12) that involves Edinburgh and parts of the Highlands and Islands. This is but one of an infinity of possibilities, meant only to demonstrate some of the variety you could experience.

Map - https://goo.gl/maps/7qb9FvwQpbC2

Schedule -

Day 1 Arrive Edinburgh
Day 2 Edinburgh
Day 3 Edinburgh
Day 4 Edinburgh to Callander via Culross and Stirling
Day 5 Callander to Glen Coe via Glen Etive
Day 6 Glen Coe to Tobermory via Morvern
Day 7 Day on Mull
Day 8 Day on Mull
Day 9 Mull - Inveraray via Oban
Day 10 Inveraray - Edinburgh via Loch Lomond
Day 11 Depart

The road trip is basically a loop out to the Isle of Mull, the second largest of the Inner Hebrides (after Skye) that passes through some extraordinary towns and scenery before returning to Edinburgh.

Some of these places are firmly on the tourist map, such as Glen Coe and Oban, while others are much less visited, such as Culross and Glen Etive.

You start from Edinburgh airport (which is where you'd pick up a car after spending a couple of days of festing) and proceed to the remarkable preserved medieval village of Culross. Set in a mainly industrial region, Culross comes as a complete surprise with its untouched beauty. (Note it was used for several scenes in <i>Outlander</i> without any need for major digital modifications.)

You'd then travel to Stirling, with its imposing castle and Bannockburn memorial (which you'd drive right by.) You'd end the day in the pretty Trossachs village of Callander.

From there it's deep into the western Highlands - across the Rannoch Moor to wild and lonely Glen Etive, then down through Glen Coe to its namesake village for the night. While Glen Coe is very popular and heavily visited, Glen Etive is much less so, and if time allows, you could also include a loop around Loch Leven (marvelously scenic) before calling it a day.

The next day involves a couple of short ferry rides - the Corran ferry across the mouth of Loch Eil to the Morvern Peninsula - empty and wild - and then the short ferry from Lochaline over to Mull.

Spend the next couple of days exploring Mull - mountains, rocky shore (but also white sand beaches) - empty glens, castles, picturesque Tobermory with its wee distillery... Eat fresh seafood, have a nip or a pint in some pub, breathe impossibly fresh air. It's a microcosm of the Highlands, worth every minute.

You'd then return to Edinburgh (if time allows) via the pretty historic village of Inveraray, seat of the Campbells and their grandiose Inveraray Castle, aka Shrimpy's digs in <i>Downton Abbey</i>. You'd skirt Loch Lomond on the way to the airport.

This covers a lot of ground but isn't particularly taxing on the driving front. You'd need to make accommodation plans for Edinburgh as early as possible, and I'd also book space on Mull. It's a big island but not a big population, so limited hotel/B&B accommodations.

I suggest researching these places using the marvelous Undiscovered Scotland website - http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ - which has an "A to Z" index that covers many places, including a few even in England.

As I said, only one example on how you could combine a couple days of culture-surfing with some splendid time in the country.

I have been to Spain in August.. and I do love Spain.. but weatherwise it is too hot really for sightseeing in August .. but that's ok for us.. we use it as our "beach time " in Europe.. We also visited southern Spain this past May and it was lovely.. 24-26.. hot enough for us. Will stick to visiting area again in May or June..

I have never been to Scotland.. but its on my list.. and we would definitely choose to visit it in July or August.. better weather and long daylight hours.

Loacker.. not sure why you referred to me in this thread.. I only just came on it ?

>>There isn't a basement, church hall or meeting room in the whole city that doesn't have some sort of event going on, meeting the needs of the highest of brows to the... opposite.<<

Yep -- over 250 different venues.

If you do something like Gardyloo's itinerary (a great road trip)

Consider staying here in Glencoe (the glen is two words and the village is one word) https://www.clachaig.com

Just the best place to stay in the glen - good food, live music and great setting.

and here on Mull http://www.seaview-mull.co.uk

You would see Iona and the Abbey from your bedroom and be a short walk from the jetty for the foot ferries to the isle and boat trips to Staffa. (I personally prefer staying in Fionnphort over Tobermory since more of what I like to see/do is at that end of the island)

>>I have yet to visit Scotland. It seems like a rather sleepy place to me<<

It is more than obvious Loacker has never been to Scotland -- nuff said.

Link to my TR from the Edinburgh Fringe last year to give you some idea of the range of events going on....it's fab and a must-do imho.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rgh-fringe.cfm

JustineParis, sorry my comment was in reply to Christine.

Ha, ha. Apples or oranges. Been to both, loved both. I'll be briefer than others. Major question: what do you really want to do, i.e., sight seeing, museums, hiking, beaches, entertainment, dining. I see Scotland as more "outdoorsy" and S. Spain more "touristy" (in a good sense). Oh yes, probably not Andalucia in August.

Thanks all. Gardyloo - special thanks for the what if plan!! Looks fantastic. I will research the different locations (may take a few weeks) and will come back to this forum with more specific questions.

This is so not a bizarre question - I completely understand the pull of two different, equally interesting places. That said, I'm joining in with the many others who say that August in Southern Spain is too hot - there will be another time when that trip will make so much more sense.

We were in Edinburgh for a week this past August. It was only our second time there and our first during Fringe. I thought we'd see a show or two but spend a good deal of time outside the city. Though we thoroughly enjoyed a day trip to Glasgow (would like to return), we spent the remaining time in Edinburgh and I'd go back, during Fringe, in a heartbeat. The ONLY downside was the cost of accommodations, but we had a lovely apartment in Leith that was a very easy bus ride (what a fabulous transit system they have!) to the center and that helped on the cost. If you do go, be sure you are there for the Tattoo and get your tickets as soon as they are available as they sell out - though you can get them at an increased price or through a tour agency later on. The Tattoo was a highlight for all our group, we loved the welcoming people of Edinburgh (couldn't open a map without someone asking if we needed help), we saw some great shows (very cheap), drank some great beer, and still saw important sites. I'd like to return for another week in Edinburgh as well as a week or two in other parts of Scotland.

I love Spain but not even close which one I'd choose for August.

Oh my god, a festival full of bagpipes and Scottish military music? That sounds like hell to me.

"That sounds like hell to me."

On the other hand, some of us were born with an Mc in our names and are congenitally predisposed, can't help ourselves. Call it an affliction if you like.

>>Oh my god, a festival full of bagpipes and Scottish military music? That sounds like hell to me.<<

Obviously you haven't been.

At the Fringe/festivals just about the only bagpipes one will see is one busker about half way down the Royal Mile.

The Tattoo (which has a LOT more than bagpipe music BTW) is terrific and it is a good thing you don't want to see it - leaves a seat for others who can't get tickets -- every performance will be totally old out.

>>Oh my god, a festival full of bagpipes and Scottish military music? That sounds like hell to me.<<


The festivals in Edinburgh in August include a book festival; the international festival with many performances of classical music by orchestras from around the world; and the fringe, with drama, comedy, music (both classical and popular as well as traditional), dance, burlesque, children's performances, street theater, performance art, and every unclassifiable type of performing art you can imagine. The catalogue for the fringe, the largest of the festivals, is the size of a phone book.

That said, neither I nor anyone in my party loved the tattoo. I'm glad I went once for the experience but I wouldn't go again.

I never liked the bagpipes till I saw a video of a street performance by AC/DC of Its a Long Way to the Top.. by Bon Scott.. amazing..

If you're set on the UK,I think you can find better scenery in the Cotswolds, England.
I've seen pictures of the Scottish Highlands. Just a few lakes and some pointed rocks. Anyone else thinks they're overrated?

Loacker -- since you've never been there . . . maybe you DON'T KNOW what you are talking about -- ya think?

I've seen pictures, janisj.
The Eiffel Tower looked exactly like in the pictures.

Why would the Glen Coe or Ben Nevis look any different in real life? With today's technology you can virtually visit any place you want.

I lived near the Cotswolds for 5 years and visit both the Cotswolds and Scotland very often -- The Cotswolds are very 'pretty', many parts of Scotland are drop dead gorgeous.

Your loss . . .

>>Oh my god, a festival full of bagpipes and Scottish military music? That sounds like hell to me.<<

The Tattoo performance we saw included a tribute to David Bowie, US troops doing Elvis & Aretha, fireworks & light show, and yes, lots of bagpipes. We were all surprised at just how much we enjoyed it.

Besides the theatre/comedy/music offerings, there was also the Festival of Politics going on at the Parliament building. I wish I had heard about this before going so we could have planned to attend some of the lectures. The Fringe offerings that we attended included a hilarious Jane Austen improv, a beer & food pairing, bad (free) sketch comedy, a youth orchestra performance, and an "escape room". With over 3,000 different shows at Fringe alone, there really is something for everyone

Bagpipes are a beautiful instrument. Why the hate?