mbsaku

If we take the train through the highlands from Glasgow or Edinburgh, making our way west with the idea of renting a car to go to the Isle of Skye, should we (a)get off the train at Ft William and rent the car to drive to Mallaig/ferry to Skye, or (b) take the train to Mallaig and rent car there? Are either of these possible? Or (c) can we rent a car ON Skye? or (d) another train/drive option covering west highlands/islands we're not thinking of??

Plus, would we have to drop off the car where we hired it, or could we use the same car for 10 days and drop it off at the airport in Edinburgh or Glasgow? I've looked at AutoEurope, Hertz, Easyrentacar, and Arnold Clark to start. Thanks in advance for any tips on train/car rental issues.

janis

Taking trains is fine - but it won't save you any money, nor is it more convenient to get to a lot of the off the beaten track places.

One issue - unless you rent a car for a full week or more you will pay a good deal more per day. The discounted rates don't kick until seven days. So a 3 or 4 day car rental will usually cost more than a full week. So renting cars between various train journeys will be a lot more expensive than just renting one and sticking w/ it.

Another thing to think about - all that gorgeous scenery you view out the train windows -- well if you were driving you could stop, get out and actually see it.

As long as you rent from national/regional chains, one way rentals are fine. But if you rent from small local agencies you usually have to take it back to them.

The rail journey from Glasgow/Edinburgh to Ft William to Mallaig is gorgeous - but so is the drive . . . . .

sheila

You can certainly rent in Fort William and Mallaig. I think there are issues abour renting on Skye.

You can drop off somewhere else.

mbsaku

The idea for the train was because we like train travel, and we've read a lot about that route being one of the most scenic in the world. However, if the logistics turn out to be tricky -- and add extra expense and precious time -- then we might have to forget the train ride! Thanks for your input.

historytraveler

Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to do our Highland trip via train and it worked out very well. If you like to travel by train I would recommend doing so. We went from Glasgow to Inverness then on to Thurso, back to Dingwall ( there is a lovely cafe at the station there) where we changed trains for the Isle of Lochalsh. There we took a taxi over to Skye and hired a driver to tour Skye. It probably cost only slightly more than renting a car and we had a wonderful guide in our driver, Alistar. He not only informed us of all the local gossip, but having been born and lived on Skye for over sixty years, his expertise was a real bonus. At one point on our drive, he pointed out the cottage he was born in and a mile or so down the road, the house his father had built. You can hire a car on Skye. There is a place at Portree and at Kyle of Lochalsh. I would not recommend you try the bus service on Skye unless you have a great deal of patience and time.We took the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig and the train to Glasgow---a fantastic trip across the Highlands and Rannoch Moor.

KT

I've taken the West Highland Line a number of times, and it is indeed wonderful. So if you're a fan of train rides, I can see why you'd want to do it.