Where should we centralize our first visit to Scotland?
 

First-time visitors (early 30's) from Canada are planning on staying in Scotalnd for 4-5 days in the middle of August and want to experience Scotland and most of it's beauty. We'll probably want to spend more time in the country-side versus the within the major cities. We'll be arriving by train in Edinburgh and hope to fly home from Glasgow.
We're thinking of staying somewhere centralized after picking up our rental car in Edinburgh. Looking for cosy hotels or B&B's. Would like to visit some of the best castles, etc.

Any ideas / thoughts are welcomed.
Thx!

Assuming you won't be stopping in Edinburgh itself - during August most places in the city have a 3 night minimum - you would have time to get a nice feel of rural parts of Scotland.

One route would be: stay 1 or 2 nights near or west of Callander. This is the Trossachs area -- Rob Roy connections, Stirling and Doune castles, many lochs, rivers, lovely scenery. Then a couple of nights over on the west coast -- near (but not IN) Oban, or on Skye or Mull. This would give you seaside scenery, islands, etc.

Then the last night on or near Loch Lomond which is lovely and a short drive to Glasgow airport.

Of course there are a hundred other places you could visit just as nice but this itinerary would give you good variety w/o driving hundreds of miles.

(If you want to tour Edinburgh you could add a day near Stirling/Callander and doing it as a day trip by train. The festivals and Tattoo mean most places in Edinburgh are likely already booked up and you'll have a REALLY hard time finding one that wouldn't demand a 3 or 4 night stay.)

The best scenery is in the NW - either Skye or Torridonian mountains. Ullapool would be ideal.

We stayed for a week in Callendar which made a great cetner to do day trips. We stayed at a self catering - but they also have a B&B on their farm just outside the town. Leny Lodge. Very nice

I'd look along the Dunkeld, Aberfeldy Loch Tay axis.

You can easily strike most of the major cities, the scenery is beautiful, you can get to the Cairngorms, or the east or west coasts.

Hotel budget? I can think of some really nice places around there

Hotel / B&B budget will be in the mid-range for accommodations.

Janis,

I just got around to re-reading some comments and I am curious to find out why you said to stay near (but not IN) Oban. I actually found some nice accommodations in Oban, but your statement got me curious.

Is there a reason for not staying there?

Thx!

Oban is sort of like Inverness only nicer. like Inverness, it is the biggest town in a major touring area. It has a LOT of B&Bs and hotels - but the area outside of town is more beautiful and offers a better experience. There is nothing terrible about Oban - most first time visitors find it a nice small town. But it is basically just an old fashioned seaside town with a hundred souvenir shops, the ferry docks and some heavy traffic in the center.

For one night before an early AM ferry, Oban is a good base - but even then I would look for a place out in the country.

If you find a place in Oban that you like - go for it. It is not bad - just not the "destination" some seem to think.

I think I have some-what finalized the itinerary with a few uncertainties.

Thursday: arrive in Edinburgh tour around during the day, then go to Tattoo.

Friday 10:00am: Rent car and head North.
We are going to try and get on St. Andrews golf course with their "lottery" system, but if we don't I am unsure of where to head. (see next day destinations) Should we do the coastal route up to Aberdeen, Banff & over through Inverness? Or should we head straight through the Grampian mountains to Inverness? I'm assuming that the Stirling Castle is a must-visit.

Sat. night & Sun. night: Thinking of staying in-between Inverness & Ullapool.
(might do a 3 hour loop drive around that area on one day)

On the way down (along Loch Ness) to Oban, we would like to see Pap of Glencoe as seen on the front page of the web-site http://www.visitscotland.com/, but don't know exactly where it is.

Mon. night & Tues. night in Oban
Just hang out in town???

Wed. morning fly home.

Comments?
Critiques?

Thanks!

If you don't get onto the Old Course, and you want to play golf, try Kingsbarns.

There is a very nice route through Dundee and the hills to the A9. Cross the Tay to Dundee and go and visit Captain Scott?s boat the Discovery. Drive northwest to Glamis and visit the castle. Then come up to Blairgowrie (if you like, stopping in Kirriemiur, the home of JM Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan) and then drive through Glen Shee to Braemar. This is Royal Deeside. You can visit Balmoral so long as the family is not at home, but there are lots of other castles, if they are. Braemar castle itself is good.
Then drive up through Gairnshiel to Cockbridge. Corgarff Castle is worth a stop; then drive over the Lecht to Tomintoul, which claims to be Scotland?s highest village. There is a Whisky Shop here which is worth waiting for, for your whisky purchases. Retrace your steps a few hundred yards to where the road comes down from the Lecht and go on to Dufftown. This is the start of the whisky trail. Pick a distillery, any distillery?. Actually they do not all do tours, but lots do. Glenfiddich is pretty naff as malt whiskies go, but it does have nifty tour. Your route should then be Craigellachie, Aberlour, Grantown along the mighty Spey. Then go up to Nethy Bridge and visit the Osprey Centre at Loch Garten. The road then goes past Rothiemurchus, which is worth stopping at, and hits the main north road at Aviemore, which is NOT my favourite town in the Highlands. It does have a stunning setting and a lot of shops. Then hightail it past Inverness, pausing only to count the bridges over the river (see Brahan Seer, for reference), and find somewhere to lay your weary head. The Connon Hotel?s not bad and quite cheap.

Don't stop in Inverness itself. It's not what it's cracked up to be. You could break that journey on Deeside, then the next day go on to, say, Gairloch and use that for your stop between Inverness & Ullapool.

That would bring you right down the west coast neatly missing out Loch Ness, to Oban. As you cross Loch Leven at Ballachulish you are at the bottom of Glencoe and if you drive east the Pap comes into sight.


Don't stay in Oban either. You might like to try the Pierhouse at Port Appin, and see round Oban the next day.

Does that work for you?

i can give you the east coast version too, if you'd like?

ttt