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Original poster

To ask for your left side of Scotland recommendations?

57 replies

Farkinell · 01/09/2024 12:28

We're thinking of a 10 day road trip to Scotland next month.

We've never been before and so I'm looking for people's recommendations.

We can get free accommodation in major towns/cities so would prefer day trips out from Glashow or Edinburgh.

Also happy to get a few nights accommodation elsewhere.

We like good food, and beautiful views of nature. Gentle walks, maybe couple of hours circular routes really.

Thoughts so far are
Fort William
Loch Lomond
Isle of Skye
Isle of Mull.

Please can people suggest must sees?

Thank you Flowers

OP posts:
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LittleMG · 02/09/2024 07:30

Pucks Glenn in Loch Lomond national park

deplorabelle · 02/09/2024 07:27

You have had many fantastic suggestions of beautiful places (some a long way from central belt) so I'll not repeat them.

Just to say, if you want to visit Edinburgh and Glasgow, stay in Stirling and take the train into both cities. Your car will be an inconvenience to you (and to others) once you get to the city centres, but the trains are frequent.

Smallsalt · 01/09/2024 23:21

Arran

Howmanycatsistoomany · 01/09/2024 23:20

TheTripThatWasnt · 01/09/2024 21:52

I'd go to Fife. Stop and see the Kelpies at at Falkirk, then stay in one of the fishing villages and visit St Andrews.

Pitlochry and surrounds also lovely.

The Highlands and islands are also great, but such a long drive.

Agree Crail, Pittenweem, etc are lovely and easily doable in a day from Edinburgh but they're not on the left side 😂

ErrolTheDragon · 01/09/2024 23:19

MrsMoastyToasty · 01/09/2024 22:11

Mull is a long trek from Glasgow, as its all A roads. We do it regularly to visit family on the island.
It's only accessible by ferry or ferries, ad there's no airport or bridge. Either go via Oban to Craignure or alternatively via Corran then Lochaline to Fishnish. Caledonian Macbrayne are the ferry company for all routes apart from Corran crossing, but ferries regularly get cancelled due to bad weather or to cover other routes.

Even longer if, as on one trip we did, the A85 is closed - the detour was via Glencoe and back down the coast, there was simply no other route.

But Mull is wonderful, and the other islands you can reach from it, it has such fabulous wildlife you can't see it properly in a day or two.

Sev3nWonders · 01/09/2024 23:05

@ClydeBank are you near a bridge beginning with E? If so hello from the E side lol 😂

Yeah if you can stay over at a few other places @Farkinell you could see plenty but you couldn’t do them all as day trips. My mum and dad took my DD over to Millport on Friday ( I’ve been going since I was a child to see the crocodile rock ) which from where I am took about 45 mins to get there then over on the ferry which doesn’t take long. You also have Ayr not too far from you which is nice as well. I mean you could go to Arran and back in a day at a push but you would be about 5 hours travelling all in ( 2.5 hours there and back again roughly ) and Iona is spectacular but all of the Hebrides are tbh.

You haven’t mentioned if you have kids with you? If you do there is a brilliant farm park called Monty’s farm park in Cardross but you have to book ahead, lots of stuff for kids to do and play with!

You also have plenty of country parks like Finlaystone country park at Langbank, Calderglenn country park, Strathclyde country park, Mugdock country park, could be here forever tbh naming them!

ForBetterForWorseOrNot · 01/09/2024 23:01

Bishops Glen In Dunoon is lovely if ferry is running from Gurrock.

LadyMcLadyface · 01/09/2024 22:52

Applecross

MrsSkylerWhite · 01/09/2024 22:50

You should drive the route known as the 500. Absolutely stunning.

PollyDactyl · 01/09/2024 22:49

My west coast faves are Ardnamurchan Peninsula, Mallaig, Ullapool.

VestaTilley · 01/09/2024 22:38

WEST. West!!

venusandmars · 01/09/2024 22:24

travelmadmum23 · 01/09/2024 21:19

Hebrides, NC500 (North Scotland), Achmelvich, Ullapool, Isle of Skye, Oban.... So many places but Hebrides (lewis and harris) were beautiful!

These are all fantastic but you'll not do them in a few day trips from the central belt.

venusandmars · 01/09/2024 22:23

MereDintofPandiculation · 01/09/2024 12:40

I think Scotland may be a little larger than you imagine. I wouldn't fancy a day trip from Glasgow to Skye (10hours round trip) or even Mull (8 hours round trip).
So either take advantage of your free accommodation and forget about the W coast, or do a road trip up the W coast with perhaps 2 or 3 centres.

This...

Travel is slow. You can't whizz round from Edinburgh to Skye and back in a day... Well you could just about, but you'd not have seen anything or experiened anything and the whole point is to take it slow, to stop multiple times, to appreciate deep rivers, amazing mountains, to get out there and feel it.

MrsMoastyToasty · 01/09/2024 22:11

Mull is a long trek from Glasgow, as its all A roads. We do it regularly to visit family on the island.
It's only accessible by ferry or ferries, ad there's no airport or bridge. Either go via Oban to Craignure or alternatively via Corran then Lochaline to Fishnish. Caledonian Macbrayne are the ferry company for all routes apart from Corran crossing, but ferries regularly get cancelled due to bad weather or to cover other routes.

Smout · 01/09/2024 22:10

Clyde Valley Tourist Route culminating in New Lanark and the Falls of Clyde. A reasonable day trip

Magnastorm · 01/09/2024 22:06

Like Aviemore, the town of Fort William is actually a bit of a shithole. Fine as a base to explore the highlands, not places to really expect much of beyond that.

Personally, I would do a loop starting in Oban and work my way up through Mull, spend a day or two in Tomermory and then get the ferry back to the mainland, before carrying on up to Skye and then to Harris/Lewis and back to the mainland again at Ullapool, and then come back south through Inverness, Fort Augustus, Fort William and back to Oban.

Doable in 4-5 days or so, and leaves time to do Edinburgh etc as well.

HerVagestyTheQueef · 01/09/2024 21:57

The Ardnamurchan Peninsula. Stunning, unspoilt heaven.

AgileGreenSeal · 01/09/2024 21:54

You mean the west??

museumum · 01/09/2024 21:54

Argyll. Absolutely bloody gorgeous but really not that far from Glasgow.
work your way up slowly to Oban then over to Glencoe and down again.

everywhichway · 01/09/2024 21:53

It's like that old question about which way the hands of a clock turn. Clockwise of course - unless you're the clock!

Strugglingtoo · 01/09/2024 21:52

Millport is nice, can get the ferry and then hire bikes and cycle round the island. A full day trip, but totally doable from Glasgow. The Kelpies are worth a visit, depending when you go, Loch Lomond can be totally gridlocked. Make sure you check traffic before you travel. If you go out of season, Luss is beautiful.

TheTripThatWasnt · 01/09/2024 21:52

I'd go to Fife. Stop and see the Kelpies at at Falkirk, then stay in one of the fishing villages and visit St Andrews.

Pitlochry and surrounds also lovely.

The Highlands and islands are also great, but such a long drive.

weegiemum · 01/09/2024 21:51

My geography teacher heart is bleeding at this...left side😭

And mine! And it's been a long time since I was teaching geography!!

Allfur · 01/09/2024 21:49

Doesn't the left side of Scotland depend on which way you're facing?