Scottish Highlands holiday

[Bettymakesadecision]

Hoping all you knowledgeable folk can help me plan a cheap long weekend in the highlands. Either March or October for me, DH and DC7. We’re from Hertfordshire and have never been to Scotland but would love to see the highlands, lochs and enjoy good views. I was thinking perhaps flying to Inverness from Luton and spending 2 nights in a guest house. Do you happen to know any gems? Pricewise, I have a tight budget so cheap but still nice. Is that even possible? Happy to stay in one room. We can rent a car if we need to.

Mull of Kintyre, Glencoe and St Andrews were all great holidays.

I spent my honeymoon in Scotland visiting various castles and prisons. I stayed in a guest house on the banks of Lochness for 2 nights in a hotel on the Isle of Skye for 3 nights, in Glencoe we stayed in a Premier Inn for 3 nights and Fort William in a hotel. If you go on the visit Scotland web site they have lots of hotel and guesthouse information and lots of places to go too. It's a very good website.

Invarary prison was really good to visit too.

I dont have specific accommodation suggestions but if it’s just for a long weekend, and you haven’t been before, and you’re flying into Inverness, my suggestion is

Stay central Inverness, maybe a self catering, air BnB etc, or chain hotel family room.
Look up organised day trips from Inverness- I’m sure you find a trip from Inverness cruise Loch Ness etc. And further afield options.Saves you hire car cost and hassle.

If wildlife is of interest, you could get a bus to Fortrose and walk to Chanonry Point (bottlenose dolphins). Also some time in Inverness itself - walking tours etc.

Maybe time it after the clocks change to get most daylight.

Also from Hertfordshire and we drive up to the Highlands most years. You will need a car, so you will have to factor car hire into your budget. We have flown to Aberdeen, Inverness and Glasgow. If you go very far north into the highlands, it will still be winter in March. Don’t plan on having good weather in those months, or at all, in the highlands. We have had sunshine in the Cairngorms, in October but also a snow storm on a mountain there in July.
My suggestion for you would be to fly to Glasgow airport from Luton and then head north, to the nearby Loch Lomond and Trossachs NP. Plenty of Lochs mountains and scenery there.

Inverness isn't particularly exciting. You can get to Ullapool in about an hour and the stunning scenery that is beyond there. However I agree with the person who suggested the Trossachs or fly to Edinburgh and drive to the Glencoe area.

Oh wow how long is the drive from Herts? I think it might be too long with DC7 and suspect paying for flights and then hiring a car might be cheaper for us. Which would you say is the most picturesque and lovely of the places you have visited?

I’m in love with this image, which I believe is Torridon. Google tells me it’s about 2-2.5 hrs drive from Inverness. Anyone been in October?

October is often lovely in October. We used to go to pitlochry in October half term when I was a child. I now live in Edinburgh and have done a lot of west coast holidays. I agree with going to Glasgow then up from there in a car.

Inverness is not a great spot tbh. You will need a car to do anything and it is more of a place you drive through.

Aviemore can be busy and is not a picturesque town, but is a really nice spot for easy access to lochs, mountains (Cairngorms) etc and you can get the train there from Inverness or Edinburgh. Lots of air bnbs for all budgets. Also consider Pitlochry - easy train from Edinburgh has things to do for a long weekend (including a day trip to Aviemore).

Inverness is not great. I think for a short break, head to Glasgow and take the West Highland train to Oban. One of the most highly rated scenic rail trips in the world. A night in Oban, then bus it to Fort William, maybe break that with an overnight between the two on the banks of Loch Linnhe, maybe Appin. Onto Fort William for a night or 2, then train back to Glasgow. Same line, different branch.

And of course, you could cut the flight out and get the Caledonia sleeper all the way to Oban from London, and all the way back to London from Fort William.

Yes, looks like that could well be in the Torridon area. Easily 2.5 hours drive from Inverness (roads will be slower as you head west). Depends on your budget really - October will be getting into autumn so could be stunning colours, but you are running a risk with the weather which could literally be doing anything these days. a visit to Applecross and a drive over the Blealach na Ba pass possible if you are happy enough to drive on single track roads.

Accommodation will need to be booked quickly - there is a youth hostel there and some hotels and guesthouses and probably glamping pods.

The sleeper train sounds a lovely option. You'd have lovely scenery on the route up.

October is lovely.

So many people suggesting places that are not in the Highlands.

Fly straight into Inverness

Aviemore (Loch Morlich)- stunning beach , forest, can get funicular railway up to Cairngorm. Landmark for the wee one. Walk to the green loch (where the fairies wash their clothes).

Another day could be go west to Torridon but also closer, there is Rosemarie. Beautiful beach with two cafes on the beach. Walk along the beach or higher up to the cave. It is beautiful. Lots of lovely bistro pubs in Fort rose (see the Allangrane and a other one the name escapes me!).

Oh there is also Loch An Eileen with a castle in the middle.

Don't bother with Loch Ness unless it's v important to you to see it.

Base yourself in Inverness. There is so much to do.

In the city there are lots of lovely restaurants. Mustard Seed or any others down at the river.

You could also stay in the guesthouse lart if the very beautiful but very expensive Torridon hotel.

Also in Inverness, visit the islands. Walk along the river, stopping at the coffee/pastry (Highland food trail it's called), different stalls on different days).

Inverness Cathedral has a beautiful cafe , right in the river.

Also Inverness Castle has just re opened after a two year renovation!

I think if you did it in one journey it would be about 10+ hours. As it is just the 2 of us and we are retired, we usually go for a couple of weeks so we make at least one stop on the way up. We always fly if it is just for a few days. We often used to get the last flight from Luton airport to Glasgow on a Friday evening, as it arrived after the car hire places had closed ( flight often delayed), we used to stay at the premier inn at the airport and pick the hire car up on Saturday Morning.
We are elderly Munro Baggers and we usually pick somewhere where there is a mountain we need to bag, so we are very biased towards mountains.
There are many scenic places. Anywhere on the NC500 will be lovely. Achiltibuie, Ullapool, the Assynt area, very far north west coast area all spring to mind. These places might be difficult to visit in a weekend. The Glen Affric area is pretty if you are flying to Inverness. The Arrochar alps, in the Trossachs are also beautiful. I do agree that you get more of an idea of highlands, if you go further north. Our favourite area is the Cairngorms, but I don’t think everyone would agree. We have family connections to the area so again we are biased.

Great suggestion

OP if this is the sort of scenery you’re hoping for, I have another suggestion. I think that you’re only there a long weekend needs really careful thought especially the danger of trying to do too much.

Fly to Inverness, as long as you can arrive by lunchtime. Hire a car and drive to Gairloch, along the Loch Maree road. Weather dependent, you will get magnificent views of the Loch and the mountain Slioch. Stay in Gairloch- gorgeous place especially if you find somewhere in the Strath area that has views to the Torridon Mountains.

From there, walks galore but you could drive out to Red Point with views across to the islands. I think there’s a horse riding centre up there. Again you’re going to need clear weather days or it will all just be grey mist and barely views! You could also drive up to Ullapool for the day, or if your flight is late you could detour up that way.

For your return journey, you could drive through Poolewe and up to Ledmore junction, (this is where it’s left to Ullapool and right to Inverness). The Corrieshalloch gorge is just here too.

This route will give you nice places to stay, walk, eat, etc and gorgeous driving scenery. Obviously check out if any places you want to visit are open at that time and get an evening flight home if you can!

edited for typo and clarity

Yes! And it has an excellent escape room, I was there in November and really enjoyed it!

We once did a cycling holiday on the islands and highlands. Absolutely beautiful but we were so unfit and it rained during the day! Plus it was during August so the midgies got us! That being said we weren’t put off and saw some wonderful sights. We stayed in b and bs and hostels along the way. We made it to Lewis and Harris Islands. They were very picturesque and great for walking - and fish and chips if you could find them.
We did do it again a few years later, just to Skye this time, but drove!

To really make the most of it, I would postpone the trip until you can go for longer. There are so many places to visit that you won’t be able to do in two or three days

We go up to the Highlands and Islands quite regularly from Bristol (so slightly further south than you). We average 6 hours to Glasgow where DH has family, but it has taken up to 10 before in bad conditions. Fort William and Oban are another 3 or so hours, but if you're going up the A82 alongside Loch Lomond and get stuck behind a lorry you can't get past.
If you go out to the Mull and Iona you are then dependent on the ferries. There's no airport there.

Torridon is gorgeous in October . Ive been. But there’s not much there apart from the hotel which is very pricey .
Its pretty difficult to get any sense of the Highlands in 2 nights tbh.
I would also fly to Glasgow and get the train to Oban. The train journey is lovely as you travel up the West coast. You would get cheap accommodation in Oban. You can take the ferry over to Mull for a day trip.
Not as amazing as the Highlands proper but it will give you a taste .
Inverness and Loch Ness are nice but not as spectacular as other places . From Inverness it’s easy to get to the Moray Coast on the East of Scotland. There are lots of pretty and quaint villages there but the scenery is much gentler compared to the more rugged and spectacular West coast.
The other option is to fly to Glasgow and get the bus up to Glencoe. Driving through Glencoe is a great experience. Then stay in Ballahulish
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We've driven from London to Aviemore in 1 day, but 3 of us shared the driving. We stayed 10mins out of Aviemore in Coylumbridge in an Air BNB property for NYE. It was magical as there were heavy snow falls, open fire and red squirrels in the garden. A car was necessary though. We did a day trip to Inverness but were mainly there for skiing and NYE. Not the cheapest though.

Another time we stayed in Inverness with friends then a few days on Isle of Skye at the Stein Inn. 1 thing I'd never realised, is that Loch Ness is a very, very long lake, miles and miles long. I wrongly assumed it was a round loch that you could see all sides at once.