Scotland - would any of you be able to help me?

[ChippingIn]

We are planning a trip to Scotland in July (YAY - but please ask the mossies to stay away!).

2 adults, no children.

The current plan is:

Start in Inverness (3N) - do the Kyle of Lockhalsh train trip (1N Plockton) and have a day in Inverness.

Hire a car.

Drive down to do Loch Ness (well you have to don't you ), Urqhart Castle down to Fort William (3N).

Train out to Malig.

Day around base of Ben Nevis (waterfall walk etc) and Loch Linnhe.

Down to Lochaline a couple of nights on Mull then out to Oban (2N)

Down to Mull of Kintyre (1N) (bit of retro tragic recorder playing )

Over to Loch Lomond (singing You take the High Road...bigger ) (1N)

Glasgow (1N)

Falkirk wheel

Edinburgh (2N)

Can you tell us anything we shouldn't miss on that route (or a little off of it).

How long you think we need (we have allowed 14 days not including the days we arrive or leave). I know we could spend a lot longer but we would actually like to condense it a bit, but not sure where/how?

We would like to stay in at least one, preferably more, proper castles (cheap not expensive) and probably B&B's, budget hotels other than that.

Both more interested in scenery/architecture not so much (or at all really unless completely unmissable) museums, nightclubs or huge hikes.

If anyone can help with planning any aspect of it I' be very grateful :) I'll be back mid morning to see if anyone's made it this far and answer any questions.

(Hope it all makes sense, haven't been to bed yet!)

Weegiemum Thanks for that link, I've just had a look and it does look lovely :) The people sound really nice.

Lemon Oban is only a 'going through' from Mull - may not even stop for coffee :) Inverness is basically just 'a bed' the night we arrive and maybe one or two more as a base (but now we will probably choose somewhere near by rather than Inverness CC - thanks!), we aren't really spending any time in Inverness apart from the first afternoon evening (unless 2blessed comes up with anything we shouldn't miss :) )

RIGHT no more arguing about G v E - we will be staying the same amount of time in each However, if you could tell me your one 'top' place in each then we can see what we can fit in

Very amused at how many of us are urging you to visit our respective corners of Scotland...

Have been thinking about that train journey - and I think it is completely justified as a Top 10 railway journey... However, it is also a top 10 scenic drive, and if you have a car anyway, I would rate the flexibility offered by having your own car higher than the novelty of being on a (potentially) crowded train

either way - give us a wave when you go past

Gaelic Loch Lomond is one of those places I've wanted to go since I was a small child (Bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, you take the high road... LOL I used to play it on the piano again and again and again - I can't come and not see it )

I have had a look at the map I have and the google map - I can't find Dores beach?! When you say the 'South Side' can you give me some names of the places? I would have said it has a West & an East side - but the East side doesn't seem to have a road near the Loch? Heelllppppp

Gabity & Gaelic I really do hear what you (and others) are saying about Black Isle and north of Inverness and we don't want to miss 'the best bits' if we don't have to.

Do you agree that the first bit is OK (Kyle of Lochalsh, Skye, Loch Ness, Fort William, Ben Nevis, Glencoe, Isle of Mull) ??

I guess then it's either 'do' Loch Lomond, Loch Katrine, Stirling, Glasgow, Edinburgh down to Seahouses for the second lot of Puffins and fly out of Edinburgh

OR

Black Isle & north of Inverness.

If we do option 2 I need a second Puffin place and some amazing, can't miss stuff - wow me!! (Thought I'm not sure what my friend will be happy to miss out of the second part and what she really wants to see - it's a long way to come from NZ, go to Scotland and not see the 2 main cities...??)

dispondantandthensome - you'd really wear your Jimmy hats?? You're on!!

I would love to meet up with all of you - it would be brilliant

I'm not sure we are even going to have time to catch up with our own shadows though?! That's another worry, that we are trying to do too much in the time available (a little short of 3 weeks)? Any thoughts on that anyone??

HighHeidYin Edinburgh Rock & Shortbread will be staples to get me through it I think

threefeethighandrising If we don't get to Edinburgh this time, I'll come up again and see it then. I think both G & E would be lovely cities to visit :)

YourCallIsImportant - it would be lovely to meet up with you too :) A personal tour around the Loch would be great! Mind you, the way this is going it might not be on this trip However, I will get there.... I'll keep you posted!! x

Mull trumps Black Isle, especially if it's puffins you're after.. the journey you've now got is fab

Come back another time to see the far north (Assynt, Achmelvich, Sandwood bay, Ullapool) and Black Isle

Gaelic thanks for those other links!

I guess something we I need to take into consideration is that NZ is incredibly beautiful, with lovely beaches & dolphins etc so while it would be lovely to see them in Scotland, it might be nicer for my friend to see 'different' things, such as the architecture in the cities of G and E. So I think it needs to be a mix of cities and scenery - scenery that is as 'unique' to Scotland as possible - iyswim.

Cain Thanks! I think

I had to look up Teucher - I feel a little wiser now, but I am very sure we are going to make complete arses of ourselves trying to pronounce anything more unusual than Fort William Still, it will give the locals a good laugh!!

I agree that we could spend the entire summer on the west coast and not see all of the best of it. There are so many lovely looking/sounding places and not enough time!!
Sandwood Bay does look beautiful, it could equally be NZ :) If not this trip, then next time. I may bring my car and camping gear next time so I can make the most of places like that!

My first and foremost bit of advice is that it is not the mozzies you need to be worrying about its the midgies I was kind of lumping them together I will definitely order some SSS from Avon, neither of us smokes - but maybe we could pick up a teenager to lope around with us Neither of us are the Chiffon scarves type - but I will now go and buy a couple and probably worship the very ground you walk on!!! Thanks for that suggestion! I googled Jungle Juice and it came up with this Jungle juice is the name given to a improvised mix of liquor BRILLIANT - but I assume you actually meant the insect repellant :( I will order some for sure!!

Oricella - I feel like this

Where abouts did you say you are? I need to know where to drop in for shortbread when to wave

I think, on reflection, we probably will stick with the rough plan we have now as I think it would be good to see both E&G as I said before - then yes, another trip is in order!!

Dont know if anyone else has suggested this but I would suggest a day trip to Orkney from Inverness. I'm sure there is a company that does this. It's a beautiful drive up and then Orkney is beautiful. But iirc, it does leave Inverness at stupid o'clock in the morning!

Well yes you're right, but tis known as South Loch Ness! What you need is the B862 road from Inverness. Dores is right at the north-eastern end of Loch Ness and the view down the loch is one of the best views of Loch Ness you'll get. This B&B is in Dores, I think it's supposed to be good (no, I am not the owner!).

To continue down the loch you take the B852 to Foyers, which goes right along the loch side. After Foyers the road to Fort Augustus veres away from the loch but is a lovely drive with great views to the mountains in the west.

The road to the north/west of Loch Ness is the A82. Very busy in summer and few places to stop for a really good view of the loch.

I hadn't realised your friend was from NZ!

Thanks Piff :)

Gaelic - sorry I was talking at cross purposes! I thought you were still talking about Loch Lomond!! Loch Ness we are going all the way around . Of course it's the same time RockNess is on (bugger) but the Thursday and RN starts on the Friday so hopefully there wont be too much traffic?!

The B&B does look lovely (it's a shame you aren't the owner - that would have been fun!!) unfortunately it's booked for the night we would choose to be there - the only way we could stay there is to get the hire car the day we arrive and go straight there - I'll talk to TP about doing that. The B&B site says they prefer not to take single night bookings so I have called them to see if they want to take one or not :)

cheesy can I point your wise self in this direction. You solve all my other problems, so you might as well have a go here too.... p.s how is trip planning progressing?

Sorry Gabity - I've only just seen this messaage!!

I just wanted to bump the thread say we have booked the Jacobite train from Fort William to Mallaig

It's taking us a lifetime to get stuff booked - too many lovely options everywhere, for everything!!

I need to check my Euro Millions tickets too!!

for the midgies you need Avon Skin-so-Soft in Woodland fragrance; the dry oil spray is best.

DH is allergic to all things bitey and it's the only thing that keeps the feckers off.

you seem to have all bases covered for the trip though, so I have nothing to add, other than I too am homesick just reading all the suggestions here

Oh, actually if on Skye, it's worth taking a trip to Glen Brittle....right in the heart of the Black Cuillin, and there is a lovely walk round the peninsula to the South side of the Loch; interesting iron age stoneworks, a wee lochan with a channel carved out to the sea, beautiful flora and fauna; and DH and I sat out on the sound and watched dolphins cavorting off shore for hours. the beach is pretty good there too. We gathered mussels and cooked them on our campfire

Crispy - thanks for that with the SSS - I was actually looking at them yesterday, wondering if it made any difference which fragrance/type! I know what to order now!

Where abouts in Scotland did you live? Where are you now?

Thank you for the detail about Skye - that's exactly the kind of thing we need now! We have the bones of the trip sorted (thanks everyone!!!) but it's great to get specifics like that so that we don't miss 'the best bits' of the places we go to!!

Have any of you done the seaprobe from Kyle of Lochalsh? Is it worth making the time to do?

Glenbrittle is good - but you should also try and take in the Quirang north of Portree. It's a particularly good walk on a foggy days - very athmospheric!

On your way out from Inverness Rogie falls makes a nice walk; if you like hot chocolate you must stop here (although it will spoil you for any other hot choc in future). The Studio in Achnasheen does really pretty stuff and has a nice cafe too.

If you do go round Applecross, stop on the Bealach na Ba and take an hour or two to walk up Sgurr a Chaorachain and bag yourself a proper Corbett; the Potting Shed is perfect for lunch and check out Monty hall's beach a few miles north.

ooh, yes the Quirang! Very weird and atmoshepric. We honeymooned in a cottage that looked onto the back of the crag (if that makes sense) Our cotage was pretty much the most northerly house on the most northerly peninsula on Skye....fabulous

Chipping, I'm a Fifer, me ; lovely part of the world, but too gentle and rolling to make the same sort of impact as the North West, though the East Neuk with all its wee fishing villages is lovely

I'm now in Leeds...and don't get "home" nearly enough

crispcake do you say things like "put my baffies on the bunker?" like my best friend does?!

I do giraffes (although technically I would never put footwear on the kitchen worktop ). Much to the amusement of my (yorkshire through and through) family.

no hard feelings 'bout the other thread? These things always get really heated, though I'm lolling about my newfound loonie leftiness! (sorry for the hi-jack Chipping!!)

sorry! different giraffe

Ori - Thank you!! The links were really great too - makes it very easy.

Quirang - it looks beautiful, but heart attack material I am going to have to up the gym sessions aren't I!!!

I had looked at Rogie falls on the map, but hadn't seen that website. The timing is quite tight around there... but now it's on the 'try hard to do it' list.

With the Sgurr a chaorachain - it does look like a 3 boot route! Is it worth going if you only go to the mast? or is it an all or nothing??

My friend doesn't like chocolate (not a 'real girl'!! LOL) but she loves hot chocolate so I'm sure we will be able to work in a stop at Maya :) & the Studio.

I was looking at the Potting Shed yesterday - thinking it looked nice :)

We are going to Applecross & Bealach na Ba due to your prompting earlier on :)

I fear that we really don't have enough time in all of the places :( but it's so hard to know how much time you need when you are first planning the trip. Still, I can treat it like a 'taster' and come back another time. My friend probably can't though, so I'd like to do the best of the best with her this time.

Crispy are we likely to see the house? What's it called? Maybe we can plan a trip to Fife later on - it sounds lovely :) What's keeping you in Leeds? (not that I've ever been to Leeds so not putting it down, but Fife does sound lovely!!).

Giraffes :) where have you been my girl?? Missed you :( x

I really do appreciate you all taking the time to tell me about specific things to do and see - it's really going to make the trip great!!

This thread is great.

If I bump this, then it will stick around longer, right? Or should we ask MN to move it so that the great info is not lost? Would you mind, Chipping?

MmeLindt - no it would be great if it sticks around!! It's MN at its best really isn't it. There was only one little bicker

I wonder if it would stay around in Travel...

Let's ask!

If we don't lose it I will add to it after our trip as well