Help me expand my Scotland itinerary, please.

[Chocolino]

Staying put this summer in the UK.

We have a trip moved from last year to this July and we would like to add on some more highlights as we won't be going anywhere else this year.

So far our trip is 2 nights in Edinburgh in a house and then 5 nights in Loch Melfort. We are driving up there from the SE.

We would like to add on up to another week, perhaps a few days on the way and then after Loch Melfort, or we are flexible and could do a week after LM.

We have 2 teens. We love nature, sport, physical activities, culture, history and great food (both expensive and hidden inexpensive gems). We love a road trip and an adventure. I am a bit of a romantic and would love to stay in a castle

Another option is to stop off and see things on the way/ way back. I've never been to Northumberland.

Those in the know, WWYD. I want to turn this into a memorable adventure if we are allowed to travel that is. I'd love to turn our staycation into a very memorable holiday.

Why not try Aviemore? it is a great place for the entire family, they would love a few days at Landmark Adventure Park.
I have an agency and we have only one summer week left but here are some things to do
igloo.scot/holiday-guides/142902-things-to-do-in-aviemore-for-families

Hadrian’s Wall
Alnwick Castle - chunks of Harry Potter were filmed there and it has an amazing water garden and cafe in a treehouse.

Tweed Valley Forest Park is a lovely place to visit. The views are stunning. The mountain biking is great (even for total beginners) and there’s bike hire from Glentress. There are a couple of locations where you can watch Ospreys forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/tweed-valley-forest-park/the-tweed-valley-osprey-project There’s also a Go Ape in Glentress.

Galloway Forest was the first place in the UK to receive Dark Sky Park status and on a clear night the stargazing is incredible, so I’d definitely recommend staying nearby for a couple of nights. There are a few visitors centres in the park, plus an observatory. You can also see red deer forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/galloway-forest-park/red-deer-range and there’s a brilliant road trip forestryandland.gov.scot/visit/forest-parks/galloway-forest-park/raiders-road-forest-drive

Stirling Castle is well worth a visit and could be done on the drive from Edinburgh to Loch Melfort.

If you're in Loch Melfort then staying on the west coast and a visit to Mull & Iona would be well worth it - or down the Mull of Kintyre (or both) then ferry from Campbeltown back to Ayrshire

Mull is amazing!

Check out island hopper tickets from Cal Mac. I had a brilliant holiday exploring the the islands and staying at B&Bs and hostels. Stunning scenery and no too busy

If you're driving to Edinburgh make sure your accommodation has parking as much of the street parking in the city is resident's permit parking / short stay pay & display meters.
Aviemore would fit your wish list but it's quite a long way from Loch Melfort. So may Loch Lomond and the Trossachs area, Callander is a nice little market town (although it attracts a lot of tourists passing through on their way north).
I don't think you'd be disappointed with a couple of days in Northumberland either!

If staying at loch Melfort I would do some island hopping on the west coast

We love nature, sport, physical activities,

How independent and adventurous are you?
Scotland is littered with things to do that are not the default 'pay your money at the entertainment/theme park/visitor centre'.

Can you bring bikes with you?
If not, looking at hills you would like to climb, places to hire canoe or be guided canoeing, and certainly lots of bike rides.

Around Melfort there are lots of bike rides, many on quieter roads, along Loch Sween, Loch Awe, etc you can take bikes on ferries out to Islay, ride 16 miles via the gin/whisky distilleries and get the ferry home. You can cycle to deserted beaches and watch beavers around loch Sween and the Fairy Isles. Arran (and some more cycling or just a walk up the Cock of Arran) is a hop on the ferry. Easdale and Seil again are a lovely, wild place to visit.
Take a day trip to see the puffins on the Treshnish Isles, Luing has some too I gather.
You can walk around Lismore from the North Ferry (and Appin hotel has amazing food), Eriska you can park nearby (but not on the island) and it's reliable for Otter watching in my experience. Ford has a canoe rental place at the bunkhouse on Loch Awe, sea kayaking with the seals from Oban.

You can end up driving huge distances, as others allude to, so I would stay west if I were you. Just north of Oban is Ardnamurchan peninsula - furthest west you can go on the mainland. The area from Ardgour to Ardnamurchan to Arisaig is a wild, remote and yet fascinating place. It's rich with quiet places (that's got to be an issue this summer), hills, bike rides, deserted beaches, castles, day trips to Mull, the most amazing Atlantic Oak woodlands, great cafes and more.

Maybe we as a family are different, but one of the reasons we moved to Scotland is the wild and outdoors - this is at odds with so many touristy attractions...

We went for a few days last summer, Try to visit one of the islands but book the ferry well in advance
We went to Arran it was fantastic
I would defiantly make a road trip of it.
Here are some good North West England / Wales road trips
www.donthibernate.co.uk

Completely agree with the suggestion to go to Mull and Iona if you're in Loch Melfort, fantastic.

Aviemore itself is a bit touristy but has lots of amazing things to do nearby and fantastic walks. Highland Wildlife Park is pretty good, and a trip to the top of the funicular is fantastic. It always amazes me how cold it is up there even in the middle of summer!

Lovely day trip from Edinburgh is the East Neuk of Fife, gorgeous little fishing villages - Crail, Anstruther, Pitenweem, Elie etc. If you're into walking the Fife Coastal Path is beautiful and all the villages are bus linked so you can do a one way walk and get back to your car easily. Fife is also linked well on the trains if you don't fancy driving. Falkland (also Fife, about 45 minutes from centre of Edinburgh) is gorgeous, a very old village with a historic royal palace (national trust), beautiful woodland walks in Falkland Estate, and Pillars of Hercules organic farm shop and cafe is wonderful. They also shot Outlander there if you're into that!

Another great day trip from Edinburgh is north Berwick, amazing ice cream (aldana's), amazing coffee roasted on site (steampunk), amazing sourdough and croissants (Bostock bakery). Generally gorgeous scenery and lovely beach and town.

Edinburgh botanic gardens is wonderful, great for a wander and a picnic (get picnic goodies from Valvona and Crolla deli on Elm Row), or the restaurant is great too. Leith is definitely worth an explore.

If you want to go full blown Highlands (north of Inverness) I've got lots of great suggestions too.

Have an amazing trip!

So my trip now is:

Edinburgh x 2 nights
Loch Melfort x 5 nights
Isle of Lewis x 4 nights

I am now looking for somewhere on the way back, as in get off the western islands and back on the mainland, for a few nights before starting the journey back to SE England. I was looking at Aviemore or Inverness but I also like the sound of the highlands cani so would welcome any tips there.

Those of you who live in Scotland, do you think given where we are at with Covid, that we are even going to get the chance to travel up there?

Aviemore is the highlands!!
I honestly don't know about travel. If you're travelling just as your own household that's one potential issue removed. I think the islands in particular will be very cautious about tourists returning, some of them were very focal and hostile about it last summer. I've had a property owner cancel my island accommodation for May because they've decided to stay closed.

If you go to Inverness visit Chanonry Point to see the dolphins.

Could you add another night to Edinburgh? 2 nights only gives you 1 full day with travel days either side which will barely scratch the surface of things to do.
I would think in days not nights as you'll loose most of a day to travel every time you move base, or a whole day going to Lewis once you factor in the ferry.
At the moment you've got:
day 1 - travel day, arrive in Edinburgh
day 2 - Edinburgh sightseeing
day 3 - travel to Loch Melfort, sightseeing along the way
day 4, 5, 6, 7, Loch Melfort
day 8 - travel to Lewis
day 9, 10, 11 - Lewis
day 12 - travel day to ??

@bloodywhitecat

If you go to Inverness visit Chanonry Point to see the dolphins.

Loch Melfort to Inverness is over 3 hours drive. Unless you're going to stay in Inverness then it's a long day trip.

If you were to stay in Inverness, your trip could include Loch Garten for the Ospreys and Loch Ness because you never know.

Placemarking sorry! Need to read...

If you are after culture, history and good food suggest a stop in Glasgow West End (assuming things are open). Trip to Kelvingrove museum and Hunterian art gallery or Riverside museum meal out in Finnieston. Distillery tour also might be an option.

I don't think you'll be particularly welcome in the islands, they have been fairly Covid free and don't want that to change. At the moment non-essential travel isn't allowed to the islands.

I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think you’d be very welcome this year.
Yes, I know we need tourism back and all, but I doubt communities would be happy about risking it.
Sorry.

I’m in Scotland and I really don’t know. Nicola is being overly cautious (which I agree with) and won’t want anyone over the border unless things really change, if we are on track with vaccines then yes hopefully. Edinburgh will be fine (even with restrictions so much you can see) but as someone above said the islands/smaller towns may be a little hostile if too many visitors turn up, even if they need tourists!

Thanks for the responses. With that in mind do you think I should cancel this trip?

If I get to July and this is cancelled I think I'm going to crumble.

Have you booked the accommodation?

Loch Melfort to Inverness is over 3 hours drive. Unless you're going to stay in Inverness then it's a long day trip.

I know but the OP mentioned that she was considering Inverness on her return journey, hence my post.

When you're on the ferry to Lewis, keep an eye out for rissos dolphins. The ferry is one of the best places in the country to spot them from. Beautiful animals. Lots of seabirds too. Lewis is glorious.

You'll be doing a lot of driving op, pick your routes carefully.

Yes I’ve booked the accommodation including on Lewis (Lew’s Castle)