Driving Tour of Scotland

[RUDisney]

My neighbor, with whom I was going to travel to India in the fall, got a new job. It's a contract for 6-months. So, instead of India, I want to go to Scotland in either September or October to do a driving tour of the country.

Can anyone offer advice on what are must sees on a tour like this and how long should I stay in each area. For example, I'm thinking to start in Edinburgh and spend a few days there, then travel north. I want to stay in Aberdeen for at least one night to meet coworkers in person. If we stay in Inverness for a few days, what are good day trips from there so we don't have to relocate lodging every few days? Should we travel to Skye? Is the Jacobite Steam Train a must do or should we just go to watch it go over the trellis bridge? We plan to finish up in Glasgow and either fly home from there or drive back to Edinburgh to fly home.

Oh, and what are the best distillery tours?

If you think something is highly overrated, please note that, too. I've not heard great things about Loch Ness, for example, but a day on the lake might be nice, unless there are better lakes to visit.

I'm thinking that the trip will be 10-days to 2 weeks. It will be me and my 26 yo DD, and my parents, 79 and 81, in very spry health, have said that they'd like to join us. I'm hoping that they do.

Thank you for your recommendations!

 

[Scotgirl]

There's so much to cover and see - depends on how mobile everyone is and what your likes and dislikes are.
Also our fuel costs are scary right now - averaging around $10.5 per gallon!
I would start by having a look at the Visit Scotland website - I've put the link below. Enjoy and welcome!

https://www.visitscotland.com/

 

[Colleen27]

We spent a week and didn't have nearly enough time. The isles were my favorite part of the UK leg of our trip - Skye is indescribably beautiful and the rain-sun-rain weather meant we had rainbows every day. The hike to the fairy pools is on the easier side but one of the prettiest and most fun that I've done, as much because of the boulder-hopping creek crossings as the almost otherworldly scenery, Be warned, not much is open on Sunday and almost as little on Monday, so if you go you might want to time your visit for later in the week. Harris & Lewis, though harder to get to, were also a highlight for us. The beaches, the sheep, the single track roads, the most stunning standing stones, the cute little towns. It was perfect.

Of the major cities we visited in Europe, Edinburgh was my favorite. It is a really friendly place with a fabulous live music scene. We stayed near Cowgate and the bars along that stretch had the best nightlife. We didn't do any distillery tours because only DS24 even kind of likes whiskey, so tasting flights in a couple of pubs was enough for us. The one my son liked well enough to take a bottle home was Jura, and the one I liked best was Highland Park. I think both distilleries are in the islands, though, and might be hard to get to. Be warned: In Edinburgh, as in San Francisco, everywhere you want to go is somehow uphill both ways so the walking is no joke even if you're pretty active.

We skipped Loch Ness in the interests of time because like you, we didn't hear great things. We also didn't do much in Glasgow but I was glad I sent DH, DS and MIL home from that airport rather than Edinburgh. It is compact, easy to navigate, and was a haven of smooth operations when long waits in Dublin and lost luggage at Heathrow were making headlines. Maybe Edinburgh would have been just as easy, maybe not. But flying out of Glasgow was a breeze. Which mattered since none of them had been overseas before and usually lean on me to navigate the logistics of travel, and DD14 and I were staying on for another week in the UK and a week in Ireland.

 

[Earstou]

One of our highlights on our UK trip was the Falkirk Wheel, partly because of the uniqueness of the attraction. The Wheel is a rotating boat lift that moves canal boats. You get to see an engineering marvel and experience a ride in a boat lift. It's around 23 miles from Edinburgh. It was fun to do the ride and see the canals and canal boats.

 

[lovesmurfs]

My husband and I did something similar in 2017 (mid/late October). We only had a week, but two would've been much better.

Started in Edinburgh, and the Groupon we'd gotten included a castle stay in Peebles (south of Edinburgh). We wouldn't have messed with it, but hey, castle. We didn't spend a lot of time in Edinburgh (except for the "Malt Disney" experience), and none in Glasgow, except for Stirling Castle).

Then we found a place in the middle of the country (about 25 minutes south of Inverness) -- the Steadings at the Grouse and Trout (great food!). It gave us a chance to do day trips. Took one full day trip to the Isle of Skye (Viator), and it was great. Took another day to Loch Ness (yes, it was touristy, but Loch Ness!). Toured a whisky distillery and also Culloden Battlefield). Wanted to go up Ben Nevis (too foggy) and see Doune Castle from Monty Python (closed for refurbishment). Glencoe, Glenfinnan Viaduct as well. Took an unplanned trip to the Kelpies in Falkirk -- it was awesome.

So we drove north from Edinburgh to Flitchity by Farr, then to the west coast (stayed overnight in Morar), then back and across east -- stayed near Edinburgh the last night to get our flight home.

Helpful was Viator and https://www.visitscotland.org/.

I used the planning to help divert my attention from my youngest going off to college. We missed so much, but were able to see a lot as well.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I don't have any advice, but I just wanted to say that I think Scotland would be an amazing place to see.

 

[kanerf]

Unless you are very used to driving on the left, I would recommend you pay extra to get an automatic. The novelty of sitting on the wrong side of the car and having to shift with the wrong hand can be disconcerting. Also many of the roads in the rural areas can be very narrow and hard to see around curves. There will always be a truck coming at you and you will have to hug the curb to let them by. It is a beautiful country though. I recommend taking a ferry over to some of the islands. I went to Harris and Lewis. Great fun. This is where the Harris Tweed cloth comes from.

 

[princesscinderella]

If you can fit it in we did a British isles cruise and loved the main Orkney Island. I believe they have ferries that go there. Skara Brea and the other Neolithic sites were awesome. Such a neat place.

 

[sheilafri]

If you travel in early September you could see some Highland Games. We thought it was fascinating. Also loved the drive through the Highlands (on the Whiskey Trail?), Sterling Castle, Culloden, Ft. Williams and the Jacobite Steam Train (loved the little village it goes to), Oban and the Isle of Mull. I think you can safely skip Loch Ness. It was a drive-by for us.

 

[sk!mom]

Unless you are very used to driving on the left, I would recommend you pay extra to get an automatic. The novelty of sitting on the wrong side of the car and having to shift with the wrong hand can be disconcerting. Also many of the roads in the rural areas can be very narrow and hard to see around curves. There will always be a truck coming at you and you will have to hug the curb to let them by. It is a beautiful country though. I recommend taking a ferry over to some of the islands. I went to Harris and Lewis. Great fun. This is where the Harris Tweed cloth comes from.

We rented a standard for 10 days in Ireland this summer and it was fine.

Rental car prices are currently very high and it would have cost us almost 3x more to get an automatic.

We know how to drive a standard so we decided to save there. Opposite side driving (car and road) took some concentration but the left hand shifting was fine.

Due to the single track roads, I would recommend getting the smallest car that you can fit in.

 

[kanerf]

We rented a standard for 10 days in Ireland this summer and it was fine.

Rental car prices are currently very high and it would have cost us almost 3x more to get an automatic.

We know how to drive a standard so we decided to save there. Opposite side driving (car and road) took some concentration but the left hand shifting was fine.

Due to the single track roads, I would recommend getting the smallest car that you can fit in.

Agreed, but I doubt most Americans under fifty can still drive a stick shift. I lived in Europe for 13 years and got used to them.

 

[sheilafri]

We rented a standard for 10 days in Ireland this summer and it was fine.

Rental car prices are currently very high and it would have cost us almost 3x more to get an automatic.

We know how to drive a standard so we decided to save there. Opposite side driving (car and road) took some concentration but the left hand shifting was fine.

Due to the single track roads, I would recommend getting the smallest car that you can fit in.

Try for a manual transmission if you know how to drive one. We paid hundreds extra for an automatic in Italy only to be told there were none available. We were given a lousy $25 off. Alternately, take a screenshot of the price difference so you can have some leverage with the car rental agency or to contest on your CC bill.

 

[sk!mom]

Try for a manual transmission if you know how to drive one. We paid hundreds extra for an automatic in Italy only to be told there were none available. We were given a lousy $25 off. Alternately, take a screenshot of the price difference so you can have some leverage with the car rental agency or to contest on your CC bill.

Yes, we rented the manual transmission.

 

[RUDisney]

All of us except my DD can drive a standard. My parents still have one.

When the drive us to the airport in NJ, they always turn the keys over to me. It's funny how it comes back to you so quickly. You make a good point @kanerf, but I think we'd manage the stick. I've driven on the left before, so I'm also not frightened by that.

 

[melk]

Just wondering if the OP completed her trip? I’m just looking into a possible trip and wondered where she ended up visiting and how they liked it.

 

[RUDisney]

We decided to go on a cruise instead. When I started mapping our drive, it became a second job that I didn’t have time to do.

Everything happens for a reason. The day that the queen’s body was moved to St Giles is the day we’d have been in Edinburgh. Instead, we were on a ship that could have housed 4600 people, but there were only 1100 of us on it. I read 4 books during those 10 days and I didn’t have to plan a thing.

Scotland will still be there when I finally plan my drive.