Need help with Scotland itinerary

[vafoodie]

15 days in Scotland and Northern England.
Our very fluid itinerary includes 6 days in Edinburgh and 3 in Glasgow. Plan to take many day trips from these places. Still trying to figure out where to base ourselves for touring the Highlands. What are sights I must see and ones to skip. No car. Relying

 

[athena53]

The former Royal Yacht Brittania is moored at Leith and it's an interesting tour- easy bus from Edinburgh. Same with Rossmoor Chapel, an interesting place even if you haven't read "The da Vinci Code".

If you're into whisky, I highly recommend Cadenhead's on the Royal Mile- they take a cask of whisky from the major distillers and dump it into a bottle- no blending even within the same malting, no filtering, dilution or coloring. You can't get it in the USA. Tasting is free. The whisky isn't cheap (I've usually planned on at least $75/bottle and it goes way up from there) but it's well worth it.

 

[Phroig]

A bit tricky touring the Highlands without a car, but Inverness would be a good base. You can get to Arran from Glasgow. For some history, try Dundee. For sights, Aviemore. Both doable without a car.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

If you're fit, you might consider visiting Fort William and walking up to the top of Ben Nevis but the weather might not co-operate at this time of year. My daughter and her husband did it a few years ago and they found it quite hard. I didn't even try, I knew there was no chance of me making it up there and back.

//www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/walking/mountains-hills/ben-nevis

Link above has many other suggestions as well

 

[Souschef]

A bit tricky touring the Highlands without a car, but Inverness would be a good base. You can get to Arran from Glasgow. For some history, try Dundee. For sights, Aviemore. Both doable without a car.

As the local Scottish Tourist board I agree about Inverness. Get a Scotrail Pass on line. Here are a couple of things to do.
t From Inverness, ake the Kyle line to Lochalsh, taxi to Eilean Donan Castle (Featured in the Highlander movie)
Take the train to Tain, walk to hotel to call taxi, visit Glenmorangie Distillery
In Glasgow visit the Burrell Collection Museum.
From Inverness take a boat ride on Loch Ness to Urquart Castle
From Glasgow , take the West Highland Line to Fort William
If you have any specific questions, PM me. I am glad to help. My late wife was a MacKenzie, and we traveled extensively in Scotland.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

The former Royal Yacht Brittania is moored at Leith and it's an interesting tour- easy bus from Edinburgh. Same with Rossmoor Chapel, an interesting place even if you haven't read "The da Vinci Code".

If you're into whisky, I highly recommend Cadenhead's on the Royal Mile- they take a cask of whisky from the major distillers and dump it into a bottle- no blending even within the same malting, no filtering, dilution or coloring. You can't get it in the USA. Tasting is free. The whisky isn't cheap (I've usually planned on at least $75/bottle and it goes way up from there) but it's well worth it.

I can second the Britannia and Rosslyn Chapel. We took the Hop On Hop Off bus out to the yacht.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

As the local Scottish Tourist board I agree about Inverness. Get a Scotrail Pass on line. Here are a couple of things to do.
t From Inverness, ake the Kyle line to Lochalsh, taxi to Eilean Donan Castle (Featured in the Highlander movie)
Take the train to Tain, walk to hotel to call taxi, visit Glenmorangie Distillery
In Glasgow visit the Burrell Collection Museum.
From Inverness take a boat ride on Loch Ness to Urquart Castle
From Glasgow , take the West Highland Line to Fort William
If you have any specific questions, PM me. I am glad to help. My late wife was a MacKenzie, and we traveled extensively in Scotland.

Also in Glasgow are the Willow Tea Rooms, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

And our trip to Inverness included nearby Culloden, which was one of the more memorable parts of our trip.

 

[Phroig]

From Glasgow , take the West Highland Line to Fort William … in Scotland.

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, or if you just like amazing scenery, you can take The Jacobite from Fort William to Mallaig.

 

[athena53]

If you're fit, you might consider visiting Fort William and walking up to the top of Ben Nevis but the weather might not co-operate at this time of year. My daughter and her husband did it a few years ago and they found it quite hard. I didn't even try, I knew there was no chance of me making it up there and back.

Check out Arthur's Seat just outside of Edinburgh as well (easy walk from the center of town). On my last trip I climbed it every day and I was 67. The trails are well-worn and well-populated (with a few zealots running it!) and wind gently around it rather than straight up so it's manageable even if you're not in top form. There's a bit of scrambling over rocks at the peak but even if you skip that you get beautiful views.

 

[braumeister]

Check out Arthur's Seat just outside of Edinburgh as well (easy walk from the center of town).

And if you keep going a little beyond, there is a nice little botanical garden, "Dr. Neil's Garden" and a most delightful pub, said to be the oldest in Scotland, "Sheep Heid Inn". Easy to find both on Google Maps.

 

[DrRoy]

A few places not mentioned - Hadrian's Wall, Lake District, Isle of Skye, Orkney Islands.

 

[euro]

I second the suggestion to make use of the trains - the ride from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh is truly extraordinary in my opinion. Back in the day, there was a passenger ferry (more like a mid-sized fishing boat.....) from Kyle of Lochalsh to Mallaig along a beautiful coastline. Then take train from Mallaig to Ft William. Then back to Inverness, Glasgow, or Edingburgh.
I also second a visit to the Culloden battlefield (outside of Inverness).
Finally, I think 6 days is way too much to allocate for Edinburgh unless you use Edinburgh as a base for many day trips (I would use Inverness for that). While beautiful, Edinburgh is quite small and once you have seen the castle and its surroundings, you have covered most of it.
If you are interested in seeing the Northern Highlands, you can take a train from Inverness all the way along the East Coast to Wick or Thurso. It is very nice, but to be honest, the West Coast is far more spectacular. Unfortunately, the West Coast in much harder to navigate without a rental car though.

 

[vafoodie]

I have yet to adjust to the inflated price for hotel rooms, but are hotels really expensive in Scotland in June? We're paying $281 a night in Inverness and an average of $271 per night in Edinburgh. My husband, who has less trouble parting with money than I do, has found these places and claims the problem is that we need a room for 3 (he, I, and our adult daughter so 2 beds. ) Idk why he isn't looking at Airbnbs.
I guess my question is, given these prices, do I need to go back over his work, or is he on point with hotel prices in Scotland. I will say, he traveled a lot when he worked, so he knows how to look for a hotel that is centrally located.

 

[vafoodie]

A few places not mentioned - Hadrian's Wall, Lake District, Isle of Skye, Orkney Islands.

I would like to see all of these places. Realistically, I think we can only get one island in and it may have to be a day trip.

 

[Sunset]

If you're fit, you might consider visiting Fort William and walking up to the top of Ben Nevis but the weather might not co-operate at this time of year. My daughter and her husband did it a few years ago and they found it quite hard. I didn't even try, I knew there was no chance of me making it up there and back.

//www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/walking/mountains-hills/ben-nevis

Link above has many other suggestions as well

Made it a link:
https://www.visitscotland.com/things-to-do/outdoor-activities/walking/mountains-hills/ben-nevis

 

[camfused]

I recommend Rabbies Tours, for day trips or multi-day trips. We had a great time with them, and the guides were really good.

 

[Mark1]

I found the Glasgow Cathedral an amazing structure to walk through. When I looked up the name on Google maps, I noted "knowledgeable staff" in the reviews, etc. The day we went in Sept 2006, I don't really remember seeing a sole (although we must have), or even paying an entrance fee.

 

[euro]

I have yet to adjust to the inflated price for hotel rooms, but are hotels really expensive in Scotland in June? We're paying $281 a night in Inverness and an average of $271 per night in Edinburgh. My husband, who has less trouble parting with money than I do, has found these places and claims the problem is that we need a room for 3 (he, I, and our adult daughter so 2 beds. ) Idk why he isn't looking at Airbnbs.
I guess my question is, given these prices, do I need to go back over his work, or is he on point with hotel prices in Scotland. I will say, he traveled a lot when he worked, so he knows how to look for a hotel that is centrally located.

Depends on what you mean by centrally located, but if it is “walking distance to railway station / downtown, then yeah, those rates look reasonable for Inverness and Edinburgh. In Europe, a third (and sometimes even a second) person definitely jacks up the price.

You should try airBnB, but I found that in Scotland, many hosts of airBnB type lodging list on booking.com only for some reason. So, check that out too.