u/Crazy-Penguin

We'll be traveling to Scotland the last week of July and first week of August, and trying to figure out if we should stay 3 nights in Oban or Fort William on the way to Skye, since our plans slightly changed and now have extra time on Skye. Oban I've read is more picturesque and cute, and you can take the ferries to the islands. Fort William apparently is a bit more drab but has access to a lot of the area, including Ben Nevis and the Glennfinan Viaduct, and steamtrain which sounded interesting. We really enjoy history, great nature hikes or views, and experiencing the local culture.

Which do you think would be better for 3 nights? It's also a 4 hour drive from Oban to Skye vs 3 for Fort William. I figured we'd do a day trip to Glencoe either way. Thoughts?

Hello, we will be visiting Scotland 7/25-8/9, and I was wondering if our itinerary seems doable, or if it would be a mad dash around the country? I know Scotland can get busy that time of year with all the tourists and traffic, so just want to make sure we sre spending enough time in each place. I really love nature, hiking, great views, history, and experiencing local culture. The 'itinerary of activities below is more of a bunch of ideas of things to do rather than set in stone. Sorry if it's messy. Budget is flexible.

I'd ideally love to spend more time on Skye, but the price for accommodations is ridiculous. I have the first half of hotels booked plus the last day in Edinburgh, but wasn't sure if we should spend an extra night in Fort William and knock off a day on Skye. I'm also not 100% sure where to stop between Inverness and Edinburgh. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thank you!

Edinburgh (7/25 – 7/28)

​Edinburgh Old Towns: Royal Mile, and Princes Street Gardens.

​Victoria Street, Cockburn Street, Grassmarket Square, and Circus Lane.

​Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse Palace, The Real Mary King’s Close, and Edinburgh Vaults.

​Arthur’s Seat hike, Water of Leith Walkway to Dean Village, Calton Hill, and Royal Botanic Garden.

​Chocolatarium (chocolate making), National Museum of Scotland, and The Royal Yacht Britannia.

​Food & Drink: Pint at Grassmarket, The Spence Dessert Trolley, and St. Vincent’s Bar.

Edinburgh to Stirling (7/28)

Stirling (7/28 – 7/29)

​Stirling Castle, National Wallace Monument, Old Town Jail, Stirling Bridge, and Bannockburn battle site.

​Stirling Old Town, Argyll’s Lodging, and Church of the Holy Rude.

​Doune Castle.

​Ochil Hills (Alva Glen walk to Smuggler’s Cove).

​

Stirling to Oban (7/29)

​Maybe ​Killin / Loch Tay?

​Kilmartin Glen (Neolithic site)?

​Inveraray Castle & Jail?

​

Oban (7/29 – 7/31)

​McCaig’s Tower and Oban Harbour.

​Day trip ferry to the Inner Hebrides (Mull, Iona, Staffa, or Tiree).

Glencoe & Fort William (7/31 – 8/2)

​Driving the A82, photographing Buachaille Etive Mòr, and the Three Sisters.

​Seeing stags at the Kingshouse Hotel.

​Hikes: Beinn a' Chrùlaiste, Lost Valley of Glencoe, or a local Munro.

​Swimming at the Meeting of the Three Waters.

​Clachaig Inn (including the hike to Hagrid's Hut location, An Torr, and Signal Rock).

​Glencoe Visitor Centre and Stiff Peaks Bakery.

​Climbing Ben Nevis and dining at Ben Nevis Inn.

​Hiking Nevis Gorge to Steall Falls (including the wire rope bridge).

​Glenfinnan Viaduct, Glenfinnan Monument, Neptune's Staircase, and Corpach Shipwreck.

​West Highland Museum.

​Boat tour on Loch Linnhe or sea kayaking.

Isle of Skye (8/2 – 8/4)

​Outdoor exploration and sightseeing.

​Inverness & The Moray Coast (8/4 – 8/7)

​Culloden Battlefield, Urquhart Castle, and Clava Cairns.

​Leakey’s Bookshop.

​Dolphin spotting at Chanonry Point.

​Nairn (Nairn Beach and Strathnairn Beach Cafe).

​Findhorn (Horseshoe bay and Kimberley Inn).

​Lossiemouth (East Beach, harbour, and Harbour Lights).

​

Aviemore & Cairngorms (8/7 – 8/8)

​Cairngorms National Park (stargazing) and viewing reindeer near Glenmore.

​Walking in Rothiemurchus Forest.

​Kayaking on Loch An Eilein.

​Highland Folk Museum (Kingussie) and Ruthven Barracks ruins.​

Edinburgh (8/8 – 8/9)

​Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Edit: We have everywhere booked except Fort William, Skye, Inverness, and Aviemore. I know there's a lot mentioned for each place, but we are not planning on doing all or potentially even half of those, I just like to have a list of things I would do if I had time.