August is the best time to visit Scotland because the sun is out and the festivities are on. The fringe festival starts in the first week of August followed by main Edinburgh fest. Everything from art to plays to concerts are there for you to catch.
We went on a 10 day road trip to Scotland which started in Edinburgh and ended in Inverness. The idea was to visit off beat destinations and get the real feel of the Scottish lifestyle. The itinerary was as follows:
Day 1- Land in Edinburgh. Relax
Day 2- Walk around Edinburgh. Castle, Royal Mile etc. Go to a pub. Night at Edinburgh.
Day 3- Hire a car and drive to stirling (see the castle), then Loch Lomond and reach Glencoe. Night at Glencoe
Day 4- See Glencoe. Known for its walking trails, hiking, mountaineering. Night at Glencoe
Day 5- Drive to Portree in Isle of Skye via Fort William and Dornie. See Ilean Donan castle (Scotland’s most photographed catle). Night at Portree
Day 6- See Talisker Distillery near Carbost and Portree town centre. Night at Portree
Day 7- Drive to Man of Storr. Then Staffin and Uig. Night at Portree
Day 8- Drive to Stein for whale watching. Visit Dunvegan castle and see Neist Point. Night at Portree
Day 9- Drive to Sleat and back. Night at Portree
Day 10- Drive to Inverness via A890. See Loch Ness. Stay the night at Inverness.
Day 11- Fly out.
First tip for drivers:
M- Motorways/highways with more than 2 lanes. General speed limit 60-70 miles/hr
A- Double lane roads. General speed limit is 50-55 miles/hr
B- Single lane roads.General speed limit is 30-40 miles/hr
If you plan to travel in August, and in a group larger than 3, make sure you book everything well in advance. We struggled to find places and cars of our choice even though we inquired for them 6 months prior to travel mainly because we were 6 of us. I am hoping that this blog will help you book your trip entirely on your own without involving a travel agent. It works out much cheaper that way trust me!
After much searching we finally got the following accommodations:
Day 1& 2- Edinburgh
Service Apartments are the best option for Edinburgh. Considering you will be out most of the time, these apartments provide the right space at the right price. We stayed at Staycity apartments near Haymarket.
(Haymarket Area) (Edinburgh Castle)
The website of Staycity is as below:
http://www.staycity.com/edinburgh/?gclid=CMPToqepi7kCFUQC4godz3wAww
It was a 2 bedroom apartment which could accommodate 6 people easily. The only drawback was the one bathroom/toilet among the 6 of us. Overall the place was compact, clean and contemporary. The kitchen was fully equipped with an oven, dishwasher etc. The Edinburgh Castle is a 15 min walk from Staycity. Haymarket is a 5 min walk which has a lot of pubs and restaurants around. However, if you are looking for a view from your room then this is not the place for you. Choose Staycity only for the practicality of it all.
My rating: 3.5/5
There are other options in Edinburgh as well, like the B&Bs, but we didn’t get 3 rooms anywhere.
(Street artists) (Fringe Festival crowd)
Edinburgh is a beautiful city with a lot to see. The castle is a must. Don’t get stumped by the 16 pound entry fees because all other castles are between 8-15 pounds anyway. And this is the best and the largest castle. So go for it! A walk on the royal mile will make time fly, as you see street artists perform on the roads for free. The atmosphere is simply great!
(The Royal Mile)
Day 3 & 4- Drive to Glencoe via Stirling and Loch Lomond
Glencoe is an off beat destination in Scotland, very popular among hikers, mountaineers and bikers. It takes about 2.5hours to get to Glencoe from Edinburgh. The drive is breath-taking as you pass through endless meadows and hills. The route we took was via Stirling and Loch Lomond. The former is only an hour’s drive from Edinburgh through the M9.
(Stirling Castle) (View from Stirling Castle)
We picked up our car (Europcar) from the Edinburgh airport and took the M9 to Stirling. It is a quaint little town with beautiful views of the surrounding hills. After Stirling we headed to Loch Lomond. There are 2 ways to see it- you either take the national park route (which is more direct) or go around the loch (which is a slight detour). The way around the loch is far more scenic and worth the few extra miles one drives.
(On the way to Glencoe via Loch Lomond)
At Glencoe, we stayed at Clachaig Inn. It is the most recommended accomodation in Glencoe because of its 300 year history and proximity to the walking and hiking trails. The inn has a bar/pub which is also extremely popular in the area. Located in a valley, this abode is totally worth every penny you pay. There is a river flowing through the property which adds to the beauty of the place. And they even have the service to match the location.
(Outside view of the 300 yr old Inn) (Stream close to the Inn)
Their website looks like this:
http://www.clachaig.com/
We had booked one family room and one double room for the 6 of us. The tariff included breakfast, which was quite lavish I must say! The pub has live gigs quite often and we were lucky to catch one. The place is flooded with tourists all the time and the restaurant is almost always full. We were quite lucky to have stayed here in peak season.
My rating: 5/5
(Clachaig Inn) (View of the valley and the Inn)
Day 5-9: Isle of Skye
From Glencoe we drove to the North west of Scotland. Isle of Skye is a must see and requires at least 5 nights if not more. The best way to experience it is to put up in a self-catering accommodation. Portree is the perfect place to stay since it serves as a great hub. During summers, most self-catering houses are let out out for a minimum of one week. Since these are the preferred choice for tourists, one needs to book well in advance in order to find the right location and dates.
( Fort William)
We drove to Portree via Dornie which has the most photographed castle of Scotland. The Ilean Donan Castle is a small but very picturesque structure. You must make a stop here and try the hot chocolate served in the coffee shop. The gift shop however is too expensive. You will find the same things for much lesser in Portree.
(Ilean Donan Castle) (Portree)
Ideally we would have liked to stay in the heart of Portree, but we did not get place anywhere. So we settled for a self-catering accommodation about 7-9miles from Portree. Located on a hill overlooking the North Sea, this place turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was quiet, rural and very scottish!! The place we chose was called Taigh An T-Sithein.
(Outside view) (View from the living room)
Their website link is below:
http://braescottage.co.uk/
A fully equipped 3 bedroom house with a washing machine, drier, dishwasher, oven, toaster.. you name it! The view from the cottage is to die for. You have sheep grazing around all day long and the beach is just a 5 min walk.
(Kitchen) (Dining room)
The only disadvantage is the fact that there is only one toilet. Rest is just perfect! But I would advise you to stay here only if you have your own mode of transport. Otherwise it will become very difficult for you to commute since there are no buses en-route till Portree.
My rating- 4/5
While in Skye, you must cover all areas as each offers a different look and feel. The North has the Man of Storr, Staffin and Uig. It is a very short drive with plenty of view points.
(Man of Storr) (On the way to Uig)
The west offers the more adventurous option. You can go whale watching in Stein and then visit the Dunvegan Castle. After which you can see the Neist Point.
(Stein) (Neist Point)
When in Scotland, visiting a distillery is a must. Talisker is very close to Portree and is one of the best brands of single malt whisky in the world. You can go via Carbost which is a village famous for scare-crows. They even have a scare-crow festival!!
Hope this helped! Await your comments and remarks! Have a great trip!
There is no kitchen or restaurant in this hotel so do not expect any room service. Just breakfast for resident guests.
fanatictraveller 