Flights are booked for Scotland in May 2020!

[revdpatience]

Jock:

Thanks for the suggestions! That's just the kind of input I was hoping for.

Looks like the CityLink bus service from Inverness through Fort William to Oban leaves either 85 minutes or the whole afternoon between connections. Sounds like it will be worthwhile to spend some time in Fort William.

Rodger

Fort George just outside of Inverness(about opposite Avoch on the opposite side of the Moray Firth,) is almost a must see, superb views from the ramparts (keep an eye out for the dolphins), an interesting regimental museum within, along with being an almost intact materpiece of Georgian military defensive architecture.

At Fort William, right in the centre of town is the West Highland Museum. Its quite small, but is well worth a visit as it has some superb exhibits.

Have fun!

[Bluescelt]

I would highly recommend a stop in St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh if you to pick one church to visit. It is beautiful and the Thistle Chapel is stunning.

[Jock Scot]

I note the dates of your visit and normally I would suggest that we could have a wee dram while you are in FW and perhaps I could be of some assistance as a tour guide. Unfortunately I shall be at Mrs. Jock's Aunt's 100th birthday bash.

Just thinking about your bus trip from Inverness to FW you will, on balance, get a better view of things from the bus if you can get a seat on the left side of the bus(looking from the back to the front) and from FW to Oban you will get a better view of things if you can get seats on the right hand side of the bus(looking from the back to front). Castle Stalker is a view not to be missed.

[kilted scholar]

May I suggest the possibility of your hiring a car, particularly after you have reached Edinburgh?

A car will give you far greater flexibility and freedom. You will be able to stop at places that interest you - great views and so on - that will not be possible if you are on a bus or a train.

Using a car will deliver you from the trouble of carrying your luggage with you wherever you go.

The cost - especially from rental agencies located 'off airport' - will hardly be greater than travel by rail and bus. Rail fares in the UK are about the highest in Europe. 'Off airport' is often a misleading term - agencies like Sixt, while technically outside the airport, are usually very adjacent and have shuttle services to and from the terminal. Their rates are generally lower but we found their service to be excellent in the nearly thirty years in which we lived in north America and travelled here at least once each year.

Driving on the other side does not usually pose a problem providing you are concentrating. Within half an hour it becomes second nature. The main difficulty is when entering a road on which there is little or no traffic to orient one (you may have heard of a recent sad accident over here in which a young man was killed by a car driven on the wrong side of the road by the wife of a US diplomat, an event that is exceedingly rare).

Whatever your eventual decision it is an option well worth taking into account.

[Jock Scot]

May I suggest the possibility of your hiring a car, particularly after you have reached Edinburgh?

A car will give you far greater flexibility and freedom. You will be able to stop at places that interest you - great views and so on - that will not be possible if you are on a bus or a train.

Using a car will deliver you from the trouble of carrying your luggage with you wherever you go.

The cost - especially from rental agencies located 'off airport' - will hardly be greater than travel by rail and bus. Rail fares in the UK are about the highest in Europe. 'Off airport' is often a misleading term - agencies like Sixt, while technically outside the airport, are usually very adjacent and have shuttle services to and from the terminal. Their rates are generally lower but we found their service to be excellent in the nearly thirty years in which we lived in north America and travelled here at least once each year.

Driving on the other side does not usually pose a problem providing you are concentrating. Within half an hour it becomes second nature. The main difficulty is when entering a road on which there is little or no traffic to orient one (you may have heard of a recent sad accident over here in which a young man was killed by a car driven on the wrong side of the road by the wife of a US diplomat, an event that is exceedingly rare).

Whatever your eventual decision it is an option well worth taking into account.

Car hire would give you much better options .

Sadly, coming across people driving on the "wrong " side of the road is all too common in the UK and particularly in the Highlands, how more people are not injured is a miracle. We locals almost expect it and usually, quick thinking and luck gets every one safely out of a tricky situation, but not always! It certainly ups the blood pressure and heart rate for a minute or two after a near miss!

[revdpatience]

Unfortunately, Lovely Wife (who has some trouble with her peripheral vision) already flinches uncontrollably while I'm driving sedately and smoothly down the highway here at home. Neither of us would enjoy adding "wrong-side-of-the-road" terror into the mix.

That's why we're looking at three nights at a time in each place, rather than trying to move more frequently.

May I suggest the possibility of your hiring a car, particularly after you have reached Edinburgh?

A car will give you far greater flexibility and freedom. You will be able to stop at places that interest you - great views and so on - that will not be possible if you are on a bus or a train.

[Tomo]

I'm sure you will enjoy your trip.

I ran a couple of tours in Scotland last year (for a bunch of Estonians) and have some planned for this year. We mainly focus on Mull, Syke and the Great Glen - for flatlanders like my Estonians the hills have a great allure - and bookend this with either Glasgow or Edinburgh.

If you have time on Mull (not sure if you are on an organised trip or using local transport) Iona is worth seeing (and perhaps a short stop by Duart Castle), lunch at the Boathouse in Ulva Ferry and then head up to Tobermoray. The distillery is pretty small, but if your are tempted to have a dram or two - they do very some very nice tastings.

The Bannockburn visitors centre is worth a visit if you are heading to Stirling - but you need to book ahead if you plan on doing the simulated re-enactment (Scotland won on my last visit - fairly auspicious as it was anniversary of the actual battle - apparently they normally lose!!).

There are also quite a few historic houses and the like around Fife - easy to get from Edinburgh and plenty of tour options if you want to visit a number of sites in one day. My pick of the bunch - if you can only do one - would be Culross and a short visit is enough to soak up the atmosphere and potter around the well-preserved, cobbled streets.

I can recommend a local guide in Glasgow called Eamon Callan. He provides excellent and informative walking tours. For my group he focussed on the history and architecture of Glasgow through its boom years in the 18th and 19th centuries - with the chance to see inside some of the buildings - and ending up at the recently refurbished Willow Tea Rooms (whether or not you take a tour I would recommend visiting the Willow for lunch or afternoon tea). The tour took about 2 hours and I am happy to share his contact details if you are interested.

Happy travels.

[cessna152towser]

Edinburgh, Inverness, the Black Isle, Fort William, Oban, Mull, Glasgow, all sounds good for a pleasant and enjoyable trip and you will find our trains and buses much less stressful than driving, bearing in mind that we drive on the other side of the road here. We drive on the left of the road or what is left of the road.
London, well it is a place I would sooner avoid and it is around ten years since I was last there. Heathrow is a horrible airport for passport and security queues and the taxicab drivers will find some excuse to refuse to take you and your luggage to a nearby airport hotel (though they will be happy to take you if your hotel is in central London). The last time I used a train to depart from London (Euston station) there was a security alert. I had stayed the previous night in London and had all my overnight stuff and changes of clothes in a rucksack. I was selected to undergo a bag search before being allowed to board the train. I didn't really mind as everybody has to go through security when travelling by plane, but I did notice that only some passengers were being singled out by the railway police for search. I pointed out, politely, that if I was a terrorist I would likely be travelling discretely and would not be drawing attention to myself by wearing a kilt. The security officer replied that it wasn't the kilt that got their attention to select me for security check, but the rucksack. Lesson, bring all your gear in a conventional suitcase and don't carry stuff in a backpack in London.

[Cameron of Texas]

If one were forced to choose between Edinburgh or Glasgow, which?

[Jock Scot]

If one were forced to choose between Edinburgh or Glasgow, which?

On balance, Glasgow.