Quote Originally Posted by ThistleDown View Post
Richardthelarge asked:

I’m planning a vacation in Scotland this August for the first time in 16 years. I’ll be flying into Inverness and staying a week. I’d very much appreciate any thoughts on what the best things are to see in that amount of time—most of the articles on the subject seem to contradict one another (as, indeed, the rabble might). Castles, lochs, and other landscapes would be my first priority, with distilleries close behind, and I haven’t settled on where to stay.
If I may, I'd like to expand the conversation just a bit as well. My wife and I will be in Scotland next spring. The focal point will be a tour we're taking to the Orkneys, and they'll overnight in Inverness and tour through the north a bit - Culloden and Loch Ness, for example, so the comments on those areas earlier in the thread were most welcome. We'll base out of Edinburgh, though, so I'm looking for thoughts on that city. In particular:

Good place to stay near Edinburgh Bus Station (the tour will depart from and return to it).

Best (most unusual or interesting) places to shop for kilt-related items? I doubt my wife can tolerate more than one or two

Finally, we'll be taking the train from London. Any thoughts on this? Places to stop along the way?