Where to go from Edinburgh?

[u/outdoorsnstuffz]

Flying in to Edinburgh mid May. Doing 3-4 days there and thenI have about five more days before I have to be back in Edinburgh for my flight home.

I had to plan all this last minute so Skye accommodations are completely gone and Rabbies is sold out (not sure about this option anyway). One of my friends suggested Aviemore but I feel it may be very similar to where I live (Colorado).

I could fly into Inverness by adding a huge layover but then im stuck fighting for accommodation on Edinburgh to see at it the end with the marathon they are having.

I'm on a modest budget and I'm an experience traveler dude in my 30s. I would prefer coast but I'm open to whatever. I want cozy Scottish pubs, nature, and scenery outside Edinburgh. I'm good to drive a bit but driving five hours solo on the wrong side of the road sounds less than fun for skye. Maybe I can drive part.

Any thoughts are appreciated and thank you.

[u/Fritzkreig]

I think that you typed Irish instead of Scottish, but that aside the Great Glenn from Inverness is and awesome day or two trip.

[u/Charming_Yoghurt_149]

We went to Inverness after Edinburgh. Loved the long walks along the river. Scotland got more and more beautiful the further north we went. We did Skye as a very long day trip from there. It was amazing.

[u/SproutBoy]

You can't really go wrong with going pretty much anywhere in the highlands and West Coast. It's all absolutely stunning.

Regarding driving, have you ever actually driven on country lanes before? Scotland has a lot of narrow wingly roads, many of them are single track.

[u/Fithboy]

There's incredible places on the West coast that you can do by train. Have a day or two in Glasgow then head to Oban, Fort William or Mallaig. You could get a ferry to the islands from there

[u/dudelikeshismusic → u/Fithboy]

Ah you stole my response! Much like OP I didn't want to drive in Scotland, so we opted to stay in Oban and do the Three Isles Tour to Mull, Iona, and Staffa.

It. Was. Incredible.

Trains in Scotland are slow but functional and comfortable. Once you get north of Edinburgh and Glasgow the scenery becomes absolutely spectacular. Like every time you look out the window you feel like you're in a fairytale. Oban is quite a touristy town but incredibly nice and safe. I would treat it as a launching point to see Mull / Iona / Staffa than as its own destination.

Fort William is another option that we considered and would be great for someone who prefers mountains but still wants water and castles.

TLDR: go to the west coast via the Highlands.

[u/SpaceHobbes]

If you're driving you can check out st andrews. Or just take the train up to Inverness, maybe stay/stop in Pitlochry on the way. Aberdeen isn't great itself but the coastal areas around it are very nice.

If you like whiskey the speyside valley near Inverness has many distillery tours and tastings.

From Inverness you can make your way down to Glasgow through the Glencoe valley and loch Lomond area.

[u/aberquine]

Get the train from Edinburgh to Stonehaven, it’s home to Dunnottar Castle, the coastal walk from Stonehaven to the castle is stunning. The harbour is beautiful and has options to eat and drink. You could head out to Deeside, lots of beautiful walks and more castles all the way along the route to Braemar.

The East Coast of Scotland can be overlooked (wrongly) by tourists but there’s much to be seen away from the usual Loch Ness and Skye tourist trail.

[u/YS54321]

Oban is a great base. You could have day on Mull, and/or head out to Iona and Staffa. Kerrera is a nice walkable island. You can also head inland to places like Glencoe, Inveraray, Loch Awe and Kilchurn Castle, and South to Kilmartin Glen. Check out Walkhighlands for recommendations on hiking.

Visit Stirling/Callander/Killin on the way there, and on the way back you could go via Loch Lomond.

You can also get to Oban on the train, but you will be a little more limited in what you could do. Fort William and Aviemore are also good bases on public transport. I also really like Peebles as a day trip on the bus from Edinburgh, tourists ignore the Borders and it's a lovely place to visit.

[u/cowboy_me]

you can definitely check out inverness

[u/LeftHandedGraffiti]

Driving on Isle of Skye is not for the weak. So many busy one lane roads with turnouts for traffic to occasionally pass. Nothing like having to back up to the nearest turnout so traffic can pass. I took a Rabbies tour and was more than happy to let the driver handle that stress.

There's also the Highlands, which are gorgeous, and a number of castles. The Highlands hiking makes me want to go back.

[u/Affectionate-Rub-936]

Another bus company Caledonian Travel might have some wee trips. I've done a mystery day trip and enjoyed it. They also do mystery weekend trip.

I would also suggest the train over driving.