Just how crowded are the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye in August?
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Anonymous
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We'd like to visit Scotland next summer, and due to various scheduling reasons, August is the best time. I know that Edinburgh will be very crowded due to the Fringe and Military Tattoo, but what about the countryside?
We were just in Acadia, and frankly, we wouldn't have gone if we realized how crowded it would be, and we don't want to repeat that experience in Scotland. |
Anonymous
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You should book accommodation. We didn’t and it was difficult. We bought Historic Scotland passes. Places like Edinburgh and Stirling castles were very busy, but less famous sites covered by the pass were more sedate.
Scotland is a lot bigger than Acadia so you can find less busy spots. We went west to Oban, then visited Inveraray (from Downtown Abbey), then Robbie Burns birthplace. We didn’t stop but the hiking spots in the Highlands looked gorgeous. |
Anonymous
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OP here. We'll have our own car, and be touring around on our own. I just don't want to be bumping elbows in a traffic jam on a trail when we go for a hike.
I appreciate the hypocrisy of complaining about too many tourists, but we'd like to enjoy the natural sights without the company of crowds of people. |
Anonymous
You know how to drive on the left lane? It's insane in cities and towns. |
Anonymous
Not for everyone. Did OP ask anyone about this? -np |
Anonymous
Yes, we've driven on the left before without any problem. We both also know how to drive a manual transmission, before anyone asks! |
Anonymous
Not OP, but I survived it in Ireland. Will say that shifting with the less coordinated left hand meant I hit 2nd instead of 4th a couple of times. And those low stone walls right up against the rural roads are no joke! |
Anonymous
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OP here. We feel confident about our driving abilities, thanks for your concern.
Any other input on crowds? Thanks for the suggestions, 14:19. |
Anonymous
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We've done your itinerary a few years back, and Highlands/Inverness/Isle of Skye were not particularly crowded. Edinburgh was crowded but not horrifyingly so - we didn't hang out watching the Fringe Festival or the Tattoo though.
Definitely book accommodations in advance. I see you know how to drive stick, so you'd have more options than if you needed an automatic, but I'd book that in advance as well (and if you want automatic, book way in advance because they have relatively few of them.) |
Anonymous
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We were on Skye in late August (same time as the Edinburgh Festival) and didn't find it particularly crowded - outside one or two key spots. But every single B&B and hotel and lodging on the island had no vacancy signs. We had already booked our accommodations so we were fine, but you would not want to turn up without any accommodation plans. There are plenty of walks on Skye and it's easy to get away from the crowds if you know what you're doing and you're willing to walk a bit further away from the popular sites.
Our friends went to the Outer Hebrides in August last year and found it glorious and hardly crowded, although there were certainly people. Scotland is not small and there's plenty of places to go. August is peak tourist season but as long as you've got your accommodation sorted I don't think you should worry too much about crowds. Even in Edinburgh. |
Anonymous
| Went for my honeymoon a few years ago. The crowds in the Western Highlands were never a problem north of Loch Lomond. Didn’t spend much time on the eastern side. Book a night in Plockton and the next night in Uig. It’s a great little drive. Less crowded the further out on Skye you go. Rain is more an issue than crowds as it can waste a day or two. |
Anonymous
| Wow, great suggestions! |
Anonymous
| It's not that crowded at all outside of Edinburgh. If you are traveling with kids, though, we found that it is very hard to eat anywhere in Edinburgh because most of the pubs and such that would normally allow kids in for dinner were adults only and packed. See the Tattoo if you can, it was the highlight of our trip. |
Anonymous
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We were there a few weeks ago. We booked late and Skye was booked up, so we went to Mull. It was amazing. We took a boat to Iona and Staffa and saw puffins. We also hiked in Glencoe. It was beautiful. If you go to Edinburgh, consider a quick trip to Rosslyn Chapel. It was spectacular. I wish we had had more time so that we could have gone to the Shetlands.
We drove around (it's really the only way to do it), but driving there is pretty stressful. Not because of the left side thing (you get used to that) but the roads are either single lane, with "passing places," or there are two lanes but no shoulder and very slender lanes with folks driving 60 mph. It's pretty intense. Before we left, a friend who had visited a number of years ago said that they returned their car early and honestly, it turned out we did the same and just took the train to our last destination. |
Anonymous
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We went a few years ago and i thought Skye was fairly crowded— the popular hikes were pretty busy (a steady stream of people) but the outer hebrides were gorgeous and less busy (and other places did not feel crowded either).
Personally I love the fringe so I’d count that a bonus not a problem... We also found the single lane (or 1.5 lane) roads pretty stressful (as bad or worse than any urban driving we’ve done in Europe). |