We did Glasgow for 5 days (museums, gardens, cathedral, bus to Burrell collection) then headed to isle of mull for 7 days of exploring and relaxing. Take the ferry to Iona for the day, rent a car and explore the white sandy beaches (Calgary is a must) around the island, go on a few coastal hikes, visit the distillery, visit the cheese farm, main village has quaint shops and such. Then back to Glasgow for a day before flying home.

We loved the Isle of Mull. Much less crowded than Skye.

St. Andrews is worth a stop too.

I love Edinburgh and Skye, I highly recommend both.

It’ll be overcast and rainy the entire 12 days.

That’s way too long

Skye has become hugely popular that you need to make all bookings well in advance. Can't wing it. But so many people go to Skye and yet not to the Outer Hebrides, which are well worth visiting.

Mull is also a good alternative to Skye with a night or two on Iona. But book in advance for Iona, there's a fabulous hotel with its own kitchen garden.

Edinburgh for a few days. Can also do a day trip to Blair Castle for a taste of the Perthshire highlands. And fun castle to explore.

Consider the Historic Scotland Pass. That will allow you to book time slots for the most popular castles. We also visited a lighthouse, a fortress, an industrial site, Castle Doune (Outlander, Game of Thrones, Monty Python and the Holy Grail) and other less well known places using the pass. We were saving money after two castles.

If you go to Skye, prebook your restaurant reservations. I'm not much of a prebooker, but a friend went there last year in June and it was very difficult to find somewhere to eat without booking weeks ahead.

We stayed in a fancy manor house outside of Oban - Ardanaiseig. It's beautiful and then we'd go into Oban for whiskey tasting or shopping.

If you enjoy hiking, here’s an idea:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2022/aug/19/a-rugged-walk-to-a-great-highlands-pub-the-old-forge-inverie

If you are overlapping with Fringe festival, it's a must do.

We went up to Orkney. It depends on your tolerance for windswept, somewhat desolate areas but the archeology is amazing.

I stayed at cromlix for 2 nights and loved it.

My husband and I will be in Scotland for about 10-12 days this summer, no kids. People who have been to Scotland, what is your recommendation on how to spend this time? I have a vague notion of going to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Arran, and Skye, but do you think there are better places to visit? Is this too many places? All advice very welcome!