Scottish train service is more sparse than in England or France. If venturing outside Edinburgh or Glasgow, it is best to have a car.

We loved Orkney and Edinburgh and did a multi day hike ending in Inverness. Gorgeous. If you’re more into cities, Glasgow is pretty neat and Aberdeen too.

Also if you’re toward the south and haven’t been, stop for a day at York. Totally worth it.

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

+1
Was coming here to say this. We liked Skye too, but Mull was just so wonderful and peaceful.

St Andrews

We went in August. The midges were really bad one day in one spot in Skye. Really bad even with the repellent. But we walked through the spot on a hike in about a half hour. Otherwise it was incredible. The weather was good, a couple of misty mornings. We found distances were longer than we thought. Train plus driving between Edinburgh and Skye was a full day of travel.

The Oak Tree inn near Glasgow is great and there is a great hike near there

I would add Inverness and St. Andrews to your list.

We rented a canal narrowboat in falkirk for a few days and took it to edinburgh. Fun, relaxing, and easy to get off and wander around, see things, etc. Black Prince Holidays, highly recommend. They have other routes so see what might fit your itinerary.
It rained / misted every single day so think about what you will wear while standing outside steering the boat. But our entire family agrees this was the highlight of a recent UK itinerary.

Anonymous wrote:When do you plan to go? Those who have been, how were the midges? DH and I were also thinking of Scotland in August but we’re a bit put off by reports on how bad the midges can be.

We went in July. In some areas, midges were no joke (Glennfinnan was the worst for us.), but we didn't notice them at all in other areas. That being said, none of us got bitten. They sell a midge repellant in many of the outdoor stores in Scotland that seemed to work quite well. I think we noticed them the most in Glennfinnan because that's where the Harry Potter train comes into view, so we were just standing around, as opposed to hiking.

We loved the Glencoe/Ft. William area for hiking. I wish we had had a few more days in that region because it was stunning. Loved Skye- we stayed in a small house with a kitchen so only did a few dinners out while there. That being said, I agree with others about making dinner reservations.

One thing to note- the weather changes on a dime. When we were on Skye, we had to be flexible with plans because the rain can come seemingly out of nowhere. Just expect it to rain, and you'll be fine.

I would love to go back and explore the outer islands and the northern region of the country. It's been my favorite country so far!

When do you plan to go? Those who have been, how were the midges? DH and I were also thinking of Scotland in August but we’re a bit put off by reports on how bad the midges can be.

Watch outlander first.
Then Edinburgh, and drive up to Inverness. See culloden. Then to ft. William. We climbed Ben Nevis. Spend time in glencoe. A lot of time.
Skye woulda been great but it was raining sideways.

I'd do a lot of hiking myself. It's really gorgeous up there.

The Fringe is really fun but super crowded. It can be overwhelming to try to pick shows as there's a ton of stuff going on.

Anonymous wrote:That’s way too long

It’s not long enough!