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Square Area of Highlands

CMcGill17CMcGill17 Member ✭
in Planning and Practicalities
My daughter and I are planning a trip to the Highlands next summer.  We hope to fly into Edinburgh, visit Eilean Donan Castle (forgive me I don't yet know the areas of the Highlands), Fort William area, Skye, Inverness/Loch Ness, and maybe as far North as Ullapool.  My question is this: Can we stay at one hotel and travel each day to see these places or should we move our lodging as we go?  Would this itinerary be too large to just stay in the Fort William area and travel out each day from there?

Comments

  • LeodhasachLeodhasach Member ✭✭
    How long are you planning to stay and will you be hiring a car or using public transport? If you can hire a car then you'll find that it'll give you a greater deal of flexibility. 

    The most central spot would be Inverness, from there the various travel times by car are:

    Fort William - 90 minutes (it's only 65 miles but it's very busy)
    Skye - 90 minutes to the Skye Bridge, Eilean Donan Castle is on the way so you get two for one :)
    Loch Ness - ten minutes. There are plenty of parking spots on both sides of the Loch, the south side is the quieter of the two. But the best way is by taking one of the many boat tours available. 
    Ullapool - one hour. Although it's very much worth going a bit further to Lochinver, the scenery is breathtaking. 

    Inverness is pretty much the best placed town if you want to choose a town as a base. It potentially leaves you with a lot of driving through, so if you have the budget consider heading up from Edinburgh, spending a day or so in Fort William exploring the Great Glen and Glen Coe, then head to Skye via Mallaig (Glenfinnan is on the way and Morar Sands are a 'must do' on the way). Spend a couple of days on Skye and then nip over to Eilean Donan Castle before heading North to Ullapool via part of the North Coast 500 route (Strathcarron, Applecross). You could then return to Inverness and visit Loch Ness from there. 

    With apologies if that's given you too much info and made the decision on what to do even harder!
    For music reviews and previews in Inverness and the Highlands: http://invernessgigs.co.uk/
    Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@leodhasach
  • EileanDonanEileanDonan Member ✭✭
    Given the places that you've highlighted that you want to visit, I'd suggest you should consider basing yourself slightly further north than Fort William. For example, a return trip to Ullapool from Fort William would involve a minimum driving time of between 6-7 hours, excluding photo stops and time in Ullapool itself; particularly in the summer with increased traffic volumes, camper vans, caravans etc.
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