We’re a couple in our 60s planning a first trip to Scotland with about a week. Looking at the map, I’m worried we’re trying to fit Edinburgh, the Highlands and Skye into too few days and will spend it driving. Is a week enough to enjoy those, or should we drop one and slow down?
A week is a bit tight for all three. Skipping Skye would make the trip much more relaxed, with more time for Edinburgh and the Highlands.
Hi Colleen,
I’m so excited to see people planning a trip to Scotland.
How much of the Highlands are you hoping to see? Do you have particular spots in mind?
A week is probably a bit tight, as it takes about 4 hours between Inverness and Edinburgh, so that’s already two half days.
You can probably experience a lot of Edinburgh in a weekend, but if you’d like to take more tours or explore museums etc, you would need more time.
I think Skye deserves an overnight stay too, as it is a long drive and worth spending time there too.
Do you think you could push to 9-10 days to relax a bit more?
The driving is quite a lot, but I know there are lots of well established tour companies based in Edinburgh that run tours to Inverness and Skye that start and end in Edinburgh, so you can relax a little during the drives. Some are more packed in than others, but maybe you could take a look. If you’d still prefer to self drive, this might give you a better idea of timings.
I hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions as the Highlands is my home, and I lived in Edinburgh for some time too 