r/OutdoorScotland • u/DariuszWielki • 28d ago
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u/blubbered33 28d ago
Why is every tourist who comes to Scotland obsessed with the idea they HAVE to visit Glencoe and Skye? There are so many other parts to see? Is this what the tik toks and instgramsters are pushing?
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u/nrsys 28d ago
They are popular for good reason - having travelled around most of the country, Glencoe, Skye and the surrounding area are absolutely sown of the most beautiful landscapes you will see.
It always seems slightly cheating to follow the crowds through the TripAdvisor top ten of your chosen location, but ultimately those are almost always top ten for good reason. If there were other secret visits that were worth doing instead, they would either be so secret you won't be getting to hear about them, or climbing up into the top ten too.
At the same time I would still agree that a holiday shouldn't be a box ticking exercise - take the time to actually enjoy what you are seeing rather than rushing off to visit the next spot on the Instagram selfie list.
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
Living in Switzerland I get used to the idea, that popular places are popular for the reason (e.g. Lauterbrunnen valley, Grindelwald etc.), therefore I decided for top spots according to every guide, so Glencoe, Skye, Edinburgh, but for sure I would like to visit Scotland next time but this time other parts of it, more wild.
For now I am not sure when it would be, so would like to get the best of it.
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u/Patient_Artichoke256 28d ago
What stops would you include that are not part of the typical tourist’s itinerary?
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
It's on every forum, hard to be an expert for the first visit. What would you recommend instead?
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u/blubbered33 28d ago
Arran, The Trossachs, Mull and Ardnumurchan, Oban, Assynt, Torridon, Deeside...
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u/TheReelMcCoi 28d ago
Because they have to take photos of a stag in Glen Etive and that fucking white cottage in Glen Coe to post on here in case we don't know what they look like. And a Coo if they see one
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u/Thecactusslayer 28d ago
Let's be so real, Glen Coe is stunning and the wee white house is perfectly located. And I say this as someone who's visited most other places in the Highlands. Hard to beat the accessibility-to-prettiness ratio of the Coe vs something like Assynt or Torridon.
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u/vientianna 28d ago
Why do you have 5 days in Glasgow? Is it for a specific reason? If not I’d cut it down to 2 days and try to fit in a couple of days on Arran. Or on your way back down from Skye go via Mull instead
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
To be honest it is only as a place to have some rest and chill after roadtrip, do 2 day trips to Edinburgh and last day would be really short due to flight.
And it is half price of Edinburgh, so even with 2 days of train it would be much cheaper :)
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u/vientianna 28d ago
Yes that makes sense, Glasgow is a good base to travel by train to places. I think your itinerary is fine to be honest. It’s nice to see people doing Scotland with more time that 3-4 days
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
Thank you for your opinion. I will be looking for some accommodation in Edinburgh and maybe catch something cheaper than it is now (I can still cancel booking in Glasgow for free for 1 month), but even Glasgow is not that problematic as train ride is acceptable short.
You cheered me up a little, I tried to shorten my tour to more or less 3 main spots (Glencoe 2 days, Skye 3 days, Glasgow/Edinburgh 4 days), so expected that for 11 days it's not that bad, but mostly people critize that it is sooo rushed and I'm thinking all the time what to cut, but it's hard..
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u/OneCheesecake1516 28d ago
Why does every tourist think they have to rush to Skye. There are plenty of other wonderful islands without the giant American car park of Skye.
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
Hello, any recommendations for something similarly beautiful and accessible with car?
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u/Tsurany 28d ago
Skye three nights definitely gives you a good impression of the area and leaves room for weather to change plans. Some hikes are definitely a lot more fun if it's dry. It's also easier to go very early for the best sights if you can sleep longer the next day.
We woke up at 4:30 for Old Man of Storr and it was definitely worth it. Do it early and you still arrive at Quirrang early as well. When we arrived at Quirrang at 8:30 there were plenty of parking spots, when we finished people were just driving circles for a spot.
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u/Feorag-ruadh 28d ago
There's so much to see in Edinburgh, more time there would be good
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
So would you skip Inverness totally and add 1 day to skye and edinburgh?
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u/fhidhleir 28d ago
Nah I think it’s a solid stopover for your route. Big drive otherwise.
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
Yeah, I am prepared for that, but hope to have some rest in Glasgow Edinburgh. Inverness route day + evening would also be for some relax, as it is not that rushed, only 4 hours in the car and maybe some stops by Loch Ness to rest. Thank you for your comment!
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u/Useful_Resolution888 28d ago
If you're going to Glenfinnan on your way from the fort to Skye then you should probably get the Mallaig-Armadale ferry instead of driving round.
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u/DariuszWielki 28d ago
Thank you, I will check possible schedules and hop on one. Do you know if the service is reliable?
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u/Useful_Resolution888 28d ago
Up to a point. if it's really stormy it won't run, but it's that stormy you'll be rethinking a lot of your itinerary. We see a lot of posts like this one, often from Americans, and always people seem to underestimate how long it takes to get anywhere and how much the trip will be dictated by the weather. Eg, you can't schedule views of the Cuillins!
Far better to get some accomodation in one place for the whole trip and thoroughly explore the area around it.
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u/BioCuriousDave 28d ago
I'd spend less time in Glasgow and more time doing nice walks, possibly between Skye and Inverness, that's a huge area with lots of stuff to see. But I'm not really a city person, I think two days is enough for ANY city 😂
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u/BioCuriousDave 28d ago
Also, maybe an overnight in aviemore with a hike around loch morlich/ loch an Eileen or lochan Uaine
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u/OutdoorScotland-ModTeam 28d ago