Summer Holiday in Highlands, Scotland - Need some ideas for good location

ms_ora

Hi there

We are planning for a week long holiday in Scotland this summer. We are 2 families with 3 children and will be driving from South of England.

This will be our second trip to Scotland. Two years ago we had stayed near Loch Lomond and had visited Stirling, Edinburgh.

This year we are planning to travel in the Highlands region. My idea is to book a self catering cottage for a week and then travel to sightseeing places to & from.

Please can someone recommend any good place to stay in Highlands ? I know Highlands is a vast region so there are lots of places you would say. Basically we don't want to stay in any far remote places or islands or somewhere upto Joan O'Groats.

Since I am being nature loving person and have heard many times that Highlands is a beautiful region to explore the scenery, I would like to stay in a place surrounded by beautiful scenery such as country side / near seaside / lochs. And then we can drive around daily in a radius of 100 miles.

Just for example, how about any places around Inverness or Fort Williams ?

Your ideas / input will be much appreciated.

Cheers

JustWonderful

Hey,


I stayed up near Fort William just last month for a long weekend with the family. It was in a place called Banavie, but for the life of me I can not remember what the lodges were called- we stayed in a self catering lodge there. If i can remember the name I will post a link, but there are lots of different places similar around the area of Fort William.

I personally would reccomend this as it is cheaper and also gives you more flexibility- if you want to explore the Highlands you dont want to be tied down to having dinner between 6-8 in a hotel or whatever, this way it means you can do what you want, when you want. And if you are driving, you can always make your own dinners and reheat them once there- we did this and it saved us time and money.

There is plenty to do up there,so much so we are hoping to re-book to go in September, if I remember the name of the place that is!!

redbull5

I used to visit the highlands often but now live in Edinburgh, it's such an amazing place

JustWonderful

redbull5 wrote: »

Hi There, oh this is perfect for me, i live near inverness which is right in the centre of the highlands.

Ok so i would certainly suggest that you the countryside?

I would personally go and stay near Fort Augustus, this is 35 miles from Inverness and 35 miles from Fort William. The scenery there is amazing. You can drive around both sides of loch ness and visit various villages and extractions. About 10 miles from fort augustus there is drumnahdrochit, Urquart Castle is situated on the banks of loch ness and i think this would be a good place to visit.

I would suggest looking around for a lodge in fort augustus, its where i would go personally.

We visited Fort Augustus when we went, and agree it is a lovely part of the country.

ms_ora

JustWonderful wrote: »

Hey,

I personally would reccomend this as it is cheaper and also gives you more flexibility- if you want to explore the Highlands you dont want to be tied down to having dinner between 6-8 in a hotel or whatever, this way it means you can do what you want, when you want. And if you are driving, you can always make your own dinners and reheat them once there- we did this and it saved us time and money.

I totally agree with you. This is what we want to do. Book a self catering lodge/cottage and manage your time at your own wish. Full flexibility !!

Cheers
:j

ms_ora

@ JustWonderful, redbull5

Many thanks to both of you for your prompt response and suggesting great ideas.

Based on your comments, looks like Fort Augustus to be the most convenient and desired place to stay. You made my job simple :-). Will try to find accommodations around Fort Augustus first thing today.

Cheers

bexxxxyboo

I went to Scotland a lot as a child and loved the highlands! We used to stay in various camp sites around the highlands so I can't help you in terms of accomodation!

I would highly recommend travelling to the highlands wildlife park which is a great park and great day out!

A must is Rosemarkie

It's just idilic up there, there is a little place called Fairy Glen with a lovely waterfall, a small park for your children, caves, rock pools, a stunning beach and at the top end of the beach at the lighthouse is the place to spot dolphins daily! (you can take a boat to see the dolohins but from past experience this really is not needed, they come so close to you and you get a really good look at them just standing at the point) It's a completely free day out that I know you and your children will both love just as much as each other, it's a little paradise! and nicely of the beaten track!

Head over to Plockton for a day if you have the time, a small fishing villiage not far from the Isle of Skye

Have a fab holiday


I recommend taking a seal boat trip - google calums sealtrips


great fun

Another must is Eilean Donan Castle (Highlander) stunning castle and views


I also as stated by another member would recommend Fort William

I did post links but as a new member it wouldnt let me keep them

ms_ora

bexxxxyboo wrote: »

I went to Scotland a lot as a child and loved the highlands! We used to stay in various camp sites around the highlands so I can't help you in terms of accomodation!

I would highly recommend travelling to the highlands wildlife park which is a great park and great day out!

A must is Rosemarkie

Head over to Plockton for a day if you have the time, a small fishing villiage not far from the Isle of Skye

Have a fab holiday

Many thanks bexxxxyboo for providing wealth of information !!:T

I noticed in the maps that both Plockton & Rosemarkie are in opposite direction. Plockton is in North-West of
Scotland, whereas Rosemarkie is further north of Inverness. If this is correct, then it wouldn't be possible from one place to other.

fluffygrue

I would also second the Highland Wildlife Park - really good for a day out.

We wandered around Fort William for an afternoon and it seemed like a nice place and a good base for doing things. There's also the train journey from there to Mallaig that's meant to be one of the most scenic in the world (the one from Harry Potter).. there's an expensive steam train or bog standard train, same view, different price.

There's also lots of rafting/canyoning/etc available around there.. though I think Aberfeldy is one of the more popular places for that.

ms_ora

fluffygrue wrote: »

I would also second the Highland Wildlife Park - really good for a day out.

We wandered around Fort William for an afternoon and it seemed like a nice place and a good base for doing things. There's also the train journey from there to Mallaig that's meant to be one of the most scenic in the world (the one from Harry Potter).. there's an expensive steam train or bog standard train, same view, different price.

There's also lots of rafting/canyoning/etc available around there.. though I think Aberfeldy is one of the more popular places for that.

Thanks fluffygrue :T

This indeed sounds interesting. Will definitely keep in mind.
Cheers

Sneezy

Nairn in Inverness is a lovely place just on the Moray Forth there's a chance you can see dolphins (beautiful sight).