Hello from Saint Louis, Missouri, USA

[mominstl]

I am thoroughly enjoying everyone's comments on this site! We will be traveling with our 12-yr-old son to Germany, England and Scotland this summer over a 2-week period, part for work and part for fun. I only wish we had more time for fun! After reading about all of the hiking adventures people have posted, I wish we could spend the entire 2 weeks in Scotland.

We are planning to catch the Caledonian Sleeper train in Crewe and head to Fort William. From there we will catch the Jacobite Steam train to Mallaig. Then we will take the ferry to Armadale and hopefully a bus into Portree where our B&B is located. We only have one full day to see Skye before catching the train in Kyle of Lochalsh toward Inverness the following morning.

From those of you familiar with Skye, how should we organize our one, precious day? A tour group? Rent a car and wander (we are a little worried about driving on the left and about finding parking in July)? We have conflicting desires - to be out in nature and not surrounded by hoards of people while also seeing some of the well known sights (Neist Point light house, Old Man of Storr, Quiraing walk, Kilt Rock). Should we just pick one hike, enjoy the day doing that and assume we will return some day to see the rest? If that is the case, which one? And can we get to/from it via public transport?

Thanks for any advice you can offer! And thanks for all of the interesting and helpful information!

[HalfManHalfTitanium]

With one day and a 12 year old, I would suggest

Hire a car

Drive to the Quiraing and walk there. The car park will be busy. But of you follow the route we did https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=72566 you will have at least a good section of the walk away from any crowds. (WH site recommends the reverse direction - one of the rare occasions I would disagree with them!)

The walk should take 3 or 4 hours (walking leisurely), and it's a wonderland for all, but especially for a 12 year old to explore - don't lose him in the labyrinth behind the Needle!)

Then drive to Carbost, the Old Inn is a great place for lunch, a classic Scottish pub right on the lochside

Then a short distance to Fairy Pools. Again there will be other people around but you can make a circular walk with quieter sections by following the WH recommended route. The pond at spot height 344m on their online map is a beautiful and totally unspoilt place. Or, if you are short of time by then, just walk to the pools and back.

Finally if you have time drive down Glen Brittle for a quick look at the sea-loch and beach, backed by the Cuillin.

If you'd like a more adventurous day, my choice of one wonderful walk would be Bruach na Frithe by the route we used - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=72538 . Safe for a 12 year old in good weather.

Have a great time!

Tim

[mominstl]

Thank you, Tim. I love your suggestions and have thoroughly enjoyed reading about your journeys!

I think you are probably right about hiring a car. It will give us the flexibility to see and do what interests us. I have just heard so many horror stories about Americans driving in the U.K. I am an excellent driver. I need to stop being so skittish! Having a car will also eliminate the worry as to how to get from Armadale-Portree and from Portree-Kyle of Lochalsh. Hopefully there is a company that will let us pick up at the first and drop off at the second.

I see in your photos that you are wearing hiking boots and using walking sticks. Do you think we can get by with grippy trail running shoes? We have good boots from hiking the Colorado Rockies, but bringing 3 pairs of them will require a dedicated suitcase (my husband and son both have very large feet . And I am fairly certain our walking sticks won't break down short enough to fit in any of our luggage. We have quite a few flights and trains to catch and lugging lots of luggage complicates that. However, I don't want to be stupid. If they are necessary, then they must come along.

Again, thank you for your thoughtful reply. As I try to figure out the rest of the details, I hope you don't mind if I reach out to you again.
Pam

[HalfManHalfTitanium]

Hi Pam

thanks! I would not worry about driving in the UK, especially as you will be on some of Britain's quietest roads.

My first experience of driving in the States was the Strip and then the freeway in Las Vegas (trying to get out of there en route to the scenery!) It was fine. So I'm sure you will cope with the driving on the left, it very quickly becomes instinctive.

You'll be walking in summer, so good quality trail running shoes should be fine. Many people do the 'three peaks' (Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis all in 24 hours) in trainers every summer!

I only use sticks because of my knee problems, many walkers don't need them.

Hope that helps!- feel free to ask more. Others on here will probably also have good suggestions.

My main point is the care hire, because if you have limited time you will not want to spend half your time on Skye waiting for buses - and reliance on public transport greatly limits your flexibility too. If I were you, I would keep my final plans flexible too, because you can have rain one side of the island and sunshine on the other!

Tim

[Caberfeidh]

I understand the worry about driving on the correct side of the road for a change; I spend a fair amount of time on Skye, I used to live there and foreign tourists driving on the wrong side is a constant source of near-misses and serious accidents. There are various tours available which could shuttle you around the island, but maybe that's not your style? No doubt you will be fed up sitting in planes, trains and automobiles and would like to get out and walk about a bit. There are some interesting old castles on Skye; some ruinous and some still lived in (Armadale has the castle home of the MacDonalds, and Dunvegan has the ancient castle of the MacLeods, both worth a visit, approx £10 entry. Dunvegan also has small boat trips available to see seal colonies, scenery etc.) The ruinous castles are open and free to visit but are generally in a dangerous condition. Duntulm Castle (reputedly haunted by the ghosts of former clan chiefs, who drink and play cards, singing, fighting and shouting in the night) is falling into the sea from the top of a cliff. I was there recently and quite a lot of it has collapsed since I was last there, just a few years ago. Dunsgaith Castle, near Armadale is a dodgy scramble over a crumbling drawbridge- minus the bridge- with fine views over to the Cuilin Ridge. Any beach or shoreline on Skye will reward a visit with beach-combing, wildlife (otters and seals are common sights) so if the weather is wet and windy then there are things to do and places to see without going up high in the hills or far from the road. Try this website for more info. https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/skye/tarskavaig/index.html

Cuilin from Elgol

Duntulm Castle window

Isle of Rum from Dun Sgaith

Dun Ringill

Cuilin Ridge

Sound of Raasay Sunrise

Seal

Aurora at Camasunary

[jmarkb]

If you would like to do an easy but stunning walk which will get you away from the crowds, try Ben Tianavaig https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/bentianavaig.shtml

[mominstl]

Thanks Caberfeidh and jmarkb!
I will look at the hikes and castles. And the map on the website you sent is particularly helpful. I'm finding it difficult to figure out how to piece together destinations. Every photo I see makes waiting so difficult. It looks like a spectacularly beautiful place. I even like dreary days... (although I must admit, I enjoy them looking out a window from a comfy chair with coffee in the morning and whisky in the evening!) Thanks again!

[Sunset tripper]

If you are getting the sleeper from London to Inverness or Fort William I would suggest getting a hire car from when you get off the train (probably easier in Inverness). Public transport limits your options and takes time. With a car you could visit Glencoe, Fort William and still take the ferry from Mallaig to Skye. Parking in the highlands is not a problem and usually free.

St. Louis is a place I have always wanted to visit and hopefully will get there one day.

All the best with your trip.

Glencoe January 2018

[mominstl]

Thank you, Sunset tripper. Since Fort William is just a short stop in between trains, so there will be no time for renting a car there.

However, we have added 3 days to the end of our journey and are trying to figure out where to spend them. We are looking for someplace we can reach by train but are not opposed to renting a car once we are there. Leaving from Inverness, do you think the Glencoe area, Cairngorms National Park, or Loch Lomond would be a good destination for 2-3 days? Any recommendations as to where to stay? Thanks!

As far as St. Louis goes, it is a nice, family-oriented town. But to be honest, if you are in the U.S., St. Louis probably isn't the best destination. My advice would be to look into Acadia National Park (Maine), Rocky Mountains National Park (Colorado), Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming), Yosemite National Park (California), or anywhere along the gulf coast of Florida. These places are just spectacular!

[Caberfeidh]

However, we have added 3 days to the end of our journey and are trying to figure out where to spend them. We are looking for someplace we can reach by train but are not opposed to renting a car once we are there. Leaving from Inverness, do you think the Glencoe area, Cairngorms National Park, or Loch Lomond would be a good destination for 2-3 days? Any recommendations as to where to stay?

I think Fort William would be a better base for a few days; you can hire a car there and drive to Glen Coe, Oban, Loch Ness or Mallaig for the Skye ferry all fairly short day trips from Fort William. There is no railway line between Inverness and Fort William but there is a bus service. The Linnhe Lochside Holiday park is a great place to stay with fantastic views up the loch, and is just a short drive from the town of Fort William. http://www.linnhe-lochside-holidays.co.uk/

Ben Nevis from Loch Eil

Rannoch Moor

Loch Eil

Seals at Dunvegan, Skye.

[mominstl]

Thank you, Caberfeidh! I like the idea of a Fort William base. Do you have any accommodation recommendations that are not self catering? I love the away-from-town, peaceful look of the place you recommended but think we need a B&B or hotel.

This may be a silly question, but when we head out to hike, will we find a trail to follow? I see no evidence of a trail in a lot of the pictures I see posted. We would, without a doubt, end up lost if we did that.

[jmarkb]

There are accommodation listings on this site which would be a good place to start: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/bedandbreakfast.shtml and https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/hotels.shtml

Most of the low level walks will have some sort of trail, but very few have any waymarking. You need to read the Terrain section in the individual descriptions to find out what they are like. Most of the mountain walks require some reasonable navigation skills with map and compass.

[mominstl]

Thank you, jmarkb.

[Sunset tripper]

Yes Fort William is a good base. It's about 90 minutes drive from Inverness. A lot of great places to visit nearby as already mentioned. Good value accommodation in the highlands is not abundant in the summer but forward planning will help.

There are some good hikes near Fort William. A visit to the Steall falls is a great outing. The wire bridge can be entertaining.

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/steallfalls.shtml

An Steall Ban

The Steall Bridge

I've visited Yosemite and Yellowstone and yes I agree truly spectacular places. I'm drawn to St. Louis though and have read a lot of the history or maybe it's all Judy Garlands fault.

[mominstl]

Hello everyone!
We are here (in Portree) today and are trying to figure out what to do. It is raining so I'm worried some of the hikes might be pretty slippery. Any suggestions for a hike for 2 adults and a 12 year old? Maybe roughly a 3 hour loop? Perhaps something that might take us to the ocean where our son could throw some rocks and look for critters? Thanks!