"I realize that weather may be a factor in the Highlands. "

Weather may be an issue everywhere - not just in the Highlands. It could be dreadful, or nice - or both on any day. You say you are renting a car at EDI . . . Are you flying in long haul? If so, please don't rent a car on your arrival day. If you are just flying in from the Continent, that's different. And you 100% definitely do not want a car in Edinburgh.

"The Road to The Isles sounds nice, too" Its great -- but NOT in a massive storm. In March you really don't need to pre-book anywhere (except I would always pre-book rooms in Edinburgh). So - I'd not have a set plan (other than Edinburgh) and wait to see if you've lucked out weather-wise.

Work out the two or three other areas you'd want to stay for a night or two and if the weather is bearable go for it. If the weather is awful - then split your time between Edinburgh, Glasgow and one other accessible place (Stirling or Perth or North Berwick or St Andrews or somewhere else you can reach by train.)

Hopefully you won't need to fall back on Plan B - but I would definitely have a Plan B in mind

janisj,We are coming over from the US. As far as a car in Edinburgh, how about just to drive it to a b&b, park it and walk? Is Sunday a good day to be in the city as far as attractions and eateries being open? Thanks for your advice, we will definitely make a plan B.

"As far as a car in Edinburgh, how about just to drive it to a b&b, park it and walk?"

Nope - unless the B&B is on the outskirts somewhere w/o good bus service. But then why would one stay someplace like that, since getting into the city would require the car . . .

Driving in Edinburgh is difficult, and VERY difficult in the scenic/central bits - and isn't needed. There is an inexpensive airport bus that goes from EDI to the very center of town.

Actually, driving in some parts of Edinburgh is worse than driving in central London.

Attractions, sites and restaurants are open on Sundays.

OK, looks like we will do the bus into Edinburgh center then back to EDI to rent car to drive out of the area for some days. My husband wants to drive places instead of the bus/trains, but we will definitely not drive in Edinburgh. I did not know it was so hard. Thanks.

Hi Jean. Bearing in mind that my June trip may not correlate well with your March ambitions and we had more days outside of Edinburgh than you are considering, have a look at my trip report (and photos) and see if that gives you any ideas. Be sure to post your plans back here and the experts (janis and others) can comment more specifically.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/scotland-trossachs-skye-and-loch-ness-an-indydad-trip-report.cfm

You mentioned walks. Excellent site:

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/

I have driven in, around and through Edinburgh on many occasions and have never found it VERY difficult. It's OK and definitely better than London. I live near a large city,Manchester, and haven't found Edinburgh that bad. As long as you are comfortable driving on the left and a confident driver you'll be OK, so don't let other people's hang ups put you off.

You might find that all central B&B's don't have their own parking, so make sure you choose one that does. As mentioned, the weather is completely unpredictable and you need to pack for all eventualities. With only six days, you don't want to spend the whole time behind a wheel, so plan to restrict you wanderings. Less is definitely more in this case.

You could "do" Mull and Skye with a couple of nights in each place and stop along the way in and out of Edinburgh. Consider Callender as one such. The roads will be quietish outside of the Cities, so only the weather to worry about.

Well, it may not have been difficult to drive in Edinburgh in the past but it is right now and for the foreseeable future.

Like the Big Dig in Boston, the ongoing construction of the tram system has tangled traffic far out of its local area as residents seek other ways to get around. Last October we were meeting local friends for lunch on George Street area. They took the bus from Braid Road/Buckston area to avoid driving, and it arrived 30 minutes late.

I would do Edinburgh first since the farther north and west you get, the less is open on Sundays.

What do you need to see in Edinburgh? Castle, Royal Mile (St Giles on the way), Holyrood House, Parliament, Museum of Scotland (Grayfriars Kirk is across the street), and the National Gallery of Scotland provide a nice combination of indoor and outdoor for different weather. In the New Town, Charlotte Square, the Georgian House and -- from the outside -- the First Minister's residence next door. Compare the visible security (almost non-existent) to that at the White House. If the weather is beautiful, and it was last March, I can recommend the Botanical Gardens.

Yes -I was going to use the Big Dig as an analogy. ackislander has explained it well.

The construction in the center has disrupted things for quite a while and every time I visit I expect things to finally be better . . . But they aren't.

There is basically no route to/through central Edinburgh that isn't affected, either by construction/diversions or by drivers trying to avoid the construction/diversions.

Driving out of town is usually easier than driving into town. We managed to return our car at the train station in Edinburgh; we parked the car nearby to find out where to return the car exactly, so it was not that easy. I do not think that it is necessary to go back to the airport to pick up a car.

Well, after reading all your good posts,I have tried to put together my first proposed itinerary. I tried to spend first two nights in Edinburgh but because of a rugby game with Wales, I was unable to find an affordable place. So, we are renting a car and driving to Stirling to spend the night. Here is the itinerary, what do you think? I realize it is full but we hope to do what we can of this and pare it down if need be.Thanks for any input!

Itinerary #1:
March 9: EDI to Stirling to spend night
March 10: Stirling-Trossachs-Glencoe
March 11: Glencoe-Portree-Old Man of Storr
March 12: Skye(Dunvegan & Carbost)
March 13: Mallaig-Fort Williams-Lower Joppa, Edinburgh
March 14-15: Edinburg
Leave EDI March 16 AM

I assume you mean staying on Skye the night March 12 (in Portree?). If so the 13th will be one hellacious day. Lower Joppa is on the east side of Edinburgh and that drive will take at least 6.5 hours w/o any stops - and probably more.

Stirling to Portree is easier than Portree to Edinburgh. So if you are dead set on that much travel I'd drive Stirling to Portree on the 10th (don't stop at Glencoe or anywhere else much. Just press on to Skye) stay on Skye the nights of the 10th & 11th, then the 12th in Glencoe, and the 13th/15h in Joppa. Just eases two of your drive days a little bit.

Glencoe to Lower Joppa only takes about 3 hours.

You are still doing a LOT of driving every single day except March 9. You might even consider cutting one night from Edinburgh/Joppa. If you arrive in Edinburgh by late morning on Mar 14, you'd have 1.5 days in the city. Not ideal but just another option.

Congratulations on going to Sterling the first day rather than into Edinburgh. It makes sense and gets you toward your far western destination.

I don't much think you will want to spend a lot of time in Glen Coe at that time of year. A drive through with a photo stop or two is about all you are likely to want.

I also might not make reservations very far ahead owing to weather. Knowing you have a place to sleep is in my mind outweighed by the very real possibility that you can't get there. It isn't very crowded at that time of year.

Back to the drawing board,but all your info helps us so much. When you only have 6 days you want to make the most of it but not run ragged. Thanks,you have no idea how much help you are. Will plan some more when I can this week and post again for an update.

Okay, I am trying another itinerary for your great advice. I will be watching the weather closely and if okay would like to do the Road To The Isles (for scenery that I read is beautiful?. Am I still being naive about amount of time on the road?

March 9: EDI to Stirling to spend night (arrive EDI late in afternoon)
March 10: Stirling-Mallaig/spend night
March 11: Mallaig-Skye (full day)
March 12: Skye (full day spend night maybe Portree)
March 13: Skye/Portree-Glencoe
March 14: Glencoe-Lower Joppa (arrive late afternoon)
March 15: Edinburgh
March 16: Airport in am

This is hard work planning this vacation...I will need it by the time I get this right! Thanks again for your input.

So basically you will have no time free in Stirling at all. The castle will be closed when you arrive and then you will leave the next morning. W/o the castle there isn't much reason to stay in Stirling.

>>March 10: Stirling-Mallaig/spend night<<

That is simply wasting one night. There is nothing in Mallaig. If you are driving that far - get there early enough to catch the last ferry, which is 4PM in March.

Instead of driving to Stirling on jet lag and not seeing the castle - consider staying at EDI that night. The next morning pick up your car and drive to Skye.

Stirling to Mallaig takes about 4-ish hours, while EDI (it is west of Edinburgh) to Mallaig is only about an hour 30-40 minutes more.

Agree with janisj, the castle is the only reason one would go to Stirling, but it looks like you won't be able to see it.

A great B&B we stayed at in Edinburgh last June is the Priestville Guest House ( bookings@priestville.com ), this should be within your budget. Colin and Trina are gracious hosts and the place is a 20 mins walk from the Royal Mile, but on the bus route. There is also parking on the street, so this might be a plus for you.

I don't know why I did not think of staying by the airport. I appreciate the advice I am getting, I never imagined it would be so hard to plan a vacation overseas. You are all making this more pleasant and manageable. It is hard not knowing what the REAL driving times are. You are all great, I will definitely post about our trip afterwards. If weather is an issue we will just stay closer as suggested earlier. The Priestville looks nice, too.

For figuring out "REAL" driving times, your best bet is one of the sites that provide this information, For Scotland I prefer AA Road Watch. The mistake most make is not allowing time for comfort stops, picture stops, occasionally road construction and road accidents. It's best to add another 20-30%. Single tracts, of course, will need more time...all those sheep and stops to enjoy Scotland's amazing beauty.

AA Road Watch looks great, thanks for the tip. We really will enjoy the stops and yes, it is hard to plan for that because we don't know how many stops we will be making. This will help, I am sure.

Yikes, no hotels to be found at airport due to rugby game apparently. Any ideas or should I just try for Stirling?

Oh - that's too bad.

Places to try - from closest to farthest: Linlithgow (may be too close to EDI and be booked up too); Stirling; Doune (just beyond Stirling);

Stirling has worked out for us. We found a B&B that looks real nice. I know you may think my next question is a bit different but....where can I find a washer/dryer to do our laundry? I want to pack just one week worth of clothing and wash it at the end of our stay in Sweden or the beginning in Scotland. Our hotel in Sweden does not have these amenities. They have dry cleaning but that will cost a fortune I am sure. I wanted to have room in suitcase to bring back some goodies for family/friends.Do any B&B's give access to washers/dryers?

The B&B we had in Stockholm had a washer and the host hung our laundry on her balcony. The same was true of a B&B in Scotland. In neither case were we charged. But I guess it's the luck of the draw.

If you drive to Stirling that first night, you could see something of the castle the next morning, then drive to Skye by way of Kyle of Lochalsh. This takes you through Glencoe and by the super picturesque castle of Eilean Donan, over the bridge to Skye. This way you don't need to worry about making the last ferry. And you could stay closer to the bridge, say at Broadford, rather than driving all the way up to Portree that night. Then return on the ferry to Mallaig and the Road to/from the Isles.

This is still a lot of driving that first day. I would make my stops minimal at Glencoe and Eilean Donan, but that won't cheat you of a lot.

if you google >>laundrette stirling scotland<< you'll find several and your B&B landlady can direct you to the nearest one (if she doesn't offer to do the laundry for you )

Also - you may have heated towel rails in the bathroom where you can dry some hand washing.

No problem at all... I did a tour of Scotland with the Mrs in 6 days....