Scotland Itinerary 7 Days: Edinburgh, Highlands, Isle of Skye and Loch Ness

Twenty to thirty minutes, free. From the airport, the tram takes 35 minutes to the centre. After check in, start with Victoria Street, which curves down to the Grassmarket past shopfronts painted red, blue and yellow and independent shops. From the top of the steps up to Victoria Terrace you can see the castle.

Forty five minutes, free entry with a suggested donation, three minutes on foot. The 15th century crown spire is the best known silhouette on the Royal Mile. Inside, do not miss the Thistle Chapel, built in 1911 for the Order of the Thistle, with a carved wooden ceiling full of angels playing bagpipes.

An hour, free, 15 minutes on foot via North Bridge and Waterloo Place. The climb up the steps from Regent Road takes five minutes. At the top stand the National Monument, an unfinished copy of the Parthenon, and the Nelson Monument; the classic angle is from the Dugald Stewart Monument, with the Old Town, the castle and Arthur’s Seat in one frame.

Two and a half hours, £23.50 online or £26 at the gate, opens at 9.30 am. Book a timed ticket on the official site: in summer the day’s tickets sell out. Arrive at opening and head straight to the Honours of Scotland, the crown jewels, which have the longest queue. Then see St Margaret’s Chapel, the city’s oldest building, from the 12th century. From Monday to Saturday the One O’Clock Gun fires at 1 pm.

An hour and a half, free, 10 minutes on foot down George IV Bridge to Chambers Street. Start in the Grand Gallery, the Victorian iron and glass hall, see Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, and go up to the seventh floor roof terrace for the castle view. The ground floor café is handy for lunch.

Fifteen minutes from outside, free, or an hour and a half with a ticket from the Royal Collection Trust website. Walk down the Canongate, the quietest stretch of the Royal Mile, to the palace, the monarch’s official residence in Scotland, with Mary Queen of Scots’ chambers and the abbey ruins. It closes when the royal family is in residence, usually in early summer.

Two hours return, free, starting in Holyrood Park next to the palace. The extinct volcano is 251 metres high and the most direct path climbs the valley beside the Salisbury Crags in about 45 minutes. Wear shoes with good grip: the last stretch is loose rock and slippery in rain. From the top you see all of Edinburgh, the port of Leith and the Firth of Forth.

Thirty minutes, free from outside. Pick up the rental car early and leave Edinburgh at 8 am: it is 40 minutes to The Helix park. The two 30 metre steel horse heads honour the horses that towed barges along Scotland’s canals. The guided tour inside is paid and optional.

Two hours, £18.50 online or £20.50 at the gate, 25 minutes from the Kelpies. It is quieter than Edinburgh and richer inside: the Royal Palace of James V has been restored with 16th century colours and tapestries, and the Great Hall has its rebuilt timber roof. From the walls you see the Wallace Monument and the valley of the battles of Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn.

Twenty minutes, free, an hour and 45 minutes from Stirling on the A84 and the A82, which crosses Rannoch Moor. Pull over near the Kingshouse Hotel or at the start of the Glen Etive road for the photo of the rock pyramid, usually with the River Coupall waterfall in the foreground.

Fifteen minutes, free, 10 minutes’ drive down the glen. The A82 car park faces the three ridges of Bidean nam Bian. In this glen, in 1692, government soldiers massacred the MacDonald clan, and the Glen Etive road just behind appears in Skyfall. Carry on 10 minutes to Glencoe village to check in.

An hour, free, two kilometres from the village. The lochan was ringed with pines in the 19th century by Lord Strathcona, and the waymarked trails, 1 to 2 km long, loop around the shore with the Pap of Glencoe reflected in the water. Bring repellent in summer.

An hour and 15 minutes, paid parking at the National Trust for Scotland visitor centre, an hour from Glencoe via Fort William. From April to October the Jacobite steam train crosses the 21 arches around 10.45 am; check the day’s timetable. Walk the 15 minute trail to the viewpoint half an hour early, then go down to the Glenfinnan Monument on Loch Shiel, where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in 1745.

Thirty minutes, 45 minutes from Glenfinnan on the Road to the Isles. The CalMac ferry to Armadale crosses in half an hour; book your car in advance on the CalMac website, since summer sailings fill up, and check in 20 minutes before. Take a sailing around midday and, while you wait, buy smoked kippers at the harbour fishmongers.

Fifteen minutes, free, 50 minutes from Armadale. The early 19th century stone bridge looks out on the black peaks of the Cuillin. Legend says that dipping your face in the river for seven seconds brings eternal beauty; the water is freezing all year. Portree is 15 minutes away.

An hour, free. After check in, walk down to Quay Street, the row of pink, blue and yellow houses that is Skye’s postcard. The best angle is from the top of Bank Street, and the seafood restaurants on the harbour are the obvious dinner choice, with a booking.

Two hours, paid parking, 15 minutes from Portree. The trail is 3.8 km return and climbs 300 metres on a gravel path to the pinnacle of about 50 metres. Start at 8 am: the car park fills by mid morning and morning light hits the east face of the rocks.

Twenty minutes, free, 20 minutes north of the Storr. From the fenced viewpoint you see the cliff of basalt columns that looks like the pleats of a kilt and Mealt Falls, which drop 55 metres straight into the sea. On windy days the water blows back up.

Two and a half hours, paid parking at the top of the single track road from Staffin to Uig. The loop is about 7 km and runs between the pinnacles of the largest landslip in the British Isles, with the Needle, the Prison and the Table. If the weather closes in, walk only the first stretch to the Needle view and return the same way. Then follow the road to Uig and close the peninsula loop back to Portree.

An hour and a half, £17.50 for castle and gardens, 45 minutes from Portree. The season runs from 1 April to 15 October, 10 am to 5.30 pm; outside it, see it from outside. The MacLeod seat for about 800 years keeps the Fairy Flag, a silk relic said to protect the clan. In season, boats leave the jetty to see the seals in the loch.

An hour and a half, free, 25 minutes from Dunvegan on a single track road. From the car park, a steep stairway with a handrail leads down to the 2 km return path to the 1909 lighthouse at the island’s westernmost point. Stay behind the fence at the cliffs and, in summer, watch the sea for whales and dolphins.

An hour, £22 for the tour and tasting, 50 minutes from Neist Point, in Carbost. Book online: tours sell out in summer. The 1830 distillery makes the best known peated whisky of the islands; drivers get their dram to take away. Talisker closes at 5 pm and has its annual maintenance in autumn, so check the dates first.

An hour and a half, paid parking at Glenbrittle, 15 minutes from Talisker. The path is 2.4 km each way to the chain of waterfalls and blue pools on the River Brittle below the Cuillin, and crosses the river on stepping stones, so wear waterproof boots. Late afternoon is far less crowded than the morning. Drive back to Portree in 40 minutes.

An hour and 15 minutes, £13, tickets sold only on site on the day, an hour from Portree over the Skye Bridge. The 13th century castle was destroyed in 1719 and rebuilt between 1912 and 1932, on an islet linked to the shore by a stone bridge. The classic photo is from the car park beside the A87, before you go in.

An hour and a half, £14 online or £16 at the gate, an hour and 20 minutes from Eilean Donan via the A887. The ruins on the shore of Loch Ness were blown up in 1692 to keep them from the Jacobites. Climb the Grant Tower for the view of the 37 km loch; your chance of seeing the monster is the same as anywhere else on the shore.

Thirty minutes, free, 45 minutes from Urquhart and 15 from Inverness airport. The three Bronze Age stone cairns, ringed by standing stones, sit in a quiet wood two kilometres from the Culloden battlefield. Return the car at the airport at least two hours before your flight.