neversay wrote:I am taking the family (kids aged 7 and 10) up to Scotland at half-term, heading to Edinburgh at the start of the week and Glasgow at the end. That leaves us 3-4 nights midweek to find a location (or a couple of locations) from which to explore the highlands, Trussocks or even over to Skye.
Before I forget to be Mr Pedantic, it is "Trossachs" not "Trussocks", with a Scottish/Germanic "ch" sound not a "ck" sound. Sames as in "loch".
From Central Scotland, there are so many lovely areas you could spend a few days in. It also depends on what you and your family are interested in. The Scottish Borders (and English side) have interesting history and are great for walking. Kelso or Melrose are good bases.
Loch Katrine in the Trossachs is lovely. You can hire a bike to cycle its length or you can take the steamship Sir Walter Scott for a leisurely cruise up to the other end. Doing a cruise in one direction and cycling/walking for the return trip is a nice day out.
https://www.lochkatrine.com/ . If you want to be based near the Trossachs then you could stay in Callander or Aberfoyle.
It is near Loch Lomond which is very beautiful too but I probably take it for granted. There is even a small shopping centre at the south end at Balloch called "Loch Lomond Shores" which is a popular day trip. You can catch a boat trip nearby. I personally don't particularly like Loch Lomond Shores because I feel it brings a bit of city-civilisation to what is a beautiful natural spot, but if I came across it in another country I'd probably think
"Wow - what a fantastic view and there are shops selling quality Scottish goods and somewhere to get something to eat". A boat trip on Loch Lomond is great.
https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/la ... trossachs/Loch Lomond and the Trossachs are only just in the Highlands from a geological/geographical point of view. I tend to see the main Highlands as being further north but that's probably just me - certainly if you want to see stunning scenery without any tour buses. If you have time, you could shoot up the A9 (not always the fastest road mind you - and beware the average speed cameras) and stay in or around Inverness. Here you can take in Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle and one of Scotland's most beautiful glens - Glen Affric (although it is quite a long road to get there).
If you don't want to go quite that far, then Perthshire is beautiful and good walking country. You could stay in Dunkeld or Pitlochry, both nice towns. If in the area, I'd recommend taking a visit to the Scottish Crannog Centre
http://www.crannog.co.uk/ where you can see how ancient people lived in hut dwellings built on stilts out in Loch Tay.
Another option, which is not really Highlands would be to visit one of the west coast Islands. A ferry trip adds something to the holiday experience. Easily reached from Glasgow and one of the best for its variety of scenery is the Isle of Arran (often called Scotland in Miniature because it has its own 'highland' and lowland). Other ones that are easily accessible from the mainland are Mull (from Oban) and Islay (from Kintyre). Skye of course is majestic and can be reached by road these days.
The trouble is there is too much to see in the Scottish Highlands and too many areas to visit to really discuss in a single post. Hopefully this will give you some options and you can then decide where you would like to focus. P.S. when in Central Scotland ... if your kids like castles .... then I'd recommend Stirling Castle as being better than Edinburgh Castle, but both are great.
Clariman