Feedback on Scotland road trip itinerary

Hi, could you give me your thoughts on the itinerary I’ve put together? We’re not exactly short on stops 1 Edinburgh 2 Edinburgh 3 Tarbet for the seafood festival 4 Tarbet 5 Oban 6 Mull 7 Oban 8 Laggan 9 Portree 10 Inverness 11 Ullapool 12 Durness Tongue 13 Wick Tain 14 Perth 15 St Andrews Edinburgh Thanks

Hello, You say you won't be "walking"... Will you be renting a car or using your own vehicle? And where will you be staying overnight? If it's the first option, be careful with rental companies at Edinburgh Airport. Check everything thoroughly and insist that all scratches and other damage are noted, and pay special attention to the tires. Your itinerary seems quite packed—maybe a bit ambitious. I don’t know the Seafood Festival in Tarbert, but in that area, the Isle of Arran is a little gem (a Scotland in miniature). One day in Mull is really too short. From Skye, you’re heading straight to Inverness? Then back to Ullapool? Now, there’s another issue: overtourism on the west coast of Scotland. Even in May this year, it was crowded—Mull and Skye were almost inaccessible... Heat, heavy traffic, parking problems, plus the midges, which sadly don’t even scare tourists anymore—it can really spoil the experience. I hope you won’t be disappointed, though. Scotland is wonderful, but personally, I only go off-season now (and off-season means before May or after September...)

Thanks for your reply. We’re renting an automatic car from HERTZ at the airport. Hope there won’t be any issues. We’ve booked all our accommodations. The midges are a bit scary, but we’ll buy what we need once we’re there.

Hi there, Hertz should be reliable. Still, stay cautious. For midges, the "must-do" is just to avoid them! There are fine-mesh head nets, but if it's a bit warm, you’ll have to choose: without, you’ll get eaten alive; with, you’ll suffocate. As for repellents, I’ve tried everything, including those with 95% DEET... They work for, what, fifteen minutes? But if you’re not camping or sleeping in a vehicle, it’ll be manageable during mornings and evenings. During the day, seek out windy spots.