What would be a great way to explore Scotland?

I'm a soldier in the US Army who has never seen more than London (high school trip, need I say more on how bad it was?), western Iraq, and northern South Korea. I'm really interested in seeing the grave of Rob Roy MacGregor, an ancestor of mine, and seeing what all scotland has to offer to see and do. Any suggestions as far as starting points or the best times of year to visit without a lot of tourists or when the temperatures are pleasant? I'm thinking I'd be visiting for 20 - 30 days.|||If you're in the army, I'll make the assumption you're in fairly good shape. If that's true, and you also like the outdoors, I'd recommend seeing Scotland at least partially by foot. It has fantastic long-distance walking trails, that give a very different view from what you get by a tourist Highland trip. Alternately, you could bike it.





My favorite route is the West Highland Way from north of Glasgow to Ben Nevis/Ft William, which takes an average of 6-7 days (it's 94 miles). You can add an extra day and climb Ben Nevis (highest UK mountain) at the end. Scotland has right-of-access to the wilderness, which means you can camp pretty much anywhere as long as you leave the site as you found it. Any time from ~mid April through October is a good time, depending on the climate you prefer. If you don't want to carry a heavy pack, there are even baggage services that drop off your equipment at a new spot each day.


http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/home.鈥?/a>


http://www.walkinginscotland.org/


http://walking.visitscotland.com/





There are also good bus tours of Scotland, if walking/biking don't appeal. They will be more touristy, but should still be worthwhile. Rabbie's limits their groups to 16 people, and have a wide variety of tours on offer.


http://www.rabbies.com/





My suggestion would be to do the West Highland Way followed by a road trip by car, if renting one and driving on the left side of the road wouldn't be too much trouble for you. A possible itinerary:





-Start in Edinburgh, spend a few days there seeing the city. Lots of things to see and a fantastic nightlife. If you're going to Edinburgh, don't go in August. The festivals then make it nearly impossible to find accommodation, and it's very crowded with tourists.


http://wikitravel.org/en/Edinburgh (you can use the Wikitravel site for good info on Scotland in general)





-Take the bus/train to Stirling and spend a day there. The grave of Rob Roy is in Balquhidder, but the only way to get there is by car. I guess you could take a bus to Callander, then Kingshouse, then walk, but it takes a few bus changes followed by a 45 minute walk. It would be easier to hire a car for the day.





-From Stirling, take the bus/train to Glasgow. Spend a day there, then take local transport to Milngavie, where the West Highland Way starts.





-West Highland Way to Ben Nevis.





-From Ft William, hire a car for 7-10 days. Drive towards Invergarry (nice castle there), then take the A87 towards Kyle of Lochalsh. Make sure you stop off to see Eilean Donan. Drive over the bridge to Skye and spend at least a day exploring the island. If you like whisky, don't miss the Talisker distillery at Carbost. Then back towards Ft Augustus and up the west bank of Loch Ness. Many Scots say it's the ugliest loch in Scotland, but I think it's really beautiful and serene. You end up near Inverness. From there, you could go north into the wilds of Scotland (it's truly desolate and beautiful) or you could head east. There's good cold water surfing in Elgin to the east. The Malt Whisky Trail is worthwhile if you're interested, and leads you towards Aviemore where you can explore the Cairngorms. From there head south and eventually end up back in Edinburgh.





The most comprehensive site for planning your trip is here:


http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/in鈥?/a>|||Depends on what your looking for. Personally I'm a fan of the more rural out of the way places up in the highlands and on the islands, but Edinburgh is a very pleasant place if you're looking for something in a city. Lot's to see and do no matter what you're into from excellent pubs, to historical sites, to beautiful public gardens and a lot of nice areas nearby that are easy to get to by train. East Lothian has quite a bit to offer in terms of scenic places to explore. There are several castles there if that's something you're hoping to see some of. I would personally recommend a visit to Saint Abb's Head in Berwickshire, and if you're looking for something lazy to do, there's a nice boat tour out to Bass Rock from North Berwick, provided you don't mind a bit of ocean spray.





Outside of Edinburgh, Glencoe and Rannoch Moor are always worth a visit. As is Ben Nevis, particularly if you want to be able to say you're interested in doing some climbing and want to be able to brag that you've climbed the highest mountain in Britain. And I'm very fond of the Hebrides islands off the west coast. Very peaceful and rural. And the highlands in general are beautiful.





As far as temperatures and weather go, May, June, and September are usually pretty good and have the added benefit of being just before and after the peak tourist season. I would advise against going to Edinburgh during August if you want to avoid crowds as a lot of festivals happen then and draw in a lot of visitors. Loch Ness is also a big tourist destination, so unless it's something your keen to see you might as well steer clear of the Inverness area. Oban tends to be somewhat tourist heavy as well. But overall, other than Edinburgh in August, Scotland doesn't tend to draw huge numbers of tourists and there are always out of the way rural areas you can pretty much guarantee a tourist free experience in.





The Lonely Planet website is a pretty good jumping off point for information on visiting. Their page on Scotland;


http://www.lonelyplanet.com/scotland





And if you're looking to travel on lowish budget The Scottish Youth Hostel Association has a good listing of Hostels which generally run quite a bit cheaper than a hotel. Though Bed and Breakfasts are another good option, especially if you're looking for something a little more private and quieter.





Scottish Youth Hostel Association website


http://www.syha.org.uk/home.aspx





And a B%26amp;B directory for Scotland


http://www.scotlandsbestbandbs.co.uk/





I hope you have a great trip! It's a beautiful country. :)