Well, the big Labor Day weekend is slowly sneaking up on me so have to come up with some idea of my Itinerary, specifically how many days I want to stay in each location.  I think this is the hardest part of trip planning.

 

After reading a Slow Traveler's, MaryT's Reflections on My 40 Years in Umbria, recent blog entries on her weeklong stay in the city of Edinburgh, I am sure that I want to spend at least 5 days there, maybe longer up to 7 days.

 

I'm flying into Glasgow so I should at least see a couple of things there so I will spend a couple of nights.  Then I want to take the train over to Fort William where I'll rent a car and stay for a night so I can maybe see Ben Nevis.  Then I'll leave early and drive the Road to the Isle stopping in some little towns on my way to Mallaig so I can catch the ferry over to the Isle of Skye.   I'm not sure if I want to spend at least a night in Mallaig or in Arisaig.  Then I want to cross over and spend a couple of nights maybe three and check out a few sights before crossing over the Skye Bridge and back on the road stopping off to see the Castle Donrie before heading back to Fort William where I will drop off the car and catch a train to Edinburgh. 

 

Glasgow - 2 Nights

Fort William - 1-2 Nights

Arisaig or Mallaig - 1-2 Nights

Isle of Skye - 3 Nights

Edinburgh - 5-7 Nights

 

2 1/2 weeks total  (I'll probably leave mid November and arrive first week in December)  Oooo, I can feel the cold brisk air of the Scottish Highlands already. :)

 

Well, I think this looks like a descent plan.  

 

Cheap airfares are not the only thing that I've been keeping track of!  Today the exchange is 1.641 US Dollar to 1.000 Great Britain Pound!  It was 1.73 USD to 1.000 GBP last week! Yikes!

 

And the most ironic thing of all, I brought back 900 Euros from last year to use this year in Italy!  The silver lining to that is I bought it when the Euro was down late last year.   :)