The Rough Bounds
Knoydart · Lochaber · Loch Lomond

The Rough Bounds

Flights, beds, car, train and the Old Forge table are locked in. This is the trip as booked — plus the two things left to sort.

Itinerary v2 · updated 18 Jul 2026 · mostly booked
Crew  Brad · Alex · Tim Dates  Mon 3 – Fri 7 Aug 2026 Shape  Fly to Edinburgh · drive the loop · boat to Knoydart · train home Beds  Edinburgh → Glencoe → Mallaig → Drymen
Where things stand

Everything big is booked. Two things aren't.

Tim locked in all four nights, Brad locked in flights, the car, the Friday train and the Old Forge table. Knoydart is now a Wednesday day trip by boat from Mallaig — dinner at the pub at 5pm, boat back after. Still open: the Mallaig ↔ Inverie boat and dinner tables for Mon, Tue & Thu.

~350mi
Driving · Edinburgh → Glasgow
4
Nights · a different bed each
17:00
Wed · Old Forge table for 3 ✓
2
Left to book · boat + dinners
Do these next: ① Book the Mallaig ↔ Inverie boat for Wed 5 Aug — the last scheduled ferry back leaves Inverie at 18:30, which is tight after a 5pm dinner, so see the options. ② Reserve dinner at Kingshouse for Tue and at The Clachan Inn for Thu — you're sleeping at both, so eat where you sleep. ③ Pick somewhere in Edinburgh for Monday night.
The full route

The whole loop, one map

Each colour is a day's drive. Dashed blue is Wednesday's boat across Loch Nevis. Tap any pin for the detail — every overnight stop here is booked.

Overnight (booked) Hike Tue drive Wed drive Thu drive Fri drive Knoydart boat
As booked · day by day

Edinburgh → Glencoe → Knoydart → Loch Lomond → home

Confirmation numbers live in the dashed boxes — everything you'd need at a front desk. Each day has its own drive map.

DAY1MON 3 AUGNO CAR
CITY DAY

London → Edinburgh

▸ FLY BA1440 LHR T5 08:55 → EDI 10:20 · Brad 17A · Alex 17C ▸ FLY Tim via Washington–Dulles → EDI, lands 10:35
EDI → Market Street Hotel (tram or taxi, ~30 min) · Arthur's Seat from the door

Sleep · Old Town booked

Market Street Hotel
6 Market Street, EH1 1DE — two minutes above Waverley, rooftop views to the castle. 3 × Cozy rooms, £336 each, pay at the hotel (flexible rate).
Itinerary 5154B26395778 · rooms 3983SG110618 / 619 / 620
booked by Tim · +44 131 322 9229

Hike

Arthur's Seat easy 251m · ~1.5h · straight from the hotel · go at golden hour

Dinner · Edinburgh

Not booked yet — anywhere in the Old Town works Makars Gourmet Mash Bar (hearty, no-book queue), or book The Last Drop / White Hart on the Grassmarket. City rule: no need to eat at the hotel.
All three land by ~10:35 — worth booking for 19:30ish once you're on the ground.
DAY2TUE 4 AUGDRIVE
~92 MI
~2H45

Edinburgh → Glen Coe (Kingshouse)

▸ CAR Enterprise pickup 08:00, Waverley Stn New Street Car Park ▸ DRIVE via Stirling · Callander · Crianlarich · Rannoch Moor
A84/A85/A82 — the drive gets properly Highland after Tyndrum. Lost Valley trailhead is 10 min past the hotel.

The car booked

Ford Kuga or similar · automatic
Unlimited mileage + damage waiver. Drop-off: Glasgow Central, Fri 14:00.
Enterprise conf 1497311184 · £555.61 paid (Brad's Amex)
Pickup +44 131 341 4441 · min. licence + passport in renter's name

Sleep · Rannoch Moor booked

Kingshouse Hotel, Glen Coe
Historic 1750s inn alone on the moor under Buachaille Etive Mòr. 2 × Guest King/Twin (one split to twins), full Scottish breakfast included.
Refs P24N262 + TUS9WVQ · booked by Tim · +44 1855 851 259

Hike

The Lost Valley (Coire Gabhail) moderate ~2.5–3h · hidden glen above the Three Sisters · park at Three Sisters viewpoint

Dinner · at the hotel

Not booked yet — reserve at Kingshouse itself You're sleeping there and it's the only place on the moor: choose the Way Inn bar (climbers' side, casual) or the main restaurant.
Call +44 1855 851 259 · ask for ~19:30, table of 3
DAY3WED 5 AUGDRIVE
~88 MI
~2H20
+ BOAT

Glen Coe → Mallaig → Knoydart (day trip)

▸ DRIVE via Fort William & the Road to the Isles · Glenfinnan photo stop ▸ BOAT Mallaig → Inverie 14:15 · back 18:30 — book, see options
Car sleeps at the Marine in Mallaig; you cross Loch Nevis on foot. The Old Forge is ~150m from the Inverie pier.

Sleep · Mallaig booked

The Marine (Marine Hotel)
Station Road, opposite the harbour — you can see the ferry from the door. Check-in 15:00–23:45; they'll mind bags/car earlier. Non-refundable, all paid.
Brad double WTB1AAE021 · £153 paid
Alex double WTB1AADFF2 · £153 · Tim single WTB1AADFB7 · £81
+44 1687 462 217

The afternoon on Knoydart

Inverie shore wander easy 15:00–17:00 · beach, deer, the Long Beach memorial — or just the pub garden

Dinner · The Old Forge

Booked ✓ — Wed 5 Aug, 17:00, table for 3 Britain's remotest mainland pub, community-owned. Table held 15 min; slot is 1.5h, so you're done ~18:30 — exactly when the last ferry leaves. Settle up by 18:15 or book a private boat back (next section).
Confirmed by Yara · eat@theoldforge.co.uk · +44 1687 462 358
DAY4THU 6 AUGDRIVE
~150 MI
~3H30

Mallaig → Glen Nevis → Drymen

▸ DRIVE back past Glencoe, down Loch Lomond's west shore ▸ HIKE Steall Falls en route — the Glen Nevis detour
Longest driving day — break it with the Nevis Gorge. Loch Lomond, Luss and the A811 bring you into Drymen by evening.

Hike

Nevis Gorge & Steall Falls easy–mod ~1.5–2h · dramatic gorge, 120m waterfall, wire bridge if you're brave · 25-min detour up Glen Nevis

Sleep · Drymen booked

The Clachan Inn
2 The Square, Drymen — licensed 1734, said to be Scotland's oldest pub. 2 × twin rooms (their last availability), $178.21 each, paid.
Itineraries R6457132421 (Tim) + R6457139842 (Alex)
guestreservations.com · +44 1360 660 824

Dinner · at the inn

Not booked yet — reserve at The Clachan itself You're sleeping above Scotland's oldest pub; it would be rude not to. Kitchen is popular with West Highland Way walkers — book ahead.
Call +44 1360 660 824 · ~19:30, table of 3
DAY5FRI 7 AUGDRIVE
~25 MI
~50 MIN
+ TRAIN

Drymen → Glasgow → London

▸ CAR drop by 14:00 · Enterprise, 40 Oswald St (Glasgow Central) ▸ TRAIN Avanti 14:34 Glasgow Central → 19:12 London Euston
Optional Conic Hill leg-stretch from Balmaha first (15 min from Drymen) — leave Balmaha by 12:30 to make the drop comfortably.

Optional last hike

Conic Hill, Balmaha easy 361m · ~2h round trip · the whole of Loch Lomond at your feet · start by 09:30

The train home booked

Avanti West Coast · 4h38 direct
3 × Advance Single, Standard Premium. Carriage H, seats 24 (window), 25 + 31 (aisle). Specified train only — no refunds, don't miss it.
Etickets TTBXV82LF7X / F7Z / F73 · Trainline txn 705022124810 · $595.13 paid

Why Glasgow, again

The Edinburgh Fringe opens today and that city goes mad — you exit through Glasgow instead, and keep all of Saturday free in London before Sunday flights (Alex LHR→DFW, Tim LHR→IAH).

To book · Wednesday's crossing

Mallaig ↔ Knoydart: the boat options

No road in — it's a 45-min crossing of Loch Nevis on foot. The wrinkle: dinner is 17:00–18:30 and the last scheduled ferry out of Inverie is 18:30 sharp. Three ways to play it.

Recommended
Option 1 · scheduled ferry

Western Isles Cruises

The regular Knoydart ferry — 84-seat wooden boat with a bar aboard. Out on the 14:15 (Inverie 15:00), back on the 18:30 (Mallaig 19:00). Pub is 150m from the pier: order promptly at 5, ask for the bill by 18:10, stroll down. Cheap, simple, atmospheric.

Must pre-book — last boat of the day requires online booking; arrive 15 min early; weather-dependent, check the day before.

westernislescruises.co.uk · 01687 462 233
info@westernislescruises.co.uk
Option 2 · private charter

Calanna Charter (Inverie)

Knoydart's own charter boat — a 12-passenger Lochin 33 skippered by local farmer Iain Wilson. Book a private evening pickup (~19:30–20:00) and dinner stops being a race: linger for a second pint, cross back at golden hour.

Pair it with the 14:15 WIC ferry out, or charter both directions. Price on enquiry — split three ways it's usually reasonable.

calannaboat@knoydart.org
01687 462 844 · 07766 082 757
Option 3 · fast rib

WIC Private RIB hire

Western Isles Cruises also runs a fast RIB for private hires "at a time of your choosing" — same idea as Calanna but from the Mallaig side, and quicker across. Ask about an evening return when you book the ferry.

Best as a backup quote against Calanna — one phone call covers both this and Option 1.

westernislescruises.co.uk/private-hire · 01687 462 233
Mallaig deptInverie arrInverie deptMallaig arrNotes · Mon–Fri, May–Sept
07:3008:0008:0008:30book online (first boat)
10:1511:0011:0011:45only if you leave Kingshouse by 07:30
14:1515:0016:1517:00← your boat OUT (return via Tarbet)
18:0018:3018:3019:00← your boat BACK · book online (last boat)
The call to make: book WIC 14:15 out + 18:30 back for all three (one booking), and if you'd rather not watch the clock over dinner, email Calanna for a ~19:45 private pickup and release the 18:30 seats. Either way, book this week — early August sailings fill, and the ferry is the trip's single point of failure.
To book · tables

Dinner, night by night

House rule for this trip: outside Edinburgh, eat where you sleep — every stay was picked with a proper pub or kitchen downstairs.

  1. Tue · Kingshouse Hotel, Glen Coe needs booking
    You're staying there; it's the only option on Rannoch Moor anyway. Way Inn bar or main restaurant · +44 1855 851 259 · ~19:30 × 3.
  2. Thu · The Clachan Inn, Drymen needs booking
    Sleeping above Scotland's oldest pub — book its kitchen. +44 1360 660 824 · ~19:30 × 3.
  3. Mon · Edinburgh (anywhere) needs booking
    City exception — Makars Mash Bar, or The Last Drop / White Hart on the Grassmarket. Book ~19:30 once you land.
  4. Wed · The Old Forge, Inverie booked ✓
    17:00, table for 3, confirmed by Yara. Flag allergies ahead · table held 15 min · 1.5h slot.
  5. Fri · on the train
    Stock up at Glasgow Central before the 14:34, or hold out and eat in London — you're at Euston by 19:12.

Who's got what

BradBook the Knoydart boat (Option 1 ± Calanna quote). Owns train tickets — share etickets to the group chat.
TimRing Kingshouse + Clachan for dinner (he booked the rooms — refs above).
AlexPick + book Monday's Edinburgh dinner; he's got the Komoot hike list for backup walks.
AllCheck in online for BA1440 24h out (Sun morning). Pack for rain — it's the west coast.
The paper trail

Every booking, one table

Refs and amounts pulled from the confirmations in the trip folder.

WhatWhenRefCost
BA1440 LHR→EDI (Brad 17A; Alex 17C booked separately)Mon 3 Aug 08:55Z9XH9G£142.55 (Brad)booked
Tim inbound via Washington–Dulles → EDIMon 3 Aug, lands 10:35United—booked
Market Street Hotel, Edinburgh · 3 Cozy roomsMon 3 Aug5154B26395778£336 × 3 · pay at hotelbooked
Enterprise · Ford Kuga · Waverley → Glasgow CentralTue 08:00 → Fri 14:001497311184£555.61 paidbooked
Kingshouse Hotel, Glen Coe · 2 King/Twin + breakfastTue 4 AugP24N262 · TUS9WVQ~$400 × 2booked
The Marine, Mallaig · 2 doubles + 1 singleWed 5 AugWTB1AAE021 · AADFF2 · AADFB7£153+£153+£81 paidbooked
The Old Forge · dinner × 3Wed 5 Aug 17:00email conf (Yara)—booked
The Clachan Inn, Drymen · 2 twinsThu 6 AugR6457132421 · R6457139842$178.21 × 2 paidbooked
Avanti · Glasgow Central → Euston · H24/25/31Fri 7 Aug 14:34TTBXV82LF7X/Z/73$595.13 paidbooked
Knoydart boat · Mallaig ↔ Inverie × 3Wed 5 AugWIC / Calannaferry fare on bookingto book
Dinners · Kingshouse (Tue) · Clachan (Thu) · Edinburgh (Mon)Tue / Thu / Monphone—to book