The outer hebrides are spectacular from the air:
(about half way between Benbecula and Stornoway)
The great glen is worth visiting:
There are lots of 500m-sh runways on the islands, all great fun to land on. Colonsay:
I would fly up to Oban or Islay for fuel, then island hop northwards via Colonsay, and Plockton to Stornoway to stay the night. Stornoway has very little terrain and instrument approaches in both directions, so is quite accessible. On the Sunday you could fly back via Kirkwall (the cliffs around cape wrath are spectacular), then back down over the hills and via the great glen to Dundee. From Dundee you may as well come back IFR to save the hassle…
Don’t rush the west coast. It’s very very scenic there.
Don’t fly too high. Keep altitude around 2000ft for the best view, provided the weather is ok. That will have you mixing it with the mountains and the ocean, and is very scenic and makes for lovely photos.
My usual trip up that way would be a landing at Colonsay, Coll, and Oban for fuel.
Venturing north, Isle of Skye and Plockton.
Colonsay & Coll
Both of these islands have a tarmac runway, of a little more than 500mtrs. The surface is good, but does have some “loose chippings”. I don’t mean gravel nor a broken surface. It’s more like a new road after a week or two of driving. There are some small tar chips remaining. Best to avoid high power run ups while stationary.
Both islands have a hotel that you can get some lunch at, but are a good walk into “town”. There isn’t much in either town, but the walk is plesant is the weather is nice.
They have something like 2 commerical flights per week, so virtually no traffic. This also means that both airports will not be open when you are there (unless you amazingly happen to coincide with those flights!), so you need to get an out of hours permit. This can be done very easily by faxing/emailing a copy of your insurance and filling up a form, and sending it to Oban airport. An out of hours permit for these two islands is free of charge, lasts a year, and takes a few days to issue.
There is nothing at the airport itself.
If you decide that you don’t want to land there, do go by the island. They are picturesque and look lovely in the ocean with the sun shining.
Oban
A nice big airport, with a big hill at the end of it.
They have fuel, but probably no more food than a vending machine. There is somewhere close by that you can walk to for food, but the last time I was there, there was a function on, and public wasn’t allowed in.
You can get a taxi (£10 or so) to Oban town if you wish. It’s it’s a nice enough country town, there isn’t a lot so see or do, apart from the ruins up on the top of the hill. (Forgotten what it’s called), and going will take up a fair proporition of your day.
Glenforsa is just 5-10 minutes flying from Oban.
It’s a grass strip. I’ve only been in once, and was advised to keep to the north of the strip as the lower ground was wet and squishy. I did and all was fine, but walking it afterwards, it was wet and squishy nearer the ocean.
The hotel is litterly attached to the airport which makes it aandy. The food was decent. I’ve never stayed there, nor seen the rooms, but the reviews on trip advisor would put me off.
No fuel
Isle of Skye
You simply MUST fly by the Isle of Skye at or below 2000ft. It’s breathtaking. In fact, I used it as my work PC wallpaper ;)
The airport is again, “deserted” and a long way from anywhere, but the approach is picturesque. It’s often used by other grounds, such as car groups etc. So you need to call the airport first to see what’s going on.
No fuel
No a whole lot of reason to land here, but a flyby of the Island is a must.
Plockton
A very scenic approach.
Quiet deserted airfield, with an honesty box.
Good surface, but some loose chippings again in the parking area.
It’s about 15-20 minutes walk into the town. If staying at a local hotel, they may well collect you.
The hotels/guesthouses often get full (or so I’m told).
No fuel.
Benbeculla
I’ve only been there out of hours, so can’t tell you much. But it’s a large airport with a good surface. Not a lot in the immediate area.
Stornoway
Larger airport, with larger airport feel to it.
Need a taxi into the town which is sizeable.
Fuel available.
Don’t rememer about food at the airport.
Alternatively, I can recommend the Faroes for maximum scenic value:
