Your first day's drive is at least 3 hours, depending on where you start and where in Glasgow you finish. Allow at least four, or more, if there's heavy tourist traffic in the Lakes or if there's heavy traffic in Glasgow, plus more if you actually want to stop to eat, or look at anything.

Hate to monopolise the thread.. but when I think back to travellign in Scotland, the bits that stick in my memory are when we weren't driving; stopping somewhere N of Loch Lomond to let the dog & children paddle in a river for an hour, spending an hour here and an hour there. The views are great, but sitting in a car for 4 hours because you have a long way to go isn't something you look back on later and say "wow, wasn't that great"

Thanks for your input Martin.

I know it's not ideal, and it hopefully won't be our only visit to Scotland, but we will be so 'close' that I did not want to miss an opportunity.

We don't need long in Alford. I just want to see the house where my grandmother lived.

Is there always tourist traffic in the Lakes? We will be there later this month.