Travelling to Scotland

[Prana]

Hello fellow PS'ers. I need some travel guidance!

DH and I are going to go to Scotland towards the end of April for around 5 days. We were going to go the lazy route and book a tour, but alas, the tour sold out and now we are back to square one. I think it would be more fun to just go over there and fly by the seat of our pants.

So who's familiar with Scotland? What should be top priorities on our to-do list?

DH and I are very into the outdoors, neither of us drink (so whiskey tours are sort of pointless ), and we would like to experience the culture. I have no idea where we are going to stay, whether we will stay in the same place every night or move to a new location every night. The only thing I would like to try to do is fly into and out of the same airport.

I would love all of your suggestions!!

 

[movie zombie]

loved scotland.
did not do the whiskey tour.
rented a car and drove the entire outer border of scotland and went out to orkney as well.
i could suggest a lot of things but i think doing your own reading will get you where you want to be.
my journey was to ancient sites.
april is going to still be cold up there.....weather may limit your ability to get to Mull or Lewis.
Culloden is a must.


for discounts and/or free admissions:
http://www.royal-oak.org/index.php
http://www.nts.org.uk/Join/Gift/

doing something along these lines really does save you a lot of $.



i'd also suggest Wales should you find extra time on your hands.......it is possible, though, to overdose on seeing King Edward I castles.....!

 

[Prana]

Thanks MZ!

How long did it take you to drive the border? I would really like to see as much as possible--gonna try to cram as much as possible into 5 days haha. I'm thinking of spending a couple of nights in the lower Highlands area at a B&B, and then making our way back to Edinburgh for another couple of nights. I have to figure out exactly what we want to see and do. I would love to hike, or possibly rent some road bikes or mountain bikes, but I don't know if DH will be up for it. I also want to see some historical sites. I can't wait to see the land and take it all in. I know it's going to be so beautiful there!

The cold weather doesn't bother us. Personally, I prefer it. I just hope it's not too rainy.

 

[movie zombie]

i was there 2+ weeks-----and there were things i missed.

5 days will give you a taste. an easy way to do it would be to take the tour schedule from the group you missed and go to those sites on your own.

while i prefer cooler weather and traveling prior to the real tourist season, scotland can still get some rather bad weather coming through.

a lot depends on your interests.
you could spend 5 days easy in edinbourgh alone.

outside the city:
you can track down rob roy's grave.
the william wallace memorial was built in the victorian era but is still interesting.
if you have any interest in scotland's history, Culloden is a must.
antoine's wall [earth wall built before Hadrian's Wall] can be found and walked.

if you're driving in scotland, you should buy an ordinance map there. it will have all kinds of things of interested noted on it.

do you know where you'll be staying?

when i think of scotland i think of stone circles and the incredible amount of history. i spent a lot of time reading and planning prior to my trip. after scotland drove down to Blackpool just 'cause, went on into Wales [very small country but so very interesting], down to Plymouth to see where the pilgrms sailed from, out to Brighton and saw anything and everything i could between those places before leaving from england for the netherlands. if bicycling is something you enjoy, think of going to the Netherlands....one bike friendly country. and Floriade is happening this year! only occurs every 10 years.... bad news though is the big freeze happening in europe right now. skating is supposed to happen on the canals in amsterdam again!

 

[JewelFreak]

I spent a fair amount of time in Scotland -- never enough to satisfy me, though.

The Isle of Skye is wonderful for hiking & trekking & then sitting in front of a fire w/a wee dram. Look for lots of golden eagles.

I loved the village of Tomintoul, calls itself the highest village in Scotland, but it isn't. The local whiskey is exquisite. Great hiking, biking, fishing.

Edinborough is crammed with history & beauty. The underground city is totally fascinating. Holyrood House, of course, & all the other tourist spots. Just walking around is a joy -- medieval (& before) to Georgian & on architecture & history. Pubs, naturally.

If you're into art, the University of Glasgow has the largest collection in the world of James Whistler paintings -- bequeathed by his sister, who inherited them from him.

Actually, there isn't anywhere in Scotland that isn't wonderful to visit. The Scots are a gas, too. Fun, subtle sense of humor.

--- Laurie

 

[Jennifer W]

I live in Scotland, so if you'd like some specific help with bookings, specific journeys etc, give me a shout!

If you're an outdoors type and enjoy stunning views in very remote places, the Highlands and Islands would be perfect. If you're looking to mix it up a bit with some very vibrant cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh are both amazing. There's a little mini diamond district in Glasgow, which is fun to browse and lots of very good restaurants in both places. Perth is beautiful (but much smaller) and Inverness is a great place to stay if you're heading further North.

The Central Belt has Glasgow at the west coast and Edinburgh on the east, with very good transport links. When you go North, you'll find that roads are single carriageway (single track even, in some remote areas) and therefore the distance can take longer to cover than you might expect. Check if the place you're going is categorised as 'rural' or 'remote rural' on the visitscotland website, because there can be quite a difference. If it's remote rural, take a picnic, know where you're going to stay and how long it will take to get there.

It could be quite cold in April up North, but we're having a remarkably mild winter here, so it's unlikely to be bitter icy cold. Depends what you're used to, I suppose. April can be almost warm, so just take lots of layers (and make the outer one waterproof...). I know you don't want rain, but I will say that some of the most spectacular scenery can look very brooding and striking when those curious purple grey rain clouds gather, more imposing than on a sunny day.

Scotland's history and natural heritage are interesting and you can spend as much time as you have exploring them, but the industrial and social heritage is also fascinating- places like the People's Palace and various industry specific museums such as the mining museum and the fisheries museum are good to visit if you want to get to know the folks as well as the scenery.

If you're in the Central Belt, look me up!

eta if you're planning to hire a car and don't drive a manual, you should book it well in advance and ask for an automatic - don't assume there will be one available, as very few people drive them here. Flying in and out of the same airport isn't really a big deal, because they are both easily accessible and only 60 or so miles apart. There isn't much to choose between them actually, but you sometimes find flights in and out of Glasgow are just a little bit less expensive. Edinburgh is a slightly smaller airport, Glasgow folks have more of a sense of humour....

 

[Prana]

i was there 2+ weeks-----and there were things i missed.

5 days will give you a taste. an easy way to do it would be to take the tour schedule from the group you missed and go to those sites on your own.

while i prefer cooler weather and traveling prior to the real tourist season, scotland can still get some rather bad weather coming through.

a lot depends on your interests.
you could spend 5 days easy in edinbourgh alone.

outside the city:
you can track down rob roy's grave.
the william wallace memorial was built in the victorian era but is still interesting.
if you have any interest in scotland's history, Culloden is a must.
antoine's wall [earth wall built before Hadrian's Wall] can be found and walked.

if you're driving in scotland, you should buy an ordinance map there. it will have all kinds of things of interested noted on it.

do you know where you'll be staying?

when i think of scotland i think of stone circles and the incredible amount of history. i spent a lot of time reading and planning prior to my trip. after scotland drove down to Blackpool just 'cause, went on into Wales [very small country but so very interesting], down to Plymouth to see where the pilgrms sailed from, out to Brighton and saw anything and everything i could between those places before leaving from england for the netherlands. if bicycling is something you enjoy, think of going to the Netherlands....one bike friendly country. and Floriade is happening this year! only occurs every 10 years.... bad news though is the big freeze happening in europe right now. skating is supposed to happen on the canals in amsterdam again!

Thanks again MZ.
I think that we will be spending 2 nights in Nairn, and then 2-3 nights in Edinburgh. I would say that I am most interested in seeing the landscape, followed by history. DH and I like to go with the flow, so I would like to have some points of interest marked down in our itinerary, but I figured we could figure a lot of it out once we get there. We will definitely be needing a map! And I've been doing some research and I think we would like to spend most of our driving time on the National Tourist road. We're definitely going to check out Culloden based off of your suggestion!
and thanks for the suggestion of the Netherlands. I smell a future trip in the making!

 

[Prana]

I spent a fair amount of time in Scotland -- never enough to satisfy me, though.

The Isle of Skye is wonderful for hiking & trekking & then sitting in front of a fire w/a wee dram. Look for lots of golden eagles.

I loved the village of Tomintoul, calls itself the highest village in Scotland, but it isn't. The local whiskey is exquisite. Great hiking, biking, fishing.

Edinborough is crammed with history & beauty. The underground city is totally fascinating. Holyrood House, of course, & all the other tourist spots. Just walking around is a joy -- medieval (& before) to Georgian & on architecture & history. Pubs, naturally.

If you're into art, the University of Glasgow has the largest collection in the world of James Whistler paintings -- bequeathed by his sister, who inherited them from him.

Actually, there isn't anywhere in Scotland that isn't wonderful to visit. The Scots are a gas, too. Fun, subtle sense of humor.

--- Laurie

Hi JewelFreak!

I wish we had more than 5 days to spend, (DH doesn't have a lot of holiday leave yet). I know it's not going to be enough time, but we will have to make due! I would LOVE to go to the Isle of Skye. It looks so beautiful. If time and our moods permit, we will definitely try, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to this time around. Thanks for the other recommendations as well. I would love to see all those Whistler paintings (I was a studio art major, so I'm familiar with Whistler's work). There's so much to do and so little time!

 

[Prana]

I live in Scotland, so if you'd like some specific help with bookings, specific journeys etc, give me a shout!

If you're an outdoors type and enjoy stunning views in very remote places, the Highlands and Islands would be perfect. If you're looking to mix it up a bit with some very vibrant cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh are both amazing. There's a little mini diamond district in Glasgow, which is fun to browse and lots of very good restaurants in both places. Perth is beautiful (but much smaller) and Inverness is a great place to stay if you're heading further North.

The Central Belt has Glasgow at the west coast and Edinburgh on the east, with very good transport links. When you go North, you'll find that roads are single carriageway (single track even, in some remote areas) and therefore the distance can take longer to cover than you might expect. Check if the place you're going is categorised as 'rural' or 'remote rural' on the visitscotland website, because there can be quite a difference. If it's remote rural, take a picnic, know where you're going to stay and how long it will take to get there.

It could be quite cold in April up North, but we're having a remarkably mild winter here, so it's unlikely to be bitter icy cold. Depends what you're used to, I suppose. April can be almost warm, so just take lots of layers (and make the outer one waterproof...). I know you don't want rain, but I will say that some of the most spectacular scenery can look very brooding and striking when those curious purple grey rain clouds gather, more imposing than on a sunny day.

Scotland's history and natural heritage are interesting and you can spend as much time as you have exploring them, but the industrial and social heritage is also fascinating- places like the People's Palace and various industry specific museums such as the mining museum and the fisheries museum are good to visit if you want to get to know the folks as well as the scenery.

If you're in the Central Belt, look me up!

eta if you're planning to hire a car and don't drive a manual, you should book it well in advance and ask for an automatic - don't assume there will be one available, as very few people drive them here. Flying in and out of the same airport isn't really a big deal, because they are both easily accessible and only 60 or so miles apart. There isn't much to choose between them actually, but you sometimes find flights in and out of Glasgow are just a little bit less expensive. Edinburgh is a slightly smaller airport, Glasgow folks have more of a sense of humour....

Hi Jennifer W! I was hoping that you would post on this thread as I know that you live in Sctoland!
YES! The Highlands are catching my eye! I would like to stay a couple of nights in Nairn, and spend some time exploring the Highlands. I would like to do some hiking, but I'm not sure how intense I want to get as we will be far from home and unfamiliar with the land. We shall see! We are thinking of leaving Edinburgh airport and taking the Forth Valley and Argyll Coastal National Tourist Routes up into the Fort William area just to poke about, then maybe stopping at the Spean Bridge Woollen Mill and poking our way up to Nairn. I would also like to see Glencoe or maybe Loch Lomond, but I'm not sure if our time will permit. While we're in Nairn, I would like to explore the Highlands a bit for a day or so. We also want to see Culloden.
Then I figured when we leave Nairn, we would take the Highland Tourist Rt to the Galloway Tourist Route on our way to Edinburgh. Poking about as we make our way. I really want to see the coastlines.
Thanks for the advice about the roads. I've been on the visitscotland.com website a bunch. I will obviously have to research our plans a lot.
Thanks for the weather advice as well. I LOVE those overcast cloudy days. It's my favorite weather. I always said that if I moved out of the USA I would go to Ireland or Scotland because of your weather. I'm hoping it doesn't rain, but the gray clouds won't bother me any. And we will be sure to pack appropriate layer-worthy clothing!
Good to know about the airports as well. I just figured it would be easier to fly into and out of one, but I guess it wouldn't be that big of a deal. We are planning to hire a car (or rent a car, as we would say ). DH drives manual, I do not. So thank you for the heads up on the rental availability.

I would actually like to see some local live music...do restaurants and pubs commonly have any live musicians?

Thanks Jennifer!

 

[Prana]

And I would just like to mention that I am totally picturing this turning out like a National Lampoon/Chevy Chase adventure.... Although I reeeeeally hope not!

 

[movie zombie]

you have an ambitious schedule for 5 days...more driving than poking around, i fear. there is alot to do between the places you mentioned. fort william is ok....its the getting there that is interesting!

worth doing in the loch ness area:

http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/ness/urquhart.html

this is north of fort william:

http://www.eileandonancastle.com/

and this might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_Scotland

i spent a lot of time at both the above referenced castles. first one is uninhabited. 2nd one the family still has private rooms not open to the public as they are used periodically through the year. 2nd one has also been used for a lot movies.....

i for one think scotland is gorgeous and wonderful no matter the weather....but bad weather does make driving a bit more difficult as well as walking the hillsides. the weather was so bad that i stopped in fort william to ride out the storm...and spent a wonderful afternoon in an upstairs pub. also not a bad way to visit scotland! also spent an evening there listening to a live band play american country music in a club that was previously a catholic church....waste not, want not....be prepared: american country music is BIG in scotland. also, the higher one goes into the highlands, the harder it is to understand "english". in fort william i asked a bartender directions 3 times and to this day i still don't know what she said....managed to find that converted church on my own, thankfully.

you might be lucky enough to see the long-haired cattle...i absolutely adore them.

while 5 days is not enough, scotland can grab your heart and never let go.

 

[Prana]

you have an ambitious schedule for 5 days...more driving than poking around, i fear. there is alot to do between the places you mentioned. fort william is ok....its the getting there that is interesting!

worth doing in the loch ness area:

http://www.aboutscotland.co.uk/ness/urquhart.html

this is north of fort william:

http://www.eileandonancastle.com/

and this might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_castles_in_Scotland

i spent a lot of time at both the above referenced castles. first one is uninhabited. 2nd one the family still has private rooms not open to the public as they are used periodically through the year. 2nd one has also been used for a lot movies.....

i for one think scotland is gorgeous and wonderful no matter the weather....but bad weather does make driving a bit more difficult as well as walking the hillsides. the weather was so bad that i stopped in fort william to ride out the storm...and spent a wonderful afternoon in an upstairs pub. also not a bad way to visit scotland! also spent an evening there listening to a live band play american country music in a club that was previously a catholic church....waste not, want not....be prepared: american country music is BIG in scotland. also, the higher one goes into the highlands, the harder it is to understand "english". in fort william i asked a bartender directions 3 times and to this day i still don't know what she said....managed to find that converted church on my own, thankfully.

you might be lucky enough to see the long-haired cattle...i absolutely adore them.

while 5 days is not enough, scotland can grab your heart and never let go.

I know...I want to see as much as possible, but I'm flexible and want to take in as much as possible too. So if I'm enjoying something enough, I will spend time there and forgo something else. I want to have a good experience, not a rushed 'itinerary' so to speak. Yes, we will be driving A LOT...but neither of us mind that. We enjoy it, actually. Although I am a bit nervous to drive on the opposite side from what I'm used to, but I think we can figure it out

Thanks for those links! Castle Urquhart is only 45 minutes from the hotel that we are looking at in Nairn, and it looks like something we would like to see. And the Eilean Donan castle looks just breathtaking...we might be able to fit that one in too...

Thanks so much! I'm starting to get a nice idea of what's around in the areas we are planning to go. Maybe 5 days will turn into a lifetime...........

 

[JewelFreak]

MoZo -- somebody mentioned Highland Cattle! I am crazy about them! Most adorable things. We were in Scotland one time in spring when the calves were toddling around, oh my gosh, I got all mushy over them. Climbed a few pasture fences to try to pet them but they ran away -- guess they don't get socialized to people much.

Prana, if you'll be in Nairn, Cawdor Castle is nearby & gardens are magnificent, 300 yrs old. It's a really beautiful, kind of glowering, heavy-with-history ambiance. Gorgeous inside. I also liked Inverary Castle -- the town is great too, if you're in that area. The Wedgwood Room knocked me out.

--- Laurie

 

[Prana]

MoZo -- somebody mentioned Highland Cattle! I am crazy about them! Most adorable things. We were in Scotland one time in spring when the calves were toddling around, oh my gosh, I got all mushy over them. Climbed a few pasture fences to try to pet them but they ran away -- guess they don't get socialized to people much.

Prana, if you'll be in Nairn, Cawdor Castle is nearby & gardens are magnificent, 300 yrs old. It's a really beautiful, kind of glowering, heavy-with-history ambiance. Gorgeous inside. I also liked Inverary Castle -- the town is great too, if you're in that area. The Wedgwood Room knocked me out.

--- Laurie

Thanks JewelFreak!

Well, I started looking at the Isle of Skye, and I think that's where we're gonna end up spending some time. It's too beautiful to pass up! Unfortunately, this means that we will have to cut Nairn out of our trip. I'm thinking of heading from Edinburgh to the Isle of Skye through the Fort William/Glencoe areas. The more I travel, the more I realize that it's the landscape and scenery that I'm after. I can't get enough of mountains, hills and ocean landscapes.

Will I still get a chance to see the hairy cows????? Because I really want to!

 

[rainwood]

The hairy cows are the best! We drove to Oban and stayed overnight there then went to Mull and the Isle of Iona. There was a whole herd of West Highland cattle that blocked the road on our way so I got out of the car and took some amazing photos of them. This was before digital so I only have them on film, but they're some of my favorite photos ever.

Keep in mind that with driving on the left hand side of the road and the steering wheel on the right hand side of the car, your DH will be shifting with his left hand rather than his right. We both drive a manual regularly, but it took a little getting used to being on the right side of the car and shifting with our left hand. You adjust though. Also, some of the roads are not big enough for two cars to pass so there are turnouts where you have to pull over. There are rules about how those work so don't be like us and spend the first half hour wondering what all those turnouts and striped signs meant! Sometimes, you have to pull over and sometimes it's the other car. If you have a turnout, then you're the one who has to pull over if there's a car coming.

 

[movie zombie]

yes, pull over and let traffic behind you pass....and more importantly pull over when you see a car approaching. they know the roads and you don't. they really appreciate the courtesy on those one lane roads. personally, i like the driving there...and i like round-abouts, too! the stick is easy to adjust to.


http://www.skyeweather.com/da/33783

also has other useful info.

 

[Prana]

Thanks for the driving advice Rainwood and MZ. I'm definitely going to look up the driving rules and courtesies before we go, but thanks for the heads up.

I'm so excited to see these cows!

 

[Jennifer W]

...and only drive in Edinburgh if you don't scare easily.

I don't really know much about the live music scene to be honest. Having a baby was the end of that type of social life for me! I used to enjoy live music in Blackfriars in Glasgow, though. I'll ask around, see what's on where. There's often folk music in Babbity Bowsters bar (also in Glasgow, and well worth a visit, for excellent Scottish food). I never heard any country music though! http://www.babbitybowster.com/index.html
This is a wee gem of a place if you're in Glasgow - very Scottish, without being kitsch or touristy. Nothing about music on the website though.

I'll see what I can find out for you.

 

[movie zombie]

you do not need a car in edinbourgh.....public transportation works just fine. easier than driving and paying for parking!

 

[Prana]

Thanks Jennifer W! I should have specified, I would actually like to see some traditional folk/Scottish music rather than 'bands', so to speak. I don't know if we'll make it to Glasgow, looks like we'll be spending the majority of our time in Edinburgh and the Isle of Skye.

MZ-we will have a rental car, but luckily our hotel in Edinburgh has parking for guests, so we will be able to walk where we want to go and not have to worry about paying for parking.

Thanks so much to everyone who replied to this thread...you'ver really helped me quite a bit!

 

[Jennifer W]

Ah, Edinburgh. Ok, here's the venue for folk music there:
http://www.royal-oak-folk.com/

I've never been to a folk club gig, but it looks interesting:
http://www.edinburghfolkclub.co.uk/

 

[Prana]

Ah, Edinburgh. Ok, here's the venue for folk music there:
http://www.royal-oak-folk.com/

I've never been to a folk club gig, but it looks interesting:
http://www.edinburghfolkclub.co.uk/

Thank you Jennifer! We will definitely try to get to one of them!

 

[Jennifer W]

You are very welcome! I hope you have a wonderful time.

 

[Prana]

Thank you!

And again, thanks to everybody for your input!

 

[jazzoboe]

My DH and I went to England and Scotland last summer, and Scotland was our favorite, even though we only had a few days up there. We stayed at this B&B about 25 minutes outside of Fort William: http://www.arddaraich.co.uk/ It was a little tricky to get to because we didn't have a rental car, but if you have a car it's no problem and it was absolutely gorgeous there. We were planning on taking the Jacobite steam train (aka Hogwarts Express) from Fort William while we were there, but by that point we were exhausted from travelling (because we were trying to fit SO MUCH into a week), so we decided to skip it and just spent most of the day walking around the area. The owners of the B&B were very friendly and super helpful with giving us ideas of where to go and how to get there, plus they made awesome breakfasts to order. Anyway, I highly recommend it, and it's a good location to explore the Highlands and Islands and just enjoy the landscape.

We also spent a night at Dalhousie Castle outside of Edinburgh, which looked cool, but I honestly wouldn't recommend it. It was kind of far out of the city and frankly the rooms just weren't as nice as we expected for the price... they were a little too theme-y, but not actually all that nice. The city of Edinburgh was very pretty though, and I'm sad that we only had a few hours to walk around there.

Hope that helps a little and you have a fantastic trip. Frankly I'm super jealous because I loved it up there and want to go back so badly!

 

[partgypsy]

Lots of good advice. I also agree, if you like being physically active, to try to make it to one of the islands to walk around. I went to Arran. So much of the island you can bike or walk. Simply beautiful.

 

[Prana]

Thanks Jazzoboe!

I can't wait to drive by the Glenfinnan Viaduct (the Hogwarts Express Viaduct lol)!! We are specifically driving through that area because some Harry Potter scenes were filmed there, and I just love Harry Potter. We are also going to go to the Alnwick Castle in England, which is where some scenes were filmed. I can't wait to see it all in real life! If we have time, maybe we will ride the train.

Thanks for the b&b recommendation as well. We are booked for 2 nights at a b&b on the Isle of Skye (it's pretty much right on top of the water, with incredible views)--the whole back of the house is made up of huge windows! Then we'll be staying at a hotel for 3 nights in Edinburgh. We are going to try to cram in as much as possible as well.

Thanks Part Gypsy. As I mentioned up above, we'll be spending a couple of days in the Isle of Skye. We plan to walk up to the Old Man of Storr. I would like to hike Ben Nevis, but time just isn't going to permit. We also plan to walk to the Steall Waterfall.

I just can't wait! I'll be dreaming about it until the time comes....