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The wife and I are considering a week long trip to Scotland this fall, kind of a second honeymoon. There seems to be way too much to take in over 7 days. We are more interested in the geography, ancient ruins, military history (and pubs) rather than shopping and the typical tourist traps. Right now, we are planning on flying into Heathrow (from the USA) and taking the train up to Glasgow for a day or two then over to Edinburgh and then the ferry to the Shetlands for an overnight stay.

Some questions:

-Do we even waste our time in the cities proper, or find a nice B&B on the outskirts?
-Do we rent a car once in Scotland or are there plenty of public transportation available?
-Would really like to see the northern highlands--is there a day trip we can plan?
-Once we get there, what kind of costs are we looking at for food, booze, and transport?
-It sounds like Loch Ness has become a Disneyland of sorts. Are there other similar sites off the beaten path?

Can any native Scots or UK folks help us focus our trip. Feel free to PM.

Thanks!

Hi usesatch welcome to scotland

hmm you plan to pack a lot into a visit to scotland well done Edinburgh and Glasgow are worth visiting - and worth staying in a hotel in the centre recommend edinburgh pubs for history other than that B&B's are fine.

Rent a Car - there are lots of trains & busses but you will spend your trip trying to organise your timetable and find it difficult to visit places - petrol prices may be more than you expect though

Northern Highlands - superb scenery but a long day a two day trip would be inverness - Ullapool then North to Durness returning the next day

one day trip - go to Applecross via the Biallach na ba Pass have lunch at the inn & return, both trips involve stunning scenery

Inverness is fine if a little touristy try Hootsmonay for a real pub experience - live music & a good crowd

if you want to see loch ness without the tourist drivel go down the southern bank - don't bother with Fort William though


costs car hire £50 per day if you chose a small one B&B £50 per night Hotels £ 50 -100 petrol £1.20 per Litre about £4.5 per US gallon

enjoy

Go the Orkneys rather than the Shetalnds:

1. They're closer and
2. lots of cooler stuff to see including Scapa Flow, take the ferry to Hoy and there's a museum over ther as well as a small cemetry with thise killed in the scuttling and other incicents. Also there's Scara Brae and the ring of Brodgar and the Highland Peark distillery.

I was in Scotland for two weeks in May, split between Oban on the west coast and Orkney. You're right, there way too much to take in in 7 days, or 70.

Autumn is probably a good time to go. June through August is the busy season. There were no crowds while I was there in late May, and I suspect it would be similar in the fall. Deer hunting season is sometime around September or October; you might want to find out exactly when. From what I've read, access to some locations is limited during hunting season.

I didn't spend any time in Glasgow or Edinburg, so I can't comment on them. I spent a day in Inverness, which is a really nice town. There are walking paths on both sides of the River Ness through town, with several walking bridges over the river. The B&Bs and guest houses I stayed in were all nice, with very friendly people.

You'll definitely want to have a car, unless you're planning a hiking trip. That's an option if you're physically fit. There are a lot of hiking trails, and hostels catering to hikers. It took a little while to get used to driving in Scotland but it wasn't bad. Driving on the left wasn't much of a problem, but the roads are narrow and there are rarely any shoulders on the roads. There are a fair number of single track roads, which are one lane roads with ocassional places to pull over and let oncoming traffic by.

As for geography: well, everything I saw was beautiful. But Glen Coe is absolutely stunning. There's quite a bit of traffic on the road through the glen, but there are frequent places to pull over to enjoy the view, and lots of walking trails if you're into that.

Don't sell Loch Ness short. It's a lovely place, and not particularly crowded, at least not while I was there. Uruqhart Castle is well worth visiting, though it is pretty beat up. Like a lot of Scottish castles, the English blew it up during the Jacobite rising in the 1740s to prevent it from being used by the rebels. There's a fair amount of traffic on the north/west shore of Loch Ness, but the south/east shore is quiet. If you go there, don't miss Foyers Fall.

If you're not into Loch Ness, you might like Loch Awe. Loch Awe is not as deep or wide as Loch Ness, but it's a bit longer, and is really beautiful. Kilchurn Castle is at the east end of Loch Awe, and is pretty impressive.

If your idea of ancient ruins includes 4000 year old standing stones and cairns, Kilmartin Glen is worth a visit. And the church in Kilmartin has some medieval grave stones.

Scotland is expensive to visit. Most things cost about the same in pounds that they would cost in dollars in the US, so with the exchange rate that means that everything is about 50% more expensive than in the US.

I used the Undiscovered Scotland and Visit Scotland websites to plan my trip. Undiscovered Scotland will give you a lot of information on places to visit, and you can book lodging at Visit Scotland.

ORIGINAL: usersatch

The wife and I are considering a week long trip to Scotland this fall, kind of a second honeymoon. There seems to be way too much to take in over 7 days. We are more interested in the geography, ancient ruins, military history (and pubs) rather than shopping and the typical tourist traps. Right now, we are planning on flying into Heathrow (from the USA) and taking the train up to Glasgow for a day or two then over to Edinburgh and then the ferry to the Shetlands for an overnight stay.

Some questions:

-Do we even waste our time in the cities proper, or find a nice B&B on the outskirts?
-Do we rent a car once in Scotland or are there plenty of public transportation available?
-Would really like to see the northern highlands--is there a day trip we can plan?
-Once we get there, what kind of costs are we looking at for food, booze, and transport?
-It sounds like Loch Ness has become a Disneyland of sorts. Are there other similar sites off the beaten path?

Can any native Scots or UK folks help us focus our trip. Feel free to PM.

Thanks!

Usersatch,

As I actually live in Scotland, perhaps I am uniquely placed to assist you. I live in North East Scotland in Aberdeen, Scotland's third largest city. Basically, I live in the bit that you are passing through as you leave Edinburgh on your way to the Shetland ferry.

For the North East, some sights to see are:

Castles:

Balmoral: summer home of the Queen. The drive from Aberdeen up the River Dee to Balmoral is truly beautiful. If the Queen is not at home, you can visit the grounds.

Dunnottar Castle: in Stonehaven is a ruin that hangs on the edge of the sea. Used in 1990 filming of Hamlet.

Highland games:

Probably the best for you would be the Braemar games which are close to Balmoral and attended by the Queen and such members of the Royal family who happen to be staying in Scotland. The games this year are on September 4th, which may fit with your plans.

The Whisky Trail:

There are hundreds of distilleries in Scotland. Speyside, in the North-east, has some of the best. There are several whisky trails where you visit and sample as many distilleries as you can. The best known trail encompasses eight of the best known malt whisky distilleries. In September there are a number of whisky festivals.

Militaria:

Culloden battle field: last battle to be fought in Britain. Bonny Prince Charlie and all that. Good visitor center.

Black Watch Regimental museum: Balhousie Castle, Perth

Gordon Highlanders Regimental museum: Aberdeen

Golf

You did not mention golf and so I will not comment.

Misc:

World's shortest street is Ebenezer Place in Wick (6' 9") which is wide enough for a pub entrance.

Hopefully, these give you some ideas. If you need more info let me know. Also, if you want info on areas other than the North east let me know.

ORIGINAL: usersatch

The wife and I are considering a week long trip to Scotland this fall, kind of a second honeymoon. There seems to be way too much to take in over 7 days. We are more interested in the geography, ancient ruins, military history (and pubs) rather than shopping and the typical tourist traps. Right now, we are planning on flying into Heathrow (from the USA) and taking the train up to Glasgow for a day or two then over to Edinburgh and then the ferry to the Shetlands for an overnight stay.

Some questions:

-Do we even waste our time in the cities proper, or find a nice B&B on the outskirts?
-Do we rent a car once in Scotland or are there plenty of public transportation available?
-Would really like to see the northern highlands--is there a day trip we can plan?
-Once we get there, what kind of costs are we looking at for food, booze, and transport?
-It sounds like Loch Ness has become a Disneyland of sorts. Are there other similar sites off the beaten path?

Can any native Scots or UK folks help us focus our trip. Feel free to PM.

Thanks!

I just saw my brother and sister-in-law off to London. They've been doing something similar to what you're planning. Allow enough time!

B&Bs are nicer, but you have to know the country. Book them on the internet.

There's a lot of public transportation available, but it may not go to where you want to go. You may be able to find a bus tour into the highlands. Scotland is the 'biggest' part of the UK. I would probably prefer to have a car and see what we want to see when we want to.

Our food bills run about £40/person per week, but that's cooking at home. Probably the per-day cost for tourists is more like £30-£40 per person. B&B's include a full breakfast in the price. Hotel's usually provide a continental breakfast. A drink will run you £2-£3 in a pub. Filling the tank of my Ford Focus runs about £50.

There are lots of things to see that are not tourist traps. Just plan your journey. The Brits rise late, so you might want to get started early in the morning to avoid the tours.

We've taken the ferry to the Shetlands. You can get around by bus there.

Hi.
 
The GF unit and I where planning on doing Scotland and the Shetlands/Orkneys In about 4 weeks time when I am there for the IMC9 funal congress.
 
Thanks for the great tips!
 
Gr.
 
William

If your going north and west of Inverness in the Highlands you pretty much need to hire a car. Not that there is no public transport available, just not very much. Going from Inverness to Ullapool, for example, there should be a bus but there is no train or anything. Beyond that the Post bus is probably the only way to get to some places by public transport.

For my money, As a native Highlander, the west coast is prettier than the east, and the Northwest coast is one of the most beautiful places on earth; it's otherworldly. If I was planning a trip to the highlands right now, I would fly to Inverness and spend a couple of days there. It's a nice city and it has the best second hand bookshop in the world (Called Leckies. It's on Church street in a former church.) After that, I would hire a car and do the side trip to Loch Ness and then head north to Ullapool. Use Ullapool as a base to explore some of Sutherland or head down towards Inverewe - where the artic convoys used to form up before braving the Lufwaffe and the U-boats on the route to Murmansk - go whale spotting near the Summer Isles or look out for some very old history: there are several Brochs in various states of repair.

From Ullapool I'd continue north, follow the road around Loch Assynt (Stopping to look at the castle that Mary, Queen of Scots was once imprisoned in,) and head on towards Durness, where A young John Lennon used to holiday every year with his Aunt. Visit the Smoo cave where the the vikings used to keep their raping and pillaging equipment, or tootle around what remains of the WW2 era radar and Ack-Ack stations on the headland. From Durness, journey on to Thurso and travel on the ferry to Orkney. An overnight trip to Shetland is not possible unless you fly - simply too far out.

Probably too much for seven days, though, especially if you factor in getting up from the south. Glasgow is Ok. Good nightlife, good restaurants. More shops than any other British city except London. Edinburgh is nice enough too. Bit touristy. If you were coming over a bit earlier you could have gone to festival.

I love the north of Scotland. It just blows me away every time I go up there. Paul Theroux described the landscape as 'having your own pet dragon' and he was exactly right. There is a place just south of Durness, a beach about a mile long and made of the most perfect white sand that is the most incredible place I have ever been. You have to walk across peat bog for about three hours before you even reach it. There are still supposed to be the remains of Viking long boats that came to grief on the dangerous coast buried there. It's very easy to believe that story and all the others. it's that sort of place.

I am jealous. My wife and I spent two weeks there about 8 years ago. I can only echo what you are hearing. Seven days is not enough. Biggest thing is you really should look for a direct flight into either Glascow or Edinburg. You are going to lose two days if you fly in and out of London. The train ride up from London is fun and scenic but not comfortable unless you ride first class. The damn seats do not go back on the trains and ours had passengers sitting in the aisles for a while, and after an all night flight and crosstown hike from the airport to the train station all I wanted to do was sleep. I was in a pretty bad mood when we got to Glascow and had to go to the car rental park and then drive another 40 miles in the pouring rain (oh by the way, take a raincoat). So fly direct. It is the best advice you will ever get....[;)]

Next you still will not be able to see everything in seven days so pick an area where you want to go and focus on that area. Look to drive not more than 300 miles as Scottish roads are narrow and you will not be on expressways. And, there are too many beautiful places along any route that you will want stop. Order a nice big road map of Scotland on line now and look it over.

It depends on what you like so just go online and do a little research. If you like space and scenery, go to the north coast.  Or the northeast coast. Our favorite places were Talmine and Pennan -two magical places. But the whole dang place is magical and beautiful. It does not matter which way you head. Go in the fall, with the off season and the state of the economy, you can go anywhere and probably do not need reservations. There are lots of very inexpensive B & Bs to be found on line. I have to admit that the Scots are fine people as well and seem to really like Americans. Have a good time, you lucky sod...