Travel to Scotland

[Mike1]

(Bubba, does this seem vaguely familiar to you? ;) )

Bob, one thing to keep in mind if you intend to hire a car is the petrol expenses. I was across in early September and the prices were hovering around 95 pence/liter.

Train prices are pretty good, actually. I think there is a push toward trying to get people to let their vehicles sit and use public transportation. As a result, the prices can be attractive.

Daz has come up with a good list, but the first place to start is by asking how long you intend to be across. That will determine how much you will be able to see.

If you only have a week or two, sit down and try to prioritize the places you really want to visit. List them in order, trying to keep geographic location in mind, to minimize travel times.

You will find that every where you look, there is going to be a sight that you will want to take in, so don't try to plan too much into each day. Bear in mind that you are simply not going to see all there is to see in 10-14 days.

I was fortunate to have a "built-in" tour guide, as my girlfriend lives just outside Stirling. We took a day and went to Cambuskenneth Abbey and into Stirling. A few days later, a pal from Belgium came across and the three of us did another tour of the area. The Wallace Monument along with the overlook at Abbey Craig, Stirling Castle, Bannockburn, Stirling Castle, Stirling Bridge and Cambuskenneth Abbey. We were on a dead run, the entire day and we really didn't ever have the opportunity to stop and "smell the roses". And mind, this was my second trip to a couple of these places and I still didn't see everything I would have liked to see.

I plan to be moving across to the Stirling area in a few more months, so I will get more chances to see the sights, but if this is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for you, you really don't want to sell yourself short. Cambuskenneth Abbey is a place a lot of people miss, but there is a "wee stane" in the kirk-yard that is well worth the visit. (Be sure to take a white rose to leave there, should you go.)

If you're not going to be across for a couple more years, you've time to put together a really good plan to visit.

[Ruanaidh]

Bob, one thing to keep in mind if you intend to hire a car is the petrol expenses. I was across in early September and the prices were hovering around 95 pence/liter.

It just dawned on me - that's more than $6.00 usd per gallon! Yikes

[Kiltedmusiclover]

Bob,

We traveled to Scotland in September 2005. It was a great time of the year.
The main tourist season is mostly over by the end of August.
We took a tour of Edinburgh Castle and our guide said that in the middle of August you could hardly walk through the castle.

Temps are still quite nice.
As others have said you need to always be prepared for rain.
You are likely to get some overcast days but that holds true for most of the year.

We loved Edinburgh, the Isle of Sky and Inverness. I also highly recommend some of the distillery tours if you care for whisky. I did not really like Glasgow but the rest of Dayz list is a great start.

[Colin]

Bob,

We traveled to Scotland in September 2005. It was a great time of the year.
The main tourist season is mostly over by the end of August.
We took a tour of Edinburgh Castle and our guide said that in the middle of August you could hardly walk through the castle.

Temps are still quite nice.
As others have said you need to always be prepared for rain.
You are likely to get some overcast days but that holds true for most of the year.

We loved Edinburgh, the Isle of Sky and Inverness. I also highly recommend some of the distillery tours if you care for whisky. I did not really like Glasgow but the rest of Dayz list is a great start.

Don't leave Oban off the list, as it was a great city to visit. I didn't care too much for Glasgow either, though we had a great time none the less. Edinburgh is great, as is Inverness. Although I enjoyed Portree (Isle of Skye) the most, as we stayed there for a few days and got to know some of the locals.