A trip of report of Scotland…who would’ve thought I’d need sunscreen

Thanks for posting where you stayed....bookmarking hoping to return soon.

Oh my goodness, your pics are amazing! It makes me miss Scotland so much! Thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks so much for posting a report, Barbara. I love your photos. You saw two of my favorite places in Scotland; I'm glad Glen Affric worked out for you. Your captions cracked me up!

Based on your pictures, I've added some things to my list for the next time in Scotland, but we had to cancel our August trip, so I don't know when it will be...

Great pix! Did you use public transport or did you have a car?

When on Mull - how did you get to Iona and Staffa? How long did it take?

Loved the photos. I was in Scotland May 17-23 on a spur of the moment trip and just love love loved it. Now I want to explore more!

Wasn't it great to see all those flowers blooming in late May?! The bulbs had already peaked here at home about 6-8 weeks ago so it was like a replay!

barbara313: I remember your posts when you were planning this and it looks like you managed to fit everything in and then some.Sounds (and looks) like you had a fabulous time. Your photos are breathtaking. I recognized every one.

Aren't you glad you didn't listen to that odd post saying Mull wasn't worth bothering w/

Even w/ all the awesome scenery on Staffa, Mull, Skye, Glen Affric etc - my favorite place is probably Inchmahome. Not as dramatic for sure, but maybe my favorite picnic place in all of Scotland.

Thanks for your report, Barbara, and especially for the info on the B&Bs. We will be visiting a lot of the same places as you did and researching accommodation can be exhausting.

Did you book all your accommodation in advance or did you look for it as you went along?

I have not yet had a chance to view your pictures as the site is very busy and keeps timing out on me. I will try to find a quieter time to view them.

Kaneohe - aside from the two days we were in Edinburgh, we rented a car. It worked out well, as we rode a few double-decker buses while in the city, sat up top and practiced driving on the other side of the road. Once we had the car, it took maybe a day or so to get comfortable with it. Only one brain fart, where I pulled out on the right side - but we were in the middle of nowhere, so no animals/people were harmed in the process! We also had a GPS - I couldn't imagine doing this type of trip without one. Never led us astray.

Kenav - we took the ferry from Oban to Mull (Craignure), and then drove to Fionnphort. That drive took about an hour - it's just about all single-track. Then we took a boat tour that took us to Staffa first, and then dropped us off at Iona. Here's the outfit we used: http://www.staffatrips.f9.co.uk/
The trip out to Staffa took about 45 minutes. Then took a CalMac boat back to Fionnphort from Iona at the end of the day. That trip took maybe 10-15 minutes.

Yelpir - I did book all of the accommodations in advance - received a few recommendations from folks on this site, which was really helpful. I saw many B&B's with vacancy signs - it just depends on when and where.

We really did luck out as far as the weather and the flowers in bloom. Who knows if everything would've left such an impression if seen in rain/overcast skies.

There just aren't enough adjectives to describe the beauty that is Scotland...

Janis - A few people have asked what my favorite place was of the entire trip. If I had to pick just one thing, and that's quite a tall order, it would have to be Inchmahome. We saw a number of historical places/buildings/castles/etc, but none spoke to me like the ruins of this priory. It really is an idyllic location. And to think it originally made my "optional" list on the itinerary! Sacre bleu!

Noe - your recommendations for Glen Affric were spot on. It just had it all...beautiful waters, mountains (some still with snow-caps), pines, birches...just fantastic scenery. I was only supposed to do an out-and-back of the Circuit hike (my mom was waiting back at the car park, although she did walk a few of the shorter hikes around there). So I didn't want to keep her waiting. But a mile or two into the walk I knew I'd never forgive myself for not doing it in its entirety. Hence, the running. Although I did stop here and there, well, mostly for pictures, but just to take it all in. Brought tears, even...

Hi Barbara,
Thanks for the report & photos which are truly beautiful! My DH & I were there just a week before you and could not believe the tropical weather either! It was our first trip to Scotland and couldn't been better.
How was the scramble over those boulders to get to the top to see the puffins?!!
I will post a trip report later.

Great photos!

And I'd heard about the nice weather. My in-laws were visiting us in Ohio from Scotland and unfortunately we had below average weather the entire month they were here (May), and back home they were having above average temps. Go figure.

Wonderful Photos!
Unfortunately this now means that I will have to go back to Scotland for my next trip to the U.K!

What amazing photos! And you saw puffins!

We are planing a visit to Scotland in May'09. I really hope to see puffins and we have planned two nights on Mull so we can go to Iona and Staffa.

I hope we have the weather you did! (But I won't plan on it )

LCBonti: If you are in Fife, another great place to see puffins is on the Isle of May. Boats go from Anstruther Harbor. They limit the number of visitors and you really get free run of the whole island as long as you stay to the paths. All sorts of sea birds including hundreds of Puffins up close and personal. Plus 3 light houses and abandoned cottages and such.

Janis, you did mention this to me on another thread. We are (probably) concentrating on West Scotland this trip. However, I have your notes in my files for our follow-up trip(s).

Thank you for your response. I am enjoying lurking and have been gathering much information. I really appreciate your insight and good advice and the time you take to answer questions. I'm sure I'll have lots of them as time goes on.

About the puffins...it was a matter of being at the right place at the right time. Right after we docked at Staffa, our "boat captain" took us up to the top via some stairs. We then walked to the other end of the island, and saw a whole flock of puffins out in the water. The rest of the folks on the boat continued walking around the top, but we sat down and saw the puffins coming closer to shore (but still in the water). So we decided to stay put (mostly because my mom didn't want to do any further walking). And then the strangest thing happened - a few started doing some "fly-bys". And then they started landing right by where we were sitting. Turns out a few nests were right by where we were. And I can understand why they're so hyped up...they are absolutely adorable!

Beautiful! I'm planning a trip to Scotland this summer and I want a guarantee that I will come back with pictures like yours.

I want to see more of your photos! And I know you have lots more

Great photos. You certainly caught a break with the weather.

Barbara313:
Great pictures! It really really makes me want to go back. Sounds like you had a great trip!

d1

Oh I see now - you saw the Puffins on Staffa! I automatically thought you had the day trip where the boat takes you to the Trishnish Isles (hope I spelt the correctly).
There were no boats going to Iona on our excursion to went so the isles & Staffa instead.

It sounds like a great trip. Loved the pictures.

More accolades for your pictures! Thanks for helping me relive my trip to many of the same places. A great job of editing the pictures--made me wish there were more.

The puffins on Staffa were pretty special. My nephews (then 11 and 14) also thought that part of the trip was one of our best days!

I leave for my Scotland adventure in 10 days, so I loved your report and your fantastic pics - it looks like you take photos like I do, scenics and castles and abbeys, oh my!

We are going to many of the same places, though we're going to Orkney and Lewis as well. We've got 3 weeks, though, so there was more time. Based on your report and pics, though, I'm also moving Inchmahome from an 'if we have time' to 'definitely!'

GD you are finally going! It seems like you've been planning this trip forever. Have fun.

Wonderful photos, thanks for sharing. May I ask what kind of camera you used? We're in the market for a new camera before our trip this fall. Thanks.

Yes, I've been planning it since I got back from Ireland, in July 2006 - two years!

I'm excited for you, GreenDragon - and looking forward to your wonderful trip report!

Thanks everyone for the kudos on the photos...it's tough to take a bad picture with scenery like this.

Lilygirl - I have a regular point and shoot - it's an Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom. Also had a wide-angle lens - highly recommended for landscape pics.

Thanks for sharing Barbara! Beautiful pics. We will be in Scotland in July and will be staying for 2 nights in Plockton, 1 in Inverness and 2 nights in Edinburgh. Still have to plan our daily itinerary. I don't think ours will be as involved as we are traveling with our 13 y/o & 3 y/o. So hikes & ferries are out. Hope the weather will cooperate.

We will be driving from Lake Windermere to Plockton which will pretty much take up much of our 1st day in Scotland. Perhaps you can suggest a 1 day itinerary around the Plockton area for our one full day there. Thanks!

Barbara: Thank you very much for posting those beautiful photos.
My favourite abbey is Melrose also, then Dryburgh. We even bought Christmas cards with a beautiful winter scene of the abbey ruins with a dusting of snow..stunning. Good to hear that you had nice weather on Mull/Iona We were there for 2 days last May and it was so cold, windy and rainy. We will have to try again for Mull. This was our 3rd trip in 4 years....which leads people to ask us "do we have relatives there"! We just returned from Italy...but I am thinking of Scotland again. Next time try the Applecross drive !

frestonia: Windermere to Plockton is nearly 550 km (340 miles) and a minimum of 8 hours driving w/o stops. W/ reasonable stops for meals/toilets/stretching you are talking about nearly 10+ hours in the car. IMO that is crazy - especially w/ 2 kids. And if you are driving it on a weekend you can add a more time due to all the coaches/caravans/holiday traffic.

You will probably all hate Scotland by the time to pull into Plockton.

That might be a BIT extreme. I reckon about 6 1/2 hours (even for folk just off the plane).

It IS a long way; and you seem to understand that. With kids on board, I would break it frrequently; but maybe after you get off the motorway. It IS beautiful country, so lots to stop for.

A day itinerary near Plockton- in a wrod, Skye

Just read an article about the decline of the puffin colony on the Isle of May, so thought I would post the link here as there seem to be a few puffin fans on this thread:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7434258.stm

Hopefully it won't be a long-term decline.

P.S. Barbara313, your photos are fabulous!

So glad you had a lovely time - you certainly fitted a lot in and have seen a lot that I haven't - including puffins ! I went to Staffa (late May) expecting to be tripping over them and didn't see one. So envious of your lovely experience with them.

You were lucky to have mostly good weather, it's been so mixed lately. Here on the east coast we've only had about 3 warm days - the rest of the time when it's been sunny there's been a cold east wind. Last weekend was a good illustration - hot on Saturday (and I would have got sunburnt if I'd had the chance to sit outside), back needing a winter coat, gloves and a big brolly on Sunday !

Hi Janis, it was my hubby who insisted on going to Plockton first. Since he's driving, I conceeded. I was actually planning on going to Edinburgh first since it's a shorter drive from Windermere. But I do appreciate the concern. I too am concerned coz the last thing I would want to do is for my kids to hate Scotland.

Sheila, thanks for the tip. Hopefully, the drive won't be as bad. We'll definitely do lots of stops. My 3 y/o is into castles so hopefully, we'll see plenty of those along the way. And yes, Skye will be on our agenda for our day in Plockton. Thanks again.

What beautiful pictures!! I was lucky enough to go to Scotland twice this year, once in March and again in May at the same time you were there. I visited many of the same places as you, and I too took at least 600 pictures of Eilean Donan.

Thanks for sharing!

Great pics! I am also a photography buff, so I am going to use parts of your itinerary for my last minute trip this July. Thanks for sharing your details!

Thanks for these fabulous pictures. We are just back and mine are still in the camera. I will go back and read your details later, when I've finished unpacking!

What great photos! I like pictures with good captions. Loved the picture of the Harry Potter train! Maybe my next trip will be to Scotland...

Johanna

Wonderful photos and great itinerary! bookmarking for my own trip - thanks!!

Great pics! Thanks for the info - I'm bookmarking this post for our December trip to Scotland.

Hi there barbara313, woh I enjoyed your photos. We were there in mid May and had the same amazing weather, with what we thought as a bonus, Edinburgh shrouded in mist.

(ps is it wrong to 'print' some of your photos of the same places we saw????? )

AD

Just wanted to say "WOW" to your pictures. You said it was just a point & shoot? Did you have another camera with the wide angle lens? Your composition is wonderful.

Thanks for sharing such an amazing trip with us all.

Thanks so much for all the information on your B&B's.

Barbara - I just watched your slide show before and after our August trip to Scotland. Before we left, the photos gave me even more ideas (as if I needed them!) of where to visit, and after watching it again, it brought back great memories. Thanks!

Barbara-

Your pictures are wonderful. I was wondering if you could describe a couple of hikes that you went on. I am an avid amateur photographer with a decent DSLR and I love to hike around as well. I'm trying to plan my trip for early Sept of 09 and I'm just starting to read the threads on here. I love beautiful landscapes and castles - my fav of all the pics was some of the lochs as well as melrose abbey. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks! Michelle