North or South Scotland?

Old Jun 24th, 2005, 05:09 AM
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North or South Scotland?

We have a week in Sept in Scotland, the only place confirmed so far is Mull. While north Scotland seems pretty dull as far as cultural things (castles etc) goes, I find it intrigueing, landscape wise. It it worthwhile visiting, or is it simply boring? Should we stick to the more 'culturally embellished' south, particularly around Edinburgh? I'm not too keen on cities and places with lots of people. Thanks!
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Old Jun 24th, 2005, 05:21 AM
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OK - your ideas seem a little strange. What makes you think there are few castles in north Scotland? What do you mean by "north"?

Have you done any research about Scotland - there are many, MANY castles and places of interest all over Scotland but actually more are north of Edinburgh than south of the city.

For exploring you can sort of divide Scotland into 6 regions -- the northeast, the far north, the west coast/islands, central, the southwest, and the Borders. Plus Ediburgh and Glasgow. This is an over simplification of course, but in general those are the main areas. There are castles absolutely all over - but probably less on average in the far north and the west coast/islands. The "Castle Trail" is in the northeast near Aberdeen.

South of Edinburgh in the Borders are many castles/Abbeys etc.

Why have you specifically chosen Mull? I LOVE Mull but it certainly isn't a cultural hotned?

Where are you arriving from? How are you getting around?
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Old Jun 24th, 2005, 05:23 AM
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That should be "cultural hotbed" . . . . .
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Old Jun 24th, 2005, 06:42 AM
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We'll be travelling from Glasgow by car.

It's difficult to explain my attraction to Mull but it has to do with the Isle of Iona.
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Old Jun 24th, 2005, 06:43 AM
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As a Borderer my self, my inclination is naturally for the south, but I would never include Edinburgh in that description - funny how one's perspective differs, isn't it? go north by all means- the scenery is superb, but the north is much less populated, so if social interaction is your thing, don't go there. Central & southern Scotland has more "easily accessable" history, from the abbies oft heeastern borders, through the Battelfields around Stirling & Falkirk, and the Robert Burns country between Ayr & Dumfries. Add to that the story of Sweetheart Abbey and any romanticism in your soul will be captivated.

Perhaps if you could give some idea of the kind of things you like to do/see, it would be easier to advise you ...
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Old Jun 24th, 2005, 08:11 AM
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In addition to what kinds of things you want to see (you've already mentioned castles and the fact that you don't want to be around cities w/lots of people), how long are you staying on Mull? Are you renting a car? How long do you want to spend in each place and how much driving are you willing to do each day? Are you a base camp/day trip kind of person or a wandering gypsy kind of person? With only one week (and part of it already planned) I wouldn't personally recommend alot of to-ing and fro-ing. But with the right info, Sheila and Janis are masters at laying out easy and logical itineraries.
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Old Jun 26th, 2005, 10:57 PM
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Thanks for all the feedback and putting up with my vagueness. I've rephrased my question after some thought. Here's the story first:

1.Arriving late night in Liverpool from what I expect will be two fairly active weeks culture vulturing in Italy and Spain.

2. Renting car next morning, driving to Mull. I know it's a long trip, but we were only able to book one night's stay at Glengorm Castle, and it's a place I don't want to miss, it just looks so mystical/enigmatic. If someone knows of a similar venue between Liverpool and Mull, please let me know!

3. Spending two nights at Tobermory Hotel; we thought of staying in town to have a different experience from the countryside.

4. After that we have a further four nights before returning to London, that are currently unplanned. By the way I see Edinburgh - London is about an 8 hour drive on Viamichelin. I don't mind doing that in one stretch, since we're from South Africa and driving in the UK won't be anything new. Our plane back to SA only leaves late at night, and we'll be dropping the car off at Gatwick.

Rephrased question: Where can we base ourselves in the rest of Scotland so that we are in a quiet country area, perhaps with a nice view, where we can sleep late after a hectic time in Europe, yet take leisurely half day outings to places that offer good photo/exploring opportunities, both cultural and natural?
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Old Jun 27th, 2005, 01:45 AM
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In view of your rephrased question, I have no hesitation in recommending the Hetland Hall Hotel, Carrutherstown, just outside Dumfries. (http://www.hetlandhallhotel.co.uk)
I have stayed there myself, more than once, and have always felt very welcome.
Galloway and the Borders are 2 of the most beautiful and historic regions in Scotland - you wil love it there.
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Old Jun 27th, 2005, 06:34 AM
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If you want fancy houses which are fully furnished and pretty art- which are quite legitimate aspirations- then stay south. If you want grandeur, and ancient history and the Gaelic culture, go north. There are plenty of castles, as janis says, but fewer of them are open to the public, because most of them are still occupied. I would strongly resist the notion that the north of Scotland is boring.

"Where can we base ourselves in the rest of Scotland so that we are in a quiet country area, perhaps with a nice view, where we can sleep late after a hectic time in Europe, yet take leisurely half day outings to places that offer good photo/exploring opportunities, both cultural and natural?"

Answer:- Loch Tay or Balquhidder. You are within easy day trips of all the things you want to see. The East Neuk of Fife, Striling and Linlithgow for the build environment; Deeside, the Cairngorms, Glen Lyon, Glencoe and the West Coast for scenery and the natural environment.

Dumfries is all very well, but it's not the Highlands.
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Old Jun 27th, 2005, 10:33 PM
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Let me apologise for the word 'boring'. That was extremely presumptive. It's just that I read some reports, I think on Undiscovered Scotland, that said John O'Groats was not a riveting experience, and it made me wonder about the region.

Thanks for the help, I'm going to follow up on the suggestions. Looking forward very much to the trip! I'll be posting a travelogue afterward, and possibly a moblog during the journey (don't know how many wifi hotspots there are in the highlands .
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Old Jun 27th, 2005, 10:57 PM
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Doonhamer - Is Dunfermline Abbey worth going out of your way for? We are staying near Berwick this summer and planned a visit to Edinburgh (which I've been to several times). I then wanted to show the Forth Bridge to my 9 year old daughter (she studied bridges in school recently, and seeing that we are in the area...........). Is it therefore worth carrying on the short distance to Dunfermline? Also, what about Melrose Abbey as well (which is probably closer to Berwick)?
Any help would be appreciated.
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Old Jun 28th, 2005, 02:21 AM
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I wouldn't necessarily go all the way to Dunfermline from Berwick per se, but if you're up as far as The Bridges anyway, why not?
Melrose Abbey is worth a visit, just drive the A7, which is a beautiful drive in Summer in and of itself.

Sheila - I never claimed Dumfries was the Highlands, why would I? It has an inherent beauty and charm all of its own, and Galloway is often described as "Scotland in Miniature". I was simply trying to make the point that the Highlands are not Scotland, a point of which many overseas (and UK) visitors are blissfully unaware. A question was asked, and I answered - sorry if you don't like my opinion, but that doesn't make it invalid!
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Old Jun 28th, 2005, 05:58 AM
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sinscreen202: John o'Groats!? That is a very odd choice for representing northern Scotland. That is as far north as one can go w/o leaving the mainland. There are more than 200 miles (as the crow flies - hundreds of miles by road) of fabulous scenery between Edinburgh and what you consider "North" Scotland. No - I would not make a trip up to John o'Groats if I only had a few days in Scotland.

AR: Do you mean North Berwick or Berwick on Tweed?

Dunferminline is a great place to visit. But there are so many absolutely awesome places in Scotland, you really don't have to go very far out of your way to visit a specific place. If I were crossing the Forth Bridge to visit Culross I'd definitely go to Dunferminline. But I wouldn't make a special trip there. Nearer to either Berwick are Melrose, Dryburgh, Kelso, and Jedburgh Abbeys. Melrose is lovely - but the nearby Dryburgh is even better. It is VERY easy to do a "two-fer" of Melrose and Dryburgh with Scott's View in between.
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Old Jun 28th, 2005, 08:44 AM
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Thanks Doonhamer and Janis.
It's Berwick upon Tweed (actually nearer Holy Island). I really enjoy visiting abbeys - especially the historical ones where the Kings are buried such as Westminster and St Denis and so would want to make an effort to go to Dunfermline Abbey anyway. I just wanted to make sure that nobody said it was pants.
Sorry Sunscreen202 on hijacking your thread!
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Old Jul 2nd, 2005, 11:19 AM
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Doonhamer, my apologies. I did not intend that answer to sound like a comment on your own.

I can't really apologise for liking the north for grandeur, more than I like the south. My comparison was meant to be in the context of the question; and I wholly appreciate the diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks argument.

Just ask Danna- the south west's greatest fan!!
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Old Jul 2nd, 2005, 01:47 PM
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That would be moi! (Practicing for a trip to Paris.) If you are in the area of Dumfries, be sure to check out Kirkcudbright, the artist's community. Where the last woman burned as a witch in Scotland (was burned), John Paul Jones was jailed (father of the USA Navy) and near the home of Galloway Ice cream. I'm very partial to the whisky (no "e") oatmeal and honey flavor!

Here's a picture link you may enjoy.
http://www.worldisround.com/articles/87594/index.html
The first part of these pictures are from the Southwest, the remainder in the NE.

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Old Jul 11th, 2005, 04:22 PM
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sunscreen:

Regarding your plan to spend three nights on Mull--I assume you're going to do a day trip to Iona to fill some of that time? A friend and I stayed one night at Glengorm Castle in March (we were enchanted with the idea of staying in a castle, too), and one night was really enough on Mull. Tobermory is a nice town, but I'm not sure you'll need three nights. We spent a few hours shopping and hopped on the ferry on our way to Skye. Just my two cents.
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Old Jul 11th, 2005, 06:05 PM
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sure you can "do" Mull in a day - but you can also easily spend a week there. Just depends on what you want.

A few of the things to see/do on Mull: Duart Castle, Torosay Castle, Calgary Bay, boat trip to Staffa/Fingal's Cave, boat trip to the Treshnish Isles, Iona, fabulous beaches along the south shore east of Fionnphort, Tobermory, the Folk Museum, the theatre at Dervaig -- and more.
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Old Jul 12th, 2005, 08:11 AM
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We're actually planning to spend 4 nights on Mull and 1 night on Iona and after reading through all the great things to do in both places we're wondering if we'll even have enough time to do them all! There's the boat trip to Staffa and Treshnish Isles, Duart Castle, a ton of walks and hikes that could each take much of a day, wildlife tours, some time in Tobermory, another castle (that escapes my middle-aged memory at the moment but it sounded really nice); and then once we get to Iona there's the Abbey and some other hikes and ruins that sounded fun to explore. And if worse comes to worse and we really do run out of things to do there's always relaxing and reading a book by the fireplace

Well I'm all ready to go...too bad we don't leave for another 8 days...
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Old Jul 12th, 2005, 08:14 AM
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Janis, how can you possibly make that list and leave out Ballamory?
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