BBgt

I'm almost embarrassed to post this, because until a few days ago Mom and I planned to go to Cornwall (thanks Annhig for the great advice - I still hope to use it someday!). But now we have decided (almost 100%) that we would like to visit northern England and Scotland instead on this next trip. We plan to travel in May 2016, and will have 16 nights.

We're thinking of flying in and out of Edinburgh to avoid London, and because it seems just as easy to do a loop from Edinburgh. We're also thinking that we would like a combination of independent travel by car, and possibly a tour with Rabbie's to cover a fair amount of ground in Scotland. I've got a bare-bones idea, but am having trouble figuring out how to avoid going in/out of Edinburgh multiple times, so I'd appreciate any alternative ideas.

Here's what I've got so far, along with questions:

- Fly into Edinburgh, 3 nights
- Rabbie's tour of the Highlands, 3 nights
- Return to Edinburgh, 1 night
- Hire a car (is the airport easiest for this?) and head down the coast to Northumberland (Alnwick as a base?), spend 2-3 nights
- Drive to York, spend 2-3 nights (ideally, we'd like to visit some surrounding sights - maybe Rievaulx or Fountains Abbeys - could we possibly base in a small town and visit York on a day trip?)
- Drive through the Dales to the Lake District (Keswick as a base?), spend 3 nights
- Drive back to Edinburgh and return car, spend 1 night before flying home

Thoughts?

janisj

You could avoid one loop back to Edinburgh by flying in to EDI and home from MAN. Manchester isn't far from the Lake District.

>> (Alnwick as a base?)<<

Alnwick is nice, or Rothbury. Since you'll definitely want to spend an entire day at Alnwick Castle and the Gardens, Alnwick might be the best base.

>> could we possibly base in a small town and visit York on a day trip?)<<

Consider staying in/near Thirsk. Then you can do a day trip to York by train instead of trying to find parking in the city.

Morgana

When I started reading your post I envisioned making loads of comments and suggestions. But to be honest you have a really good basis for an itinerary, and Janis has already made most of the extra suggestions that I'd have made.
If you do decide to stay in York itself make sure you book accommodation that has a car park space. You can park up when exploring York as its very walkable, but a car is pretty much essential for exploring the countryside.
Don't miss Bamburgh whilst you are in Northumberland.
May is a good time to travel although this year it has been far colder than normal (still got the heating on up here in North Yorkshire!). The countryside will look stunning though.
One thing to note is that May has two Bank Holidays, one at the beginning and one at the end. This won't affect you too much except that places like York on a Bank Holiday sunny day can get much busier.

BBgt

Janis - Good tip about flying out of Manchester. I'll check into it. Thirsk could very well fit the bill as well. That's exactly what I was envisioning - a smaller town to stay in and visiting York without the car. Any suggestions on places to stay in Thirsk?

Morgana - Thank you! I've considered this trip before, so already had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do. I hope it's a little warmer next year, but as long as it's green and pretty we'll be content. Our timing may be such that we're leaving on the late Bank Holiday weekend. If we were to be in the Lake District just before the weekend, then end up in either Manchester or Edinburgh, do you think that would be a problem?

BBgt

Morgana - I meant to add that Bamburgh is definitely on the list of places to visit. We may try to get to Holy Island as well, although I read somewhere that there's a fair bit of walking from the car park once you get to the island. Is that true? Mom is fine with level walking, but not for any great distance or uphill.

janisj

I'd definitely plan to be out of the Lake District by the Friday before the Bank Holiday. Manchester would be fine, Edinburgh more crowded.

>>although I read somewhere that there's a fair bit of walking from the car park once you get to the island. Is that true? Mom is fine with level walking, but not for any great distance or uphill.<<

It is a bit of a walk, but there is a shuttle bus the picks up at the car park.

https://www.lindisfarne.org.uk/general/hi-bus.htm

Lindesfarne is just about totally flat except for visiting the castle.

PalenQ

If hiring a car why do a Rabbies Tour? Driving in the Highlands IME is a snap - slow-going but not that much traffic and you set your own pace - I could see if not renting a car but if so why take a tour? Just curious!

BBgt

Thanks Janis. Good to know about Lindesfarne. And I'll keep the BH in mind when fine tuning the itinerary.

PalenQ - Good question! Honestly, we're considering a tour simply because we thought they'd cover more ground than we wanted to in a short period of time.

I am totally open to the idea of just doing a big loop from Edinburgh by car. It might actually make more sense, seeing as I was trying to avoid dipping in/out of Edinburgh. It just seems like a lot of driving, and we want to spend at least 2 nights, preferably 3 in any places along a driving tour. I'm going to start playing with that idea, but I'm open to suggestions!

RM67

My current trip report might help you with the Lake District bit.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-district.cfm

BBgt

Wow, RM67 - your photos are gorgeous! I'll take time to read your blog later. The little bit I've read is wonderful. Thanks

RM67

You're welcome

janisj

Driving yourself is fine -- it just depends on if you want to drive for two full weeks or let someone else handle it for 4 or 5 days. Rabbies is not like taking a big coach tour and you stay in accommodations you choose instead of 'tour hotels'.

I drive all over Scotland regularly but sometimes it is nice to sit back and not have to deal w/ it.

BBgt

Good points, Janis. I've been playing with the AA route planner a little, and keep coming against the same obstacle - the distances to places we'd like to see (Skye, Glencoe, Eileen Donan, etc.) are just a bit further than I'd like to drive if we're coming from northern England.

As I mentioned in my first post, we want some independent time, so driving part of the trip is fine. But it may be Mom's only time in Scotland, so a tour may suit us better there just to get to some of those iconic sights. If we were doing Scotland only, I'd be happy to drive.

PalenQ

BBgt: I drove my parents - older parents - around Scotland and I would much MUCH prefer to be driving with our own pace and itinerary than be beholded to the structure of a tour where you just can't say stop and get out of the car whenever the fancy strikes you.

What iconic places can't you get to by car - and why try to cram so much into a few days - less can indeed be more IMO.

We had no problem even in August of finding tons of B&Bs available as we went = total sponteneity - Rabbies has a great reputation but consider foregoing the tour and do you own Scotland - IME it was easy everywhere.

BBgt

PalenQ - I appreciate your approach, and in general would prefer that myself. However, we'd like to see northern England as well as the Highlands, and the driving distances to get deep into the Highlands from England just seem like more than I want to do myself. I should add, though, that we don't have absolute "must-see's" in Scotland, so the Isle of Skye, for example, isn't a "must". I'd say we're looking for a nice overview of scenic beauty, castles, historic sights, a bit of coastal beauty and perhaps the chance of hearing bagpipes somewere along the way .

Maybe I should approach it this way - What are some suggestions for a one week driving itinerary of Scotland, assuming we're coming from the Lake District and ending in Edinburgh, spending at least two nights per location? Perhaps Loch Lomond, Inverary Castle, Glencoe, Trossachs... ???

PalenQ

BBgt - I can relate to that totally!

PalenQ

Lake District to Edinburgh you may want to hit Hadrian's Walls and then the Borders Abbeys along the Scottish side of the Scotland-England border - ruined but impressive abbeys like Melrose, Jedburgh, etc - they are in a clustered area - many Scottish immigrants to North American came from this area as when English barons bought up the peasant farms and turned them into sheep pastures - the peasants were disposable and were sent packing to Northern Ireland (so-called 'shanty Irish' in my fmaily at least) and many then left for North America.

anyway a lovely place - easy to drive and then you could pop up by Stirling and Stirling Castle, one of the most famous and historic in Scotland - part of the national patrimony - think Brave Heart who I think was based in part here and fought the hated Brits in these environs.

Then head for Loch Lomand and on as you say to those other places.

janisj

>>We had no problem even in August of finding tons of B&Bs available as we went = total sponteneity <<

But you need explain this was <i>many</i> years ago.

However the OP's trip is in May so not a big deal (outside of the two Bank Holidays).

I never discourage people driving - I've driven 10's of thousands of miles in Scotland an the rest of UK. It is a great place to drive . . . however on most (all actually) of my trips I am the sole driver and I know how much it can wear on one to be responsible for ALL the travel. Driving is not hard - but it does take total concentration - all day - every day. That is why I thought breaking up your driving w/ a 3, 4 or 5 day Rabbies tour would give you a chance to relax just a bit. And - how is you mother w/ navigating w/ a road atlas? A GPS will help but you do need to override it more than you might think.

(BTW - it is Loch Lomond)

No wrong answer -- driving is great, Rabbies is great. Just depends on what you want out of your trip.

PalenQ

Rabbies is the only tour available? I'd check and compare what other tours offer before blindly deciding on Rabbies - there are several that are very similar it seems - take the one that goes where you want at the pace you want - Rabbies does not have a monopoly on such tours. Others can be great too.

historytraveler

Like janisj I have driven in Scotland, taken trains and done a day tour with Rabbies.Last summer I did a five day tour with them in Cornwall and will be doing another five day tour in Scotland this coming June. Besides the advantage that Janis mentioned of just being able to relax and letting someone else who is much more experienced deal with the hassles involved with driving, a Rabbies tour guide provides excellent commentary and information on all you'll be seeing. Since my first trip many years ago, I have become familiar with Scottish history and geography, but I'm still looking forward to my June trip, seeing a few new sights and re- visiting many more.

I remember my first trip when I wondered what mountain ( Munro ) I was looking at or the name of a loch or stream or sometimes even a ruined castle. Without a great deal of research you'll not know anymore than what your eyes are seeing.For me, it's much more satisfying to actually know something about what I'm seeing. Guides will give you that information along with the history, geography and legends making for a much more interesting trip.

There are, of course, other tour companies, but I believe Rabbies is the only one that guarantees small groups of 16 or less. Nothing wrong with double- checking, but I was very happy with the Devon/ Cornwall tour and had absolutely no qualms about booking them for my trip this summer. I've found a Rabbies tour plus some independent travel a perfect solution for spending several weeks in the UK.