Suzy

We'll be leaving for Britain on Aug. 30 and here is our itinerary. Virtually all of the accomodations are booked, so we're not looking to change the plan. But any help about things to stop at on the way from place to place, things to see and do, etc., would be greatly appreciated. I really hope you guys approve (or at least don't say anything too harsh):<BR><BR>Aug. 31: Fly to Edinburgh (arrive around Noon). Spend day in Edinburgh doing whatever we can, given the jet lag. Overnight Balmoral Hotel.<BR><BR>Sep. 1: Edinburgh. Castle. Royal Mile. Princes Street. Overnight Balmoral Hotel.<BR><BR>Sep. 2: Pick up rental car in AM at airport. Get into 2 accidents by noon by turning in wrong lane (just kidding, hopefully). Drive to Nairn, probably via A9 and Pitlochry. I know you're going to say this is too far, but we have relatives in Nairn area who will be there on 9/2 and we really want to meet up with them before they go on their vacation on 9/3. What can we hit on the way up, given that it's a 4-hour drive even without stops? Castles (Blair? Scone Palace?) Distilleries?<BR><BR>Sep. 3: Cawdor Castle. Then Drive to Skye via Kyle of Localsh. Overnight Portree.<BR><BR>Sep. 4: Drive to Ballachulish/Glencoe via Eileen Donan Castle (forgive the spelling). Overnight Ballachulish.<BR><BR>Sep. 5: Overnight Ballachulish. (we want to see Glencoe one of these two days. what to do with the other?)<BR><BR>Sep. 6: Drive to Callander. trossachs. overnight Callander.<BR><BR>Sep. 7: Drive to N. Wales. Overnight Betws-y-coed, Tan-y-foel Guest House. (can we see Stirling Castle on the way?)<BR><BR>Sep. 8, 9, 10: All in N. Wales staying in Betws-y-coed. We will visit Conwy, Caernarforn, Beaumarais, Snowdonia.<BR><BR>Sep. 11: Drive to Stratford upon Avon. If time permits, stop at Warwick on the way, otherwise do that the next day. See show at Royal Shakespeare (The Tempest). overnight at Arden Thistle hotel.<BR><BR>Sep. 12: (perhaps Warwick in AM) Cotswolds (Broadway, Bourton-on-Water, Slaughters, Chipping Campden) Overnight Chipping Campden.<BR><BR>Sep. 13: Drive to Bath. Day in Bath. Overnight Queensbury Hotel.<BR><BR>Sep. 14: Driving from Bath to Windsor, via Stonehenge and Avebury. Overnight Windsor, Christopher Wren's Hotel. (we got the Windsor idea from reading one of Janis's prior posts)<BR><BR>Sep. 15: Drop off rental car at Heathrow and fly home.<BR><BR><BR><BR>

Wayne

Nothing at all wrong with that plan. It appears you have been thorough, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Good time of the year, too. There's lots of driving, but that's what you want. I'd only add what I have said many times---don't expect things to go exactly as planned. If they do, great. But if they don't, roll with the punches and enjoy it.

xxx

If you enjoy castles...add Harlech to your North Wales tour and see the ruins of Kennilworth castle after Warwick.

Jack

This looks pretty much OK to me, although perhaps a little bit strung out in the Scotland leg. Make sure you don't miss Warwick Castle. A lot of people visit Stratford and forget about Warwick, even though Warwick is actually much more interesting. You might also want to forsake Stonehenge and concentrate more on Avebury, where you can get a lot closer, but that's up to you. To some, a visit to England isn't complete without seeing Stonehenge. Personally, I would spend another day in Edinburgh as well. But your plan looks sound enough. Enjoy your trip to our country!

Maggie

Hi Suzy, Do you realize that #7 had you driving 318 miles just to Conwy Wales. That's a lot of driving in one day! I wouldn't do it, and weve driven that a lot. I can't see how you could fit Stirling Castle in there too.<BR><BR>You will really LOVE Betws-y-Coed! We used it as a base and went to all the places you mentioned, plus Bodnant Gardens and Portmeirion!<BR><BR>Enjoy! You trip sounds rushed, but terffic!<BR><BR>Maggie

janis

Everyone is being supportive - but this will be a VERY, VERY tiring itinerary. Some days you will be in the car 6 hours or more plus any stops or visits. Edinburgh to Nairn is over 200 miles, Callander to N wales is over 250 miles, Cawdor to Portree is is about 140 miles on very slow roads.<BR><BR>These don't sound like long distances to most Americans - but in the UK they are VERY long distances. <BR><BR>And other plans - like seeing Warwick Castle "perhaps in the morning" could be problematic. Warwick doesn't open until 10:30 AM (and closes at 5:30PM) and takes a minimum of 3 or 4 hours to see. If you get to Warwick right at opening time, see most of the castle and have even a quick lunch you will not have much time to see many Cotswold villages. But Chipping Campden is wonderful and there are some other great villages close by.<BR><BR>The places you have selected are terrific - but I fear you will be too tired and sick of driving to enjoy some of them.<BR><BR>My main recommendation is to get an EARLY start each day to give you enough time to see things along the way. You will love it - but be prepared to miss out on some things since these long driving days can get fouled up by many things. Like storms, road works, car trouble, finding something along the route you really want to see but takes an hour or two, etc . . . .

janis

Now that I look closer, Maggie's estimate for day 7 is much better than mine. I stopped calculating at Liverpool. getting to Betws-y-coed makes it an even longer day. BTW - Tan-y-foel Guest House is wonderful.<BR><BR>I doubt you could get round Stirling Castle and still make the drive to Wales that day. For most people Stirling Castle takes more time to see than Edinburgh castle.

Maggie

Janis, Glad you talked about her fast Itinary. Being pretty new posting here, I hated to have to break the news to her. <BR>Thanks for the Tan-y-oel guest house recomendation!<BR>Maggie

Suzy

Janis, Maggie (and all), thanks for the replies. Is it really that bad?! I realize, of course, that its not perfect. The drive to Nairn wasn't in our original plan until my fiancee learned that he has relatives (like 4th cousin or something) that live there. They were actually the ones who told us that the drive to Skye, although long, was spectacular. And the main attraction of Scotland, at least for me, is the scenery (and the people and castles, of course), so I look at the drive to Skye itself as our daily "event" so to speak. I agree with you about the 7th (no way we can do Stirling). It's a long trip to Wales, but we looked into trains or planes, and didn't think we'd save much time that way, plus we'd need to pick up another rental car in Wales upon arrival. We've heard good things about Tan-Y-Foel. Since you guys didn't comment on the England portion of the trip, I assume that's feasible? I didn't know about the Warwick 10:30 opening. We'll be there at 10:28 then! <BR><BR>

Jenny

Also, just a heads-up on the roads going North - the A9 can be a bit of an accident blackspot. Not wanting to frighten you, but there is usually at least one bad accident every summer involving foreign tourists who become confused on the road. It has sections of dual and single carriageway, and, as you can imagine, many people rush to overtake slow moving vehicles at the dual carriageway sections. I'd hate to read about you in the paper, having had an accident, so just a warning to take special care.<BR>

Suzy

Jennie,<BR><BR>Thanks for the warning. We'll be very careful.

janis

Suzy - I just found you another 30 minutes - Warwick opens at 10AM.<BR><BR>Actually the drive to Skye WILL be a highlight - just remember it will be a slow drive. Take your time and stop to enjoy the views etc.<BR><BR>The drive to Nairn is OK - just VERY long on the main N/S highway (A9). It is really the only direct route north so the traffic can be bad. Lots of Lorries, etc. Get an early start and stop at Blair Atholl - then drive straight to Nairn. If it is not to late by the time you get to Aviemore consider a detour to Grantown-on-Spey and visit any of a number of whisky distilleries.<BR><BR>If it were me I wouldn't have tried to go so far in two weeks - but you can do it. Just have a road atlas open and ready at all times - so you can make modifications to your route if you hit a snag.<BR><BR>

SuzyQ

Thanks Janis. We're both only 27, so we've got plenty of energy! I've noticed that many of the distilleries around Grantown/Dufftown close around 4 or 5. Are there any others further south (near Perth perhaps) and not far off the main road that we could visit earlier in the day?

janis

There are distilleries all over. Most of the tours are very similar. <BR><BR>This link has an active map of every whisky distillery. www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/scotland.html <BR><BR>Blair Athol and Eradour are possibilities. Another one you might try - assuming you have time is Talisker on Skye. If you are going to Dunvegan Castle it would be just a short detour on the way back.

bill

Ahhh Tallisker, yes...an excellent whisky. Haven't been to the distillery. I hate to admit it, but I made the drive from Nairn to Skye in one day. It was doable. Be sure to stop at Eileen Donan on the way (like you could drive by and not stop). Granted, the views of the castle from a distance may be better than the castle itself, but the castle is still quite nice.<BR><BR>Bill

Suzy

We're leaving on friday! Do we have time to stop at Scone Palace on the way to Nairn, in addition to Blair Castle and a distillery such as Edradour? Would you recommend Scone instead of Blair Castle? Are there places in Blair Atholl for a quick lunch?

janis

No - you just won't have enough time to visit Scone, Blair Atholl and a distillery. Scone is interesting and has lovely grounds, but Blair Atholl is a better visit. The bldg, grounds, setting etc are wonderful