Jtosc001

Janisji,

Pardon my personal preferences and ignorance of the area. That's why I come hear and bounce these ideas off more seasoned and knowledgable travelers.

As far as Oban is concerned, I've read about it and seen it on video, and it seems like a good contrast to the urban feel of Edinburgh. Plus, with only 5 days in Scotland, I'm kind of tethered to the Southern half of the country, so it's not too far a drive. What do you think? Do you have a recommendation that I should replace Oban with to get a more quaint experience of Scotland that still has restuarants and people?

Thanks for the info on Bannockburn; that's helpful.

Keep the recommendations coming.

While everyone on ehre might not agree with my approach, I'm confident I'll have a better trip due to your input.

Jtosc001

All of the recommendations concerning flying into Glasgow instead of in and out of edinburgh seem good. However, I can't seem to find a flight from Galway to Glasgow. Any help? And flights out of Glasgow back to the US are incredibly expensive when compared to flying out of Edinburgh.

noe847

The cities are close enough together that if flying into or out of EDI is a lot cheaper, you should be able to make it work.

Given the further info you've provided about your interests, you might want to allocate a solid day (or a bit more) to the city of Glasgow. People seeking out scenery/castles, etc, often give it a miss, but we have spent a good bit of time in Glasgow and it has lots to offer. If you have any interest in the architecture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow provides good opportunities to view his work - both in the city and in the surrounding areas. There are some great museums in Glasgow, and good people watching, shopping, and decent food. I find it has the hustle and bustle of a living city, whereas Edinburgh's old town can have a somewhat "preserved"/tourist feel (although it is also quite enjoyable, and has some great attractions - the castle, palace, cathedral, abbey ruins, museums, etc.)

sheila

OKkkkkkkkkkkkk. In that case I would narrow it all down a bit, and I woudl travel less in Scotland.

You can, incidentally, fly from Shannon to Glasgow in just over an hour, and get a direct flight from there, if that's what you want to do. Having seen your aspirations I'm inclined, however to think it matters less.

If it were me, I'd do it in reverse order, and I would not go too far from Edinburgh. That is to say, that after your rural Ireland bit of the trip, I'd go to Edinburgh and do my three days there.

Then I'd head off somewhere NOT TOO FAR, and spend both of the extra nights there. The places which leap into my mind, based on your criteria are, in no particular order:-

St Andrews- that would give you Fife and Tayside for day trips.

Aberfeldy or Dunkeld- that would give you Tayside and the central highlands for day trips. Rural but different from the west of Ireland.

Kirkcudbright- (I hope Danna's listening). That would give you Dumfries and Galloway.

All of those towns are small and have their quaint bits- obviously St Andrews, becuase of the Uni is busier and, indeed bigger, and you could choose Anstruther or Pittenweem as alternatives. They have cafes and bookshops (or "a" bookshop) and good bars and music.

I could suggest Ullapool, Gairloch, or various places in the islands, but they're all further away.

Oban is OK, but you won't get a feel for it. Too many busy roads and no real centre.

Jtosc001

Sheila,

You say "Oban is OK, but you won't get a feel for it" yet I have seen you recommned this city to other posters on this forum. Do you say this to me because of the short time I have allotted to it or some other reason? Any guidance for me on choosing between the number of excellent recommendations you gave me?

sheila

No, my reluctance is because of your description of what you're looking for:-"two days in a more quaint area but still with vibrant restuarants, culture and people".

Oban sits in a beautiful location, but it ain't quaint. It has a couple of good restuarants and dozens of pretty awful ones. Mostly the culture is tartan tat for the tourists. It has very nice people.

There's a very busy road which runs north/south through the town, and the commercial stuff is on one side of it and the harbour on the other. Assuming a sunny day, I can't think of a SINGLE place to sit outside a cafe or a pub and soak up the atmosphere. More like soak up the traffic or fish fumes.

Now, I'm making it sound worse than it is. It has a nice distillery, and some nice shops- nothing great, but OK. It's a superb ferry port, so if that's what you're after, you're laughing.

I think you'll find I nearly always recommend people stay outside of rather than IN Oban, and the sorts of places I reccomend don't have the low level buzz you're looking for.

I hope that makes it clearer

bellini

Given your likes and dislikes I'd recommend skipping the Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland. EU monies have totally ruined a beautiful natural cliff top with vast carparks, underground cafes and exhibition hall and swathes of concrete paving. I was VERY disappointed!

Jtosc001

Sheila,

Wow. You really hit it on the head, based on my likes/dislikes. I'm definitely not going to Oban now with the time I have allotted. I know you said no particular order, but how would you--based on my likes/dislikes--rank your previous recommendations? I'm leaning toward St Andrews just because it seems like it will be more action, but could be swayed.

sheila

I think St Andrews would do you very well.

Jtosc001

OK. I know most don't like my trip, but I still need your help. Given my approximate time allocations, I need to know from everyone whether I am mis-allocating a half day here or a half day there based on my goals of starting in Dublin and ending in Edinburgh.

Saturday- Arrive in Dublin, sleep in Dublin (3 nights)
Sunday- Dublin
Monday- Dublin
Tuesday- Drive to Cobh, overnight in Kinsale (2 nights)
Wednesday- Kinsale
Thursday- Drive through Killarney and sleep in Dingle (2 nights)
Friday- Ring of Dingle
Saturday- Drive to cliffs then to Galway and sleep in Galway (2 nights)
Sunday-Aran Islands/Galway
Monday-Fly from Galway to Edinburgh; drive to St Andrews and sleep in St Andrews (2 nights)
Tuesday-Day trip from St Andrews
Wednesday- Drive to Edinburgh and sleep in Edinburgh (3 nights)
Thursday- Edinburgh
Friday- Edinburgh
Saturday- Fly home from Edinburgh

For example, on other posts, I see many recommendations to only do 2 days in Edinburgh. Am I allocating a day too much? Should I spend that 3rd day in Stirling or Culcross instead?

noe847

I'd stay in Edinburgh for all of the nights that you've allocated. You can then see what you feel like doing - and how the weather is. I think 2 days will be plenty for you to get a taste of Edinburgh. But from Edinburgh, you could easily do Stirling as a day trip via train. Not to repeat myself (even though I am!) but I wouldn't rule out a day trip to Glasgow. It's a vibrant city and has some great pubs and restaurants, as well as museums.

Jtosc001, I have to say that I admire your tenacity and clarity. You know what you want and haven't been unduly insulted or swayed by the prevailing "advice" (I'm including mine here). Fodorites can be a tough - if knowledgeable - bunch, but you have continued on the path that you know works for you. I hope you have a great trip and come back and report about it!!

Jtosc001

Sheila,

The reference to "Tayside" as a suggested day trip from St Andrews in one of your previous posts confuses me. When I enter "Tayside" into googlemaps it directs me to a town near Glasgow. However, "Tayport" appears to be in driving distance of St Andrews. Did you mean "Tayport" rather than "Tayside?"

janisj

Tayside isn't a town. It is a region and essentially "Tay side" -- i.e. the side of the river Tay.

The area includes Aberfeldy, Dunkeld, and lots of other places.

Tayport is a town across the Tay bridge from Dundee.

I'm fairly certain sheila meant using that day to tour scenic parts of Tayside. You can't really use a mapping program to find "Tayside".

Jtosc001

I've decided to add a day in Galway and only do 4 days in Scotland. For the short amount of time I intend to stay four nights in Edinburgh with day trips.

Day 1--Edinburgh
Day 2--Edinburgh
Day 3--Day trip to St Andrews by car. Dinner in Pittenweem or Anstruther.
Day 4--Day trip to Stirling and Bannockburn.

I need your feedback. How does these four days sound?

Questions:
1. Drive or train to Stirling? How much time will Stirling and Bannockburn take? Train is easier, but car is more freedom. If the excursion only takes a few hours, then perhaps I will take a car so that I can drive around Loch Lomond for scenery then back to Edinburgh. Or visit Trossachs and Loch Katrine instead? Does this make any sense? Not enough time?Too much?

2. Visit Culross. There doesn't seem to be a way to get there by public transport. This means that I would either have to stop there first before heading to St Andrews or stop there first before heading to Stirling if I go by car. Any opinions?

janisj

May I ask - you have mentioned Culross several times. Is there a reason it seems to be a "must" for you? Culross is certainly interesting, but isn't really one of the top/most impressive sites in Scotland. I personally enjoy walking through the town - but I've spent months in Scotland on various trips. On such a short visit, you might want to spend your limited time elsewhere. (of course if you have family or other reasons to visit - it is interesting.)

Jtosc001

No real compelling reason except that most guidebooks note it's quaint and old. It is obviously close to Edi which is appealing too. If the consensus on this forum is that it is a waste of my limited time, then I will forego it.

Jtosc001

Sheila, Janisj and Noe847:

I realize I am being a little bit needy here, but I didnt get a response from any of you on my 7/6/08 post. Would you review it and indulge me?

Thanks

Jtosc001

The 5:50 post, that is.

noe847

OK, I'll put in a few cents. With 4 days and your interests, I think it's a good idea to base yourselves in Edinburgh. St. Andrews sounds like a nice day trip for you. I've not been to St. Andrews or the east, or Culross so I can't be of more assistance there.

Stirling is easy to do as a day trip from Edinburgh via train. But I'm not sure that's what I'd recommend for you. The biggest and best draw is the castle and it is quite similar in age and feel to Edinburgh's castle. If you do go, there is a hop-on-hop-off bus that goes to all of the areas of interest in and around Stirling. With the train ride and the bus circuit you'd be likely to use the better part of the day.

I prefer your idea of the Trossachs by car, or you could go south to the Borders for the day.

Other ideas:
You could see Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin (accessible by bus) http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/
or the ruins of Linlithgow Palace (accessible by rail from Edinburgh).

At the risk of becoming a broken record, I'll repeat that I think you should consider Glasgow for a day trip from Edinburgh.

On another note, I'd split your day trips so they are not back to back (day 2 and 4 in Edinburgh, for example.) Not quite as tiring that way.