5alive

Hi, Rajat--we really liked this flat in Edinburgh. It was two bedrooms, 2 bath and the kitchen was quite well stocked. A grocery store is about 2-3 blocks away. There is free parking in front of the buildings, and it is a bit away from the tourist bustle in Leith, up near the port. This would also put you up near the Brittania. There is a restaurant we found that has quite a variety of whisky. It was called Teuchters Landing and you can easily walk to it.

https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-re...028212#summary

RajatMakar

Thank you for this suggestion. The flat looks quite big with so many facilities. The rates are also decent. We will keep this in mind in case we stay at-least 3 continuous days in Edinburgh.
If we have to split our stay in Edinburgh to 1 day at the start and 2 days before we depart, then probably we will look for a property close to the Royal Mile

RajatMakar

Thanks again.
I checked and yes it is a 40-60 mins detour from the Kennacraig ferry terminal. So, on the day we drive back from Islay to Edinburgh, if we plan to halt at Crianlarich, then we should be able to extract 4-5 hours of time to explore the Mull of Kintyre, visit the lighthouse and distillery etc. The views of the Lighthouse, Stiff Cliffs, Ireland coast are very nice.

jtpj777

Tarbet is a pleasant little place to have coffee / lunch if you can fit it in. The StarRooms has been recommended to me by a friend who grew up in the area.

RajatMakar

Hope you meant Tarbet near Loch Lomond. The points of interest that I could figure out are the beautiful Tarbet hotel, views of the Loch Lomond, The Pier etc.

This is what below website says about the tea room. Is this the same one you are referring to?
"And if you carry on past the side of the Tarbet Hotel you come to the attractive Tarbet Tea room, and a little beyond it a converted church which is now home to the Ben Lomond Cafe and Craft Shop"

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co....bet/index.html

jtpj777

Sorry, I actually meant TarbeRt, on the Mull of Kintyre on your way to Islay ferry.

Loch Lomond is pretty enough but a bit too close to Glasgow for me, meaning it can be quite busy.

Tarbert has not much in it ; however, it could make a pleasant stopping point for a coffee if it fits in with the rest of your itinerary.

RajatMakar

In my itinerary, I will have to plan for the following ferry rides.
a) Lochaline to Fishnish : (1 Way)
b) Craignure to Oban : ( 1 Way)
b) Kennacraig to Port Askaig/Ellen (Return)
c) Port Askaig to Feolin (day trip to Jura ) : (Return)
Note: To get to Skye, I understand no ferry is needed.

I just did a recce at Calmac site for booking tickets from Kennacraig to Port Askaig/Ellen. The website is pretty simple to use. But no tickets were available from now till May end or June 2018.

So, How early should we book online ferry tickets for May 2019 travel ? I understand that advance booking is recommended if we are travelling with cars. Also helps to get the specific ferry that we are targeting.

I read up about hopscotch ticket/pass. Looks like this will work out cheaper than regular tickets. Any feedback?

Also what happens if a ferry gets cancelled?
Anything else to take care before booking the ferry tickets online?

Thanks in advance.

janisj

>>I read up about hopscotch ticket/pass. Looks like this will work out cheaper than regular tickets. Any feedback?<<

Definitely - the Hopscotch packages are cheaper.

>>I just did a recce at Calmac site for booking tickets from Kennacraig to Port Askaig/Ellen. The website is pretty simple to use. But no tickets were available from now till May end or June 2018.<<

Very weird - I find some availability in early May and, absolutely no availability from May 14 through May 31 -- then total availability starting on June 1. Having the odd sell out would be natural - especially with the Bank Holiday. But not a single ticket seems weird. Might be worth an e-mail to ask CalMac. But really -- that doesn't affect your travel for next year -- just curious. There is availability on your other routes so my guess is it is something operational but I can't imagine no ferries at all for more than 2 weeks, or the website is wrong. . . . Generally it isn't necessary to book more than say 2 months ahead if you need a specific sailing. Farther if over a bank holiday or July/August.

>>Also what happens if a ferry gets cancelled?<<

They operate very much like the airlines. If a sailing is cancelled they will put you on the next available sailing. Or you can get a refund as long as the cancellation is their fault (mechanical). Weather related - you are on your own.

RajatMakar

Thanks. I am slowly getting familiar with the concept of Hopscotch Tickets after exploring the calmac site more.
yesterday for checking ticket availability, I had done few random samplings. I think on those dates there weren't any availability.

a) Lochaline to Fishnish : (1 Way) : No Booking needed. Turn Up & Go
b) Craignure to Oban : ( 1 Way) : Needs reservation

For above two rides, Hopscotch 6 Mull & Morvern is suitable. Availability also seems to be not an issue as there are 10 sailings per day on this route. Sunday has few less. Costs us ~ GBP 36 for 2 adults, 1 kid and a car.
Another alternative can be to take HopScotch 22 and save the longer road travel from Skye to Mull. This includes another ferry from Armadale to Mallaig. Costs GBP 53 for all.
But if the road travel is more scenic, we would like to take that route.

b) Kennacraig to Port Askaig/Ellen (Return)

Couldn't find any suitable Hopscotch for this route. So, will mostly book tickets. Will cost ~ GBP 100 for all.
There is Hopscotch 26 available from Oban to Port Askaig and then from Port Ellen to Kennancraig. But Oban to Port Askaig seems to be weekly once and also quite late in the afternoon. So, it will not be suitable.

c) Port Askaig to Feolin (day trip to Jura ) : (Return) - No Booking needed. Turn Up & Go
Many ferry sailings on all days except Sunday. Will cost us GBP 28 for return journey.

RajatMakar

Any recommendation for hotels in Aberdeen for our first night halt ? I was thinking of Holiday Inn Express in city centre.
It has breakfast included. So, next day morning we can have breakfast, pick up the car and push off towards Dufftown.

We dont want to stay near the airport. But rather stay in downtown, stroll around in the evening and have dinner at some good Scottish Bar & Restaurant.

jtpj777

Difficult to recommend for someone one doesn't know; however, if you want to stay in the city centre then you might try the Globe Inn? Small inn with good bar - Under the Hammer- next door.

For bars in the town you should try Casc in Sterling St - great whisky selection and good beer. For a traditional bar try the Grill on Union St.

Of course, Aberdeen is the home of up and coming brewers of craft beer- Brewdog- who have two bars in Aberdeen city centre and bars now all over the world.

RajatMakar

Thanks for the recommendations !. Checked Globe Inn and found good reviews about them. Will keep this in mind.

RajatMakar

Any feedback on the Bowmore Cottages? I read an Islay blog which covers it and found it very attractive.
Our original plan was to stay at the Old Excise House but now the new option also seems very good

Looking for inputs from members who have seen / stayed in either of these or been lucky enough to stay in both !!!

oliverandharry

We have stayed at the Harbour Inn which is also owned by Bowmore. One of our favorite places in Europe, terrific hospitality and wonderful food. I'd recommend the cottages absolutely.

RajatMakar

Thanks. Even we are inclining towards choosing these self catering cottages and I am in touch with them. For short rental of 4 days, they allow booking only for fixed days of the week, i.e. check in on Monday and check out by Friday. So, we will need to adjust our plan accordingly if we intend to stay at the cottages. If it is Harbour Inn, then rooms can be booked easily for any dates like any regular hotel.

RajatMakar

Update : We have decided to defer our Scotland trip to May 2020. Instead we are planning on a 2 weeks trip to Iceland in May 2019. I would like to thank everyone who had helped me with their inputs for the Scotland tour planning. These will surely be helpful as we get started on the bookings for Scotland sometime in Aug-Sep 2019.

Our Iceland trip planning has been mostly off the board. I will create a thread sometime today and try to get our forum members to review it and make it better.