My friend and I are planning a trip to Scotland for May 2014. So far we are narrowing down to the Argyll region (only because I must see the the hill fort of Dunadd and the Isle of Iona) and the Hebrides. We both love staying in the countryside and would love the chance to get to know the locals and their culture. Neither of us are really into beaches as we have plenty of white sandy beaches at home. I love historical sites (prehistory to 1800s) and my friend loves dramatic landscapes. My question is, do those two regions sound like good places for us to go? Is there anything you can recommend seeing or avoiding? Are there areas within the region that get very few tourists (we tend to find people more excited to talk to us when they aren't used to seeing tourists)?

My next question is shop times. We recently took a trip to France with the plan of buying a propane stove and all our own groceries for some car camping (just for lunches and dinners if we were out late). We found that we hadn't though enough into it and that in the region of France we were in, buying ice (for our cooler) was almost unheard of, and groceries stores were closed Sundays and Mondays and only open 10:00-18:00 with a lunch from 12:00-14:00. This time I would like to be prepared. Is it hard to find ice in the grocery stores for our cooler? When are grocery stores open?

"The Hebrides" covers a vast area of diverse places. There's certainly plenty of dramatic landscapes (particularly on Skye and Harris/Lewis), and the relative remoteness of (most of) the islands means a welcome escape for those who don't like crowds. There is plenty of historical interest, ranging from pre-historic sites such as the Callanish stones and Iron Age forts, through to various crofting museums that give an insight into life before the clearances.

As for shops: don't expect long opening times (09:00 to 17:30 would be typical on Monday thru Saturday). On Lewis and Harris, all shops traditionally shut down on Sunday due to the Sabbath observance. I seriously doubt you'll find many places that sell ice. The main pre-occupation in the Hebrides is keeping things warm, not cooling them down

Gordon's right on all accounts.

if you are interested in standing stones, the Callanish book shop has a great guide.

If you do make it to Lewis, be sure to drive up to Port of Ness to visit the Northernmost Tea House in the UK (closed on Sundays).

Just thinking about your coolbag problem. If you plan on staying in B&B's, you could always bring a freezer "coolblock" and ask the owner to put it in the freezer overnight for you (obviously not forgetting to collect it in the morning when you leave).

Just another hint - don't ask the B&B's owner to give you a cooler full of ice. They may have a large-ish fridge but the likelihood they have an ice maker is pretty slim. Enough ice to fill your glass - sure, to fill your cooler - nope.

>><i>Are there areas within the region that get very few tourists (we tend to find people more excited to talk to us when they aren't used to seeing tourists)</i><< This gave me a bit of pause (there was the politically correct enough ).

Almost sounds like you are visiting Papua New Guinea back in the '50's. The locals are totally used to visitors from exotic places like Des Moines or Ottawa.

Thank you for all your help. Good idea to bring "coolblocks" (I might need a couple as I'm great at forgetting them). I wasn't thinking large quantities of ice. If the temperatures outside are not in the 70s or above, typically you only need a gallon sized ziplock of ice. In the States I would buy a big cup of ice and use that (just for reference of amount of ice needed). Would something like that be a possibility? Are there soda fountains on the Hebrides anywhere?

I must have been really lucky in France. We visited a very sparsely populated area and they never had tourists outside of their Jazz festival week which mostly drew people from France. My father's cousin had visited a few years before and they all remembered when she visited, it was big news in town. I was hoping for something more akin to that. I guess I'll need to find a time machine and set it for Papua New Guinea in the 50s.

I guess I should add that my cooler holds a 12 pack of soda cans so its not large and has no problems staying cold with a small amount of ice.

Are you seriously considering carrying your cooler to Europe from the States? Simply get one there, as well as any cool blocks you might need.

Forget ice, unless you can find a caravan park full of campers. A fishmonger, should you find one, is the most likely place to buy ice in a town since fish are traditionally displayed on top of shaved/crushed ice, but the whole idea of iced drinks is going to seem somewhat odd to the locals. They know about it the way Americans know about jellied eels from television, but that doesn't mean they won't think you are quite mad.

If you just want to keep drinks cold, leave them in the car overnight out of the cooler. They are likely to be well-chilled by morning.

The reason for bringing a cooler, which I will also be using on the flight, is that I have extreme food allergies so usually need to purchase food in its raw form (fresh veggies and uncooked cuts of meat). I will be asking the B&Bs I plan to stay at if I can cook my own food in their kitchen and then picking up a backpacking stove and fuel for day trips and long hikes. I will be bringing my own backpacking mess kit as well. The ice would be more for travel days as we work our way between the islands and the mainland as well as day long excursions.

>><i>I will be asking the B&Bs I plan to stay at if I can cook my own food in their kitchen </i><<

A landlady <i>might</i> allow that but really don't count on it. They will likely have other guests and usually set schedules to get everything done during the day. Having an outsider cooking in their kitchens might be very inconvenient.

In your situation it would be much <B>MUCH</B> better to either stay in hostels that have shared kitchen facilities or to rent self catering cottages.

Agree that you cannot expect people in an inn or B&B to cook in their kitchen. If you must cook yourself you really need to reserve lodgings that offers kitchen access.

Larger shops are often open surprisingly late as they stay open for evening ferry arrivals. Self catering can be had at the growing number of hostels - some have en suite rooms and are far less expensive than b&b. These are not luxurious, but are clean, very comfortable and have large shared kitchens. Cooking in a b&b isn't really on. If you can't get ice at the supermarket, try the fish factory, there are few fishmongers as many locals don't need to buy fish.

Also - besides merely inconveniencing the landlady . . . it may actually be impossible to let you cook. The old rules that only affected larger properties (more than 8 rooms) now control even 1 and 2 room B&Bs. These have to do w/ fire doors, kitchen inspections, those sorts of things. That's why many have quit offering packed lunches, and/or evening meals - the onerous regulations.

Guests really shouldn't be messing about in a B&B kitchen.

If you're headed to Dunadd, I'm sure you're looking at the prehistoric circles and sites around the Kilmartin Glen area too (and if not, you should!). The Kilmartin House museum is also worthwhile and a nice spot to stop for lunch.

We really enjoyed the island of Lewis for the interesting mix of archaeological sites. There's the breathtaking main circle at Callanish and the various smaller circles nearby. While Stonehenge is larger, Callanish is quite majestic and wild.

If you're very interested in the archaeology, local archaeologist Margaret Curtis used to run guided tours of the area's treasures. It's been a few years since we last visited but I believe she's still offering her expertise. She's a wonderful lady who does a great job of mixing the empirical and the folkloric in her presentations.

My only caution about Lewis is that things REALLY do close up on Sundays. This may have relaxed in recent years, but when we went EVERYTHING was closed until some restaurants in Stornoway opened later in the day. Make sure you have food, gas in the car, etc., don't plan on tourist attractions being open.

Excellent suggestion NS_Crowgirl. I will look into whether or not Margaret Curtis can give us a tour. I have definitely been looking at going to the Kilmartin House and other sites around Kilmartin Glen.

I was planning to ask about use of the kitchen facilities before booking at the B&Bs. Its a bummer about the laws being stricter. I was even willing to cook after they finished their evening meal preparations or whenever was convenient for them. I understand it could be an inconvenience and don't wish to inconvenience people. I really love the B&B experience, so I really hope we can work something out, even if that means me cooking on a camping stove outside somewhere. Or I might just have to do the hostel experience. Thank you everyone for your input.

It's probably booked by now but there is an actual guest house at the Callanish stones that you can rent and the kitchen is all yours.

I hope things work out for you, but in my experience of staying in many B&Bs in Scotland, the house is strictly divided into the area for guest use (the bedrooms, breakfast room and sometimes a lounge), and that used by the owner - many of whom have their own family living there. I can't really imagine many B&B owners being comfortable with a complete stranger having access to their kitchen, when they are trying to prepare meals for the kids and themselves, sorting out the household paperwork, feeding the dog etc. Just way to inconvenient and frankly odd.

If you're staying in one place long enough, it might be worth your while to look into self-catering facilities.

It would be a HUGE inconvenience at most any B&B. And a camp stove - outside? Come on (!) Don't expect a B&B to turn their kitchen over to you. More than presumptuous IMO.

Either rent cottages/flats or stay in hostels that allow kitchen privileges. Many self catering properties rent for short breaks except for August and Bank Holiday weeks - so you wouldn't have yo stay in one place for a full week.