plr - Where are you going in Scotland and how did you pick this time of year to go there? Good Luck and have a wonderful time. Will check out your weather link.

I have now read this entire excellent thread, and see Sheila was here first with the weather / clothing quote. I should've guessed!

Ha--there is a very long answer to your question, Patti, but I'll try to pare it down.
--I found a great deal on airline tickets good through early April;
--I initially thought I would be hitting "low season" with prices (not!);
--I deliberately wanted to avoid any holidays and any festivals in Edinburgh (if that's possible! );
--I wanted to be spared the midges;
--I wanted to take advantage of possible bad weather by making this an "adventure by train" tour, having the misguided idea at first that I could hop off a train anywhere, skip across a field to a castle ruin or two and then hop back on another train happening through at just the right time!

Only being a little facetious there about the train plans, but got straightened out real fast by Janis, Sheila, and others here!

I actually happen to love rainy weather, and the cold usually doesn't bother me either, so missing the tourist season is the priority for me. I'll be spending a few days in Edinburgh, 2-3 days in Oban/Mull with a day by car to the Kilmartin Glen area; then pretty much whizzing through all the area you are planning, on a wonderfully scenic train trip (will save Skye and all the other islands for a Highlands trip during a summer, maybe next year), over to Stonehaven, then Dunkeld & Stirling each for a few days, and back to Edinburgh for several days.

Do cheer up about the weather, and have a wonderful trip yourself!

I really am feeling better about the weather. I think the blues yesterday had something to do with the 18" of snow that blew in here yesterday and my husband being in Taiwan and my son in Scotland and no one to shovel the driveway out except my daughter and myself (With a sore shoulder!) But the sun is brightly shining on this gorgeous snow hanging on the pine trees today and my mood is much better. I really don't mind rainy days - we spent 4 days in New York in October and a tropical front blew through and it rained every day and we had a great time. Whenever I go to a new country, everything seems very abstract and foreign until you actually get there and then plans fall into place. This forum has helped me a lot! As we are driving I will be so much more familiar with the names of towns and areas and places to visit. I have noted many of the places recommended here and I will take it along with me. So again thank you to everybody that has responded - I have taken your wisdom to heart and will use it- but of course, end up doing what we want to do! plr have a wonderful time! When do you return? I depart on the 23rd and return on the 30th. Perhaps we will cross paths.

I found the name of that inn with an excellent restaurant on the Isle of Skye. It's the Glenview Hotel.

http://www.glenviewskye.co.uk/index.htm

I had an excellent lunch there.

It's about a 10-15 minute drive north of Portree on the east side of Skye (before you get to Staffin.

It also has what appear to be very comfy and pretty room accommodations if you are not interested in sleeping in someone's house.

The Met Office used to be the Meteorological Office but got its new swish name and logo in 2000. Yo'll find it on http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

Sevenoaks?

Have a look at this. http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/What_was_th...to_hit_England

I think Plockton is nicer than Portree, personally. There are a couple of nice pubby hotels there too- The Plockton Hotel and the Harbour Inn.

My favourite hotel in Skye is the Eilean Iarmain. But it'sa bit pricey. It's also not terribly central. That tennis racket shape that was being described means that staying down teh handle means you're miles from anywhere.

Portee is central. You could get to anywhere onthe island at max an hour and a half from Portree. Sligachan is even MORE central and I like the hotel there too. But it's quite big.


I would worry that a thigh length poncho might mean wet knees

I am a huge fan of Local Hero- we own a copy especially for American visitors. It IS a bit dated now, but good anyway. Watch out for the rabbit.



BTW, where on earth is WI?

Not a fan of Inverness. It's handy to have there so teh bridge has somewher to cross the firth, but....

And we refer to that part of Scotland, in this house, as the Wet Coast.

www.bbc.co.uk/weather then navigate to the 5 day forecast and put in the nearest large town e.g. Inverness. You can also use the' where I live' bit of the website to find out what's going on.

Maybe a bit of expanation of the &quot;Inverness bashing&quot; we often engage in here. Inverness is NOT a pit. It is actually a sorta nice city in a good central location. But there are just soooooo many nicer places to stay - many not far from I'ness. Inverness is busy, has semi-bad traffic, and tons of B&amp;Bs. Many who say how nice Inverness is have maybe only been to Scotland a time or two and don't know about some of the other fine places in the area. They aren't fibbing - it <b>is</b> an OK place - just not the nicest one could pick.

Sheila: WI - <i>could</i> mean West Indies - but in this case (and whenever cold weather is the topic) it means Wisconsin.

Saying Inverness is nice doesn't mean that places in the countryside aren't nicer. It just means it's nice. And I think it's a lot nicer than a lot of US cities of similar size.

&quot;<i>I think it's a lot nicer than a lot of US cities of similar size.</i>&quot;

Maybe, maybe not. But folks asking questions here are traveling in Scotland. To have them stay in Inverness when there are so very many nicer places in the same general area is a shame IMHO.

If one is on foot and relying on public transport, Inverness makes sense. But anyone w/ a car can stay anywhere, and just about <u>anywhere</u> in the area will be nicer than I'ness.

Hi - nessundorma -I watched &quot;Local Hero&quot; tonight. I thought the scenery was absolutely fantastic. Do any of you know where it was filmed? I leave on Wednesday for my trip and now, more than ever, I can't wait to get to the highlands and see some of the gorgeous scenery for myself. Thank you for the suggestion that I see the movie. I am taking it over to my friends house tomorrow (the one that is going with me) so she can watch it also. Thanks again -

check out

www.scotlandthemovie.com/movies/flocalhero.html

The west coast has had good weather over the past few days - cold but sunny and calm. Lets hope it holds out for you for next week.

Have a great trip!

The beach scenes were filmer around Arisiag and Morar- between Fort William and Mallaig; and the village is Pennan on the north east coast.

So in the movie where the village and beach were together - it was all an illusion? I'm glad I didn't know that before I watched the movie! Do the northern lights happen only certain times of the year? I have never seen them. I am starting to get really excited about leaving on Wednesday! Looks like the weather has improved a wee bit - but that isn't even bothering me any more either. I think my biggest fear still is driving on the left hand side - but once I get there, I am sure that will be o.k. also. Thanks for all of your good help.

Have a great time, and be sure to post a trip report when you get back!

I'm afraid it IS all an illusion

And you'd be late to see the Northern Lights, but you might.