I'm a budget traveller wanting to know if rural Scotland is as pricey as rural England. Know that England in general is quite a bit more money than France, but wondering if this is also true for Scotland. thanks so much for your help.

Petrol's dear. Accommodation's not (necessarily). Anything in particular you want to know about?

Price difference has more to do with urban v rural rather than Scotland v England. Prices in small rural shops are higher than in supermarkets in towns, though if you go to large national chains like Tesco or Sainsbury's you find prices are more even. Yes, fuel costs more (less competition, transport costs despite North Sea oil). Range and price of accommodation is similar. Same with eating out. With high British duty on spirits, Scotch whisky's no cheaper, but it's fun to visit distilleries and do tastings.

Sheila--<BR><BR>I've been lost. Our computer crashed right after I posted this message, so We are not at all particular about fancy lodging or fancy meals. We like the outdoors, nature and small villages. <BR>About how much would lodging in a b & b or small family run inn cost us per night? We might be interested in renting bikes and doing some biking in addition to hiking. We are tired of being sightseers (not that we wouldn't do some) and would rather experience another country for a while. We have made anumber of trips to the conti8nent but none to the UK. <BR>Will Scotland cost us an arm and a leg? Thanks so much.<BR><BR>

No, why should it? People wouldn't live there if it did.<BR><BR>Alec's point about urban v rural rather than Sco v Eng is spot on.

You would get a good B&B for &pound;25/night. You will get one from anything over &pound;14 or so.<BR><BR>Have you checked out the web site for the Scottish Tourist Board- visitscotland? It lists accommodation by area and type. I'm not much of an expert in B&Bs, but I'd be happy to try to help