kikihack

My husband and I are travelling to Scotland for six nights, the last week in September, flying in and out of Glasgow. We are pretty well traveled and have no problem navigating through countryside or cities. We don't mind doing a lot of driving if it means we will get to see everything we are interested in (we are not much for sitting still and relaxing!) I understand not everyone enjoys travelling this way, but we prefer to get a taste of different areas rather than just spend our time in one place. We are in our mid 30's, love experiencing local culture, and try to avoid crowds and touristy activities. I usually have a good sense of where I want to spend my time, but am finding myself overwhelmed with all my Scotland guidebooks that make everything look fantastic. I would really like some advice on what areas would provide us with what we are looking for-- dramatic scenery and wildlife, romantic inns, a great golf course for my husband to play (does not have to be a famous one), colorful pubs, ancient sites. I know we would definitely like to spend some time in Edinburgh-- it looks like a fantastic strolling city. My thought was to take off from Glasgow directly to the highlands (where, I am not sure) maybe check out some of the islands (which ones??), come back through a brief stop in St. Andrews (for my husband's benefit) and end up maybe two nights in Edinburgh? Skip Glasgow altogether? Any help would be greatly appreciated, whether it is a suggestion for a location or a hotel or B&B (we are looking to spend about 100-150/night for a room, but will definitely splurge for a fantastic historical accomodation). Thank you!



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cdfev

Hello Kikihack:

My family of four just got back today from a 7 night Scotland tour (our first). We spent two days in Edinburgh but left at 6 PM on the second night in order to be in the countryside rather than fight rush hour traffic the next morning.

We stayed in a small hotel in the Trossachs and enjoyed a calleigh ( a night of Scottish music and dance) in this hotel. We even joined in and had a wonderful and unique experience. We drove to Glencoe and stayed at the Isles of Glencoe Hotel (they have a web site). If it is sunny, the view out your window is jaw dropping. The dinner and breakfast were included in our rate and this was an excellent place to get a feel of the Highlands.

We drove down to Turnberry and spent 2 nights there. This was a once in a lifetime experience and is expensive (we used frequent flyer points). Your husband should be well aware of the golf courses at Turnberry. (I'm with you in not wanting to stay in one place too long.)

I'd recommend that you spend most of your time in the Highlands and enjoy the people/ aura of Scotland. You can't really go wrong wherever you end up. Try to find a hotel that is hosting a calleigh and go in with an open mind and a willingness to join in.

My kids (14 and 11) grew tired of the castles and museums pretty quickly but we mixed it up as much as possible.

jencar

My husband, son and I went to Scotland last year. In Inverness we stayed at Glenrossie B&B. Our host drew a map for us to drive from Inverness up to Durness. It was fantastic! The scenery is beautiful. We left at 9:30 a.m. and arrived in Ullapool by 5:30. We stopped quite a bit along the way. I had a great coffee in Dingwall and there are two bakeries in town where you can pick up sandwiches for the day. Our son climbed a hill along the way and chased sheep! The road from Bonar Bridge to Tongue, the A836, is a one-track road. It's lots of fun. We only saw a few cars all day. (There's a restroom in Durness!!)
This is just one suggestion. It was a highlight of our trip. From Ullapool it's an easy drive to Isle of Skye. While in Inverness you can see Loch Ness and the Battle of Culloden site. We enjoyed that. My husband's aunt lives in Glasgow and we really enjoyed the city. Since you will be flying in and out of there it would be worth a visit.
We also were on the move...we went to Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Stirling, Perth, Oban, Glencoe, and Ft. William. We also went to England and in 4 weeks put 4,000 miles on our rental car! Have fun!

sheila

You're not asking a lot, are you?!!

The on ething I think you may be underestimating is just how long it takes to get around the Highland roads, but, let's see what we can do.

1. What time does your flight get in on what day of the week?

2. What time does your flight leave, on what day of the week?

You're too late in the season for Highland Games, but you should have a look at the web sites for the Scotsmand and Herald newspapers in the weeks before you leave, to see what's on and when, whilst you're in the country.

Most of our dramatic scenery and wildlife is in the north and west. I fear, given teh short period of your stay that Skye is a must. You can pick off most things there. You should see Scotland's most spectacular mountains, and there are deer in large number, seals in large number and birds in large number. There are a couple of top places to stay- one of the best 100 restaurants in teh world in the Three Chimneys at Dunvegan and they have roooms at The House Over By. Book now. Otherwise the nicest place is down in Sleat and is the Hotel Eilean Iarmain.

I think I'm of the view that you should go straight to Skye, (starting depending on jet lag) spend a day there, head to the Central Highlands- Glen Lyon; Loch Tay; Schiehallion; Loch Tummel sort of area, then on to the romantic fishing villages of teh East Neuk of Fife to do your trip to St Andrews.

Finish in Edinburgh and dump your car there, getting the train, and shuttle bus back to Glasgow airport.

If that shape appeals to you, let us know, give us your flight times and I'll try to be more specific on places to stay and see along your route.

kswl

We visited Glasgow for 5 nights in 2002. Our purpose there was the Irish Dancing world championships (daughter dancing) and so we had to fit in day trips around her practice schedule and competition. We hired a guide through the Scottish Tourist Guides association who was excellent. I'm sorry I can't remember his last name (although I have a great photo of him!). Alastair is a retired schoolteacher, very knowledgeable and witty, with a black Land Rover from which he would serve tea (and coffee, on request) out of the boot. The tea included cookies and cakes, so we were able to picnic in a lay by along those impossibly narrow sheep tracks.

I believe all the guides certified by that association have to have certain degree of knowledge, as well as vehicle insurance. You're planning to drive yourself, but you might want to hire a guide to go with you for some historical sights. We were very glad we did; pricey, but good value.

kikihack

Thank you all for the excellent replies thus far. For those who asked for more specific info, we will be arriving in Glasgow on Saturday the 24th at 8:00 a.m., leaving on Friday at noon. We will have slept on the plane so we have no problem hitting the ground running, even for a long drive (for better or worse, this is the way we typically operate). I appreciate all the suggestions about Skye, it looks like a "must see." I was wondering how long the drive is (should we take the bridge rather than the ferry?) Is there anything major I should stop at on the way to Skye (I see someone mentioned Glencoe)? The islands of Harris looked appealing from Skye, but with the ferry service, I am not sure this will be a time conserving move. After Skye, should we head to Inverness to do some touring from there? I was thinking of sending my husband to the Royal Dornach golf course-- it looks like a great course, but perhaps less crowded then the more famous ones. After spending some time in Inverness area, we hoped to drive to Edinburgh, doing a quick stop in St. Andrews (but not overnight). How would it make sense to divide up-- 2 nights Sky, 2 Inverness, 2 Edinburgh? Any further thoughts would be greatly appreciated, this is so much more helpful than the guidebooks!!

kikihack

p.s. We have a very reliable GPS system so we are not worried about finding our way!

sheila

OK; to meet your requirements.

you get in at 8am; earliest you get away from the airport, once you've got your luggage and hired your car is 9.30am.

You either drive to Mallaig and get the ferry. You'll never get the 12.25; and only if you don't stop will you get the 1.45; so let's assume you're on the 3.05pm (that means you ahve to be there for 2.35pm)

Crossing takes 25 minutes and it's another 1 1/2 hours to Dunvegan, so you get in at 5pm. Now you don't have go as far as Dunvegan, but that's a worst case scenario.

Going over the bridge, you will be over 4 hours to Kyleakin, and aother 1 1/2 hours to Dunvegan. With stops, at least 4.30pm. Eexie peeie, really.

day 2 Skye.

day 3...You could do Harris or the Uists(and for the avoidance of doubt, if it were me, I'd do the Outer Isles, rather than your other options), but if you do, that's it. Straight back to civilisation. No more Highlands.

Or you could EITHER do the Central Highlands- I would do that; take in Glenneagles or Rosemount instead of Dornoch- or the area round Inverness. Not both.

Use either Beauly (Lovat Arms) as your base, or Kenmore (Ardeonaig); I can't really recommend anywhere on Lewis or Harris (tho' if it were me, it would be Harris and not Lewis), or if yo do the Uists, stay in the Pollachar Inn on Monday and get the overnight ferry out of Lochboisdale to Oban on Tuesday, then hightail it back to Edinburgh.

That would give you Wednesday evening and all day Thursday in Edinburgh, followed by an 8am departure from Edinburgh to glasgow on Friday am.

pick your middle option and we'll firm up some stuff for you.

kikihack

Thank you Shelia, I like your style! I am going to mull over these options with my 3 guide books close at hand and write back when I've considered these options further. But one last quickie-- where can I send my husband to golf a round, so that he will feel like has has played an authentic Scottish course?

sheila

kikihack

every village in Scotland has a golf course. Even Portree.And believe me, if he plays Portree he'll never doubt he's played a genuine Scottish course.

I already mentioned Rosemount and Gleneagles- FTAOD, they're golf courses, my dear; and bloody good ones too; they are in the Central Highlands. If you do te Beauly route that leave you with Royal Dornoch, or, the Championship course at Nairn.

If you go the Outer Isles route, and Portree won't do, when you get to Edinburgh, send him to Gullane, where he'll be spoiled for choice.

Teecha

Dear Kikihack,

In 2003, I spent 10 days driving through Scotland before spending 10 doing the same in Iceland.

I had read Scotland: The Story of a Nation by the Iceland-born historian, Magnus Magnusson. It is a fantastic book written for people who want to know Scotland's history and want to be able to find sites easily. Like you, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information available but Magnusson's book helped me to have a deeper interest in some of the sites.

Anyway, I rented an automatic car with a/c and a CD player because, while I wanted the experience of driving alone to new places, I also wanted something familiar on the trip.

I wanted to start on the left side of Scotland to find the area where my mother's Mac Farlane name came from, then head west to Iona, where many Scottish kings were buried, then north, hoping to possibly get to the Isle of Skye, up to Inverness (for my second time) and as far north to the Orkneys to see specific historic sites and then end the trip in Edinburgh.

Glasgow had been selected as the European capital one year so they cleaned up the city since my previous trip. I stayed in the hotel attached to Central [train] Station so I was able to walk to pubs and bars, get fish and chips at 3 a.m. and purchase Alka Seltzer downstairs at the Boots pharmacy when I woke up.

After a couple of nights of this, I got my rental car and drove around the city a few times so that I could get accustomed to driving on the left hand side of the road for the first time in 25 years. I only went down one One-Way street, much to the dismay of an elderly law-abiding gentleman.

From Glasgow I headed for William Wallace [Braveheart] country near Stirling. Check out the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Don't miss The Great Hall of Stirling Castle built by James IV around 1500 and restored at a cost of 22 million pounds. Go back in time as you walk through the castle and you might come across a crew doing a historical dig on some part of the property as I did.

Leave there in time to get to the National Wallace Monument, dedicated to William Wallace. It has a look-out platform which has a great view of the countryside. Grab a prawn sandwich in any convenience store for me when you get hungry. Loved them and they were a very reasonable meal.

For family history, I headed - after 9 p.m. - for an area called Arrochar, where the Mac Farlane name where originated. Don't know if you have any Scottish links in your family but if you do, I recommend checking out any as the journey will lead to more "adventuring".

From Arrochar, I headed west to Oban to take my car on the ferry to Mull, drove west on that island to leave my car in a parking lot to ferry across to Iona, an island given to St. Columba by the king of Dalriada around 570. Columba founded monastic community on Iona and many famous kings are buried there.

On Mull, I spent a night in Tobermoray, the location for a popular children's TV show, Ballamory (not sure if I spelt it correctly). Ferried back to the mainland and wanted to go to Skye simply because of a song, Donald Where's Your Troosers [Trousers], a funny song which I'd learnt as a child from a Scottish step-dad. [On a more serious note, The Skye Boat Song is one of Scotland's best-loved Jacobite songs. I'm sure you'll know it.]

Worried for time, I headed to Inverness but realized that I could not miss seeing the site of the 1692 Massacre of Glencoe, "one of the most renowned of all of Scotland's magnificient glens", according to Magnusson. I was thrilled to walk a path to find the area where at least 38 the Macdonalds of Glencoe were slaughtered during a raging snowstorm. The massacre, Magnusson said, "blackened the name of Campbell for ever in Highland memory because it had been committed after the Macdonalds had shown the Campbells hospitality.

On your way to Inverness you could stop for a boat ride on Loch Ness, one of the deepest lochs in the world and hope of the famous Loch Ness Monster or Nessie. Check out the information center which was not completed when I was there.

In Inverness, check out the Harlequin pub where you could try haggis for dinner and meet new friends downstairs in the pub, which we closed 15 minutes beyond its legal time. Take time out to get to Culloden battlefield, the site of the Scots last defeat to the English, if I'm not mistaken.

If you really want to see Scottish history that predates the Pyramids, ferry to Mainland Orkney and see Maes Howe, a chambered tomb which has some of the oldest Viking graffiti written by lovers and absconders. You'll also see the Standing Stones of Stenness [in circular formation somewhat like Stonehenge] and Skara Brae [a restored village].

When I got back to Truro, I think is the name, I headed east to the northernmost point for part of the day and drove 99 miles to Edinbburgh in one day.

In Edinburgh you have to see Medieval Edinburgh, Greyfriars Kirkyard where Greyfriars Bobby was buried. Check out the story which was made into a Disney movie. Check out Edinburgh Castle [loaded with history] and see the Scottish Regalia and The Stone of Destiny, the stone seat upon which Scottish kings were crowned at Scone.

It was taken to London after the union of the kingdoms and was stolen by a group of young Scottish Nationalists who wanted Scotland to get it back. In trying to steal it from under the Queen's throne in Westminster Abbey, it broke. It was returned, wrapped in a saltire flag [flag of Scotland] and deposited on the high altar in the runis of Arbroath. Eventually, England returned it to Scotland.

Walk up Edinburgh's Royal Mile, the length of which QEII rode in an open carriage for the official opening of the new Scottish Parliament in 1999.

I think the Whitehorse [not sure of the name] is the oldest pub in Edinburgh because I met the bar manager who'd studied history. Outside and near to it is a decorative area where people sit to have fish and chips. It is the site where Covenanters [Protestants] were hung. He showed me the store where the rope was bought and it was still a store that sold rope and household items.

I didn't get a chance to see Arbroath abbey built by King William and destroyed during the Rough Wooing. If you're interested you could do this after golfing at St. Andrews.

Really wanted to see the Declaration of Arbroath, the most important document in Scottish history, which was Robert the Bruce's 1320 attempt to get the Pope to recognize him as the legitmate King of the Scots.

As you can see, I love Scottish history, geography and culture and hope I have provided you with some color for your trip, while sending kisses to all the Scottish hearts who read this.