Cruise stops in Holyhead, Glasgow, Kirkwall and Edinburgh
 

Our cruise will be in these ports early July. Besides all the expensive shore excursions, any suggestions on how to spend the day in any of these locations? Are there any "must sees"? Know anything about Snowdonia (Holyhead)? or Inveraray Castle (Glasgow)? We have never been to Scotland but have always wanted to go.

Inverary Castle's a good visit, and it's a nice trip to get there, but it's hardly in Glasgow. Mind you, I doubt you're docking there.-Port Glasgow, is it? Or Greenock?

Glasgow City's worth a day of anyone's time

Most likely port for Glasgow is Gourock or possibly Greenock.Trains to Glasgow Central every 20 mins, takes about 45 mins.

The shore excursion listing says Greenock but one of the excursion options is "Inveraray Castle and Loch Lomond". Another excursion is "City of Glasgow".

I cannot speak for Snowdonia because we unfortunately were not able to explore it. We spent one miserable night in Holyhead due to a very early ferry crossing to Dublin. I hesitate to use such harsh words but Holyhead is a hellhole--very bleak and unattractive in every way. It is a port which transports half of all goods leaving London to Dublin. It is very busy. If you can get to Carnaervon Castle or some interesting areas in Snowdonia you should do fine but I cannot imagine what you will find to do in HH. I will spare the details of the awful B&B we stayed in right on the main road--just a dreadful place. Hope your cruise will be enjoyable!

Thanks nini, That helps a lot. It is interesting that the cruise does not offer a "City of Holyhead" tour. I guess we will have to sign up for some sort of excursion at that port.

Irish11,

You asked about the merits of the "Inveraray Castle and Loch Lomond" excursion as opposed to "City of Glasgow".

I would say it depends on your tastes - if you want a scenic trip with some beautiful views of the lochs & mountains, choose Inveraray Castle & Loch Lomond. If, on the other hand you would prefer shopping and all the amenities of a big city, then you should pick Glasgow.

On the assumption that you will also be making a city trip when you get to Edinburgh, you might want to choose Inverary/Loch Lomond as a contrast.

Jim

Thanks Jim, Shopping is fine if there is not anything else to do...looks like we will be off to Inveraray Castle. Do you know anything about Kirkwall? Any "must sees" there?

Sorry Irish11 - Never been to the Orkneys so can't help re Kirkwall.

Hopefully someone will be able to help but, in the meantime, have you tried putting "Kirkwall" (without the quotes) into the "search this forum" box above these messages? I did it & found 14 threads.

Jim

From Holyhead, you have a number of choices. Visit Caernafon Castle where the Prince of Wales is crowned(?). Conwy Castle is another choice which could be coupled with a visit to Bodnant Gardens and/or Penrhyn Castle which has paintings by Rembrandt, Canaletto and a few others.

The connection from Greenock to Glasgow by train is easy. Glasgow is much more than a shopping area. It has a first class cathedral started in the 13C. It is also home to the Burrell Collection which contains works from pre-Christian civilizations to Degas. The University District has 4 museums in a compact area. The Hunterian is famous for its Whistlers and the Mackintosh Wing. The Museum of Transport is just what it says and is a good one particularly if you have interest in shipbuilding. Remember the Clyde was the home of great shipyards and the Queen Mary, Elizabeth I and a number of other Cunarders were built there.

If you just want a relaxing day from Greenock, you could take the train to Gourock and the ferry across to Dunoon and the Holy Loch where the US Navy had a submarine base until 1992.

A little googling will give you lots more.

Ah, Kirkwall. I missed that.

It's a lovely wee town and, espcially if the weather's fine, make sure you find time to just sit and absorb the atmosphere.

The cathedral is magnificent,and you should make time to see the Highland Park distillery.

But most of Orkney's glory lies out of town. Don't miss Scapa Flow, Skara Brae, the Italian Chapel, the views, and the birds.

There are many more wonderful things; but those would be my recommendations for "must sees"

Thanks Sheila, You just made my decision much easier. The cruise offers trips to both Skara Brae and the Highland Park Distillery. I was not sure if both were worth a trip, but you have convinced me to do both. Scotland, here we come!

As others have already said, do not waste a moment in Holyhead. You could check trains to Conwy (www.nationalrail.co.uk) which has a fine castle.
For Glasgow, your choices do depend on exactly where the ship berths. Inveraray is too far and fairly difficult to do independently, but Loch Lomond is easy to reach by train from Glasgow.
Kirkwall is an interesting town. There is a daily bus in summer that tours the ancient sites including Skara Brae. Last summer’s schedule is on http://www.orkney.gov.uk/media/artic.../summer/13.pdf