Edinburgh Day trips
Dec 21st, 2007 | 11:48 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 60
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Edinburgh Day trips
Has anyone had any experience for a day coach trip out of Edinburgh? My wife and I are going there in April 2008 and would like to do a day trip that ideally took in Stirling castle and Dumbarton. We dont drink so a disterilly tour is of no interest. Thanks so from, Rick from Australia
Dec 21st, 2007 | 11:57 AM
#2
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 208
Likes: 0
There are a number of day tours from Edinburgh to Stirling etc and I have listed some of the websites which you may wish to look through to see those which could interest you.
www.graylinescotland.com
www.timberbush-tours.co.uk
www.scotlinetours.co.uk
www.heartofscotlandtours.co.uk
www.highlandexplorertours.com
www.rabbies.com
www.haggisadventures.com
Stirling is very accessible from Edinburgh either by local bus or taking the train. This would then enable you to tour the area and see places of interest to you rather than being taken by an organised bus tour.
www.graylinescotland.com
www.timberbush-tours.co.uk
www.scotlinetours.co.uk
www.heartofscotlandtours.co.uk
www.highlandexplorertours.com
www.rabbies.com
www.haggisadventures.com
Stirling is very accessible from Edinburgh either by local bus or taking the train. This would then enable you to tour the area and see places of interest to you rather than being taken by an organised bus tour.
Dec 21st, 2007 | 01:18 PM
#3
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,248
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I'm not familiar with Dumbarton, but we did Stirling as a day trip easily on our own. Return train tickets were £7, and we caught the hop-on-hop-off bus tour (I think another £7) once we were there from right outside the train station. We got to spend as long at the castle, Wallace monument, etc. as we liked.
Dec 21st, 2007 | 02:57 PM
#4
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 75,042
Likes: 50
A day tour that includes Dumbarton AND Stirling is not that likely. Lots of tours to Stirling - but it's cheaper and IMHO better to just take the train on your own. Or, there are long day trips that go to Oban and back that include Dumbarton.
But both on the same tour - nope just not enough time in a day to include both.
But both on the same tour - nope just not enough time in a day to include both.
Dec 26th, 2007 | 05:09 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
Likes: 0
I think Meks has listed all the sites I can think of
Here are some suggestions for things you can do by train without a guide.
1/ Day trips from Edinburgh on the train….
Perth is a former major route junction for the trains, and you will find lines from there to Edinburgh, Glasgow, via Stirling, Dundee and then Aberdeen, Inverness and all points between.
1(a) I would suggest a day in Stirling would be a good use of your time. The only problem is, it's a bit spread out, so you might need to use cabs a lot. Great castle; Wallace
Monument, Bannockburn; good shopping.
1(b) Another thought would be Pitlochry then back to Dunkeld (actually, on checking my guide I see that some (not all, so be careful) trains stop at Blair Atholl. On second thoughts miss out Pitlochry, which is an overrated tourist trap, and go on to Blair Atholl) Blair Atholl is a planned village and is very pretty in a slightly twee Victorian style, and it houses Blair Castle, home of the Dukes of Atholl and the Atholl Highlanders. V. Impressive in the grand style. I have no idea how you get from the station to the castle but it's only a mile.
On the way back south plan to stop at Dunkeld- station is Birnam, again about a mile from
Dunkeld proper.
The Cathedral is special, but so is the Square with its National Trust houses- the Little Houses. Some very good antique shops (never pay what they are asking)
Birnam is, of course, famous as being the place from which the wood came to Dunsinane in Macbeth. Dunsinane is just north of Perth on the Aberdeen Road.
1(c).Most of Perth's interest lies in its history- ancient capital of Scotland- and in its place in Scottish literature. Just north of Perth, 2 miles or so, is Scone Palace, worth a visit itself, which was the site where the kings and queens of Scotland were crowned, seated on the Stone of Destiny, (a good fake of) which you will no doubt have seen when you visited
Edinburgh castle.
The town's 12th century Church, St John's, is worth a visit. It contains the remains of an Earl of Perth who is supposed to have told the town's baillies "If you give me six feet, I'll give you twa Inches"- a reference to the two parks on either side of the old town, the North and South Inches (from the Gaelic Innis meaning meadow). In addition, it is where John Knox preached the destruction of the monasteries at the start of the Scottish reformation
Sir Walter Scott wrote a novel called "the Fair Maid of Perth" and her house and that of Hal o' the Wynd, can both be visited. This will tell you all about Clan Chattan and Clan Kay and the battle they fought (staged?) on the North Inch. Next to Hal o' the Wynd's house is the City Mills which has a restored oatmeal mill and some nice craft shops. The City Mills Hotel, which I think is now called the Stakis, is another converted Mill, done so the lade
can be seen flowing underneath.
If you walk along the Tay, you can see where the houses in the Watergate had their gardens which led down to the river, where Kate Barlass held off the soldiers come to
capture and kill the king.
The town has really good shopping centered around the High street and Old High Street. On the north edge of the town is the Caithness Glass factory where you can see the glass
being made and, of course, buy from the factory shop. Caithness has gone into receivership, (like Chapter 11) so you need to keep an eye on the situation before making
the trek out
There are a lot of nice walks.. along the river and through the North Inch, through the Norie Millar gardens on the north side of the river, Branklyn gardens on the north side of the river, Kinnoull hill with its folly, and, Buckie Braes and Callerfountain out towards the west.
Places to eat- Let's Eat is without doubt the best place in town, Patrick’s is a bistro behind the Sherriff Court (which is on Tay Street), which is quite good, and Littlejohns, Paco's and the Filling station, are all cheap and cheerful.
The Willows tea room in St John's Square is very good for coffee/tea and cakes and things.
1(d) Go up the coast as far as Arbroath, which is a traditional fishing town, famous for its "smokies", and its cathedral, which is where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. "For so long as a hundred of us remain alive, we will yield in no least way to English
dominion" and all that.
Stop (if you want) at Carnoustie a couple of miles down the coast.. smaller and more of a 1920s tourist place, but famous for its golf course. The course is owned by the Council
and is remarkably cheap to play..
If you are rash enough to get off the train in Dundee (armpit of the Universe; am I making myself plain?) there's not much of quality to see or do. There is a very good visitor centre (the Discovery Centre) near the station, which interprets Captain Scott's voyages to the Antarctic, and his ship, the Discovery ,is moored alongside, so you can visit. Nearby is the Unicorn, a Dundee Whaler, which is also open to the public. There are people who
actually like Dundee but they are few and far between.
As an alternative to going up the coast from Dundee, you could change there and get the train to Leuchars, 6 miles from St Andrews. Buses leave Leuchars for St Andrews every
half hour (not Sundays)
Here are some suggestions for things you can do by train without a guide.
1/ Day trips from Edinburgh on the train….
Perth is a former major route junction for the trains, and you will find lines from there to Edinburgh, Glasgow, via Stirling, Dundee and then Aberdeen, Inverness and all points between.
1(a) I would suggest a day in Stirling would be a good use of your time. The only problem is, it's a bit spread out, so you might need to use cabs a lot. Great castle; Wallace
Monument, Bannockburn; good shopping.
1(b) Another thought would be Pitlochry then back to Dunkeld (actually, on checking my guide I see that some (not all, so be careful) trains stop at Blair Atholl. On second thoughts miss out Pitlochry, which is an overrated tourist trap, and go on to Blair Atholl) Blair Atholl is a planned village and is very pretty in a slightly twee Victorian style, and it houses Blair Castle, home of the Dukes of Atholl and the Atholl Highlanders. V. Impressive in the grand style. I have no idea how you get from the station to the castle but it's only a mile.
On the way back south plan to stop at Dunkeld- station is Birnam, again about a mile from
Dunkeld proper.
The Cathedral is special, but so is the Square with its National Trust houses- the Little Houses. Some very good antique shops (never pay what they are asking)
Birnam is, of course, famous as being the place from which the wood came to Dunsinane in Macbeth. Dunsinane is just north of Perth on the Aberdeen Road.
1(c).Most of Perth's interest lies in its history- ancient capital of Scotland- and in its place in Scottish literature. Just north of Perth, 2 miles or so, is Scone Palace, worth a visit itself, which was the site where the kings and queens of Scotland were crowned, seated on the Stone of Destiny, (a good fake of) which you will no doubt have seen when you visited
Edinburgh castle.
The town's 12th century Church, St John's, is worth a visit. It contains the remains of an Earl of Perth who is supposed to have told the town's baillies "If you give me six feet, I'll give you twa Inches"- a reference to the two parks on either side of the old town, the North and South Inches (from the Gaelic Innis meaning meadow). In addition, it is where John Knox preached the destruction of the monasteries at the start of the Scottish reformation
Sir Walter Scott wrote a novel called "the Fair Maid of Perth" and her house and that of Hal o' the Wynd, can both be visited. This will tell you all about Clan Chattan and Clan Kay and the battle they fought (staged?) on the North Inch. Next to Hal o' the Wynd's house is the City Mills which has a restored oatmeal mill and some nice craft shops. The City Mills Hotel, which I think is now called the Stakis, is another converted Mill, done so the lade
can be seen flowing underneath.
If you walk along the Tay, you can see where the houses in the Watergate had their gardens which led down to the river, where Kate Barlass held off the soldiers come to
capture and kill the king.
The town has really good shopping centered around the High street and Old High Street. On the north edge of the town is the Caithness Glass factory where you can see the glass
being made and, of course, buy from the factory shop. Caithness has gone into receivership, (like Chapter 11) so you need to keep an eye on the situation before making
the trek out
There are a lot of nice walks.. along the river and through the North Inch, through the Norie Millar gardens on the north side of the river, Branklyn gardens on the north side of the river, Kinnoull hill with its folly, and, Buckie Braes and Callerfountain out towards the west.
Places to eat- Let's Eat is without doubt the best place in town, Patrick’s is a bistro behind the Sherriff Court (which is on Tay Street), which is quite good, and Littlejohns, Paco's and the Filling station, are all cheap and cheerful.
The Willows tea room in St John's Square is very good for coffee/tea and cakes and things.
1(d) Go up the coast as far as Arbroath, which is a traditional fishing town, famous for its "smokies", and its cathedral, which is where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320. "For so long as a hundred of us remain alive, we will yield in no least way to English
dominion" and all that.
Stop (if you want) at Carnoustie a couple of miles down the coast.. smaller and more of a 1920s tourist place, but famous for its golf course. The course is owned by the Council
and is remarkably cheap to play..
If you are rash enough to get off the train in Dundee (armpit of the Universe; am I making myself plain?) there's not much of quality to see or do. There is a very good visitor centre (the Discovery Centre) near the station, which interprets Captain Scott's voyages to the Antarctic, and his ship, the Discovery ,is moored alongside, so you can visit. Nearby is the Unicorn, a Dundee Whaler, which is also open to the public. There are people who
actually like Dundee but they are few and far between.
As an alternative to going up the coast from Dundee, you could change there and get the train to Leuchars, 6 miles from St Andrews. Buses leave Leuchars for St Andrews every
half hour (not Sundays)
