Getting Around in Scotland?
 

What is the easiest way for a jet-lagged family of 4 to get from Edinburgh airport to Aviemore (30 miles south of Inverness)

(Am not comfortable driving -- what, with jet lag and the left-hand drive thing.)

Thanks.

Well - what are you going to do once you are at Aviemore? You'd need a car there.

But you are right - it is downright dangerous to jump into a car and drive after an overnight flight.

What you should do is stay in Edinburgh your first night and pick up your car the next day to drive up to Aviemore. OR - pick up a car but only drive a few miles and stay in Linlithgow or possibly as far as Stirling. But no farther.

But I suspect you already have your flights and already booked your first night up north - right?

Aviemore is on the railway line to Inverness. There are trains every couple of hours from Edinburgh to Aviemore. The scenery is superb. If you fall asleep, the worst that could happen is that you get carried on to Inverness, and then have to get a train back to Aviemore. Try www.nationalrail.co.uk for schedules and fares.
Buses go from Edinburgh airport to Edinburgh Waverley station.

The easiest way is take the Airport bus from Edinburgh Airport to the bus stance at Waverley Bridge. Bus leaves the airport every 10 - 15 minutes, takes about 25 minutes to travel into the Waverley and the fare is £3 per person single fare or £5 return. Walk down the ramp into Edinburgh Waverley Railway Station and take the train from Edinburgh to Aviemore.

I would think that you will need a car to travel about in the Aviemore area. If so then I would suggest hiring a car in Inverness as there are more car hire companies giving a better choice of vehicles / rates.
The main road from Inverness to Aviemore is not too bad, mainly dual carriageway but there are sections where is reverts to two way road and that is when you have to concentrate on the road.

I totally agree - IF you must get to Aviemore the first day - the train is the only way to go. As explained, it would mean taking a bus into central Edinburgh and then a train to Aviemore.

But - honestly w/ a family in tow that is a bit of a hassle. Don't get me wrong, the airport bus is fine and it will drop you right outside the station. But jet lagged, and schlepping luggage on/off the train and still being woozy after flying all night. Some in your family may revolt. It will be a very long day (2 days actually since you will have been up more than 24 hours). Then the next day you'd have to take a train to Inverness to pick up a car.

So if it is set in stone that you get to Aviemore that day - take the train, no question. If you have flexibility however, stick close to Edinburgh and drive up the next day.

It's easier to take the Airdirect 747 bus to Inverkeithing from the airport, then train to Aviemore

According to the National Rail website the station has the facilities for collecting pre-booked tickets from machines

Booking a month in advance currently gives a fare of £20 RETURN per adult, though you might get a better overall deal by purchasing a family railcard at Inverkeithing BUT still prebook your tickets

See http://www.nationalexpresseastcoast.com/ & http://www.family-railcard.co.uk/

Wow...what great advice, Thanks!

Wish I'd thought about staying in
Edinburgh the first day, but
we do have to be in Aviemore that day...Resort not flexible on dates. So we'll take the scenic train.

Thanks for the web links, will book ahead. Riding a Scottish train will be part of the adventure.

Great advice on renting a car. Will do that for a couple of days.

I'm assuming you are in a time share at Aviemore - right? If so, I am a <i>bit</i> concerned about the &lt;&lt;Great advice on renting a car. Will do that for a <u>couple</u> of days.&gt;&gt;

What sorts of things are you planning on doing for a week in that area if you don't have car. I mean for the full week not just a couple of days. There are lots of activities at most of the resorts - but if you want to see &quot;Scotland&quot; you'll have to get in a car . . . .

It's quite possible to see Scotland without a car. There are trains, buses and boats. I've been to Iona, Eigg, Skye, Ullapool, Orkney, Shetland, Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, etc, etc, without a car.
There are trains and buses from Aviemore.

The easiest way is to fly from Edinburgh to Inverness (www.ba.com) &amp; get a taxi.

I also think you need a car at Aviemore, unless you are planning to spend the whole week within the complex.

GeoffHamer: Of course one can tour Scotland w/o a car. No one argues that.

But look at the OP's situation -- family of 4, staying in Aviemore for a week -- how on earth are they going to be able to tour out from Aviemore every day by public transport and see more than Inverness and a few other places? One size does not fit all, and in this case public transport wouldn't work well at all.

I am a person who only uses public transportation while in Scotland and have never had a problem in seeing what I wanted. I do have to say though that I have never spent an entire week in a single place. I guess it could be done without a car, but I question the reason in spending a week in a complex.

I don't think we should make assumptions about what other people want to do. I would assume that if a family of four has decided to stay in Aviemore for a week, they probably won't want to spend every day touring in a car, but that's up to them to decide, not me or anyone else.

rogeruktm: Staying one place for a week at a time can make wonderful sense - but generally one needs a car to make it work.

Pros: Self catering accommodations so lots more space for a family than in a B&amp;B/hotel -- and includes a kitchen/washer/dryer

One can often see a lot more by doing day trip loops out and back than moving place to place every day.

Less expensive (generally) than serviced accommodations.

Con: Not really doable by public transport since most rental cottages/resorts are in the countryside -- except when the base in someplace like Edinburgh.

I've done LOTS of both - and in general prefer to do a combination of both -- stay a week in a cottage - then travel around for a few days to another area, then another cottage for a week.

GH: My hunch reading between the lines (and this is just a hunch that only the OP can confirm) is that the OP did not choose the resort - the resort chose them. What I mean is most Americans (another assumption) who end up at Aviemore have done a timeshare trade and Aviemore was the only place they could get.

They ask for a resort in the UK or specifically in Scotland and because of the over capacity in Aviemore in the summer time - that is where they end up.

Janisj -- are you a wizard? Yes, you guessed it, it's a time share trade - (use it or lose it.)

Now that I've figured out HOW to get to Aviemore and discovered what there is to do, yes, I think that a car is a necessity -- at least for part of the stay. There's much more flexibility and it's more efficient when you don't have a lot of time. You know us Americans....always in a rush!

I picked this area for the outdoor activities that my children like -- canoeing, hiking, etc. and without a car, it's going to be difficult to get to those venues.

&quot;<i>Janisj -- are you a wizard?</i>&quot; ;) I have certain - um - talents :D

Actually - I'm an American who lived in the UK for several years and have traded for properties in the UK maybe 20+ times and am familiar w/ almost every timeshare resort in Scotland. So I just recognized the &quot;signs&quot;

And to clarify my comment about a one week stay at a complex...My point is the beauty of Scotland would go amiss if one stayed in a complex all of the time. I would prefer to be on the go or stay someplace where public transportation/tours would make for better connections for day trips. I do love Scotland and I want people to see it!!

I dare say I've seen more of Scotland than many people - usually 2.5 - 3 weeks at a time. I usually stay a week in a couple of different areas and B&amp;B in between. It may be hard to understand - but one actually can see much more that way than moving from place to place every day. Think of a cottage as the center of a wheel and all the day trips are spokes - you get to a LOT more places w/ less travel time. If one chooses locations carefully a week-long base (w/ a car of course) is very efficient.

For instance a base west of Inverness is good for everything from Elgin/Speyside/Dufftown to Ullapool, And Caithness to Ft Augustus or even Glencoe. A day trip to Skye is even doable - though staying a few days on Skye would be better.

A base in the Trossachs would be central for sites from Blair Castle to Loch Lomond and Oban to western Fife.

A place in the Borders would let you visit from Bamburgh, Holy Island and Hadrians Wall in England, St Abbs Head, to New Lanark and even into the SW.

There are many other examples - Deeside, Galloway/Ayrshire, etc would make really good week long bases. . . . . .

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