Glasgow and surrounding area help
 

I found a really cheap flight from Halifax to Glasgow ($500 direct) so am looking into going late September. It will be a short trip, a week maximum. I probably will go for a day trip or even a couple days in Edinburgh, as it is so close and doable by train, and who knows when I'll be in Scotland again.

Now my big question is... has anyone done any countryside sight seeing by train only? I am traveling solo so won't be renting a car, and I cannot go on a bus tour for anxiety and motion sickness reasons. I do however love trains, and have traveled on them quite a bit in Europe.

Is there anything interesting I could see from Glasgow or would I be better off just sticking to the 2 cities, since I might just be there 5 nights anyway?

Thanks in advance :)

With 5 days and no car I would probably stick to the two cities - plenty to keep you occupied. The train journey between the two is less than an hour.

Click on my ID for trip reports on both cities and photos.

<i>I do however love trains, and have traveled on them quite a bit in Europe.</i>

In which case you should take one of the most beautiful train rides in Europe, the West Highland Line from Glasgow to Mallaig or Oban. I'd recommend Mallaig as it's longer and more scenic, but in September it'd be best to spend the night in Mallaig (plenty of B&Bs) and return to Glasgow the next day. You could do a day trip to Mallaig and back and probably be in daylight the whole way.

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/scotland-...williammallaig

Timetable - https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/def..._timetable.pdf

Not to be missed.

I agree with Gardyloo. There are other places than Mallaig to stay along the route but you'd miss some of the best scenery. I believe there are 3 departures daily. I usually take the one that leaves Glasgow Queen Street about 11:30 a.m. It arrives in Mallaig about 5:00/5:30 ? Mallaig may not be the best place to stay but absolutely fine for an overnight. You could even take the ferry over to Armadale on Skye ( short journey ) and stay there for the night. Personally, I'd not try to do it as a day trip. It can be done but too long on the train for me.

Oops, I meant to say you could do a day trip to <i>Oban</i> and back in daylight, NOT Mallaig.

There's lots you can do from Glasgow. The Mallaig line is superb and is definitley worth doing, especially if you plan an overnight.

Are ferries OK? If so you could do a day trip to Arran or Isle of Bute or Dunoon from Glasgow.
https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your...rail-and-ferry

There's also Stirling which is another splendid Scottish city and has a regular train service from Glasgow.

I don't think you can fit day trips in if you want to do two cities in 5 days. Glencoe/Fort William are 4-5 hours each way by train. It's just too long without an overnight stay and then that's two days minimum gone straight away and hardly any time to explore.

Repeating myself I know, but either do a couple of days each in Glasgow and Edinburgh and be content with that - they are great cities, or drop one (probably Edinburgh since you fly into Glasgow) and do that plus a day or two further north somewhere if you feel you want to get out into the countryside.

Thanks for the great info! Definitely lots to check out. At this cheap of a rate, I am thinking this will be my first but not my last trip to Scotland. Since I am still in the planning stages, I am open to breaking it up into a mix of city and a bit of countryside, if I were to extend it to a full week.

Guess what I'm going to do on this lovely Sunday afternoon? Thanks again for the train and ferry links!

A day trip to the Isle of Arran would be ideal for you. A train leaves Glasgow Central around 9.20am for Ardrossan. It takes a little less than an hour. There you would board the ferry for Arran. The trip takes 55 minutes to the village of Brodick. Buses await at the ferry terminus to take you around the island. The return journey would depart around 4.30 pm from Brodick. Weather permitting, it would be an ideal day.

I agree. Arran is often overlooked but it has much to offer and you'll get a feel for Highlands scenery too.

I agree - w/ such a short visit just do Edinburgh and Glasgow and perhaps one day trip. From Glasgow Arran is good and from Edinburgh either St Andrews or the new rail line down into the Borders.

Even with a full week/7 day trip -- that only nets you 4.5 days free 'on the ground'. So I'd still only do Glasgow and Edinburgh (plus possibly one day trip).