As some Fodorites already know, I am planning a trip to Scotland in August 2009, for which I have extensively planned in the last 12 months.
I have read 3 guide books (and many posts), booked my accommodation, more or less decided what we want to see and where we will go every day (as soon as I have the time, I will post my itinerary to ask for advice on the last doubts).

Now, I have just received some new information I can’t make up my mind on: I received a mail from Visit Scotland, telling me that they have created a pass covering all NTS and HS properties (and then some), for up to 35£. This is great value, and I hope this information can be useful to someone, but I can’t decide if I should purchase it or not, because the pass has a major flaw: it can be purchased online, but collected ONLY at Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Urqhuart Castle or Glasgow Cathedral.
This doesn’t mean only that all the tourists using it have to visit one of those properties sooner or later (which is probably a good guess), but that one of them MUST be the first visited. At least for me, this is not the case: I am going to visit the Castle Trail, and my first stop will be Glamis!

Now, I have three options:
1. Not purchasing the pass. Actually, it makes sense, because the overall cost of the properties I had planned to visit is around 35£. But I know that having a pass I would at least have a look at many others! Besides, the pass allows to avoid queuing for tickets
2. Collecting the pass at Edinburgh Castle, after I land at Edinburgh Airport at 1 pm. This LOOKS my best option, but my past experience with Edinburgh traffic really makes me think that it would be a nightmare
3. Making a deviation on my way to Pitlochry, that for personal reasons is my first night stop before I go to Glamis on the following day, and collecting the pass at Stirling Castle. I can’t decide if the pass is worth a deviation (I was originally going to meet people in Pitlochry at 4), and I am not sure of how long I should queue for tickets (I guess the pass must be collected at normal ticket booths) at Stirling Castle around 3 pm

What do you think?
Thanks for your help!

I think the pass may be worth it for you if you use it for some additional visits,it is not going to be a major loss if you don't vist places in addition to what you have planned.
BUT BUT BUT!
I hope you are not intending to do much driving in Edinburgh,your previous nightmares will pale into insignifigance when you see the state of the roadworks in Edinburgh at the moment.last count (a week or so ago) there were 493 separate sets of road works in the city.There is major construction work going on in the city cetre for the new tram system and many roads are closed and major diversions in place.Princes Street is completly closed to traffic.
Even we locals have a hard time getting through the city.
if you think that it will make a difference to your trip and are prepared to try and cope with the Hell that is traffic in Edinburgh then do so,but for the cost of few extra £ for the additional places you MAY visit I would think it is not worth it.
BTW the major tourist sites are not greatly affected by the road works and walking rounsd the Old Town will be no different from any other time ,it is just when you get to Princes Street and the New town as well as Leith walk and the Haymarket areas that the real nightmare begins.

Hi unclegus, I'm not going to do any driving in Edinburgh at all! I didn't know about roadworks, but I was scared by traffic and didn't favor the Edinburgh option anyway, what I was seriously thinking about was Stirling Castle.
What would you think about that?
Thanks for your help!

Yes Stirling should be fine,not been up there recently,but don't know of any major roadworks near there,should take you about an hour to drive from the airport.

It sounds like a hassle to get the pass, when you've already worked out that what you want to see will be about £35. I think you said it in your #1 (it makes sense to not get the pass). Are the lines really going to be that long for the castles? I've never gone in August though, but in June I don't even recall any lines ever, and I've been to a lot of castles. Glamis is my favorite!! Have a good time. We leave next Wednesday ourselves.

Thanks a lot, Amelie! I wish you a great time too.
On topic, I am not really worried about queues, but while the places I am sure I'll visit (Glamis, Blair, Scone, Elgin Cathedral, Castle Fraser) cost overall £38, there are a few others I MIGHT visit (i.e. Drum, Elcho, Edzell, Loch Leven) that are included in the pass too, and that would make it a good value.
Anyway, it is indeed a bit of a hassle, maybe not worth it.

Hmm, I don't know. I should see if this would be worthwhile for us as well. But I think we'd be in the same situation as the pickup sites are not convenient for us as we get picked up at the Edinburgh airport by my husband's parents, and then driven to Aberdeen. We did the GHP last time, but I don't think that is worth it for us this time at all.

Get a Great British Heritage Pass instead. It will cover all the same places and can be purchased from home (and mailed to you) or at Glasgow Airport or some of the covered properties.

It can also be purchased at LHR -- but not at EDI or LGW.

Thanks Janisj, but the Great British Heritage Pass costs 54£ for one week! then it would not be convenient for me.
(and we are visiting roughly a castle/ cathedral per day, so a 4 day pass would not be enough)

If you buy it from RailEurope the GBHP is $79 - but there is a shipping cost.

The GBHP will save you at least twice its cost. The other pass is not convenient -- so if the savings is there, why does it matter the initial cost?

Just Edinburgh Castle, Gladstone's land, Holyrood, Glamis and Stirling will more than recoup the cost of the GBHP so everything else would essentially be free.

I think that absolutely sucks! Typical beaurocratic numpties. God, they make me so angry. I would offer to go and fetch, for you, but I can no more easily get to one of those places than you can.

I am sending this page to visitscotland. Grrrr!

I'd do the Stirling thing, if I were you. You get in at 1pm. It'll take you an hour to clear customs and get your car. It'll take 50 minutes to get to Stirling, and just over an hour to get to Pitlochry from Stirling.

Now, were it me, I'd phone the numpties and ask them to have the pass waiting for you, I'd park illegally at the top of the castle esplanade (or send my passenger running whilst I drove round) and I doubt you'd be any later than 4.30pm in Pitlochry.

Saving £19/skull. Is it worth it? Only you can tell....

Amelie, any reason why your husband's folks couldn't pick up the pass in advance for you?

I'm not sending it to visitscotland I can't get the software to work)

I was thinking of that sheila but our flight lands at about 8am that morning, so they will be at EDI waiting to pick us up. I'm not sure when they would be able to pick it up. Sort of the same situation you would be in if you wanted to get one.
They should have a stand at the airports, that would be so handy.

Thanks a lot for your suggestions Sheila, you've been very kind.
I think I will do the Stirling thing:the more I read the list of castles covered the more I find it interesting... I can go to the ticket booths while my husbank waits in the car.
I hope it won't take ages fo collect the passes!

It shouldn't I don't think...

Amelie, an 8am arrival does somewhat mess things up. When are you coming, again?

One week!

Hmmm. I won't be any use you you, then. Want to meet for a drink when you're in Aberdeen?

They've sent me a stupid email inviting me to call them, whichI will on Monday

Hi Sheila, any news on this? Thanks for your kindness!

Ah! I forgot. Tomorrow, without fail