London/Scotland in November
Mar 13th, 2003, 01:49 PM
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London/Scotland in November
Hello everyone.<BR><BR>My BF and I will be going to the UK in late November and I have a few questions. This is our rough itinerary:<BR><BR>London ~6 nights<BR>Fly or train to Edinburgh<BR>Edinburgh ~3 nights<BR>Rent a car and spend ~3 nights in the West Highlands/Mull area<BR>Drop car in Glasgow<BR>Glasgow 1 night<BR>Fly to Heathrow, spend last night in that vicinity.<BR><BR>My questions are:<BR>1) Should we expect snow in late November?<BR>2) I have noticed that some B&B's or castle hotels in Scotland are closed in the winter - is this because of weather? If I don't have reservations for the driving portion might it be difficult to find a place to stay?<BR>3) We are trying to keep our hotels or B&B's in the $100/night range (and finding it difficult!) can you recommend some decent places to stay?<BR>4) We would love to have one special night in a castle in Scotland. Does anyone have a great castle hotel experience (still trying to keep the cost low!)?<BR>5) What exactly does en suite mean? I thought it was with shower and toilet, but some room descriptions don't sound like that's what it means! I would really prefer rooms with toilet.<BR>6) Should we bother with the train up to Edinburgh, or just fly both ways to save time?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for your help, I've gotten wonderful ideas and advice just from reading all the posts.<BR>
Mar 13th, 2003, 02:15 PM
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You shouldn't EXPECT snow but you might get it (less likely in the west)<BR><BR>Places close in the winter because there are no tourists.<BR><BR>In Edinburgh, you should get a "deal" in November in a good place.Try the Apex in the Grassmarket.<BR><BR>I need more guidance on "West Highlands/ Mull". I can't do Mull well, but I can do West Highlands if you give me some geographic parameters<BR><BR>Castles are not me.<BR><BR>Ensuite means, loo, wash hand basin and either shower or bath in a room opening of your bedroom.<BR><BR>If the train is in daytime, the views can be superb.
Mar 13th, 2003, 02:43 PM
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You shouldn't EXPECT snow but you might get it (less likely in the west)<BR><BR>Places close in the winter because there are no tourists.<BR><BR>In Edinburgh, you should get a "deal" in November in a good place.Try the Apex in the Grassmarket.<BR><BR>I need more guidance on "West Highlands/ Mull". I can't do Mull well, but I can do West Highlands if you give me some geographic parameters<BR><BR>Castles are not me.<BR><BR>Ensuite means, loo, wash hand basin and either shower or bath in a room opening of your bedroom.<BR><BR>If the train is in daytime, the views can be superb.
Mar 13th, 2003, 11:30 PM
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Hi<BR>Definately dont expect snow, rain yes, but no snow. I definately would sort your accommodation first, at that time of year although places wont be full they may be so empty that they are closed and nothing worse than spending your day driving and worrying about where to find somewhere to stay that night, that said you may strike lucky. I think that here en-suite will always mean there is a toilet, but not always a shower, just looked at what Sheila said, she's right. Personally I think the train journey would be wonderful just for the sights you will see if you travel during the day. Flying from London is more of a hassle too but can be much cheaper if you book early and fly from Luton or Stanstead (both long way outside London)<BR>Have a great trip<BR><BR>Tim
Mar 14th, 2003, 08:37 AM
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Thank you for the help. <BR><BR>The "West Highlands/Mull" part of the trip is the part I am most interested in but have the least idea of where to go, what to do. I chose Mull over Skye simply because it looks like a shorter distance to travel and we only have a few days. <BR><BR>Sheila, I have seen in previous posts that you prefer Skye over Mull because it has more dramatic scenery...something I am very interested in. Can you tell me some of the sites you would recommend if one has ~3 nights, by car, from Edinburgh to Skye to Glasgow? I am looking at this portion of our trip as a way to see the countryside, the local life, and slow down after all the city sightseeing. <BR><BR>I don't mind driving 100 miles in a day if the end result is beautiful; and I don't mind driving just a few miles between some special stops either. I would like to know which are the largest towns, because at that time of year they would probably be the best bet for finding accomodation. Depending on the weather we will probably be interested in short hikes (~5 miles)in beautiful areas. About the only thing I have in mind to see during this part of the trip is Stirling Castle.
Mar 16th, 2003, 03:03 AM
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I will give you a choice. If you take the three days and go to Mull, it would look like this
BR><BR>Drive from Edinburgh to Stirling (passing Linlithgow Palace; and Stirling Castle and Bannockburn) then north to Callender, through Strathyre, past the Braes of Balquhidder (Rob Roy country), past Lochearnhead,and through Glen Dochart to Crianlarich and Tyndrum. Take the left fork, signposted to Oban and drive along Glen Lochy to Dalmally to Loch Awe where Kilchurn Castle seems to be a calendar favourite. Then carry on to Oban. The main attraction is the location and its nature as a travel hub. It is a lovely little town right on the coast dominated by a folly on the hill overlooking a lovely and very busy harbour. Lots of the Western Isles ferries sail from here. There are some good tourist shops and you can visit the Oban distillery. Take in Dunstaffnage Castle, which is a good place to see the sweep of the bay with Oban climbing up the hillsides and McCaig’s folly at the top.<BR><BR>remember the Abbey as being very spiritual and there is a wonderful Celtic Cross in the open air. Everyone says that the tranquillity of the place is more marked in the evenings when the tourists have left on the boat. It would be an option to go over on the last boat the night before, or stay this evening. The last ferry on is at 6.15pm and the last ferry off is at 7.15pm<BR><BR>I’m not a great expert on Mull or Iona. If you've left enough time, (and teh weathre's not too bad) take the day trip from Oban on the ferry to Iona, the cradle of Christianity. St Columba came from Ireland to educate us heathens, and set up his staging post here. There is a lovely mediaeval Abbey and beautiful beaches and to get there you sail up the Sound of Mull and past Staffa (Fingal's cave- Mendolssohn's Hebridean Overture and all that), I haven’t been to Iona since I was 10 and I went on a paddle steamer from Oban. I <BR><BR>As to Mull itself, I have been there a few times recently so I’m better clued up. I’m not a huge fan except for Tobermory, which is picturesque and well served. Mostly the landscape is moor, and it’s not an island with great beaches. There are great walks at Carsaig, and you can get a lovely little ferry to Ulva, (watch this in November- may not be open)have lunch and walk round the island. It has great birdlife- both eagles and sea eagles. I think the Aros centre at Tobermory has close circuit TV of a sea eagle’s eyrie. There are a couple of castles- Duart and Torosay; and there’s a little railway line at Torosay.<BR><BR>In Tobermory there’s a terrific pub- the Mishnish, a really nice deli for making sandwiches and things; a chocolate factory and you should not leave without having tried Isle of Mull Cheddar. Oh, and you can buy Isle of Mull silver.<BR><BR>If the ferries aren't running to Iona, you can drive south to Fhionphort and take the little ferry over. It's a long run but probably worth doing.<BR><BR>Once you go back to Oban and to head south again, go through Kilmartin Glen and see the stone circles and Dunadd, then stop at the Crinan canal, go south to Inverary; see the jail, cross the Rest and be Thankful, go down to Arrochar; down Loch Lomond, skirt Glasgow The "West Highlands/Mull" part of the trip is the part I am most interested in but have the least idea of where to go, what to do. I chose Mull over Skye simply because it looks like a shorter distance to travel and we only have a few days.
BR><BR>Drive from Edinburgh to Stirling (passing Linlithgow Palace; and Stirling Castle and Bannockburn) then north to Callender, through Strathyre, past the Braes of Balquhidder (Rob Roy country), past Lochearnhead,and through Glen Dochart to Crianlarich and Tyndrum. Take the left fork, signposted to Oban and drive along Glen Lochy to Dalmally to Loch Awe where Kilchurn Castle seems to be a calendar favourite. Then carry on to Oban. The main attraction is the location and its nature as a travel hub. It is a lovely little town right on the coast dominated by a folly on the hill overlooking a lovely and very busy harbour. Lots of the Western Isles ferries sail from here. There are some good tourist shops and you can visit the Oban distillery. Take in Dunstaffnage Castle, which is a good place to see the sweep of the bay with Oban climbing up the hillsides and McCaig’s folly at the top.<BR><BR>remember the Abbey as being very spiritual and there is a wonderful Celtic Cross in the open air. Everyone says that the tranquillity of the place is more marked in the evenings when the tourists have left on the boat. It would be an option to go over on the last boat the night before, or stay this evening. The last ferry on is at 6.15pm and the last ferry off is at 7.15pm<BR><BR>I’m not a great expert on Mull or Iona. If you've left enough time, (and teh weathre's not too bad) take the day trip from Oban on the ferry to Iona, the cradle of Christianity. St Columba came from Ireland to educate us heathens, and set up his staging post here. There is a lovely mediaeval Abbey and beautiful beaches and to get there you sail up the Sound of Mull and past Staffa (Fingal's cave- Mendolssohn's Hebridean Overture and all that), I haven’t been to Iona since I was 10 and I went on a paddle steamer from Oban. I <BR><BR>As to Mull itself, I have been there a few times recently so I’m better clued up. I’m not a huge fan except for Tobermory, which is picturesque and well served. Mostly the landscape is moor, and it’s not an island with great beaches. There are great walks at Carsaig, and you can get a lovely little ferry to Ulva, (watch this in November- may not be open)have lunch and walk round the island. It has great birdlife- both eagles and sea eagles. I think the Aros centre at Tobermory has close circuit TV of a sea eagle’s eyrie. There are a couple of castles- Duart and Torosay; and there’s a little railway line at Torosay.<BR><BR>In Tobermory there’s a terrific pub- the Mishnish, a really nice deli for making sandwiches and things; a chocolate factory and you should not leave without having tried Isle of Mull Cheddar. Oh, and you can buy Isle of Mull silver.<BR><BR>If the ferries aren't running to Iona, you can drive south to Fhionphort and take the little ferry over. It's a long run but probably worth doing.<BR><BR>Once you go back to Oban and to head south again, go through Kilmartin Glen and see the stone circles and Dunadd, then stop at the Crinan canal, go south to Inverary; see the jail, cross the Rest and be Thankful, go down to Arrochar; down Loch Lomond, skirt Glasgow The "West Highlands/Mull" part of the trip is the part I am most interested in but have the least idea of where to go, what to do. I chose Mull over Skye simply because it looks like a shorter distance to travel and we only have a few days.
The last part of that should read<BR><BR>cross the Rest and be Thankful, go down to Arrochar; down Loch Lomond, and go into Glasgow
Mar 16th, 2003, 03:17 AM
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Yor alternative to Skye isBR><BR>the same as the last one as far as Tyndrum, then continue north across the edge of Rannoch Moor and down through Glencoe (the massacre of Glencoe) to Ballachulish. <BR>Then drive north through Fort William, past Ben Nevis and up the Great Glen to Invergarry, where you turn west to go along Loch Cluanie and on through Kintail to Dornie (Eilean Donan Castle) and the bridge at Kyle. Take the short detour up to Plovkton on Loch Carron for the views. Then cross to Skye. You come to the village of Kyleakin, where they have built the most godawful bridge over the sea to Skye. Skye is lovely and romantic and is where Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped to after Culloden, dressed up as a maid to Flora MacDonald and about which the song was written (actually he went from South Uist to Skye, not from the mainland, but why spoil a good story.) Skye is mostly scenery and cultural heritage, rather than history. Stunning mountains, lovely bays and sea lochs.<BR><BR>About 20 miles on you come to the edge of the Cuillin ridge. There are two ranges of mountains on Skye- the Black Cuillins and the Red Cuillins. I challenge you not to be impressed. There is a hotel at the bottom of Glen Brittle, called the Sligachan, which does reasonably priced accommodation and has a sort of hotel bit and then a huge extension which is basically for climbers and campers. There’s usually live music and good crack. I would suggest the Slig or go on into Portree, the island capital. The Rosedale on the harbour is quite good, at about the same price. If you want a night of very good food but with character, try the Isle Ornsay down the Sleat peninsula.<BR><BR>Go up to Elgol and take one of the sealwatching boat trips- then you can walk up to Loch Coruisk- it’s a short walk, honest- have a picnic if the weather’s fine, then get the boat back.<BR><BR>The Three Chimneys at Dunvegan has a tremendous name for food. There’s the Harbour View in Portree, Isle Ornsay again, and the Lower Deck, also in Portree. <BR><BR>Views to see:- Raasay, the Qiraing, the Old Man of Storr, Dunvegan Castle, the waterfalls at Eas Mor, and the Fairy Pools.<BR><BR>There are three ceilidhs run regularly:- Skye Scene, Monday Tuesday (and Wednesday(midsummer only)) Ceol is Cnac on Thursdays and Fridays (both in Portree) and Flodigarry Hotel does one on Saturdays. Or you can visit Dunvegan Castle, Portree, Broadford, Uig, the Clan Donald centre and many more. Scenery terrific. An available castle is Kinloch Castle owned and run by Lady Clare MacDonald who is also a gourmet chef <BR><BR>Take the ferry from the south end of Skye at Armadale to Mallaig then drive right east to Fort William through Morar and Arisaig. Drive down the coast road to Oban, and follow my route through Kilmartin etc.<BR><BR>Hope this helps make up your mind.
BR><BR>the same as the last one as far as Tyndrum, then continue north across the edge of Rannoch Moor and down through Glencoe (the massacre of Glencoe) to Ballachulish. <BR>Then drive north through Fort William, past Ben Nevis and up the Great Glen to Invergarry, where you turn west to go along Loch Cluanie and on through Kintail to Dornie (Eilean Donan Castle) and the bridge at Kyle. Take the short detour up to Plovkton on Loch Carron for the views. Then cross to Skye. You come to the village of Kyleakin, where they have built the most godawful bridge over the sea to Skye. Skye is lovely and romantic and is where Bonnie Prince Charlie escaped to after Culloden, dressed up as a maid to Flora MacDonald and about which the song was written (actually he went from South Uist to Skye, not from the mainland, but why spoil a good story.) Skye is mostly scenery and cultural heritage, rather than history. Stunning mountains, lovely bays and sea lochs.<BR><BR>About 20 miles on you come to the edge of the Cuillin ridge. There are two ranges of mountains on Skye- the Black Cuillins and the Red Cuillins. I challenge you not to be impressed. There is a hotel at the bottom of Glen Brittle, called the Sligachan, which does reasonably priced accommodation and has a sort of hotel bit and then a huge extension which is basically for climbers and campers. There’s usually live music and good crack. I would suggest the Slig or go on into Portree, the island capital. The Rosedale on the harbour is quite good, at about the same price. If you want a night of very good food but with character, try the Isle Ornsay down the Sleat peninsula.<BR><BR>Go up to Elgol and take one of the sealwatching boat trips- then you can walk up to Loch Coruisk- it’s a short walk, honest- have a picnic if the weather’s fine, then get the boat back.<BR><BR>The Three Chimneys at Dunvegan has a tremendous name for food. There’s the Harbour View in Portree, Isle Ornsay again, and the Lower Deck, also in Portree. <BR><BR>Views to see:- Raasay, the Qiraing, the Old Man of Storr, Dunvegan Castle, the waterfalls at Eas Mor, and the Fairy Pools.<BR><BR>There are three ceilidhs run regularly:- Skye Scene, Monday Tuesday (and Wednesday(midsummer only)) Ceol is Cnac on Thursdays and Fridays (both in Portree) and Flodigarry Hotel does one on Saturdays. Or you can visit Dunvegan Castle, Portree, Broadford, Uig, the Clan Donald centre and many more. Scenery terrific. An available castle is Kinloch Castle owned and run by Lady Clare MacDonald who is also a gourmet chef <BR><BR>Take the ferry from the south end of Skye at Armadale to Mallaig then drive right east to Fort William through Morar and Arisaig. Drive down the coast road to Oban, and follow my route through Kilmartin etc.<BR><BR>Hope this helps make up your mind.
Mar 17th, 2003, 01:35 PM
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Sheila,<BR>You are wonderful! I can tell you love your country and want to help others see the best she has to offer. I can't wait to sit down with a map and the Internet and go over your narrative. Thank you so much. <BR>Lisa
Mar 17th, 2003, 01:44 PM
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I went in November 2002 to England and Scotland. Scotland was really, I had to buy a warm hat when I got there. I took the train and the times were not great,the train was a longer ride than I anticipated. I did tours with rabbies, went to loch ness and lomond.
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