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Not sure WHERE to go this October! How does 7 days in Scotland sound?
So, DH and I originally had a trip planned for this August to Alaska. However, we bought a house and then felt guilty about going - so we cancelled. Now that it is August, we are saying "we should have gone!!". So, we want to go on vacation - for real this time!
We want to go in October , and we just arent sure where to go! DH suggested Scotland. But we just arent sure if that is a good time to go. If we did go to Scotland - we would probably go to Edinburgh for 2 days and then drive into the highlands - for 4 days? Is it doable to drive up to say - the isle of skye in the same trip as visiting Edinburgh? A little about us - we are in our late 20's and enjoy the culture of a place, great scenery, museums, visiting historic sites, walking, sitting with drinks at a quirky bar, driving, being independant travellers, and seeing/doing a lot in a trip. Basically we have one week and a budget of about $3,000-$4,000. Any Scotland itinerary suggestions or advice about other places to go for a week in October would be greatly appreciated. |
Sounds cold. Sounds wet. Just look at the climate data. Perhaps even a bit of snow at that time of year.
Shudder! :-( |
Hi, Not sure about the weather, although the days will obviously be shorter by then-remember that Scotland is pretty far north. Can tell you that the trip to Skye is certainly doable though. If you didn't want to drive there is the West Highland train--rated as one of the most beautiful in the world--I just loved it. Skye is beautiful--I expected to be disappointed, but I wasn't. It is however, highly weather dependent. Other suggestions are: Stirling, St. Andrews, Argyll, Isle of Mull. I didn't care for Glasgow much, but was there five years ago or so and I hear its changed. You could also just stay in Edinburgh and take day trips easily enough. Hope this helps
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so I guess it will be too unpleasant in scotland....hmmm. Is it a lot cheaper?
Any other suggestions for a week in october? |
October is my favorite month in Italy -- how about Rome? Usually warm days and cool nights in the first two weeks of the month. You could take a few days of your week and visit Tuscany or the Amalfi coast if you don't want to spend all your time in a city.
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forgot to say we were in italy 2 years ago for our honeymoon, actually rome and amalfi coast! We loved it! but want to try something new...
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I lived in Edinburgh for a year. October is definitely not the best time to go. It can get cool and wet in Edinburgh, and even more so in the Highlands.
I would look at a more southern destination. Have you thought of North Africa? |
ooh, north africa? No havent thought about it. Where specifically?
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Sicily, Greece, Turkey, Provence, the Dordogne, Andalucia, central Italy would all be ideal in October.
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Scotland will be fine. Dress for the weather and you'll have a ball.
The weather may not be good, but it might be. The same is true of tomorrow. Your idea is perfectly workable, and you could certainly make it to Skye. Here's one option for you:- Day One- Edinburgh Day Two-Edinburgh to Speyside Drive north over the Forth Road Bridge and up the M90 to Perth. At Perth take the A93 through Blairgowrie to Glenshee, and down to Braemar and Deeside. This is where Lizzie Windsor has her summer place, much beloved of American tourists. It's also in a beautiful location and therefore worth the visit. Just at Crathie, which is where you will find Balmoral, if you're daft enough to want to, there's a sign to Royal Lochnagar distillery. (old Scottish joke- How deep is Lochnagar? Ha, ha, ha...it's a mountain!!! Well it's funny if you're five)It's not the best whisky in the world but there's no such thing as a bad malt and it does a good tour. Come back onto the A93 and continue east a few miles till you see signs ponting left to Tomintoul. Take that road and go over Gairn Shiel to Corgarff then turn left towards Cockbridge and up over the Lecht to Tomintoul. By now, you have crossed two of Scotland's highest roads, and it's not yet tea time. There's a very good whisky shop in Tomintoul (much better than the tourist trap on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh)and, incidentally, there is also a very good wood carver. I would suggest staying here. Day 3, Tomintoul to Drumnadochit (but not in a straight line). Go back on your tracks a bit and follow the road down to Dufftown. Here you will find Glenfiddich distillery. Still not my favourite dram, but probably one of the best sellers in the world and almost certainly the best tour. Follow the road down to the Spey at Aberlour (or Charlestown of Aberlour, to give it its Sunday name)You are right in the heart of Speyside, on the Whisky trail. If you want to see more, almost every second distillery is open to the public. If you have a favourite, ask at one of the tourist offices if they do a tour and just go along. The Macallan is pobably the best Speyside whisky, but Aberlour itself is a good second. Follow the river to Grantown then go up to Nethy Bridge on the south bank. Outside Nethy Bridge you will find Abernethy Forest and Loch Garten which is a huge nature reserve and is worth stopping at although the ospreys will have gone. Drive on to Aviemore, close your eyes so you miss it (a travesty of 1960s planning) and go stright up to inverness on the A9. Spend a little time in Invernes and either spend the night here or (my choice) set off down Loch Ness towards Drumnadrochit, and find somewhere to stay on the lochside. Day four- Loch Ness to Skye Get up early and drive quickly down the Loch and then strike west to Kyle of Lochalsh and cross the bridge to Skye and spend the whole of the next day there. You can visit Dunvegan Castle, the Cuillin mountains, Portree, Isle Ornsay, Broadford, Uig, the Clan Donald centre and many more. Scenery terrific. Accommodations available include the Rosedale hotel in Portree and the Isle Ornsay Hotel, both of which are excellent but in different budget categories. An available castle is Kinloch Castle owned and run by Lady Clare MacDonald who is also a gourmet chef Day Five- Skye to Glasgow 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, through Kilmartin Glen and past Dunadd to Crinan; back to Lochgilphead and over to Inveraray. Cross the Rest and be Thankful to Arrochar on Loch Lomond, go down the lochside and back into Glasgow, and you're ready for home. That’s a long day and could be easily split |
Whoa sheila - thanks a lot!
Youre fabulous! We'll see what the hubbie thinks of a chilly vacation...might be a nice cozy time with a lot of good excuses to slip into a pub! |
steviegene, Morocco and Tunisia would be really nice. I'd say Egypt, but with the Middle East situation, that would be a bit too close for my comfort.
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The weather in Scotland usually isn't bad in October. Might be, for sure but much more often it is very nice. Cool - but not snowy or freezing or even close. And the bit about short days really isn't so -- the shortening days don't really start until much later in the Fall.
For instance sunrise in Edinburgh in the middle of Oct are approx. 0730 and 1830 -- almost <u> exactly</u> same as in Portland Oregon. |
Oops - meant to edit out the "<u>exactly</u>" bit
Just meant "almost the same" - like about 5 or 6 minutes different at both ends of the day. BTW - I LOVE Scotland in the Autumn. |
For Scotland just think of peat fires, the best whisky in the world, cheery pubs, beds piled high with fluffy blankets for those cold nights, some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, and few if any tourists. I know where I'd go!
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My husband is originally from Scotland, and we had five weeks there, including most of October, in 2002. We were possibly very lucky, but the weather was great the entire time (except for out last day, when we were rained out in Edinburgh). We saw rain in the distance some days, but we rarely needed an umbrella. The mornings were crisp and cold, and the days were mostly sunny. Definitely warm coats required, but we didn't have scarves or glovees. The most fantastic thing was that there were so few tourists outside the main areas. We had "Historic Scotland" passes, which give access to all their sites (mostly ruined castles, abbeys etc - our favourites!!) and most days we'd park and walk across a field or whatever to a castle where the only other person was the guy in the ticket box. A couple of times they gave us the key and we let outselves in because we were the only people to visit so far that day. It's the most amazing thing to have the whole place to yourselves.
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October is a great time for Italy - Tuscany in particular. Few tourists and the temperature is just right.
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Ok, so the husband is a little skeptical about the weather- but I think he will REALLY enjoy scotland. His favorite places we've been so far have been England and Ireland....so I think he will love it. There is still some talk about doing a fly/drive in Portugal/Southern Spain. But here's my thoughts about Scotland -if anyone has advice...please!
It looks like Continental flies out of Newark directly to Edinburgh. Newark is a little less convenient for us - then laguardia or jfk, but it seems to be the only direct flight. If we spend a day or two in Edinburgh -and then do a drive up to the highlands - lochs, isle of skye....would the wise thing be to fly out of Glasgow? Is Glasgow worth spending any time in? |
OR, it just occurred to me...we could fly into Glasgow (also direct flight from Newark) do our driving and then fly out of Edinburgh. Suggestions?
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It can sometimes be beautiful in October.
You do have to remember the shorter days, but cities like Edinburgh and London are at their best in October IMHO There are very few tourists around and the Christmas rush has not started. |
Edinburgh and Glasgow are less than an hour from each other - so it really doesn't matter if you fly:
in/out of GLA, in/out of EDI, or open jaw into one and out of the other. I'd just go w/ whichever gets you the best fare. If you do an open jaw, there usually are no rental car drop off charges so you could pick a car leaving Edinburgh and drop it off at GLA. |
aha, didnt realize they were so close together. So how far a drive from Edinburgh is the far north...ie isle of sky, loch ness?
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Do a search on here and you willl find a TON of ideas for driving routes.
W/ 6 days you would have time for Edinburgh and a reasonable mini-tour to 1) Skye/and a bit of the highlands, or 2) St Andrews and a bit of the NE coast/castle trail, or 3) the Trossachs and west coast/Oban - or a lot of other options. as your ideas start to focus, we can help you plan a great 4 day loop. |
janisj,
thanks so much! A 4 day driving tour sounds right up our alley. We like to do/see a lot in each trip. Glad to learn that the distances are not too far. Will do more research - however do you recommend any of these areas you mentioned more than another? and why? |
hullo
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"<i>hullo</i>" despite what it looks like some of us do really have a life away from Fodors :)
As for my recommendation - this won't help you much - but you honestly can't choose wrong. Scotland can fill 4 months let alone 4 days. But then again, in October you really won't have to make final decisions until you are there. Me personally - I'd have a Plan A itinerary worked out but after I was in Scotland I'd really just go where the weather took me. For instance a nice loop through the Trossachs, Glencoe, maybe a day/night on Skye, and back through Oban/Inveraray and back to Glasgow to fly out would be fantastic. But if it was really stormy on the west coast I'd drop that idea and head up the east coast instead. Or down into the Borders. In October you won't have to worry about B&Bs being all booked up. You can decide on the fly where to go. So - after all that - a good 4-day loop to start your thinking: Day 1 drive from Edinburgh to Stirling (stay 1st night near Callander) Day 2 drive (short detour to Killin) through Glencoe and to Skye either by the ferry or the bridge. (stay 2nd and 3rd nights on Skye - you won't get on to the isle until early evening so you'll need the full next day to see things) Day 4 early in the a.m. leave Skye and drive down Loch Linnhe, through Inveraray and to Loch Lomond. Stay the night on Loch Lomond and you are only a short drive from GLA. |
Another vote for Scotland - being cozy with your husband in adorable little B&B's can be a wonderful time!
We moved from PA to Edinburgh a few months ago and are having a fabulous time exploring around. If you and your husband like castles and beautiful scenery, this is a wonderful place to be. My recommendations: Edinburgh is definately a city you can spend any amount of time in - my Mom was here for 2 weeks and we did something different every day. I would say maybe 3 days in Edinburgh and then 4 days travelling around (since you said you love to do lots of stuff while traveling). Check -out www.historic-scotland.gov.uk for tons of options - they have a map with all their properties and it's a nice way to start. Other sites we've used are www.rampantscotland.com (under FEATURES PAGE go to PLACES TO VISIT) and www.castlesontheweb.com. We did a long weekend in Skye and it was incredible - totally incredible. If you like hiking at all it can't be beat, and the drive up there is breathtaking (there's also a train in case you'd prefer). Portree (the largest 'city' on Skye) is adorable, and it's filled with B&Bs. You and your husband sound a lot like us - I could have written your post, so I really think you'd love visiting Scotland. About Glasgow - I've heard lots of mixed reviews about it. It's not so much a historic city from my understanding, it was the industrial center of Scotland and is very much a working city as opposed to a tourist destination. We haven't made it there yet, but it's easily accessible by train or bus so if there's something you specifically want to visit (or you can get cheaper tickets), it's easy enough. We flew out of Newark also to come here and it was definately worth the extra driving... much cheaper tickets for some reason! And really, you don't want to spend any time at JFK if you can avoid it :-) Anyway - good luck with your planning!! |
janisj and pittpurple
thanks so much for your helpful and informative responses! I think Im settled on Scotland -and will check a book out at the library tomorrow! Sorry about being impatient before - Im bored silly at work - especially imagining our soon to be vacation. So heres another question.When we were in England we loved staying at B&Bs. On our wanderings in the north - should we book book in advance - or just stop when we need to? We don't mind being spontaneous, but want to make sure there are plenty of options |
"should we book book in advance - or just stop when we need to?"
. . . "<i>In October you won't have to worry about B&Bs being all booked up. You can decide on the fly where to go.</i>" . . . (Though I would definitely book your room in Edinburgh) |
sorry again, its 545 and my brain is fried.
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I agree that you shouldn't have any problem with finding B&B's on the fly. On our trip in May/June of this year, we rarely had any trouble and we were needed two rooms each night.
The routes that Janis and Sheila have suggested are great - your problem will be choosing which direction to go. Read lots of trip reports, go through the book(s) that you buy/borrow, and find the things that interest you the most. Have a great time! Gayle |
Don't want to be a wet blanket, but please don't have the borders as your Plan B. We went one August, AND IT WAS SHUT! But north of Edinburgh/Glasgow, Scotland is lovely. Not sure I'd want to go in October, but it could be fine. or not.
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So B&Bs on the fly it is!
Anyone have a general ballpark of what we can expect to pay per night at a B&B in the northern scotland regions. Trying to get a budget together. thanks!! |
steviegene: normal nice B&Bs (w/o being in a castle or anything) w/ ensuite bath will run from about £24 - £35 per person per night. I normally pay £30 or less unless it is a special place.
Annhig: What <b><i>are</i></b> you talking about?? Shut? or s**t? or something else? Sorry if you didn't enjoy the Borders but they are absolutely lovely. And places like St Abbs Head, Traquair House, Abbotsford, and the Border Abbeys are totally unique . . . . . |
I agree with Janis - on the pricing and the Borders.
Check my trip report for prices all over Scotland in May/June this year - I tried to list them for every place we stayed. I haven't gone back and done the math, but I think we averaged 30-35 GBP per person (except for our night in the haunted room of Culcreuch Castle - 60 GBP pp). Some of the places we stayed are in areas you are considering - let me know if you want more info on any of them! Also, if you stay more than one night in a B&B, a discount is often offered - don't be shy about politely asking, if two nights in a particular B&B fit your plans. On a previous trip, we loved the Borders. Someday I'm going to stay at Traquair House for a few nights (VERY pricey!) and explore that area even more thoroughly. Jedburgh, Dryburgh, Melrose, Roslyn Chapel (not my favorite), Peebles (the Cornice Museum was quirky!), Scott's View....wonderful area (and I, too, have no idea what "SHUT" means - these are major tourist attractions, with normal opening hours). Gayle |
janisj and leon thanks for the info!
I have been doing a lot of searching on the site - and many of your previous posts (and those of other scotland experts) have been very helpful so far! Another question for budget purposes. If we travel 4 days by car up north, say as far as Skye. What do you estimate that will cost in gas. I have no idea what distances this covers or what gas prices are there. Thanks!! |
petrol is VERY expensive (when you get back home you will be happy to pay $3 a gal -- well maybe not "happy"). About $6 a gallon in remote areas, a little less in more populated places. But it really isn't that bad - the cars are small and get really good mileage and IF you can drive a stick even better. And the distance are not vast - so while it is an expense, w/ just 4 days it won't break you.
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aha! I new learning to drive stick would serve me well someday!
Ok so gas will be a manageable expense - maybe a few hundred dollars. I guess Im just suprised at how affordable this vacation is shaping up to be. So far it will be around 1,100 for flights, $166 dollars to rent a car for the 4 days! And with B&Bs pricing - I feel like we're getting a bargain. |
I'll warn you now - if you post about driving a stick you will get all sorts of nervous nellies :) saying "<i>oh no! you <u>must</u> get an automatic. Shifting w/ your left hand is just too hard</i>".
If you are competent w/ a standard shift at home you will be fine in the UK. I am <b>totally</b> useless using my left hand doing pretty much anything - totally right handed. Yet I have no problem shifting w/ my left hand (and I only drive a stick on holidays in the UK - haven't driven a stick at home in 20+ years). You won't be doing any "power shifting" or street racing afterall so gently going up and down the gears is pretty simple. And if you do miss a gear once in a while and go from 1st to 3rd - what is the big deal? |
Try to get a diesel car. You'll get great mileage.
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