greentrtle

Greetings!

My daughter will be off to college this fall and I'd like to surprise her with a trip this summer. She;s been "around", Italy, Greece, China, London, and all over the States but our ancestry is that of the Scot's and I thought perhaps before she completely escapes me, I'd take her to Scotland. Would you all have any suggestions for a 2 week itinerary. Rather than 2nights here and a night there, and lots of touristy stuff, we're the type to hang with the locals and when we feel like it , venture in and "peer" at the touristy stuff and then run for the hills! I would be most grateful for your assistance.

janisj

W/ 2 weeks you could go anywhere - but of course, not everywhere.

We can make all sorts of useful suggestions - but first tell us a bit more.

Do you know where you family(s) came from? Do you plan on driving or do you want to use public transport? Besides hanging w/ the locals, what else interests you?

greentrtle

Thanks Janis - all I know of ancestry is our last name... not a great start. As for driving, we're up for that. We'd like to check out the beauty of Scotland - hiking, horsebackriding, etc, maybe a castle ?, one large city, the coast, relevant churches. Would it be better to rent a flat as a starting point and venture out? thanks again.

meks

greentrtle,

There is a lot to do and see around Scotland and without giving you lists of places etc perhaps it would be easier for you to look at a previous review on frommers. The reason I suggest that is because it gives photographs accompanied by the relevant information on various parts of the country and you may be able to get some initial ideas as to places suitable or of interest to you and your daughter.
www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/WebX?128@@.eed91a1

bilboburgler

If I had two weeks in Scotland to see a load of bits I think I might aim for a week in Endinburgh with side trips and a week on the Orkneys. Two very different trips. To join the two trips together take a couple of days to drive between and see the little towns up the East coast.

pittpurple

I would recommend a week in Edinburgh and a week on Skye - if you rent a car from Edinburgh, the drive to Skye is amazing, right through the highlands and it passes by several castles. Just remember that Edinburgh is crazy busy in August with the Festival so if you wanted to come then, you should definitely book accommodation as soon as possible - although if you aren't into crowds, I would recommend coming in June or July.

sheila

A couple of things- your name might actually be a good guide to where your family's from. So tell us (or tell me) and I'll tell you something ancestral lands.

Also, do you know when you'll be coming? It can make a heck of a difference.

janisj

While I LOVE Edinburgh - for a short stay like this I would not recommend a week in the city. It is compact and you can see most of it in about 3 days.

and while the Orkneys are amazing - again, on a short first-time visit I'd either skip them or just spend a day or two. Same would go for Skye BTW. Unless that is where the ancestors came from, w/ just 2 weeks I'd only spend 2 or 3 days on Skye.

As sheila says - the surname(s) can give very good hints re where the family is from. But in general for a first visit (don't worry, after going to Scotland, you WILL want to go back again) - I'd do something like:

- 2 or 3 days/nights in Edinburgh
- 2 days/1 night in Fife (for St Andrews, fishing villages, Falkland Palace)
- 7 days in a self catering cottage in a good central location. Could be anyplace from the Trossachs, Loch Tay, south of Ft William, etc. From this base you could tour the whole center of the country -- Blair Castle, Loch Ness, Glencoe, Loch Lomond, the Trossachs - all, and more, easily reached as day trips.
2 days on Skye or in Argyll (Oban/Kilmartin, etc)
1 day in transit back to either EDI or GLA to fly home.

greentrtle

thank you all for your assistance - it has been so helpful. couple more questions. this "Festival" in August - would this be a "must" or a save it for the next trip. And finally leads on where to stay in Edinburgh, Skye and how to find the "self-catering" cottage. thanks.

janisj

Are you traveling in August? It isn't <b><u>a</u></b> festival -- it is several world famous festivals and the Military Tattoo all running at the same time. Every single hotel/B&amp;B room is booked solid, often up to a year in advance, at higher rates than the rest of the year.

The festival/tattoo are utterly wonderful - but they do complicate things for the casual visitor. Unless the festivals are specifically WHY you are going to Edinburgh, it is better to not stay in the city at all. You could stay Near Stirling, or St Andrews, or Perth, and take the train into the city for a day trip.

As for where to stay - there are hundreds of options -- both B&amp;Bs and cottages -- but we'd need to know your budget before we can give useful advice.

sheila

I think the three places you're aiming for are too far apart to have one central location for a cottage. But two would work. How would you feel about that?

caroline_edinburgh

Janis is right - only visit Edimburgh in August if arts festivals are something that would interest you normally. It's my favourite time of year and I can't wait (priority booking for the International Festival opens two weeks tomorrow !), but if it's not your sort of thing don't come then.

Here's a website which has a bit on all Edinburgh's festivals, to give you more of an idea - www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk. Each festival then has its own site, e.g. www.eif.co.uk for the International Festival and www.edfringe.com for the Fringe.

pittpurple

Thanks for the reminder about the priority booking Caroline!

The Festival is my favourite time of year (we've been living in Edinburgh for 2 years now and are eagerly anticipating our next Festival!) but it's not for everyone. My mother hates crowds so she would never visit in August. Honestly though, at this point, you'll struggle to find accomodation so if it's not something that is really exciting to you I'd come at another time.

St Andrews is beautiful and easily reached from Edinburgh. I've been there twice and had a lovely time. It's on the coast and has a lovely ruined castle and cathedral and a beautiful beach. Cute little cafes and restaurants as well.

twina49

A good place for information is www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk. You can click on the map and get detailed information about specific towns/villages, accommodations, places to visit, where to eat, etc.

When searching for a self-catering rental, I always prefer the ones whose websites have photos of all or most of the rooms in the house. Another requirement for us is a village location with some shops and pubs nearby. The last thing I want to do is drive back to an isolated cottage at night!

I've attached my report from our Scotland trip in 2005 (I apologize but I don't know how to do the tiny urls. Hope this works!)

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34628700

Whatever you do, relax and enjoy yourself in this beautiful country! I get to go back in August and I'm counting the days already!

greentrtle

thank you all again for your most helpful info. I think we'll save the festival for a return trip - we live in Florida, and as such we've seen our share of tourists this winter. we're off to check out dorm rooms this weekend, so next week I'll start planning the Scotland trip - I'm sure I'll have more questions then!