crashley26

This is my first trip outside North America and I'm trying to figure out where to start. I'll be there in November, mainly because I found a really inexpensive flight. I'll be flying into Glasgow, but don't want to spend much time there, maybe two days. I figure I'll spend about two days in Edinburgh. I really want to see stuff that not many tourists see but still hit some of the big spots (i.e. Loch Ness ;0))I'd really like to spend some time in the highlands. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

nanda_zrh

Hi Crashley,

With 2 days in Glasgow and 2 days in Edinburgh, that's 1/2 your trip gone.

What do you enjoy? You mentioned Loch NEss - would you like to be driving around the countryside or staying in one place enjoying the scenery. Is visiting castles a must? What about hiking?

toledo

Hi Crashley. I would suggest having Glasgow as a base from where you could travel on day trips to Edinburgh, Loch Lomand and from Oban maybe a trip to the Isle of Mull. St. Andrews, the home of golf, and Gretna Green are two more places you may wish to visit.

jsmith

A quote from Dr. Johnson to Boswell:

"The climate of Edinburgh is such that the weak succumb young...and the strong envy them."

It's not all bad, Voltaire said:

"It is to Scotland that we look for our idea of civilization."

sheila

I know how catastrophic the search function is here, when you have so many postings on Scotland. BUT I really need a bit more of a clue.

Days are short in November, and shorter the further north you go. What is your fantasy and how can we help you achieve it?

Keith

crashley26,

My research (my trip to Scotland is this summer) suggests that Loch Ness is not what you are looking for. It gets all the tourist traffic because of Nessy, but you are unlikely to see Nessy. There are other more beautiful Lochs that are more convenient and have fewer tourists.

Keith

crashley26

well... The biggest thing for me is that I'll be traveling by foot, bus train, etc. I also want to go as inexpensive as possible. I'm not interested in golf (sorry golfers. ;0)) I am very interested in Castles and estates, historical places, etc.. Also I heard the Edinburgh Zoo is pretty good. I work at the San Diego Zoo so if it is worth it I would kind of like to stop there. I'll be traveling light and plan on trekking alot and seeing as much as I can. I'm really pretty open to places and things, I just thought that for my first trip I should see the country over-all and then decide on places that I really enjoyed for later further explorations. I spent some time researching the attractions in Glasgow and honestly there weren't too many things that sounded that appealing, but maybe someone knows about some great places to check out. I'm not a big city girl, I find smaller, more intimate places more appealing, which is kind of why I wanted to get up to the highlands, Iverness in particular. I am a little concerned, weather-wise, about the highlands. Not because I have a problem walking around in cold and/or snow (i'm originally from Washington state) but mainly in reagrds to transportation. I guess the questions that I would pose to you all are; What are some of your favorite, can't miss spots that you think would work for someone like me? Do you think it's really feasible to trek around the highlands in November? Or should I just do a side trip up to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle? How reliable is the transportation up north during the winter months? Do you think it would give me more time in different areas if I traveled (bus and train) at night (I don't mind sleeping in transit lounges)? Would you recommend hostels or b&b's (value wise)? Do you think that it would be worth it to stop in Aberdeen for a day or so in transit to Iverness? Is there inexpensive lodging available in or near Aberdeen and Iverness? Ok I should stop there before I overwhelm everybody. Thanks for your help, it's really appreciated. :0)

janis

Ok - a few comments -

- If you are not a "city girl" I would not spend any time in Glasgow, and definitely not two nights. It is a busy, vibrant city but it does not have any of the sorts of things you seem to want.

- In november you will not be wanting to sleep rough - it will likely be cold to very cold -- or it could be mild but nothing like what you are used to in SoCal.

- Also, in Nov., it will be getting dark quite early especially up north. And sunrise is late too so your daylight hours will be limited.

- And - Loch Ness is really not the be-all and end-all. Honest. Urquhart Castle IS interesting - but there are probably 50 or 60 other castles that are more interesting. If your only reason for going up towards Inverness is for Loch Ness - I'd skip it.

Here is what I'd do. Arrive in Glasgow and immediately travel over to Edinburgh (you can get there by bus or train). Spend the first 2 days in Edinburgh.

Then, take the train or bus to Stirling for one day (magnificent castle)

Then take the bus to Crianlarich. This small town is on the train lines that go to Oban or up through Ft William and on to Mallaig for Skye. From Oban you could visit the Isles of Mull/Iona by ferry and see some great mainland scenery via local buses.

So I'd decide if I wanted to see more highland scenery and Skye, or Oban/mull.

Then you can take the train back to Glasgow for your flight home.

So the itinerary would look something like: 2 or 3 nights Edinburgh, 1 night Stirling, 3 nights Skye OR 3 nights Oban w/ a day trip or an overnight on Mull, 1 night near Glasgow airport before your flight out.

The timings of buses/trains might mean you need to stop over somewhere between Stirling ans Skye or Oban - but the general area is so beautiful that would not be a hardship.

This is 7 nights - if you actually have 8 nights then add a day anywhere along this route.

asbury10

From Glasgow, Edinburgh is the best base for a first-time to Scotland. Set up in the relatively inexpensive Ibis Hotel in the old town just down the street from Edinburgh Castle. Enjoy the city for 2-3 days. From there you can train to Inverness, the base for exploring the Highlands. Then train back through loch country on the way back to a night in Glasgow before heading home. You can pick stops/nights based on their proximity to train stations and car-free exploring. Perhaps there is a train from Inverness to Ft. William?, a good stop for a highlands/loch country visit.

almcd

I think you are making a mistake going to Scotland in November for the type of trip you are thinking of.As an ex-Scot who has been to San Diego many times, you will get a terrible shock with the difference in the climate. San Diego has one of the world's great climates, whereas Scotland does not. The Zoo in Edinburgh cannot hold a candle to the San Diego in my opinion. Try to find a cheap flight in June or September. 8000 miles is a long way to come to freeze.

rj007

I live in San Diego (actually I work with crashley26) and I've gone to Europe the last 3 Novembers and the weather has been absolutely no problem.
I also went to London and Rome last Feb and Iceland last March and again weather was no problem.

November is a great time to go to Europe. The airfare is cheaper, fewer tourists running around, musuems aren't packed. If you note in her post she is from Washington State, not exactly a place you spend time lying on the beach. She'll be fine.

crashley26

Thanks for all your help, especially Janis! I really appreciate you taking the time. I'm in the process of working out logistics right now. I'll keep you guys posted with my progress. Thanks again! If anybody ever wants to plan a trip to eastern Washington or northern Idaho, I may be able to help. :0)

GregY2

I know that you specifically said you would be using buses, trains etc but I would seriously think about renting a car for the days out of Glasgow/Edniburgh. As someone else has noted the days are getting very short by November, and even if you are OK with the weather, it will be tricky to match transport schedules with the limited daylight hours. With a car you would have lot more flexibility. I have to say that Edinburgh Zoo would not get on to my list of things to do if I had only 8 days in Scotland. There are some excellent walks from Glencoe of varying degress of difficulty and I would certainly recommend that you try them. Glencoe and surrounds certainly should not be missed.

crashley26

Yeah, I thought about renting a car. It would definitely make things easier but if I read, right you have to be twenty five and up to rent a car. I'm not quite there yet. Also I'm not sure how much renting a car would be, I'm putting myself on a pretty tight budget.

janis

crashley: Actually, if you are 23, 24-ish you could find a rental agency that will rent to you - maybe w/ a surcharge.

But for one person on a tight budget you are better off just using public transport. You can get to all the places I mentioned (yes, even to Loch Ness - IF you must)

If you had a friend along to share the costs, a car would be a no-brainer.

And don't worry about the weather - if it is dreadful just stay longer in the cities/towns. Believe me - Edinburgh is great in the late Fall when there are fewer visitors. You may have the Castle almost all to yourself and it will be magical.

if you luck out and have nice weather - stay longer out in the countryside. Just get good bus/train schedules from the Tourist Information center and/or rail station in the center of Edinburgh. Then you can set your itinerary as you go since you will know your transport options.

I'd just go where the weather takes me . . . . .

sheila

Crashley26

1. http://www.celticlegend.co.uk/car/

will do car rental to people over the age of 21.

2. Scotland has a range of hostels and walkers and climbers' hotels. Since these stupid people seem to revel in getting wet and cold, they are generally resplendent ith hot water and warmth on a cold winter's night. Use Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide to see more. there are also a couple of good walking mags- TGO and the Angry Corrie (both of which have web sites) which you could use to research cheap places to stay.

It really is tough to see decent rural Scotland by public transport in November, and castles are not necessarily on the bus routes. An option for you would be to base yourself in Edinburgh or Glasgow and use one of the mini-bus (van) tour companies (Haggis, Rabbie's, Timberbush). They offer a range of accommodation types at the overnight stops, so you can opt for the cheap and cheerful and be pretty confident of the quality.

Overnight travel won't help. Scotland's not big enough. Aberdeen's not on the way to anywhere unfortuntaely but we do have a passel of castles.

If I were to do what you are talking about (and I wouldn't). I'd go straight to Edinburgh on your arrival. Glasgow has a lot going for it, but you have to undertand it to get the best out of it,and you haven't time.

See the Castle, and go to the zoo; go and see some of the old stuff in the old town too. Castle Rock Hostel might the bext for you for location. Eat in cafes (Cafe Vittoria in Leith Walk is great). Stay two nights.

Then get the train to Aberdeen. Get ofhh, however, in Stonehaven, and take a walk or get a taxi or somehow find the right bus and go down to Dunottar castle. Go on to Aberdeen and try to get digs somewhere round the Uni. and go for a walk around the Old Town. One of the halls may have a spare guest room; if not you'll get a reanably priced B & B. the Youth Hostel is in Queen's Road- miles from where you want to be.

If you want to, take the service bus to Braemar along the A96. You can get off at any or all of Drum Castle, Crathes castle, Balmoral or Braemar. CHECK THEY ARE OPEN. It's winter and many of them have off seasons. All of them have nice places to walk roun about them.

Come back. Next day, take the bus to Inverness. Places you might like to think about stopping are Huntly- for the castle, Elgin, Forres and Nairn. See if you can get to Culloden.

From Inverness, take the bus down to Drumnadrochit and find a hostel or B&B. You go right down the loch side.

Next day, take the bus to Skye. Skye is awash with hostels and great places to walk. Buses are few and far between. Stay one two or three nights. If three, get the bus to Armadale, the ferry to Mallaig and the train to Glasgow. If two, get off the train in Fort William and then the bus to Oban, and spend a night in Oban and get the train to Glasgow.

Have a great trip whatever you do.

janis

Sheila's routing make a lot of sense and is easy for transport

Unfortunately many of the castles are closed in Nov. including Braemar, Balmoral, Crathes, Drum, etc.

And Dunnottar (my favorite of all, maybe afer Craigevar) is only open Fri thru Mon in the off season. If that fits into your schedule, definitely a visit to Dunnottar would be worthwhile.

Basically - Historic Scotland properties are open then (Huntly, etc). A few National Trust are open reduced hours but most are shut. And some you can visit the grounds but not go inside.

Keith

Shelia,

Nice post.

With fewer days in Scotland, would you drop Sky or drop the other trips?

Keith

sheila

It entirely depends on what your priorities are.