haggisgirl

Recently found this website and can't believe how helpful it has been in deciding our itinerary for Scotland this May. We've done alot of homework & gone back & forth on plans so would really appreciate your comments on our draft plan.

We arrive in Glasgow May 9th after a 9 hr flight & 8 hr time difference so thought we'd p/u our car and head straight to the Isle of Skye for 3 nights. While there we plan to visit Bradford, road to Elgol (B8083 &A881), Armadale Castle & Clan Donald Centre (for some geneology research), Kilt Rock, Quiraing (the road there sounds scary - is it?), Kilmuir and Waternish Peninsula. Thanks to the website we have some suggestions for B&Bs.

Thursday May 12 we will take the ferry from Uig to Lochmaddy, N. Uist & spend 4 nights there seeing where my g.father was born & raised and visiting relatives I've never met. Any suggestions for B&Bs?

From May 16 - 25th we have the following plan in a bit of geographic order of what we'd like to see. You'll see that some of the ideas came from this message board. Please let us know if it's too much for that length of time. Our wonderful dilemma is that I also have relatives in England (Lake District, Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and east of London who also want us to visit but we have to leave from Manchester on June 4th. Is May 16-25th too short to cover our plan? Which castles should be on the list for this trip?

Here goes:
Eilean Donan Castle (photo only); Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness; Cawdor Castle; Brodie Castle; Portknockie (stay with relatives); Crathes Castle; Balmoral Castle (photo only); Braemar Castle; Blair Castle and Loch Rannoch. Will the above give us enough exposure to the Grampian Mtns.?

Perth area: train (vs driving) to Edinburgh for day visit(s); Loch Leven; loop along A85 (Crieff, deteour on A822 to Drummond Castle; Comrie; Loch Earn; Killin (Falls of Dochart); Loch Tay; side trip to Fortingall (Glen Lyon: Ben Lawers Mtn. for views); Alberfeldy, Dunkeld and back to Perth.

Glen Coe; Loch Lomond (take guided cruise?); Lnchmahome Priory; Stirling; The Trossachs - loop: Callander, Aberfoyle, Stronachlachar; Loch Katrine (take boat ride?); Inverarnan and back to Stirling.

We've attempted to figure out how long it would take us to get from place to place (day trips) but know that driving in a mountainous area on unfamiliar roads and on the other side of the road (for us) will take longer. Any B&B suggestions in areas that cover the above would also be most welcome. We'd prefer to stay in smaller places but know that Perth would probably be one good place to stay in order to do loop trips and take the train to Edinburgh.

Thanks alot!

janis

Yes - you will have time to see those places in the 10 days. You are probably cutting Edinburgh too short -- but hey, you can't see EVERYTHING.

It will be a bit early for Drummond Castle Gardes to be in bloom - but go there anyway. Even when not a single plant is flowering it is still one of the most colorful, amazing places you have ever seen.

BUT first you have to survive your first day/night.

" . . after a 9 hr flight & 8 hr time difference so thought we'd p/u our car and head straight to the Isle of Skye . . . "

It looks like you are flying in non-stop from the west coast. That flight will absolutely drain you. Driving straight to Skye could be a recipe for disaster.

I would drive a MUCH shorter distance the first day (or not drive at all if you have any interest in seeing some of Glasgow).

You could see the Trossachs/Loch Katrine/Inchmahome Priory, etc in the first couple of days and not have to drive too far in a jet lagged stupor. Then you can head through Glencoe and on to Skye and continue the rest of your tour.

Or another option -- arrive Glasgow and take the train to Edinburgh for 2 days (get over the jet lag car-less in Edinburgh). Then pick up your rental car and do your round Scotland loop in reverse order of what you are planning. Finish up w/ Skye then through Glencoe, down the A82/M74/M6 into the Lake Dist and on to the English part of your itinerary.

sheila

That sounds like a fantastic trip. I think you will love it.

If you think you'll be up to driving when you get to Glasgow, go for it. I've done it, I suspect Janis has done it, heaps of people do it; BUT.. west to east always gets me worse than east to west, so you may be more tired than you expect. Something people on her always say is that the narrowness of the roadsd takes them by surprise and you is going where the roads is most narrow. SO, given that it's early May, I suggest that you don't book accommodation, but be prepared to pull over if you think you're not up to it. You won't find any trouble getting rooms at that time of year.

Bradfors is a little to the south of Skye (about 300 miles, so you may want to take in Broadford- startlingly boring wee town IMHO, EXCEPT for Skye Jewellry, which does lovely Celtic silver, and the petrol station. What, you say? The gas station?

Do you remember (did you get) those Esso (Exxon) ads in the 60s with the slogan "I've got a tiger in my tank"? Well, they do them in Gaelic here and here alone- "Tha an (tiger- damn, can't remember the word) ann mo thainc".

The road at the Quiraing is not scary at all.

As to North Uist, there are B&Bs all over and it alld epends where you want to be. The Old Courthouse in Lochmaddy gets a good name. I've been a few times and can make some suggestions of things to do, if your rellies haven't sorted you out.

I think you have an awful lot in for 10 days, but it's your holiday

You only need one of Cawdor and Brodie Castles if you're short of time; It would be a shame not to take in Culloden, when you're so close.

You're effectively driving round the edges of the Grampians, but it's probably enough.

I agree totally that train to Edinburgh is better than driving.

Taking LochLeven into your trip round Loch Earn and Loch Tay will make a VERY long day.

Similarly to do Glen Coe at the same time as the Trossachs is either impossible or just nuts!.

You can certainly use Perth as a base, to do these trips. Dunblane or Doune or Callendar might be more central. You could train to Edinburgh from Stirling.

_jinx_

Sheila,
I'm looking at one of the Skye petrol decals and it reads, "Tha agam na mo thanc". We picked it up a couple of years ago. The charming lady at our B & B spoke some Gaelic for us. I asked her how she would say "Texas" in
Gaelic--and she replied "Texas". I love the Scottish sense of humor!

Cheers,

Jinx Hoover

mr_go

<b>haggisgirl</b>
First of all, welcome aboard. You're right about this site and this forum being valuable resources for planning a trip...and we're always hungry for more input, so don't be a stranger.

If you haven't already, please take a moment to search for our trip report from this past July (&quot;12 spectacular days in sometimes sunny Scotland&quot. Ms. Go and I covered much of the same ground you will be traveling, so you can read the details for yourself.

Photos are viewable in four separate albums at our webshots page:
http://community.webshots.com/user/go_family

Good luck with your planning, and remember to pack for brisk &amp; damp weather!

haggisgirl

Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for your replies; they've been very helpful. We do have Drummond Castle on our long list of castles so will put a * beside it to make it a &quot;for sure&quot;. As far as driving to Skye straight away I should have given a few more details, that being that our plane arrives in Glasgow at 8:30am so although it is a long flight (from Vancouver, Canada) and we will be tired (esp. me as I'm not a good flier at all) we have landed and driven before. We also didn't think we'd be able to check in to any accommodation before the late afternoon but are hoping that someone will take mercy on us and allow us to do so so we can get a couple of hrs. sleep. Not to say that we'll ignore your experienced advise but we will play it by ear. We also wanted to go to N. Uist first because of wanting to be there over a weekend and being excited about seeing my g. father's birthplace. Sheila, I would be interested in suggestions you had for sights in N. Uist. Two things I've read about are the Lochmaddy Museum and the Balranald Nature Reserve. We'll also visit S. Uist. I heard that there is a great place in Benbecula to buy celtic jewelry. Thanks also for the correction - yes indeed it is Broadford not Bradford.

You've all made great suggestions that are to the point (which I prefer) and that speak from experience. We will rework our itinerary as we also want some slow days and was thinking that I've listed too many castles. My husband would definately agree with that! Mr _go, your report was fabulous and your pictures absolutely beautiful. We always try and take photos from different angles so really appreciated seeing yours. We keep a diary on our trips so will report back in June. And Jinx, thanks for the bit on gaelic humour. I sometimes find it difficult to understand a Scot when they are speaking English so our trip should be intersting. There is a gentleman who works at one of the local lottery booths who is from Glasgow (isn't everyone he said?) and I really have to listen hard but it's too much fun.

Thanks again and if anyone has any further suggestions, and has the time, we'd be interested in hearing from you.

Haggisgirl &amp; tugboatguy

sheila

Do not, for one second, think that if you can speak Glasgow, that will help in the islands

One of the things I love about the Uists, is that it's the only place I've ever been that you hear Gaelic being spoken as the everyday language. Mostly teh people will switch, in front of you, becuase it's considered rude- unlike it Wales, where they are alleged to take pleasure in humiliating tourists who don't speak Welsh.

On North Uist, you should visit , in Lochmaddy, Taigh Chearsabhagh, which I think is what you are calling Lochmaddy museum. It's more properly a gallery and tea room with a shop, but it does do museum-lik displays too.

Try to see the Hut of the Shadows too. I say that, because I've not been able to find it yet

Nearby is Barpa Langass which is a fantastic ancient monument. The very first time I went to North Uist, i got off the boat and drove west, and there were no fewer than 3 Golden Eagles wheeling above the hills 2 miles outside the town.

There's Tempull na Trionaid, outside Carinish to see too. But really it's mostly abouut scenery and nature. If you get a chance to go to a ceilidh, leap at it. I went to one in Carinish Hall on Good Friday and... well, you had to be there.

I think the jewellry place you are thinking about is Hebridean Jewellry which is in South Uist, not Benbecula. It's also an excellent book shop.

Take a day to drive from the tip of Berneray to Eriskay. all the islands are linked by causeway now.

I'm not sure if you need to know this, but 3 weeks ago we had a very violent storm, across the whole country, but it affected teh Wesern Isles very badly, and a whole family- 2 generations- were swept off one of the Benbecula causeways in 2 cars and drowned. Immensely sad; and on an isalnd tha size, a huge loss.

Sorry about that, but to be cheerier, if you have folks in North Uist, they're probably related to my sister in law. It's that sort of place

haggisgirl

Hi Sheila,
Thanks for your reply and suggestions for what to see in both the Uists. I will definately look for (and ask as well) the Hut of the Shadows. I love a challenge! You are right about the scenery and nature of the islands. We live on the coast and never tire of it although the south coast is not as barren &amp; rugged as I imagine the Uists are. Thank you for letting me know about the awful accident. It is good to know this in case it comes up during our visit. I laughed when you mentioned that we could be related to your sister-in-law and we probably are! In what family tree research I've done, you can tell that people didn't travel much and have found two first cousins that married. Oh me, oh my! Thank you also for suggesting we go to a ceilidh - something we definately want to do. I didn't know if there was music on a regular basis in the pubs/hotels and thought we'd just have to take our chances. We spent some time in Atlantic Canada in the Fall of 2003 and still have very good memories of the 'kitchen parties' and concerts there. Even got a little teary when the bagpipes started to play. Can't wait to get there. Thanks again for your suggestions and corrections for where I heard places were - helpful when I actually get there!

ashields

Sounds like a great trip! I would suggest that you give Edinburgh more than a day, though. Its one of my favorite cities in the whole of Europe and is filled with interesting things to do. The castle and royal mile are fascinating and the nightly ghost tours are fun (no ghosts on mine, but I learned a lot of Edinburgh history).

haggisgirl

Hi ashields,
Thank you, thank you for letting me know about the ghost tours in Edinburgh. That is something that we've never been on although we tried in 2003 in Newfoundland. We were too late for the summer season and too early for the Halloween tour. We have also decided to visit Edinburgh at least twice so will have to cut out some of the many castles that our draft itinerary has. (Yippee says my husband). Have you toured any and if so, which ones would you suggest should not be missed besides Edinburgh and Stirling? I've done alot of reading and internet research and all the ones on our itinerary seem to be worth going to except for the two where I've put &quot;photo only&quot;. Also, after doing yet more reading, I'd be interested in visiting Aberdeen which is within reason geographically on our itinerary (whoops, there goes another castle off the list). I see they have a Maritime Museum that's been given a good write-up. Living on the coast we always find them interesting.

bc_canuck

I also wish to thank everyone on this thread for the info as I am planning my trip to Scotland right now. I'll also be arriving in May, and visiting the Clan Donald centre for genealogy, and N. Uist where my grandmother was raised and I've been told we still have relatives there. I'm from Vancouver as well, eerie!

sheila

Castles- As I said before Brdoie adn cawdor are interchangeable (but you MUST do Culloden)

You could ditch one of Crathes or Braemar. I shouldn't say this, since the people who run Braemar are clients of mine, but if you were only to do one, Crathes is miles ahead. Super gardens too.

I would also ditch Balmoral. Remember it was only built in the 19th century and without the Royal connection is nothing special. Drummond castle has the most fantastic gardens too.

I guess the one thing I would say is please don't drop the off the beaten track places for the mainstream.

Aberdeen- now I love the place; I live there and it has some lovely moments, but I see little I'd consider worth losing to fit it in. The Maritime Museum IS good, but it's a hell of a detour, just for that.

haggisgirl

Thanks Sheila for your suggestions; I agree that it's not worth cutting out the 'off the beaten track' places for the standard sights to see. We want to see lots but not at the expense of also enjoying the great scenery at a relaxed pace and being able to go for walks. We'll put Culloden on the itinerary as well.

And to 'bc canuck' how about tearing yourself away from the Super Bowl game and letting me know your g.mother's name and where she lived on N. Uist. It's not a big island and there probably is a chance we are related somehow. We leave Vancouver May 8th on Zoom Airlines.

bc_canuck

well haggisgirl my g'mother's name is Alexandrina MacDonald. She had four sisters named Kate Mary, Johan, Mary Margaret, Kate (yes, just plain Kate) and Elizabeth. Not sure of where she was born exactly, her father was born on Benbecula. Her mother was born in Kyles Paible, N. Uist. Other relatives are Mc/MacDonald from Torlum, Knockintorran and Heiskeir. I've been able to trace back to the late 1700's in the Western Isles. Our Scottish leg is the last of the trip that begins May1 in Amsterdam.

historytraveler

If you are still looking for a place to stay on North Uist try the Langass Lodge near Lochmaddy. Their email is [email protected]. They also have an excellent website www.langasslodge.co.uk

nini

We plan to spend ten days in Scotland in May and will allow three nights/days in Edinburgh. Any recommendations on B&amp;B or hotel? Will drop car at airport and need good location to walk around Ed--moderate price would be good.

leonberger

Ahh, the plans for Scotland make me already sad that my trip was last September. Although I went mostly a different direction than all of you are heading, you may want to read my trip report,too.

I agree (as usual!) with janis and sheila and mr-ms go about which things to drop and which to keep.

Definitely Crathes Castle instead of Braemar (but my trip report will tell you about two sweet B&amp;B's in Braemar). Braemar was really nice, but it is very small. Crathes is worth it just for the gardens (we actually went for a concert by the Gordon Highlanders and never went into the Castle itself - just enjoyed the music and then wandered the gardens!).

Don't forget to buy a Great British Heritage Pass before you go. britrail.com had the best prices when I purchased them last year. That pass will let you into almost everything you mentioned at no additional cost - it will pay for itself many times over.

Most B&amp;B hosts will let you check in whenever you get there....I normally wouldn't stop before lunch, but it wouldn't hurt to try if you're tired. All they can say is &quot;no&quot; and you go on your merry way.

We did visit Skye (and parts that direction) on a trip three years ago (no trip report, sorry, didn't &quot;do&quot; fodors website then!). We loved the drive to the Quiraing, and Kilt Rock Falls was amazing. The Museum of Island Life was surprisingly good (it doesn't look like much from the road) and it was completely deserted except for us and a caretaker - perfect!

Near Perth are both Scone Palace and Falkland Palace - we had a grand time at both of those places, too. (Although I must admit playing with the giant checkers was as much fun as touring the castle at Falklands, and our favorite thing there was the tennis court.)

So, I've been to Scotland twice (three times if you count a two-day foray one year just to race up to the David Livingstone Center - a story for another day). Each trip was 2.5 weeks, and I haven't even scratched the surface of what I want to see and do in Scotland.

And, I've been to England/Wales another dozen times. Same problem.

Friends at work say, &quot;Haven't you gone to England/Scotlant/Wales before?&quot; And I say, &quot;yes.&quot; Then they say, &quot;Well, why do you want to go again?&quot; Hmmmm....perhaps because there are still approximately 1,825,468 things I still want to see or do in that area? (Probably not even an exaggeration - I see a dozen or more just in this thread!)

Anyway, I'm rambling. Your trips sound wonderful - enjoy them. Then write detailed trip reports for us!!

Gayle

haggisgirl

Hi historytraveler,
Thank you for the info on Langass Lodge; the pictures are incredible. Want to be there right now. And yes, it is a great website.

Hi bc canuck,
I have found 3 Alexandrina MacDonalds (went by Alice, Ina and Lexie) but so far haven't found the 4 sisters with the same names. I know you're probably related (my g. father's name and my maiden name was MacDonald - he was from Hosta)though and I'll get back to you. We were in Amsterdam in 2002; lots of great things to see but of course my perspective is a little different from my first time there in 1970! Love the canals and just walking up &amp; down the streets but it's very expensive and watch out for the pickpockets - there are signs everywhere about them.

sheila

haggisgirl, you know that nearly all of the islands have genealogy web sites?

bc_canuck

haggisgirl, my g'mother was known as Lexie. Coincidence or what? please email me off forum, I would like to compare notes.

bc_canuck
[email protected]