Ackislander

The U2 concert appears to be on the 7th. Summer time ends October 25.

Come two weeks before the concert. Use your first couple of days in Scotland when there is still some light to go north for scenery. Then do the cities on the darker days to come. Leave for home the day after the concert. sleep on the plane.

janisj

Eleanor -- I have given thousands of suggestions for travel to Scotland/the UK. I juts don't do brain dumps and copy/paste the same links in every thread.

ESW

"I have given thousands of suggestions for travel to Scotland/the UK"

So?

Just because I can't claim your unrivalled record of postings, there is no need to be so rude.

I don't do brain dumps either. The only link I have used before is to the Undiscovered Scotland web site, which the OP described as a "wonderful resource". The other links were specially checked out for this answer and have not appeared elsewhere.

Unlike some people who seem to take great pleasure in rubbishing other people's suggestions, especially when they disagree, I was trying to help the OP.

This sort of spatting doesn't help anyone.

historytraveler

My point, and I still stand by it, is that the OP was not asking if November was a good month to visit. If that had been so, then the negative weather related replies would have been fine. To comment negatively on November weather when the OP has already made plans to visit and given their reasons why is not helpful.

The mention of Hudson Bay as being the same latitude as Scotland is, of course, completely irrelevant, so why even mention it. It certainly does nothing to help in the OP's trying to plan an itinerary.

I am sure the OP is aware of limited daylight hours in November. Why is it necessary to comment on the obvious? It will limit some of their touring options. It does not mean that there are not a good many places they can visit. Scotland's tourist sights do not close down completely in November.

BTW the average temperature in Edinburgh for November is about 43 degrees ( F ) Not bad IMO. It does tend to be a rainy month which can make it seem cooler but still pretty manageable for most. No one ever goes to Scotland for the weather.

For the OP, I am trying to come up with some hotel/ B&B options but nothing yet that fits your budget. Will continue to try. There are castles open in November, though many are closed. I believe you can get guided tours of Balmoral during November.

ESW

Point taken historytraveler. I was interested by your comment that you can get guided tours of Balmoral during November. If so, how do you arrange these as checking the website the castle is only open from Wednesday 1st April until Sunday 2nd August. I've been scratching round to try and find any castles/stately homes open in November, although there are ruined ones which are open.

RM67

I disagree that comments on autumnal or winter weather are unhelpful when someone has already booked a trip outside the summer months. It can be worth commenting to steer visitors toward activities that won't be spoiled by inclement weather so they have a backup plan should the hoped for crisp clear days not materialise.

Also it's not uncommon for people to be unaware what time the sun sets so reiterating this information when visitors are considering trips into the wilds is not without merit.

Sometimes simply answering the question that has been asked is not that helpful without providing some context or caveats.

dfourh

My week up the Moray Coast in November (see piccie link above) it was sunny and gorgeous everyday. Just one light sprinkle to add atmosphere to an otherwise lovely trip to Black Isle, and permit some rainbow photography. The one really nice thing about winter sun up there is how low the sun skirts across the horizon, so that the light is highly diffracted by layers of atmosphere, and is rich in color and tones. It was absolutely beautiful.

That said, the people at the B&Bs I stayed just couldn't believe what a nice spell of weather we were having.

cathies

For crying out loud, all of you shut up about the bloody weather!!! Just give the OP some suggestions for things to do etc.

If you have nice weather can I suggest a trip to Culloden? We were there last May and it was excellent.

five09er

Wowzers... Yep, we're coming in November. Yep, we know it's not going to be ideal weather, but we are from the Pacific NW and it's 28 degrees and snowing outside and we love it. So all is well, we have warm clothes and will have a wonderful time regardless of rain, snow or lighting. Just looking for suggestions on what you experienced folks would do in Scotland for 1 week.

historytraveler - thank you for checking on your end what 'hotel/B&B' options might be available.

cathies- I will look in Culloden. Thank you.

dforth- will check out Black Isle

It's mentioned several times that we will not need a car for the week.. it that true if we want to see the smaller towns and not be on a schedule?

** and most importantly, anyone know Bono? We'd like to have dinner with him one night.

Newtraveler2015

My wife and I are traveling with five09er and her husband to Scotland to take in the U2 Concert. We plan to depart the US on the 18th of October returning on the 11th of November. We have traveled the Islands of British Columbia in the dead of winter as well as spending New Years just south of the Arctic Circle one year where it was 62 below zero! We understand that weather can be a challenge but, we don't mind.

We are simply looking for suggestions on what to see and where to stay. We will bring along full rain gear as well as waterproof shoes.

dfourh

I would definitely have a car. For one thing, touring is great - - the route you pick is as interesting as any town you'll see. You can stop and snap piccies, and see a lot more than you might from a bus.

Second, it's November, and the weather ... oh, never mind.

historytraveler

I figured from the OP that you were all pretty savvy..thus my comments.

I've come up with a few possibilities regarding distilleries. Aberlour as dfourth mentioned is excellent and is located in Speyside. Here are few other options that should be open during the winter months although some are closed on weekends. You'll need to double check opening times.

Dalwhinnie
Glenfiddich...excellent
Cardhu

Here are a few castles that should be open. There are several other castles that will be open through October but not in November.

Edinburgh Castle
Stirling Castle
Doune Castle ( check website but I think it's open )
St. Andrews Castle
Dunnottar Castle...check for opening times
Corgarff Castle

I would urge you to rent a car. It will make touring much easier. I'm thinking that with your interest in castles and distilleries, you best bet would be Aberdeen and the Northeast. Pubs, of course, are found everywhere and are always open.

Here is a B&B I came across. www.balsporran.com. It is open during the winter and is located near Strathespey.

historytraveler

Just found the Mash Tun in Aberlour. Have a look. Special rates for fall/ winter. www.mashtun-aberlour.com

castlevisitor

We were in Britain 10/23-11/13 this year - 11/1-11/13 was in Scotland. It was cold and days were shorter, but it was certainly doable. As the Norwegians say, there is no bad weather - only inappropriate clothing choices, right? We fortunately experienced few rainy days, only one of which impacted touring (too windy to allow access to Dunnottar Castle.) There is plenty to see at this time of year. The below sites were all open while we were in Scotland from November 1-13 (caution - brain dump coming):

Castle Campbell
Dirleton Castle
Tantallon Castle
Hailes Castle
Many eastern Scotland/St. Andrews area sites I won't include because they may be too far flung for your trip
Dunblane Cathedral
Doune Castle
Stirling Castle
Laureston Castle
Rosslyn Chapel
Edinburgh Castle
Georgian House in Edinburgh
Royal Yacht Brittania
Edinburgh Royal Mile
Craigmillar Castle
Dumbarton Castle
Linlithgow Palace

I am sure there are also some open sights in Glasgow that you can find with a guidebook, but I still haven't made it there yet, so I can't recommend anything.

We bought a Historic Scotland membership which saved quite a bit. Enjoy your trip. We found it beautiful in a different way than in summer.

castlevisitor

Wanted to add that in past years Balmoral was open during select Wednesdays in winter, something not advertised in the "open hours" section on their website - it seems to be announced as decided in September/October before winter. This year Balmoral was not open for those select Wednesdays due to a nearby bridge being closed for repairs. It might be open in 2015 - if you want to see it, check their "blog" on their website.

five09er

We had a fabulous time in Scotland in November!!! The weather was beautiful and sunny for almost the entire time.

Thank you all for your suggestions. It was one of the most enjoyable 4 weeks spent traveling I've ever had. We made NO reservations and decided to go where ever the day took us. We made it to Glasgow to see U2; which was an experience in itself.

We rented a car and toured through the countryside. When we came across a small town with personality we stopped and checked it out. 99% of the time we were spot on with our choices. Stayed out of the big cities with the exception of Edinburgh, and to be quite honest we could have bypassed it; just to commercialized, busy and full of tourist shops.

We will be back in the future!

cathies

I'm glad you enjoyed Scotland. We only saw a snippet of it but loved it and will return. Thanks for posting your mini trip report.