Thanks to the many of you who have helped with travel ideas for Scotland - especially Sheila and Janis.

We thought we were all set with an trip that allowed us to see the Highland Games in Crieff and then travel to St. Andrews area and then down to Ayrshire.
However - I just double checked and the Crieff games are on Sunday not Saturday as we originally thought.This considerably throws thing off.

So ... alas two more options that leave my head swhirling.

Option one - Edinburgh - change from three to two nights. Leave Edinburgh and head to Ayrhsire area on Friday - check into a really nice place - after this planning - I'm splurging . Thinking of Culzean Castle for two nights. Going to the Games at Isle of Bute -I hope that's doable from Ayrshire (??).
Sunday head up to Oban for two nights. No accommodations yet.
Leave Oban on Tuesday morning - drive to Glasgow and stay near the airport for an early fight on Wednesday ?

Option two:
Edinburgh - two nights - drive to Fort William area on Friday. Go to the Highland Games in Glenfinnan. Stay at Glengarry or the Glenfinnan House Hotel ( which looks lovely)

Drive to Ayshire for two nights - hopefully spend some time in Stirling on the way to Ayrshire ( is that doable ?). Either stay near the airport for final night - not sure. We have a 9:00am flight. How would the drive be from Ayrshire to Glasgow on a week day morning ?

Sorry for all this confusion. We are trying to plan this trip both arround the Highland Games - Ayrshire ( family history ) and staying overnight in a castle. Not to mention great food and music.

Carolyn

Carolyn, I have read some of your other threads, and some replies there make very good points about the highland games. Where do you live? Have you ever been to highland games in the US or Canada? In many ways the North American games are worth more "destination travel" than the Scottish games. If I were you I might not orient my Scotland trip around attending highland games there, and instead give a bit of time to rambling on back roads and soaking up the scenery. The coolest sight I ever saw in Scotland was on a back road on Skye where a guy was crossing the lane carrying his bagpipes and accompanied by his Border Collie. Sheep were all around and the views were amazing - fields and water. We just got shivers thinking of him playing his pipes in that setting.

My daughters have played bagpipes and Scottish snare drums in bagpipe bands for the past 8 years, and we have traveled all over North America and Scotland in connection with the pipes. In many ways, the North American (especially the US) highland games are more clearly focused on Scottish culture. Games in Scotland can more closely resemble a county fair. In Scotland, a permanent fixture of the games are the bouncy castles for children, and most have arcade rides.

In games in Scotland, there typically are not the Celtic music groups that you will find in the bigger games in N. America. There are solo bagpiping contests (usually morning) and bagpipe band competitions (usually afternoon). There are footraces, and tug o' wars (or is it tugs o' war?). You won't see anywhere near as many kilts in Scotland at the games - usually only on the bands - and maybe on the heavy athletics - but not on many spectators.

The vendors in Scotland can be more random as well - you will find purveyors of inexpensive sweaters and sports jerseys, as well as cheap watches and toys. There is some tartanalia, but you will find almost no clan related goods. A guy named Mr. Anthony sells Inverness rain capes at some of the bigger games, and there is a fabulous jewelry vendor we saw at Crieff and many of the other games - meredithjewelry.co.uk

The most interesting games we attended in Scotland were the Oban games, where the Scottish upper crust were all running around in their wellies and tweeds. The best food was at Perth and Bridge of Allan, which had Abroath smokies - wonderful smoked fish.

Pity you won't be in Scotland on August 12. The World Pipe Band Championships are held in Glasgow, and the day is exellent. Four circles of pipe band competitions, champion heavy atletics and highland dancing, as well as high class vendors. There are a week's worth of related music and cultural events leading up to the World championships at venues all over Glasgow - the Piping Live Festival from August 7-13: http://www.pipingfestival.co.uk/

Although this won't fit your dates, either, Carolyn, for the benefit of anyone else who is interested in Scottish highland games, I did wanted to add that the Cowal Highland Gathering in Dunoon (August 24-24, 2006) is perhaps the most enjoyable of the highland games that we have attended in Scotland. http://www.cowalgathering.com/
It is one of the 5 'majors' of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association piping season, so many of the best bagpipe bands in the world attend. There are both the national and the world championships in Highland dancing (I think).

However, the real action is in the streets of Dunoon on the Saturday. The bagpipe bands march down the street, not once, but twice. The first time they compete in a street competition for 'most entertaining band'. The second time is at the end of the games day when the bands march down through the town in a big parade.

All day there are throngs of people lining the streets and filling the pubs. Many are in crazy dress. Dozens of vendors set up in car parks, and of course there are the regular shops and restaurants.

Actaully, Carolyn, I think either of your options now is better than the previous ones.

Me, I'd go with B, because Glenfinnan is going to be better than Bute, and it's EVEN more beautiful (which is not to say Bute isn't). I've stayed in Glenfinnan House and it's nice. If you're going to do this, BOOK IT NOW!.

If you go with A, consider Turnberry Hotel golf or no golf.

I'm very fond of my friend noe, but... the best Highland Games is the Lonach. By a mile. UNLESS you're a piper, in which case it's Cowal. The propblem is they're almost always on the same weekend.

Otherwise, she's spot on. It' just that, especially in less urban places, the Games are a real part of the community and not dress up. SURELY they're better/ more real here?

PS if the answer to teh last question is no, please don't tell me. I'm not sure Icould stand it.

topping...

Lol, Sheila! The games are definitely more 'real' in Scotland.

You can hardly get more unreal than the spectacle that you see at the larger North American games - especially in the US - of tons of people dressed up in all manner of tartan gear, variations on kilts (sometimes mixed with goth accessories), assorted reenactment costumes and outlandish Scottish flavored concoctions!

So, Sheila, you are very right in your distinction betweeen dress up and being a real part of a (small) community. What I would say is that in Scotland at the games, the emphasis on entertainment that the real people who live there would enjoy (hence the rides, bouncy castles, random shopping, footraces, etc.) while in North America the emphasis is on Scottish 'roots' and all things culturally Scottish (celtic folk music, kilted foot races, jewelry with celtic designs, lots and lots of clan emphasis in booths and in the vendors' wares).

Whether it is worth arranging an entire trip's itinerary around a small community highland games is for each person to determine. I was trying to find out from the OP what her experience is with highland games, and I guess, what her expectation is for games in Scotland. That way she can figure out how to structure her time.

ckyle: To jump back into the fray - what part of the States do you come from? noe is right - and sheila is right. I've been to probably 45 highland games in the States and 15 or 18 in Scotland. It is true that many of the US games are more "destinations" than many of the games in Scotland.

If it were me - and only speaking for myself - if I had such a short time in Scotland I wouldn't plan on taking any time for a games. If you were there for 2 or 3 weeks - heck, you could go to 2 or 3 games. But w/ just 5 days, maximize seeing bits of <u>Scotland</u> and forget about trying to squeeze in a games too.

I'd concentrate on Culzean, Edinburgh, etc and NOT one of those games.

Wow, Janis, I am seriously impressed! I had to go back and count the games we have attended. The best I can figure, I have attended around 30 different highland games in North America, some for multiple years of course. One or the other of my girls has attended maybe 6 or 8 additional games without me. In addition, we've been to a few Celtic or Irish festivals and maybe 10 different indoor piping/drumming competitions. And then there are the parades...

Thanks. Again-greatly appreciate all the help you have offered on Scotland.

Best wishes,

Carolyn