jeff49

Part 1 of 3

We decided to burn the last of our USAir FF miles (while they are still worth something) on a 2 week trip to Scotland and the Northumberland area. I will not bore you with a blow by blow other than saying we tried to see every castle and historical site from Glasgow to St. Andrews and from Perth to Newcastle. I would like to pass on a few things I learned and some highlights, but first I would like to thank Sheila and others that give such good advice on this forum. I you are a newbie here, do a search first before asking questions. I found all my questions answered without having to pose any new questions and learned so much just by reading the other posts.

Tip #1 RENTAL CARS - Keep checking rental web sites for special offers and discounts. We got a subcompact through Thrifty for 226 GBP (US$417) for 2 weeks. We easily declined the CDW without a hassle as they didn't want to see all the documentation I had so carefully acquired from my CC company proving I had insurance. Study the highway code before you go as some signage is different than what you may be use to. Rural Scottish roads are narrow without shoulders and I was often glad I had rented a subcompact. Gas (petrol) was surprisingly cheapest at Glasgow airport.

Tip #2 CELL PHONE - I took the advice of XYZ123 and got me a used dual band (900/1800) phone on eBay for US$10.00 (Nokia 6510). Another $6.00 (on eBay) for a Virgin sim pack and I had a working cell phone when I landed with 5 GBP credit. No registration, no hassle, no charge for calls from the US (20 pence/minute for calls to the US), and all the folks back home already had my UK number before I left home. The sim came with a "top up" card that you present (with whatever amount you want added) at any accepting merchant (gas stations, drug stores, etc) and after swiping your card, your additional credit is immediately available. I still can't believe how easy it was and how nice it was to have a cell phone (with voice mail) to make reservations, confirm opening times, etc. I won't go again without it. So Rex, I won't sell it forward, however, I might loan it forward to keep my number active as you have you use it at least once every 6 months to keep the number active.

jeff49

Part 2 of 3

Tip #3 - GREAT BRITISH HERITAGE PASS - This pass was quite a money saver for us. If you decide to purchase it, do so at railpass.com. I still do not understand why it is US$23 cheaper there than everywhere else for a 15 day pass. For our $52 pass, we entered 18 places that would have cost us over US$200/person if we had paid admission at each place. It also saved us some time at Edinburgh castle as there was no one in the separate line for pass holders.

Tip #4 - B&B's - We stayed at a variety of places, including some rural B&Bs. One in particular warrants special note. If you take a map of Scotland and tried to pick a central location from which to do day trips to Stirling, St. Andrews, the area castles (Blair, Glamis, Scone) and Falkland Palace, you might want to be near Kinross and that is where we found Caplawhead B&B. Hidden a couple of hundred yards off the main road is this 150 year old farmhouse that has been magnificently restored by its present owners, the Lindsays. We have stayed in many a B&B, but this one topped them all. Not only was the location perfect, the owners are the most charming hosts that I can recall. Hamish is an excellent reference and historian for anything Scottish and his wife, Frances, created the "fullest" full breakfast that I've encountered. I could easily have sat by the fire in the drawing room reading a book all day rather than seeing the local attractions. It was that cozy! There are only 2 guest rooms available (twin & double) and both are nicely furnished and each has a shower. I wished we had booked more than the three nights we stayed there as it was superb. The twin was 28 GBP/pppn.

Tip #5 EDINBURGH - We visited quite a few museums and Our Dynamic Earth is the only one I would not do again. (They do, however, offer a 25% discount for AAA members) The penguin exhibit at the zoo is especially nice. Don't overlook the free museums on the Royal Mile. Their small entrances are deceiving as to how large they actually are. We bought a bus pass for the week, but found ourselves walking to most places as the city center is not that big. If you are driving, become familiar with the green bus lanes and make sure you avoid them.

We were in Edinburgh for a weeklong stay at The Edinburgh Residence, an excellent hotel on Rothesay Terrace, just off Charlottes Square. The rack rate of nearly US$300/night is a little more than we would spend as we got it on a timeshare trade. Our suite (#8) was quite spacious and well equipped with amenities. The bedroom measured 20x20 with a separate dressing room. The large bath had a 6 foot Jacuzzi tub and a separate shower. There was a small private courtyard and a separate entrance to the street from the room. It was very nice, but I would have traded it for a week at Caplawhead.

jeff49

Part 3 of 3


Tip #6 - BE READY FOR THE UNEXPECTED - We arrived in Edinburgh not realizing the pageantry that would accompany the opening of the parliament. After finding it on the news, we walked over to the Royal Mile and arrived as the parade began. Not only did we see the queen up close, but my wife spotted Sean Connery walking about and blurted out "Sean, I love you". He came over and asked her name, where she was from and chatted for a few minutes. Not only was she in hog heaven, but their conversation drew the attention of some reporters who interviewed her for a story about her encounter with Sean. The following day, her picture and story appeared on page 4 of the Sunday Post. Needless to say, we now own a half dozen copies of the Post.

Tip #7 - LEARN THE LANGUAGE - It sounds silly for an American to say that, but if you are a first time visitor to the UK you should review one of the list of words that have different meanings on that side of the big pond. (do a web search for "britspeak" or do a search here) My wife slipped and fell on her "bum" while we were touring Flodden Field. She later proclaimed to some English friends that she had "fallen on her fat fanny in Flodden Field." She was quickly admonished not to repeat that phrase in public as "fanny" had a slightly different meaning in the UK.

Tip #8 PICTURE TAKING - There's been a lot of discussion here about digital cameras and how to store images. Although I took six 256K cards, I found lots of places (including Boots Pharmacy) that would process digital prints for 10 pence each if you ordered a minimum of 50. We ended up getting about half of our prints made there and it was nice to have them in hand when we got back home to show our friends.

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS: Rosalyn Chapel is under scaffolding, literally, with a canopy over the entire top, and will be for at least another year... Stirling Jail was much better than expected as the tour guides are professional actors and do a grand job.... Falkland Palace had the best guide we encountered and he was a volunteer.... Craigside House and Gardens are not to be missed if you are in the Morpeth area.... Expect to pay about double for food than what you do in the US. A Whopper, regular fries, and large coke was $11 at Burger King. (I didn't buy, just priced it for comparison)....Try some haggis, it's actually quite tasty... Check in time at most B&Bs is 6 pm, so make sure your host knows if you plan to arrive earlier....If you drive from St. Andrews to Edinburgh, take the coastal route. Yeah, it's longer, but well worth the extra time.... If you don't like the weather, just wait 10 minutes as it changes so fast.

Overall, it was one of the best trips we've made, even if we hadn't met Sean Connery. Can't wait to go back and do the north of Scotland. You can e-mail me at [email protected] with questions.

memejw

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for posting your trip report. I'll be there in 219 days, but who's counting?

cmcfong

Great post, Jeff. Thanks so much for taking the time to share the information.

caroline_edinburgh

Thanks for the interesting report, Jeff.

Amused to have it confirmed that "Rosslyn Chapel is under scaffolding, literally, with a canopy over the entire top, and will be for at least another year", as it was the last time I heard. We visited it in early 1999 as a possible venue for our wedding in 2000 and were assured that the scaffolding would be off by then !! Thankfully, we chose a different venue.

jeff49

Caroline,
Not only were we told that the scaffolding would be in place for another year, the remaining renovations are to last another 5 years.

caroline_edinburgh

!!!