Traveling mid-august in UK and Ireland
 

I'm trying to plan a trip mid-august around the UK and to Dublin, maybe northern Ireland as well. I'm a foreign student in Paris, and I've never been to the UK before, and I'm not quite sure how to manage it, since it's multiple cities and sights. I'm taking the train to London for maybe 2 days, then to Edinburgh. From there I want to take the bus to Inverness, and I really want to see the Highlands so I want to spend a few days(3 days max). The problem is that it looks like public transportation is not the best since the area is so sparsely populated, and a lot of the websites I've seen has mentioned that taking a car or tours is the best option. I found that the tours for a few hours cost from 57€-140€ with only touristic sites, and doing that a few days is not possible on my student budget. I also want to be able to see more of the country side, and just not just the popular destinations. I've traveled through a bit of Europe already on my own, and I'm not sure I can handle being on someone else's schedule. I'm trying to decide if I should rent a car, and drive everywhere. I am on my own, and while I've never driven long distance in a foreign country, it seems to be a cheaper option. If anyone has any experience with tours in the areas I'm going in, or has experience driving in Scotland and to Dublin and going by ferry, please let me know. I'm trying to find the most affordable and enjoyable way.

The minimum age for hiring a car in UK/Ireland is 21, with stiff daily insurance supplement for those aged under 25.
Coaches (long-distance buses) are a viable mode of travel in both countries. http://www.citylink.co.uk/index.php
http://www.translink.co.uk/Services/...-Service-Page/. From Scotland to Ireland, you can find cheap fares on Ryanair to Dublin or EasyJet to Belfast, or ferries to Northern Ireland by P&O and Stena.

I'm 28 years old so that won't be a problem. My issue isn't the coaches from one major city to the next, but traveling through the highlands and being able to enjoy the sights. I only thought of driving from Scotland to Dublin because I saw that the route is shorter than if I took a coach from London. So I'm not sure whether to take a tour, or rent a car with this being the case.

They won;t let you take a rental car on the ferries from Scotland to Ireland or vice versa.

Ireland may be slightly better for local bus travel than the highlands - where i think a car is reall ynecesary - but don't xpect it to be cheap either.

To clarify, you can take a car on the ferry from UK to Ireland as long as you return the car to UK. The problem is not with whether you can or can't do it but lies in the fact that it is very expensive.

I kind of hate to bring up the option of using trains for public transport and, certainly, a car will provide more flexibility, but trains may work for you too. They are IMO more reliable, quicker and easier to avail than buses. Unsure if you plan to say in Edinburgh or not, but at this late date it will be very difficult to find accommodation mid- August. There are other choices. From Glasgow Queen Street Station ( about 50 minutes from Edinburgh) you can catch the West Highland train to Mallaig. This is a 5 1/2 hour trip and considered one of the most scenic in the UK. It transverses an area not accessible by car. There are several places you could stay enroute. My suggestions would be...Bridge of Orchy, Spean Bridge, Glenfinnan or Arisaig. From Mallaig you can get the ferry to Armadale on the Isle of Skye. You do need a car on Skye and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. The buses are not tourist friendly. You cab book a car from Kyle of Lochalsh and they will deliver it to you at the ferry port at Armadale. Return the car to Kyle of Lochalsh and take the train to Inverness which is about a 2 1/2 hour ride and another very scenic trip.There are frequent trains from Inverness to either Edinburgh or Glasgow. You can do the trip in reverse. I would estimate the total ticket costs to be less than 80£ you will need at least 4 days to make this trip viable.

I don't know how much time you have allowed for the UK and Dublin, but your best bet in getting to Ireland ( if time allows) is a cheap flight from Scotland.

<<I found that the tours for a few hours cost from 57€-140€>>

I wonder where you found that? Rabbie`s small group tours (which are very highly rated) cost under £40 for a full day tour (nearly 11 hours) and under £80 for two day tours.

Yes, both Rabbies and Timberbush offer reasonably price, small group tours. Have a look.

www.rabbies.com
www.timberbush-tours.co.uk

"You do need a car on Skye and don't let anyone convince you otherwise. "

You don't.

There's adequate public transport from the mainland TO Portree in Skye ("public transportation is not the best" means it's stellar by North American standards)and relatively easy cycling (and bike hire) once you're there.

True, cycling requires adequate rain protection. But you need that for any kind of touring in Scotland.

I'm not sure that I would consider cycling on Skye as "easy". It is a way to get around but I've never seem many cyclists. Walkers, yes.

Public transportation on Skye is not " stellar by American standards". Admittedly I don't often use it, here ( America ) but when I do, I know the bus will arrive /depart pretty much on schedule. It doesn't always work that way on Skye. In addition, the buses are more for locals than for tourists trying to get to the various sites. One can certainly use the Skye bus system, but it requires a great deal of patience and flexibility.

Hit the submit too soon. Obviously I meant seen instead of seem.

As to cycling in the rain, I find most tourists have trouble just coping with the rain without even trying to manage it on a bicycle. If one is hardy enough to do so ( and some years ago I could've managed but no longer) then go for it. Probably faster than the bus.;)

Thanks for the replies guys. I used Google to research a few tour companies, and the 2 that were given here were not ones that I saw first. @historytraveler you gave a suggestion that I had not seen by looking online. I have a 2 week vacation, and my timing is flexible, so I have some time to see a little of everything. This is what I have in my mind so far going by what I originally planned and the suggestions that I have received here:

I was only going to spend a day in Edinburgh before moving on to Inverness by train. I wanted to see the Highlands at a leisurely pace for a day(by car if possible), take the train from Fort William to Mallaig, return to Inverness, travel by train to Perth and Dundee before going to Glasgow. From Glasgow I can take a train to Belfast, go by train to Dublin and head back to London afterwards. This price so far is calculated at 160€ not taking into account sleeping accommodation and petrol. I had not planned on going to Skye, but the prices are reasonable, so I may take a turn there from Mallaig as suggested.

While this is a vacation, I also want to find some genealogical information as well. My grandmothers Surname is Scottish, and my ancestors are said to have settled in Perth and Dundee, and I may be able to find more information if I go there. I'm also going to North Tawton in Devon to find more about my grandfathers surname and maybe find a link for both. Going there is simple from London, it's just my trip to scotland and Ireland that I am having trouble with.

>>From Glasgow I can take a train to Belfast, go by train to Dublin<<
You could, but it will take ALL day. Why not fly direct from GLA to DUB?

<<They won;t let you take a rental car on the ferries from Scotland to Ireland or vice versa.>> This statement is not true. For accurate information, check with the car rental company for costs and restrictions (if any).

https://www.hertz.co.uk/rentacar/cus...search=ferries

Yes, I have no idea where people get the idea that you can't take a rental car to Ireland. We did it. We rented in Oxford, drove through Wales, across to Ireland , returned via ferry to Scotland and drove back to Oxford. Assumptions are not always accurate. Not sure at all that this is a good idea for OP because even though it is doable, it is expensive.

Taking a UK car picked up in Scotland and dropping it off in Dublin doesn't make sense, because of costs (extra insurance/breakdown cover, vehicle fare for ferry etc) and restrictions. Just turn in your car at the Scottish port/airport and pick up another in Ireland. There is normally a small drop-off fee for one-way rental between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

I suggest you look at the smaller train lines in Scotland. I've found little places to drop off at (as some described above) to go walking in the middle of nowhere.

Do you need rain gear to go walking in Scotland or Ireland..... do bears ...

Thanks for the replies again. I won't do the rental car from the UK to Ireland, but the train. I want to enjoy the scenery as much as possible!