Trip to Scotland in June
 

Last year, my husband and I had planned a trip to Scotland and northern England, but had to cancel it at the last minute because of a family emergency. I'm hoping to go this year in June, with a slightly modified itinerary.

We'll be flying from Italy to London by Ryanair. We have a maximum of two weeks; my husband would prefer to make it a bit shorter, as he begins longing for home after being away for more than a week.

My father grew up in Glasgow, and I've always wanted to visit there. Also a childhood friend of my husband is now a monk stationed (is that the right word for a monk?) in Glasgow, so we want to spend a little time with him, and be there on a Sunday to go to mass with him. I also have a first cousin in Edinburgh, but we've been out of touch, and now I can't remember her surname nor can I find her address, so visiting her may not be a possibility.

Here is my tentative itinerary:

Upon arrival, we'll take a train to York from Stansted, without passing through London. We'll spend one night there, just to break the journey. I'd also like to see a bit of the city in the short time we have.

The next two nights I thought of spending in Edinburgh, which would give us about a a day and a half there.

I thought of spending the next two nights on Mull; last year I had planned one night but realized that the time was really short. One thing I'd like to do there is visit Iona, and perhaps take some walks and enjoy some peace and quiet.

Then, we would arrive in Glasgow on a Saturday evening and spend four nights. On one day, I'd like to look up my father's old neighborhood and his school. The two streets on which he lived no longer exist, but I know where they were, because I have an old map.

On another day, I thought of taking a bus tour in the highlands using Rabbie's Tours, which seem to have good reviews. My one worry is that my husband's English is not very good, and it seems that all of the tours include a constant patter. This is the one I considered:

http://www.rabbies.com/tours_scotlan...1_day_tour.asp

This tour departs from and returns to Edinburgh, and we wouldn't be in Edinburgh that day, although if y. I could extend our time in Edinburgh to include this tour, but that would mean leaving a day earlier or missing the Sunday in Glasgow. There are tours departing from Glasgow, but none that appeals to me as much as this one. We have no interest in whisky, nor in the Loch Ness monster. This tour of the highlands from Glasgow would interest me, but it would somewhat cover the same ground as the trip to Mull.

http://www.rabbies.com/tours_scotlan...our.asp?lng=en

Another possibility would be to forget the tour altogether and spend a day visiting Loch Lomond by train and bus, and maybe also the Falkirk wheel. (My husband is an engineer, and that would probably interest him.) Or we could rent a car for a day, although after doing this in Ireland, neither of us is keen on driving on the left. The first possibility would allow us to plan the trip based on a weather forecast, which is perhaps a big advantage.

That leaves parts of two days for seeing the beauties of Glasgow.

After leaving Glasgow, we would head to Durham. I thought of spending four nights here as well. There are lots of things I'd like to see in the vicinity, including the Roman wall and some Anglo-Saxon remains. I thought of visiting Bede's World, in Newcastle and Escomb Church, and maybe a church or two near Newcastle. Since we'd have three full days, we should have time on some of the days to see a fair number of things in Durham itself, including the cathedral.

I have a fairly serious interest in Anglo Saxon history. I studied Old English (just one year) at the university level, and have read many works in Old and Middle English, some in the original, and some in translation. I've also read a biography of Bede and am rather an admirer of the Venerable monk. Does anyone know if Bede's World is something that would interest a person like me? Or is it just a tourist trap?

I'd welcome any suggestions or advice. I may just reserve the same hotels I reserved last year, although I seem to remember that I hadn't found anything in or near Durham that I was enthusiastic about. Our hotel budget tends to be on the low side, as we'd rather spend our money on other things. In Italy we usually spend a little under €100 a night in cities, less in small towns. We're not, I suppose, "foodies", whatever that is, but we do enjoy at least one nice meal a day, preferably at lunch, which is our main meal in Italy.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

If you are headed for Falkirk you should definitely make time for the Kelpies:-

http://www.thehelix.co.uk/discover-helix/the-kelpies/

Also, I don't think you should be put off driving, the western highlands are very quiet and relaxing driving and have spectacular scenery - would be a shame if you couldn't stop off pics or views whenever you felt like it.

Glasgow's my hometown so feel free to chuck in any questions on neighbourhoods or things to do there and I'll do my best. The Commonwealth Games buzz will be well underway by the time you arrive!

Mull's a winner, you'll love that. I find the Falkirk Wheel underwhelming and a bit out of the way but if there's an engineering angle then sure it'll be interesting. Loch Lomond is amazing but best with a car, there are also bus tours that do this route though. Entirely a personal preference between that and the Northern Highlands, both have a huge amount to offer. Would you want to do lots of walking?

Stansted to York makes sense. One night is a pity as you will be very rushed (2 would be better) note that parking in York is tough if you have a car.

If you follow my name I was in Newcastle a few days ago and wrote a 4 hour visit. It looks an interesting place for a longer visit. I also did a day visit to Durham last year which will still be on file under my name

Loch Lomond is not worth the schlep but Iona is.

Yes, more time in York would be nice. My husband's of Italian descent, and we've a subtheme of visiting Roman sites when in Britain. York, of course, was a important city in Roman Britain. If you're interested in this, you can check out the cathedral's undercroft and the Museum of York.

Speaking of things Roman, have you worked out how to visit Hadrian's wall from Durham? I would think that hard by public transportation.

It's only an hour by train from Glasgow to Edinburgh, so if you don't mind getting an early start, you could make that Rabbie's tour you're interested in. You should plan to arrive in Edinburgh by 8:00.

"Speaking of things Roman, have you worked out how to visit Hadrian's wall from Durham? I would think that hard by public transportation"

Train to Hexham via Newcastle, AD122 bus to various parts of the Wall, return from Haltwhistle

http://www.transportdirect.info/Web2...epeatingloop=Y

allows you to plan public transport throughout Britain

I would love to spend more time in York, but I don't see how to do it without either lengthening the trip, which my husband thinks is already too long, or by skipping some of the things I want to see near Durham (which really interest me more than they do my husband).

Bilbo, I did see your trip report on Newcastle. Unfortunately, I don't think we have enough time to do justice to the city, although it sounds like a city I would enjoy. I don't suppose you've visited the Bede's World? It looks as though it might be geared to families with small children, although some of the things there intrigue me.

I can't find your Durham topic, but I enjoyed reading about your wedding in Puglia! We once spent a night in a hotel in Basilicata where a wedding party was going on. It was still going on when we left the next morning.

RM, thanks for the introduction to the Kelpies. That puts another weight in the balance for Falkirk. I seem to remember the word "kelpie" from my childhood, but I don't remember the context.

Oddly, we had our biggest problems with driving in Ireland not on the motorways, but on rural roads. These were often so narrow that there was no right or left, so we were lulled into a state of reduced vigilance, only to nearly turn into the wrong lane at an intersection, or to pull to the right when facing an oncoming car. Anyway, my husband is not keen on repeating the experience, so that about settles it.

I must have heard of kelpies from some of my Irish relatives. My father was the only one who spent any time in Scotland (although he also is Irish), and he wasn't much for folklore.

I'll ask my sister if she remembers who told us about kelpies.

I'm in a hurry and haven't read everything but - I'd maybe change things up just a bit - spend more time in Edinburgh up front and include a Rabbies Tour from there. Then over to Glasgow, then Oban/Mull/Iona That way you can get in everything w/o having to back track to Edinburgh.

Also - I wouldn't worry too much about hubby's English. The tour will tour though amazing scenery which is great no matter if one understands everything being said. Plus they are very small groups - usually 8-12 so you can explain important things if they need to be translated - it isn't like a huge coach w/ 45 people yakking all around . . . .

There's two parts to Bede's World; the farm and the museum. The farm has a collection of animals, crops and recreated buildings from Anglo-Saxon times. The museum aims to tell the story of Bede, together with original and replica artefacts. Both are popular with children and many of the exhibits are aimed at that audience but it's not disneyfied. This video gives a brief insight

http://www.bedesworld.co.uk/our-video/

However, if you're interested in Bede then you have to visit nearby St Paul's church the site of the monastery where Bede spent his life

http://www.stpaulschurchjarrow.com/i...Saxon-Features

Parts of the Saxon church remain, and it takes you breath away when you realise it's made from stone taken Hadrian's Wall. So yes, visit Bede's World and St Paul's if the history interests you. There's nowhere else in the world like it.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/d...astery-jarrow/

Never been to Escomb Church so can't comment, though Hexham Abbey has an anglo-saxon crypt. Once again, built with stone from the Wall.

www.hexhamabbey.org.uk/visits-history/crypt/

Another site to visit is Lindisfarne Priory where Cuthbert was a monk, and whose grave is in Durham Cathedral.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindisf...isfarne_Priory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northumbria

So much to see so little time.

Janis, I had thought of that, too, but I'd have to rearrange the entire order of the trip, because we do want to be in Glasgow by Sunday. I suppose I could do that, though. I've just talked to my husband about it, and he's a little less adverse now to renting a car, so that's something I'll be considering. Then we could drive to Oban one day, stopping here and there. We could stay in Oban or on Mull for two nights, which would allow us to see a bit of Mull and Iona. Then we could return to Glasgow, again stopping at various places along the way. If we stay on Mull, would it make sense to leave the rental car in Oban for two nights?

Sofarsogood, I was definitely planning to see St. Paul's Church if we went to Bede's World. There also seemed to be some nice walks near there.

I never answered Traveling Scotland, caught up in other replies. We do like to walk, but we don't often walk for more than a few hours at a time. I'll be sure to have more questions about Glasgow, when I get the schedule firmed up and start planning in detail.

>>If we stay on Mull, would it make sense to leave the rental car in Oban for two nights?<<

Absolutely not! The joy of Mull is having a car and exploring all the nooks and crannies and beaches. I'd stay in Fionnphort two nights. Take the foot ferry over to Iona one afternoon. And be sure to take a boat (from the same jetty) to Staffa.

Re >>but I'd have to rearrange the entire order of the trip, because we do want to be in Glasgow by Sunday. << not really if I understand your timeframe - Rabbies has other good tours (one and two dayers). Taking one of those could still have you to Glasgow by the Saturday evening.

Bilbo, I like the Transport Direct site; last year I was using Traveline, but I think this is better.

I've been much occupied with other things, and am just getting around to making the reservations for this trip. I've already reserved the air tickets, which are actually cheaper than when I first looked for them: €60+ round trip, all included, from Ancona to London Stansted.

We'll be arriving at Stansted on Thursday, 12th June, and immediately taking a train from there to York, where we'll spend one night.

On Friday, we'll proceed to Glasgow, after having had a glance at the Minster and the walls. I would like to stay longer, but this trip has other purposes, and the length is a compromise between me and my husband.

We'll stay in Glasgow through Sunday night. On Monday morning, we'll rent a car at the airport and drive to Oban. I thought we might stop along the western shore of Loch Lomond, and on Loch Awe to see Kilchurn castle. We don't go into ecstasy over castles, having seen plenty of them both here in Italy and elsewhere, but we do like lovely scenery, and the photos I've seen of the castle on the loch are very nice.

I haven't decided whether to spend two nights in Oban and visit Mull as foot passengers, or whether to stay in a B&B in Fionnphort. I do want to visit Iona. It looks as though we could also see Tobermory by bus, although maybe not on the same day we visit Iona. If we have to drop one, it would be Tobermory.

I wouldn't mind driving around Mull, but I've read that there are more than a few traffic accidents there caused by the encounter of tourists who aren't used to narrow roads and residents who don't always drive slowly. An accident with a rental car would really gum up our plans!

After leaving Oban on Wednesday morning, I thought of driving to Glencoe and then proceeding south to Edinburgh by the A82, skirting the northern edge of the Trossachs National Park. It looks as though it would take about an hour to get to Glencoe. We might stop in Stirling for lunch and to see the castle. We could also stop in Falkirk if we're in the mood, or maybe skip Stirling and just stop in Falkirk.

We would drop the car at Edinburgh airport and spend Wednesday and Thursday nights in Edinburgh. On Friday, we'd take the train to Durham.

On Saturday, I thought we might visit some part of the Roman wall by coach, train, or whatever. It seems fairly easy to do.

On Sunday, we might go to Jarrow to see St. Paul's Church (probably attending the service) and then visit Bede's World. (I'm an admirer of Bede.)

I assume we'd have time on Friday, and before and after our excursions on Saturday and Sunday, to see a fair amount of Durham.

On Monday, I'd love to make a quick trip by bus to see Encomb church, perhaps the most intact Anglo-Saxon church in the country. Then, in the afternoon, we'd take a train to Stansted and spend a night at the airport hotel, because we have a very early flight on Tuesday morning.

I'd like to hear opinions about this plan. I haven't made any hotel reservations yet, so I could change things a bit. We do want to spend Sunday in Glasgow.

If there's a place where we should add a day, we could go all the way to Glasgow on our arrival day, skipping York. However, since we want to spend Sunday in Glasgow, that would give us an extra day in Glasgow, but not anywhere else. We might be able to use that day for a day trip, if anyone has a brilliant idea.

Is my proposed driving route a good one? Google maps estimates it to be about three and a half hours, and I wouldn't want to drive much more than that in one day. It looks as though the road passes through a fairly isolated area, but we don't mind that as long as we can find some place to have lunch. There did seem to be villages along the way. I moved the little Google Maps man along various portions of the road, and it looks like good two-lane road everywhere I checked.

Seeing old Durham would take about 4 to 6 hours so that fits into your plan

<<On Saturday, I thought we might visit some part of the Roman wall by coach, train, or whatever. It seems fairly easy to do.>>

Best if you had a car

<<On Sunday, we might go to Jarrow to see St. Paul's Church (probably attending the service) and then visit Bede's World. (I'm an admirer of Bede.)>>

Public transport on a Sunday - best if you had a car

<<On Monday, I'd love to make a quick trip by bus to see Encomb church, perhaps the most intact Anglo-Saxon church in the country. >>

best if you had a car

Sofarsogood, I've looked up schedules for all those places using Traveline. I don't understand what the problem is. There are many internet sites that propose trips to Hadrian's Wall by bus and train, and there's a special bus that sells all-day tickets, allowing you to visit multiple sites in one day. We really only want to visit two, and it seemed fairly easy.

I can get to St. Paul's church, Jarrow by bus from Durham, changing at Gateshead, even on a Sunday morning. The bus stop is a very short walk from the church, and Bede's World is in the immediate vicinity. The trip would take longer, about an hour and a half as opposed to half an hour by car, but we're not in a rush.

The trip to Escomb Saxon church takes less than an hour, changing buses in Bishops Aukland, and the bus stops right at the church.

A car rental in an area that has a fairly dense network of public transportation just doesn't seem necessary to me. We decided to rent a car for three days in rural Scotland, but in Durham, we don't see the need, and we're not terribly enthusiastic about driving on the left.

We've used buses and trains to get around England in the past, and have enjoyed the trips. Is there something I'm failing to grasp?

touring the Wall is quite easy by bus - as you say there is essentially a hop on hop off bus that parallels the Wall.

As for >>I wouldn't mind driving around Mull, but I've read that there are more than a few traffic accidents there caused by the encounter of tourists who aren't used to narrow roads and residents who don't always drive slowly.<<

Not a worry at all IMO. Sure the roads are narrow on Mull, narrower than in some of the other places you'll be. But there is also very little traffic.

The exception is on the road from Craignure to Fionnphort between 10:30 and 11:30 AM and between 4 and 5 PM (to match the ferry schedule that the coach tours use) . I wouldn't drive the road at those times (and I'd take earlier/later sailings to avoid the day tripper buses)

Having a car is BY FAR the easiest/most efficient way to visit Mull. And lets you catch any ferry to Iona - not the ones crammed w/ day trippers.

Then entire population of the island is less than 3,000 . . . no traffic to worry about.

Hello bvlenci

I take it you mean the Hadrian's Wall bus, which does indeed take you to several points along the Wall

http://www.visithadrianswall.co.uk/d...m-Walltown.pdf

You would need take a train from Durham to Hexham, changing at Newcastle, which probably takes about an hour. Then catch the bus to take you along the Wall. So yes it can be done.

I read that you would have a car until Edinburgh, and thought it would give you the flexibility to go where you want, when you want, if you kept it for another 3 days as the various sites of Hadrian's Wall can be remote. I wouldn't worry about driving on the left, it's the same as driving on the right, except on the other side.

As you say the other journeys can also be done with a combination of buses and trains. As long as you've done your homework on the times of public transport and you're happy, then that's OK.

Sofarsogood, we've driven on the left before, in Ireland, and that's exactly why we're not enthusiastic about it. I don't think it's the same thing at all. We're accustomed to shifting with our right hand, to looking first to the left when making a right turn, and to going to the right on roundabouts.

At first, my husband didn't want to rent a car at all on this trip. His English isn't good, and when I'm watching for road signs, reading maps, and translating all at the same time, my navigation skills drop precipitously. We had a couple of heated moments in Ireland.

I know the car would give us more flexibility, but this is a stop where I have only a few things I've wanted to see for years, and not enough time for serendipity, or I won't be able to see all of them.

Janis, you've almost convinced me. I'm going to leave that decision to the last minute, though.

I do want to avoid the tour buses. Is Iona their destination?

Do you have any opinion on my driving route from Oban to Glencoe to Edinburgh?

One thing to help you decide . . . I find the driving in Scotland much MUCH less stressful than in Ireland. Especially in the areas you'll be. Narrow roads - sure. But far fewer stone walls or hedgerows right next to the road. Much better visibility and less 'white knuckle' bits.

>>I do want to avoid the tour buses. Is Iona their destination? <<

Mostly yes. But of course the coaches can't go onto the island - they park in the back lot at Fionnphort and the passengers use the foot ferry. Once on the island everyone spreads out and one really isn't impacted/ inconvenienced by other visitors.

Your route is fine - From Mull you could either take the same Craignure/Oban ferry back to the mainland and up to Glencoe, or take the Fishnish/Locahaline ferry and up to Ardgour for the Corran Ferry to just west of Glencoe.

One other suggestion - Stirling Castle is wonderful - but it does eat up time (a LOT of time) and you will be seeing Edinburgh Castle which is a lot of ways is similar. I'd maybe consider on that day visiting either Doune Castle (monty Pythin connections and all that) or (one of my VERY favorite spots in Scotland) Inchmahome Priory.

http://www.visitscotland.com/en-us/i...castle-p254201
http://www.visitscotland.com/en-us/i...priory-p253731

I've been too busy the past week to think about Scotland, but I'm back to the planning now.

My husband has vetoed driving on Mull. I was getting ready to tell him the pros and cons, but when he heard the word "ferry", he didn't want to hear any more. He hates car ferries. So, we'll be staying in Oban for two nights. We'll take the earliest ferry to Mull, which on a Monday is at 7 AM, unfortunately. That way we should get to Fionnphort (and to Iona) ahead of the tour buses. Then, if we have time and feel like it, we'll take a bus back to Craignure and another bus to Tobermory and back to Craignure.

Janis, I appreciate the advice about stops along the way to Edinburgh. Inchmahome Priory looks lovely, and seems to be in a lovely spot; I think we'd love to see it. As I said before, we're not huge castle fans, anyway.

There is another option for touring Mull. CalMac ferries in partnership with Bowman Tours offer a day on Mull. You can purchase your ticket at the ferry port. I believe the ferry departs around 11:00 maybe a bit earlier. As you disembark the ferry, there'll be a coach waiting for you that goes to Fionnphort where you catch the 5 minute ferry to Iona. The driver of the coach will provide excellent commentary as you travel through Mull. I had driven on Mull previously, but learned far more about the island on the Bowman tour. Honestly I was too busy keeping my eyes on the road to really notice much, and I certainly missed out on the history of the island.

Once on Iona, you'll have about two hours to tour the Abbey. I suggest once you get to Iona to head directly to the Abbey. I find most people a bit befuddled as to where to go and what to do next. Not an uncommon tourist syndrome. :). Since it's close to lunch time, many will stop for lunch before continuing on to the Abbey so by going there first you'll miss most of the crowds.After visiting the Abbey, have lunch at either the. St. Columba Hotel or the Iona Heritage Centre has a small cafe around the back. There is a very nice jewelry shop across from the Abbey. As you return to the port stop at the ruins of the Augustinian nunnery.

I've done this tour twice and, although, I dislike group tours, I feel the information the driver imparts is well worth spending time on a coach. Once on Iona, I'm completely on my own. Also, on these trips, the driver has stopped the coach for a better look and picture-taking of Highland cattle next to the road and for a herd of Red Deer.

Go to the CalMac website for more information. I highly recommend this tour and I don't usually like tours. I've done Mull more than a few times and believe this is the best option for first timers.

Bvlenci: Your hubby is a wuss (meant in the kindest possible way ;) )

Hello all,

Yes, my husband is not exactly adventuresome, especially not outside of Italy.

Also, since his English is at the level of, "Good morning, pleased to meet you", I don't think a tour is the right solution for us. We're planning to get the earliest (7 AM) ferry to Mull and visit Iona before the crowds arrive. Then we may go on to Tobermory, or we may just go back to Oban and visit some places in the vicinity. I was even thinking of taking the drive to Glencoe and back to Oban that afternoon, instead of the next day. That would make our drive to Edinburgh the next day shorter.

Another possibility would be to spend only one night in Oban, and leave for Glencoe after returning from Mull. That would break the drive up over two days, giving us more time to stop on the second day.

My husband recently read an article about Stirling Castle and has expressed an interest in visiting there. I sort of had my heart set on Inchmahome priory, but maybe we can manage both.

bplenci

if your husband drives in Italy, I can't see how anyone here is justified calling him a wuss. :)

I'd still go for the tour. You and spouse can enjoy the scenery and chat during the breaks in the commentary.

Here in rural Italy, we often get stuck behind farmers who slow down at every field to see how the crop is coming along.

Well, that's understandable. The beets may have grown a mm since last Tuesday, surely a newsworthy event.

Today, on a curvy road with no place to pass, we followed a car for ten minutes that was going 25 km per hour (about 15 mph) in a 70 km per hour (42 mph) zone. Italian speed demons indeed!