Marietta Winchester

We are planning a 2 week trip (including travel) to UK and Scotland in September. Any recommendations on major sightseeing areas and suggestions on the itinerary? Any <BR>help on hotel accomodations (moderately priced), modes of transportation, will be much appreciated. Thank you.

Tony Hughes

Unfortunately Marietta, Scotland is still a part of the UK (United Kingdom - dating to the Act of Union 1707)

Tony

Tony Hughes.. <BR> <BR>Why unfortunately?

Sylvia

M.W. <BR>There are several people travelling to Scotland and there are so many ideas on the fodor forum. Consider typing 'scotland' in the text search box and you'll find many interesting ideas about places to stay, to eat, sites to see and I think just what your looking for. <BR>I have found the fodor contributors very helpful. I'll be travelling to Scotland soon myself and will post back the details of my tour in July. The worst part not having more time. Happy <BR>planning and travels! <BR>

Sheila

Marietta <BR> <BR>Can you narrow down the Scottish bit. What do you like? Budget? How long? Any thing you think is unmissable. And I'll try to help. So might Tony "Braveheart" Hughes

Marietta

Thanks for your reply. I'll keep watching Fodors Forum for more ideas.

Sheila

Marietta, Yor original question is just too big. if you focus it, I'm sure we can help a little

frank

Major sightseeing areas. <BR>most tourists do- <BR>Edinburgh: compact city popular with visitors. <BR>Highlands : the Western side of the country North of Glasgow - look at a relief map & you'll see it.Sheep, lochs, <BR>mountain scenery, fishing ports, Oban, Isle of Skye. <BR>Perthshire : mixture of hilly country & good land, large estates, the Queens' country home. <BR>The rest is well worth seeing but most tourists run out of time - the Borders-quiet hilly countryside steeped in story,Dumfriesshire,Western Isles (gaelic speaking), East coast fishing villages, Orkney, Shetlands etc. <BR>This is an excellent general site, including accom & sample inineraries: <BR>http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/places.htm <BR>When you have decided on your itinerary perhaps we can be more definite in recommending hotels.Consider B & B in local homes - good way to find out about the locality.

Mark

Hi ... <BR> <BR>For England ... <BR> <BR>1. Do London .... assuming your flying into London ... <BR>2. Lake District ... very beautiful ... <BR>3. Wales, great mountains, lakes, castles <BR> <BR>Do a search on England .... you should find lots of info ... <BR> <BR>Or contact me .... via e-mail <BR> <BR>Mark

topper

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Mel Roberts

Dear, dear, I think we need a geography lesson here. Wales is not in England, Mr Plummer! <BR> <BR>For everyobdy's information (including some brits, it seems!): <BR>UK = England, Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland.

mrlogic

...and Great Britain = England + Wales + Northern Ireland. <BR> <BR>Thus: <BR> <BR>UK = GB + NI <BR> <BR>QED!

amik

Marietta <BR>Listen to Sheila, she is the unofficial guru for all Scotland travelers... <BR>As far as accommodation, e-mail me and I'll send you the info of 2 wonderful B&B we stayed in just last month, one in Edinburgh, the other in Portree, Isle of Skye. <BR>And as to Scotland being part of the UK, while traveling there, I was talking to two Scots, who assured me seriously that within a year Scotland is going to become independent... They alrady have their own parliament established few years ago, so, who knows...

Sheila

Well..pace Stellarossa..we won't be independent in a year, because, short of armed insurrection, there's no mechanism to achieve it. <BR> <BR>10 years, however, is anybody's guess

Al Godon

I am very curious about the economic situation vis a vis Scotland staying in the United Kingdom and pulling out. <BR>As an analogy in North America, the Quebecqois in their culturistic zeal would like very much to <BR>force the sucession of the Province of Quebec from the Canadian Union. On the other hand, it is a very real question as to how viable an independent Quebec would be. <BR>Facing economic realities has caused many of the moderates to conclude that sovereignty would also carry severe economic penalties. To wit: Quebec receives a net inflow of money and services from the rest of Canada according to my Canadian economist friend. <BR>Were Quebec to attempt economic and political independence, one of three things would happen: (1) either government services would have to be curtailed or (2)tax revenues would have to increase, and (3)the export of goods and services relative to imports would have to increase to prevent a long term negative balance of payments. More tax money would require unpopular increases in some, if not all, of the following taxes: income, property, sales, tourism (hotel, motel and restaurant taxes), business licensing, tariffs on imported goods (a real two edged sword), and taxes on transit goods in shipment between Atlantic Canada and the rest of the nation. <BR>Were Scotland to become a sovereign nation again, what types of economic disentanglement would be involved and what type of growing pains would the new nation undergo? <BR>Can the region stand on its own two economic feet without lowering the standard of living? Would Scotland be accepted into the European Economic Union? And if so, could it run a positive balance of payments with its trading partners?? Given the feelings I have seen expressed on this forum, I find it difficult to believe that economic cooperation to the extent that Scotland would join Euroland is in cards. (Euros in Scotland? I wonder?) <BR>So other than promoting regionalistic pride, what impact would Scottish independence have for the long term economic picture? Is an independent Scotland a viable economic entity?

Al Godon

OOPPS. Bad typing, and bad proofing. <BR>S E C E S S I O N.

Sheila

Al <BR> <BR>do you have a label on the back which says "light blue touch paper and retire"? <BR> <BR>We had a bit of a flame war in here last year when Kitty was visiting on just this topic. Stellarossa and I are both actively involved in politics (not on the same side) and whilst I'll happily stick up for my opinions anywhere, I'm not sure this Forum is the place. <BR> <BR>Thequestions you ask about economics are the key ones, and, setting aside whether there is a legitimate aspiration to be met whether or not the answers are in the right place on the balance sheet, they tend to be around what the arguments flow. <BR> <BR>BUT (and agreeing with Tony in advance- you may have seen the flag raised just then)...we are not a REGION; we are a NATION. A surefire way to tee us off is to forget that. We CHOSE to enter the Union, and in terms of international law, we COULD choose to come out again. It wouldn't be easy, but there are many, probably about 1/3 of the people of Scotland who think it's the right thing to do, even it's not easy. I personally believe the parliament makes it less likely because I think most aspirations are met by it and the need to strain against the English lease is less. <BR> <BR>But don't ever question my RIGHT to secede if I choose. OK? (Rant mode off)

ron

The sad thing about these neo-nationalist movements is that they are too late. Scotland will get its independence back if it wants it, as will Quebec, but it just won't matter. In the case of Scotland, monetary policy will be in Brussels and Strasbourg, fiscal policy will be seriously circumscribed by the multinational corporations. All Scotland will get is spending on white elephant monuments to government, a new batch of corruptible politicians and a bunch of new civil servants with even more ingenious ways to spend taxpayers' money. We are not quite as far as advanced in Canada yet, but there is already talk of fixed exchange rates with the US, which will lead to common currency (the americo?), etc. The only hope I can see is when the bubble of the Irish economic boom inevitably bursts, and the world sees how helpless the Irish government is to do anything about it. Then maybe London, Edinburgh, Ottawa and Quebec learn something. Maybe the British will learn that there is strength in numbers and that dividing yourself into smaller pieces only quickens the return to colonization. But probably not.

frank

Yes ron, when are Canada & the US coming back into the English fold - & if not then why if its good enough for the Scots is it not good enough for you?? <BR>Perhaps you should also inform the Irish (half the pop. of Scotland) that they are better off under the English.(try it & let us know how it went!) <BR>There is no "strength in numbers" for the Scots, only for the English, who regard Scotland as a place to be exploited & its inhabitants as sub-human. <BR>They have closed down our steelworks & shipyards & transferred the work to England, they have scrapped our fishing fleets in exchange for EEC concessions for English farmers, they take our oil & whisky then accuse us of being subsidy junkies. <BR>They are destroying the land. <BR>That's why the Irish left & that's why we are leaving, there is no "Britain". <BR> The Irish "bubble" you mention would never even have started under the English.Ireland has seen prosperity it wouln't have seen otherwise.

Jane

Closed down the steelworks and shipyards and transferred the work to England???????!!!!! Try telling that to everyone around here in north-east England! [laughs bitterly]