katherinebw

We live in the U.S. and are in our late 60s. Just beginning to plan a trip to Scotland, hopefully in May of this year (I know I'm a bit late). Have read lots of threads with helpful information about where to stay, what to see and routes to take. Just took some guide books out of the library. We will rent a car. We want to spend most of our time in small towns but will probably spend the last couple of days in Edinburgh or Glasgow before leaving. My preliminary questions: Is one airport easier to navigate than the other, i.e., Shannon is easier for us than Dublin. Also, does it make sense to rent one or two cottages for six nights each, i.e., one in the south and one in the north and make those our bases for day trips, or is it more efficient time-wise to go from place to place, spending two nights in each area? We prefer small towns, relatively easy walks, pub food, historical sights, beautiful views, gardens. I know I'll be back for more advice within the next several days. May try to follow this from janisj, but at the moment, our plans are not fleshed out:1) the Trossachs somewhere around Callander. This would be a base for everything from Stirling to Loch Lomond to Killin to Perth to Glen Coe.2) Somewhere in the Borders (Melrose or a bit east - for the Border abbeys, St Abbs Head, Floors, even a bit into Northumberland - Lindesfarne, Bamburgh, Alnwick.3) Deeside - near Ballater for all of Aberdeenshire including the Castle Trail, the coast, Dunnottar4) Near the coast in Dumfries/Galloway for Threave, Ayrshire/Culzean, bit of Hadrian's Wall5) One of the fishing villages in Fife for St Andrews, the Isle of May, Falkland etc.6) On the far NW coast Ullapool/Gairloch etc. This is a more remote area and travel is slow but some terrific scenery -- Or -- on the northern coast near Dunrobin or Dornoch.

janisj

" Is one airport easier to navigate than the other"

Not really -- just depends on which one gets you the best schedule/fares and on where you are traveling to.

" Also, does it make sense to rent one or two cottages for six nights each, i.e., one in the south and one in the north and make those our bases for day trips, or is it more efficient time-wise to go from place to place, spending two nights in each area?"

No right answer. North/south may not be the division you want -- for instance east/west could have you in a cottage in Aberdeenshire or Fife and one in the Trossachs or Argyll. I've taken many trips to Scotland and have used both methods. You can't go as far on a day trip in Scotland as you can is say California or Utah. So the longer stays will have you seeing relatively smaller areas in much more depth. 2 nts 2 nts 2 nts (hopefully some 3 nts) will let you see more different areas but not as much depth/detail.

Any of the areas you quoted could more than fill 6 nights. It is hard to advise which is best for you - because I LOVE all of them. I'd maybe consider three areas for 3 or 4 nights each and finish up in Edinburgh. Say the Trossachs, the Borders and Aberdeenshire as one example. Or Skye, Inverness area (not the city itself) and the Trossachs. something like that.

Gardyloo

One or two thoughts:

Weather: May can be changeable, particularly in the west. Weather systems can roll in off the Atlantic making for wet and windy days, or misty in the mountains, etc. The east side of the country tends to be a little drier. No guarantees; it's Scotland after all.

Bases v. driving around: Well, the driving around option might have some appeal in that you're not going to have crowded roads in May, so you could cover more ground in the same number of hours. And daylight will be plentiful (if not sunlight); remember Skye is the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska. Personally I'd be inclined to spend a two or three days in some locations, particularly those where there's a high density of sights and things to see in close range, but combine it with a few days of touring.

For example, here's a loop from Edinburgh (could be Glasgow just as easily) that combines the Trossachs area with magnificent Glen Etive and Glen Coe, then Mull and part of the Argyll mainland including picturesque Inveraray and historic Kilmartin -


(Click on the map for the full size Google page.)

Or you could base yourselves in Falkland, a very historic village in Fife with an important palace and spectacular gardens, and take two or three day trips to places like Fortingall in Glen Lyon, or up to Glamis Castle or Arbroath in Angus, and of course St. Andrews and the East Neuk fishing villages like Crail or St. Monans, like this -



The idea being, a bit of both.

janisj

For a place that would fit into Gardyloo's second map -- someplace like Kilconquhar would be a great base. Kilconquhar Castle Estate They have posh flats in the main bldg. and roomy cottages thread throughout the grounds.

I have an old TR re my last stay there (but I haven't yet figured out how to find TR's )

janisj

Oh -- meant to add . . . in a week's stay you could cover Gardyloo's route plus a ton more. Stirling, Castle Campbell, Dunnottar, etc
Dunnottar Castle
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katherinebw

Thanks very much. Lots to mull over here. We are currently thinking about visiting some distilleries and taking some steam train rides. One distillery definitely on the list is Strathisla. If we plan our arrival for late May and stay through mid-June would the weather be noticeably better than arriving in mid-May? Also, what are midges?

katherinebw

Of course, the above is in addition to seeing beautiful gardens, castles, historic sites and breathtaking scenery.

janisj

Unfortunately, absolutely no way to tell. The weather could be better in April than in June - or not, better in June than September - or not, better the beginning of May than the end of May - or not.

If you want to visit the Keith/Dufftown/Huntly area (for Strathisla) you could base somewhere between Nairn/Elgin/Huntly or somewhere in general Deeside (Ballater/Alford/Banchorie. From the first you could also visit everything near Inverness, and from the second all of Aberdeenshire/the Castle Trail. The two overlap so in a week you could actually see the entire area from either base.

The only steam train is the Jacobite and to do that you would need to base near Ft William . . . Glencoe or Balachullish would be good.

bdokeefe

The second map shows you going through Dunkeld. I don't know if we just got lucky weatherwise (sunny and 80's), but we stayed for 2 nights at the Atholl Arms Hotel and had a great time. The hotel had just opened a beer garden along the river, we spent a lot of time down there, reading and playing cards.

There are numerous walking paths along the river, and the Bishops Path takes you through a gorgeous grove of trees. If you fly into Edinburgh, this is about 90 minutes or so from the airport, so maybe a good first stop.

Also enjoyed Grantown on Spey, another small town with some great walking paths in the woods, that start directly in the village. Plenty of friendly dogs and people out enjoying themselves. Some neat looking BMX bike obstacle courses in the woods also, with raised tracks and teeter-toters for the riders to do tricks.

If you like Ireland, I think you'll love Scotland.

wasleys

If you are planning a trip to Scotland, why are you asking about flying to eithr Shannopn or Dublin - am I missing something here? Why not Edinburgh or Glsgow?

Janisj is correct that the the only main line steam train is the Jacobite, but there are preserved steam railways as well...

The Strathspey Railway runs from Avimore to Boat of Garden and Broomhill and is a lovely run through the Cairngorms.

The Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway to the west of Edinburgh is an atmospheric re-creation of a typical Scottish branch line.

There is also the Caledonian railway, a much smaller affair run entirely by volunteers with a limited timetable running between Brechin and Bridge of Dun.

These are a very different experience to The Jacobite (and you don't have to book tickets well in advance).

As for planning an itinerary, have you discovered the Secret Scotland website. Have a look at their suggested itineraries for ideas.

wasleys

Click on the underlined words to go to the link. They do work even though they don't show in the more usual blue colour...

xcountry

“If you are planning a trip to Scotland, why are you asking about flying to eithr Shannopn or Dublin - am I missing something here?”

I believe she was using Shannon and Dublin as an example of one airport (Shannon) being easier than the other.

katherinebw

wasleys, xcountry is right. We will fly into Edinburgh, train or tram into the city, return to the airport after a few days, rent a car and go on from there. Now looking for accommodations near the Royal Mile in late May. Have come across Edinburgh City Hotel as a seemingly nice option. Not too far, somewhat quiet, but would like other suggestions (or opinions on Edinburgh City Hotel) for a B&B or perhaps another smallish Inn even closer or actually on the Royal Mile. We also plan to use the hop-on/hop-off bus to get where we want to go. Budget is somewhere around 200 American per day for lodging including breakfast. Edinburgh Hotel is less $$ (not a problem!) and has very nice reviews. Many thanks. Will be back for more advice as we move farther up the coast, but I'm reading many good threads with great advice and checking out lodging mentioned within those threads. Gardyloo, thanks for the routes. Very much appreciated. You are all so generous with your knowledge and time!

katherinebw

wasleys, xcountry is right. We will fly into Edinburgh, train or tram into the city, return to the airport after a few days, rent a car and go on from there. Now looking for accommodations near the Royal Mile in late May. Have come across Edinburgh City Hotel as a seemingly nice option. Not too far, somewhat quiet, but would like other suggestions (or opinions on Edinburgh City Hotel) for a B&B or perhaps another smallish Inn even closer or actually on the Royal Mile. We also plan to use the hop-on/hop-off bus to get where we want to go. Budget is somewhere around 200 American per day for lodging including breakfast. Edinburgh Hotel is less $$ (not a problem!) and has very nice reviews. Many thanks. Will be back for more advice as we move farther up the coast, but I'm reading many good threads with great advice and checking out lodging mentioned within those threads. Gardyloo, thanks for the routes. Very much appreciated. You are all so generous with your knowledge and time!

janisj

"train or tram into the city"
No train -- tram - yes. Or . . . depending where you are staying a taxi or the AirBus are other alternatives. The tram is cheap and easy -- but ends just off Princes Street not too far from Waverly station. If you are staying up in Old town you'd have a real schlepp UP from Princes St to your accommodations and if you are staying farther north in New Town it is another trek so you probably end up taking a take a cab from Princes Street to wherever you are staying.

I haven't stayed there but the Edinburgh City Hotel gets good reviews. Me personally -- I probably wouldn't stay there unless it was a huge deal simply because of the location. Not at all sketchy or anything -- but can be a slog to walk anywhere from there . . . though there is decent bus service

eastenderusvi

Look at the Apex Grassmarket. A great location, it is close to the castle, the Royal Mile, the Museum of Scotland, restaurants, and bars.

Okay, it's not a B&B, but the location makes up for it.

janisj

The Apex Grassmarket or Apex City of Edinburgh (not the 'Edinburgh City Hotel' you mentioned) are both in Old town and better located. Apex Waterloo Place is down the hill but still in a good location. If the Apex's are above your budget (shouldn't be but rates are pretty date-specific) there are two Ibis hotels in Old town.

BigRuss

You should google both "guest house" and "bed and breakfast" for your lodging. A Scottish guest house is a B&B with 6-10 rooms, a B&B has a max of 5 guest rooms - don't subvert your own efforts by not knowing the lingo.

katherinebw

Thanks for differentiating, Big Russ. Much appreciated. Do you have any favorites to recommend in either Old or New Town?
Thanks, also, Janis and eastender for Apex Grassmarket and other Apex hotels. Also appreciate your thoughts on distance from Edinburgh City Hotel.

katherinebw

We are gradually reigning this itinerary in, but it's still pretty general. We will have 14 full days from mid-May to end of May (16 days in all including travel) and have decided to drive around staying in B&B's, guest houses or small inns along the way rather than have two bases. Budget for lodging is 150-175 GBP. We'll spend two or three nights in Edinburgh, then go back to the airport to collect a rental car. From there, go towards Glen Coe (very interested in this area). If we can only see Mull or Skye, which would you suggest? We want to visit Strathisla and Glenfarclas distilleries (taking the tour in only one) and would probably stay in the Ballindalloch area unless there are other suggestions (would one night be sufficient?). From there go on to the Aberdeen area, then meander towards EDI. Would love to go to Ullapool and surrounds if it sounds feasible. We will skip the Borders area this time unless you think we can fit it in comfortably. We are thinking two nights, sometimes three if recommended along the way. We like to find things along the way rather than have a To-do list. We know we will be seeing beautiful scenery and historic sites wherever we go. We will try to work in some of the scenic railways. What say you?