6abc

Hello everyone,
I love these forums but now I am totally confused as to how to even start planning our trip to Scotland. Our dates are written pretty much in stone. We would fly from Philadelphia PA (USA) to Glasgow (it is just cheaper) leaving on May 26 and Returning June 8. 2007 this gives us about 11 good days of travelling. I know it is getting close but we weren't sure we would be able to do this.

Our idea for a trip to Scotland started by by wanting to do a self-guided walking trip with one of the established companies. Then I thought that there is so much to see that being on a trail for 8 days we would miss so much.

So now I have started to think about an itinerary. I have read many of them thus the confusion. So here is my wish list:

We love hiking (or walking as I have been corrected about this term before)so we would like to get a few of them in on our own, don't like being around too much tourist traffic, want to see a few castles, many small villages, a few museums (not many), we are not shoppers (Oh my we sound pretty boring don't we?) We just like being on our own and meeting differnt people when we travel and taking A LOT of pictures. Would like to stay in not very expensive B&B's. We will be renting a car.

1. Since it is already March will we have a problem booking B&B's once we decide where we are going?

2. I would like to go up to Skye (I was there 20 years ago) and also do some of the Highlands but also the area below Glasgow sounds wonderful and the area around St. Andrews can't be missed OH! see what I mean What are we to do? All the books I have make it even harder to decide the pictures are all wonderful. And I don't want to just drive the entire time I would like to stay in several places a few days.

Thanks in advance to all of your suggestions. I will sit back and take them all in and then once I narrow it down I will post our iterary for a critique.

So please share with me your favorites and include any good hiking places (I am sure they are all good)

6abc

One addition to my original post. If the opinion is that we are getting to close to June to make reservations we can possibly do this trip Oct 6-21, 2007. So advise on which time of year is better would also help. Thanks again

janisj

per the accomodations: The last weekend in May is a Bank Holiday weekend - very much like Memorial Day in the States only more so. Because there are schools holidays at the same time some places wil be booked up - but it is not too late.

For big walkers you really can't beat Skye - it is a terrific place (though there are many other great walking areas too)

W/ just 11 days and to include the sorts of things you like, I'd probably plan something like 3 days on Skye, a couple of days in the Trossachs, 2 or 3 days in Fife and 2 or 3 days in Edinburgh (no car in Edinburgh). This gives you 1 or 2 days &quot;wiggle room&quot;. If for some <i>weird</i> reason you don't want to go into Edinburgh - you could use those 2-3 days to see a bit of the Borders.

There are LOTS of B&amp;Bs in all of those places and you should be able to find places w/ just a little hunting. I have several suggestions - I'm at my Mom's right now and my files are at home so I'll post more tomorrow. But you'll get lots of other help on here too.

Barbara_in_FL

Hi 6abc,

When we were in Scotland last year (for the same dates, plus a few days on either end) we had no trouble finding &quot;walks&quot; (which ranged in my book from leisurely walks to challenging hikes) wherever we stayed. I don't think you will have any trouble doing that -- most B&amp;B owners will be happy to point you towards local resources, and the local tourist offices also have walking maps.

That is not peak season, BUT I believe the first week you are there is a &quot;bank holiday&quot; week -- it starts with a long weekend and the schools have a holiday, so things book up QUICKLY. In our case we had no trouble finding accommodations for the second week but when I started trying to book for the first week, things were filling up. So if I were you I would try to pick a few destinations and get a feel for whether the B&amp;Bs are filling up now. I would imagine that a destination like Skye would be more challenging than some others, but if you save it for the second week of your trip you should have more options.

If you search for itineraries on this board you will find plenty of suggestions. I am a big fan of the Borders -- wonderful for walking and full of cute little towns. I don't think you could really go wrong with a few days there! We also stayed on Loch Fyne which is a nice area for walking -- just north of the Argyll National Forest and close enough to make day trips to several places on the coast. We took a day trip on the steam railway from Fort William to Mallaig, which in turn is one of the ways to get to Skye (we did not go that far).

Really, you can't go wrong. : ) Do you want to spend any time in Edinburgh or Glasgow at all, or just head out into the country? That will affect how many other destinations you can fit in, of course.

Happy planning!

6abc

Thanks so far for your suggestions. We probably will bypass the cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. We are not big into big cities. I know we might be able to handle 1or2 days.

Do you think we would be better going in October due to the Bank holiday in May? Anybody know what the weather is like in the early part of Oct.?

Hiking on Skye sounds wonderful and so do the other suggestions

janisj

What the weather would be in Oct (or in May for that matter) is totally impossible to predict. In general it should be better in May/June - but no guarantees. But what IS guaranteed is that the days will be much longer in late May/early June than in Oct.

Don't let the Bank Holiday scare you off. Scotland is a biiiiiiig place and absorbs crowds of holiday makers very well.

6abc

Don't know if anyone is still going to respond to my post but I will try. I am hearing alot of people talk about Skye and Trossachs regions (on other posts). And I am not finding too much on other posts about the Borders region (maybe my geography is not very good and I need a better map to look at places). Are areas like Southern Scotland, Borders and the Western Highland not as popular. I don't plan on going from the south to the north on this trip but I am getting interested in the Borders area and the Southern area. Thanks again for any input.

janisj

The Borders, SW Scotland and western Highlands are all wonderful.

One reason you don't see many posts asking about them are (and I am TOTALLY generalizing here) that most posts are from folks have really only heard of 1) Edinburgh, 2) Skye, and 3) Loch Ness/Inverness -- and because many want to &quot;see everything&quot; in 6 or 7 days. And the Trossachs region is mentioned a lot because it lies right in the middle between Edinburgh/Skye/Loch Ness so by default lots of folks go through there (but it is a wonderful area and could easily fill a week by itself)

I've been in every region of Scotland several/many times - and the shortest time I've spent there is 2.5 weeks - most trips are in the 4-5 week variety.

There is more than enough to fill a full week in the Borders, another full week in the SW, and a 3rd week in the NW highlands - and one would still only barely scratch the surface. Same goes for the central bits, Fife,

So whichever parts of Scotland you decide to visit - you will be blown away and really can't go wrong.
So

sheila

Glasgow leaving on May 26 and returning June 8. 2007
We love hiking. off piste, castles, villages, museums

I'd get a couple of good books. Or invest in some magazines. We have Trail, TGO and Country Walking. The standards (of walks) vary.

1. I cannot see you having any problem with accommodation at that time. Scotland has thousands of B&amp;Bs and they will NOT be full

2. Pick three places. a) Skye- minor problem because you have to go so far away from everywhere else to get there. b) East Neuk c) somewhere in between- Highland Perthshire or around Callander seem to work.

June is FAR better for walking




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Author: janisj
Date: 03/17/2007, 08:58 pm
per the accomodations: The last weekend in May is a Bank Holiday weekend - very much like Memorial Day in the States only more so. Because there are schools holidays at the same time some places wil be booked up - but it is not too late.

For big walkers you really can't beat Skye - it is a terrific place (though there are many other great walking areas too)

W/ just 11 days and to include the sorts of things you like, I'd probably plan something like 3 days on Skye, a couple of days in the Trossachs, 2 or 3 days in Fife and 2 or 3 days in Edinburgh (no car in Edinburgh). This gives you 1 or 2 days &quot;wiggle room&quot;. If for some weird reason you don't want to go into Edinburgh - you could use those 2-3 days to see a bit of the Borders.

There are LOTS of B&amp;Bs in all of those places and you should be able to find places w/ just a little hunting. I have several suggestions - I'm at my Mom's right now and my files are at home so I'll post more tomorrow. But you'll get lots of other help on here too.



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Author: Barbara_in_FL
Date: 03/17/2007, 09:04 pm
Hi 6abc,

When we were in Scotland last year (for the same dates, plus a few days on either end) we had no trouble finding &quot;walks&quot; (which ranged in my book from leisurely walks to challenging hikes) wherever we stayed. I don't think you will have any trouble doing that -- most B&amp;B owners will be happy to point you towards local resources, and the local tourist offices also have walking maps.

That is not peak season, BUT I believe the first week you are there is a &quot;bank holiday&quot; week -- it starts with a long weekend and the schools have a holiday, so things book up QUICKLY. In our case we had no trouble finding accommodations for the second week but when I started trying to book for the first week, things were filling up. So if I were you I would try to pick a few destinations and get a feel for whether the B&amp;Bs are filling up now. I would imagine that a destination like Skye would be more challenging than some others, but if you save it for the second week of your trip you should have more options.

If you search for itineraries on this board you will find plenty of suggestions. I am a big fan of the Borders -- wonderful for walking and full of cute little towns. I don't think you could really go wrong with a few days there! We also stayed on Loch Fyne which is a nice area for walking -- just north of the Argyll National Forest and close enough to make day trips to several places on the coast. We took a day trip on the steam railway from Fort William to Mallaig, which in turn is one of the ways to get to Skye (we did not go that far).

Really, you can't go wrong. : ) Do you want to spend any time in Edinburgh or Glasgow at all, or just head out into the country? That will affect how many other destinations you can fit in, of course.

Happy planning!





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Author: 6abc
Date: 03/17/2007, 11:25 pm
Thanks so far for your suggestions. We probably will bypass the cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. We are not big into big cities. I know we might be able to handle 1or2 days.

Do you think we would be better going in October due to the Bank holiday in May? Anybody know what the weather is like in the early part of Oct.?

Hiking on Skye sounds wonderful and so do the other suggestions



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Author: janisj
Date: 03/18/2007, 12:18 am
What the weather would be in Oct (or in May for that matter) is totally impossible to predict. In general it should be better in May/June - but no guarantees. But what IS guaranteed is that the days will be much longer in late May/early June than in Oct.

Don't let the Bank Holiday scare you off. Scotland is a biiiiiiig place and absorbs crowds of holiday makers very well.





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Author: 6abc
Date: 03/19/2007, 01:06 pm
Don't know if anyone is still going to respond to my post but I will try. I am hearing alot of people talk about Skye and Trossachs regions (on other posts). And I am not finding too much on other posts about the Borders region (maybe my geography is not very good and I need a better map to look at places). Are areas like Southern Scotland, Borders and the Western Highland not as popular. I don't plan on going from the south to the north on this trip but I am getting interested in the Borders area and the Southern area. Thanks again for any input.



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Author: janisj
Date: 03/19/2007, 03:17 pm
The Borders, SW Scotland and western Highlands are all wonderful.

One reason you don't see many posts asking about them are (and I am TOTALLY generalizing here) that most posts are from folks have really only heard of 1) Edinburgh, 2) Skye, and 3) Loch Ness/Inverness -- and because many want to &quot;see everything&quot; in 6 or 7 days. And the Trossachs region is mentioned a lot because it lies right in the middle between Edinburgh/Skye/Loch Ness so by default lots of folks go through there (but it is a wonderful area and could easily fill a week by itself)

I've been in every region of Scotland several/many times - and the shortest time I've spent there is 2.5 weeks - most trips are in the 4-5 week variety.

There is more than enough to fill a full week in the Borders, another full week in the SW, and a 3rd week in the NW highlands - and one would still only barely scratch the surface. Same goes for the central bits, Fife,

So whichever parts of Scotland you decide to visit - you will be blown away and really can't go wrong.

sheila

Blast, I hate it when that happens.

Further on the accommodation thing, you'll be fine if you don't mind where you stay. If you're determined you want to be somewhere in particular, you might struggle if you don't book.

The Borders have their place; but not with Skye in the equation IMHO.

Weather, as has been said is totally unpredictable, but it's much more likely to be fine in may than October.

If you want to do the Borders- and I'd encourage it, then you could make a super trip of Fife, Borders and Dunfries and Galloway. Ditch Skye. Come and do that and Torridon another time.

I'm tempted to suggest another off piste idea. Go to the Islands- Either to Orkney or to a mixture of Islay, Jura and Colonsay. Bliss.

6abc

Shelia do you mean Skye is much better than the Border area?

janisj

For me - One can't say &quot;Skye is better than the Borders&quot; or &quot;The Borders are better than Skye&quot; - apples and oranges. (sort of like &quot;which is better Big Sur or the Wine country&quot; )

Both are wonderful - but they are totally different experiences.

Skye is more dramatic/beautiful scenery, hiking, waterfalls and beaches. Plus place like Dunvegan and Talisker distillery. One town of any size and it is pretty small. On the far west coast so more remote - but easy to get to if one has the time.

The Borders are more gentle/pretty scenery (though St Abbs Head is pretty dramatic/gorgeous) the wonderful Border Abbeys, small towns, castles, gardens and manor houses. Convenient to Edinburgh.

So both are &quot;worth&quot; it - but which is better depends on what you are looking for.

Westhighlander

Depending on what time you get into Glasgow, I'd head north immediately, or, if it's late in the day, stay at one of the airport hotels and make an early start the next morning. From Glasgow airport you can actually be in Skye in less than 5 hours by car, easily.

Personally, I'd get as far north as I could, coming up the A82 west road towards Fort William, which will take 3 hours if done in a liesurely manner. Either stay in the Fort, or go beyond it the 1st night. I'd be setting my sites on Wester Ross, opposite the north end of Skye, if you want real walking, in the real Highlands, and would stay in places such as Plockton, Gairloch or Ullapool. They're all on the web, and Wester Ross probably offers the best walking country in Scotland, as well as being not too busy in the early summer. In October it's geting dark very early and the weather's increasingly unpredictable, but at the end of May, you've got daylight until after ten at night and the weather tends to be at its best at that time of year, before the usual west coast monsson from the end of June.

You can do Skye as well by going over (the bridge) then coming back to the mainland when you're done and turning north almost immediately, heading for Lochcarron, which is another way of getting into wester ross quickly. Stay in the south and west of Skye if you want the best walking.

If you're going to the Borders I'd advise places like Peebles (very douce and lovely walking along the Tweed) Melrose, Hawick etc etc. Steer completely clear of the Trossachs - half of Glasgow will be there at the end of May.

In Ullapool, I'd recommend The Ceilidh Place, very comfortable. In Plockton, eat in the Plockton Inn (they'll be fully booked by now accomm wise) and try to go from Plockton to Gairloch via Applecross, perhaps for lunch (turn left at Strathcarron), which you will never forget. There's great walking everywhere I've mentioned.
Best of Luck.
Westhighlander.

mom1emac

As far a October goes, remember even if it's not that cold, you won't have nearly as much daylight as May &amp; June which gives you so much more time to explore each day. We took our first trip to Scotland last May and included (because we were leaving from Manchester England) a 2 night stopover in Portpatrick. It's the southwest most spot in Scotland. It was a wonderful little town and so picturesque gettting there. We stayed at a very inexpensive B&amp;B, right on the harbor and ate at one particular restaurant both nights because the food was so incredible. It's sad in a way because I know I'll never be able to enjoy scallops again after that dinner LOL and then we took about a 15 minute detour off our root to Manchester and stopped in Lockerbie Scotland to see the memorial at the local cemetery--it was very moving.

zippo

More people head for Skye than the borders because the scenery - both en route and on Skye - is much more spectacular.