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I'm planning to spend 7 nights in Scotland. 2 nights in Edinburgh 1 night in St. Andrew - Loch Leven castle en route, Fairmont St. Andrews 1 night in Inverness 1 night in Skye - Eat at Kinloch lodge 1 night in Inverlochy - Take ferry to Mallaig, see Glencoe, stay at Inverlochy Hotel 1 night in Glasgow - Sherbrooke Hotel 12 hours driving, 470 miles: https://goo.gl/maps/HCXoke1eiA32 Is this too much traveling? My instinct is to cut Inverness because of the distance but it doesn't save much time and my girlfriend is adamant about going to Skye. Do I need to book tickets in advance for anything like Loch Leven, Loch Ness or the ferry to Mallaig? What's a realistic drive time for St. Andrews to Inverness? Google maps says 3.5 hours but everyone warns Scottish roads are slow. What should we see in Edinburgh? I've seen recommendations for Edinburgh Castle, Bollinger Bar, Royal Yacht Brittania and the 2 national museum/galleries. Is St. Andrews worth visiting? Is it worth stopping at Loch Leven? Would we be better off staying at Gleneagle Hotel? What is worth seeing in Inverness, Skye and the Inverlochy area? I've seen people say Fort Williams and Ben Nevis are not worth visiting. I've seen people say Scotch distilleries are not worth visiting. Is there a good one along this route worth stopping at? Its Miller Time fucked around with this message at 04:37 on Jan 19, 2016 |
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Jan 19, 2016 04:10
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No way thats not to much travelling, its not even 800km and spread spread over 7 days,
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Jan 19, 2016 12:16
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I visited Scotland for one week last May and we ended up splitting our time between Edinburgh and Isle of Skye because that's what our priorities were... That's ultimately what you need to decide, what do you really want to see? What are you most interested in? We decided ours was a good split between city/nature and allowed us multiple days in each location to really explore the areas in depth. In Edinburgh, I would say Arthur's Seat was a major highlight for me because I love nature and you can view the whole city from the top! Good hike, amazing views. As for Isle of Skye, that was a huge bucket list item for me and once you visit the Quiraing, you will understand why... It literally feels like you're in another world, and was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been! Very surreal. I really hope if you go to Skye that you don't skip it because it was easily my favorite day in Scotland. We also drove to Neist point, which was very memorable due to the weather! The drive is a very curvy single lane road and it was pea soup the whole time, a cloud literally sat over Skye the entire day. At first I was really disappointed that we couldn't see the point, but later realized the spooky fog hanging over the huge green cliffs was actually pretty amazing... The weather will definitely not always be on your side, but can also present you with unique opportunities to see things in a different way. Plus, there's something very satisfying about coming in from the wind/rain and having a warm cup of tea. Speaking of food, if you happen to see Cullen Skink listed on a menu anywhere, just order it! Its a deliciously creamy bowl of smoked haddock and potatoes, I had it twice on Skye! I'm sure any of the smoked fish there will be amazing...The B&B we stayed at made smoked salmon and eggs for breakfast along with fresh soda bread. I tried to duplicate this when we came home and it was not even close... Enjoy it and soak it up while you're there! I apologize for this babbling post... Scotland is gorgeous and while there is so much to see and do, don't feel like you have to see everything the first time. However, if that's your preferred travel style, then go for it! Even driving through the highlands is an experience, I'm sure you will enjoy it whatever you decide. :-) Good Luck!
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Jan 31, 2016 17:45
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Seconding Quiraing, a simply amazing must do! If you can play with your days to make sure you get the best weather you can on Skye, use your nicest day for the Quiraing hike (you won't regret it, take some hiking boots if you expect weather) - oh and whisky tasting at Dunvegan Castle on the western edge of Skye is pleasant too! Glencoe is a great place to stop for pictures/picnic (which is very close to Fort William), Castle Urquhart is a ruin and somewhat touristy, but it is a pleasant place to stop to see Loch Ness on a drive down from Inverness Edinburgh is one of my favourite cities on the planet, so you'll be doing yourself a big service spending time there (and Arthur's Seat is a wonderful hike too) Driving through the Loch Lomond area on your way to Glasgow is really nice too. St. Andrew's is nice if you want to see the Golf Course, the cemetery and the church ruins.... that is a good afternoon, but you could continue on from there without having to spend the night... oh and fish and chips.... Anstruther on the Fife coast... best and freshest fish and chips I've had in my life! and while YMMV, hitting any of those coastal fishing towns (Fife) in time for the day's catch is a nice break in the day
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Jun 8, 2016 18:03
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Its Miller Time posted:I'm planning to spend 7 nights in Scotland. If you're from a country that drives on the right hand side of the road, and thus drives left hand drive cars, you'll be driving in opposite world. Multiply google's driving estimates by 1.5 in this case as there isn't a cats chance in hell you can maintain an average speed of 50mph in a 60mph zone. If you're driving an automatic you can probably mutliply googles estimates by 2. Apart from that it's a pretty good itinerary. I've worked in the hotel industry for well over a decade and I've heard from countless people (exclusively non-British people) how boring and pointless distillery tours are, and in every single case it's been because they're driving that day or they don't drink alcohol. The entire point of a distillery tour is to drink the whisky in it's purest form, before it's even got into a bottle. If you've got five hours of driving planned that day then appreciating that isn't exactly going to be easy. The alternative is staring at a vat full of slowly rotting wheat for half an hour which is about as interesting as you can imagine.
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Jun 10, 2016 02:45
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duckmaster posted:If you're from a country that drives on the right hand side of the road, and thus drives left hand drive cars, you'll be driving in opposite world. Multiply google's driving estimates by 1.5 in this case as there isn't a cats chance in hell you can maintain an average speed of 50mph in a 60mph zone. Uh what? None of this makes sense, google estimates will be pretty close. Getting used to driving on the wrong side isn't that bad.
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Jun 11, 2016 19:54
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What would you guys recommend for a three day stay in Edinburgh? Is that enough time to see something outside of the city without constantly traveling? I'd like to see some Scottish landscape, maybe an old castle or two. Would it be smart to rent a car, or is the train system pretty good outside the major cities?
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Jun 12, 2016 00:13
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I wouldn't rely on trains if you want to get out to more rural places and have limited time. Trains may only be every hour to some places and may stop quite early, depending on where you want to go. If renting a car is an option I would suggest going for it, unless you have the time to spend at other (non-city) places.
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Jun 12, 2016 18:48
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Rosslyn Chapel is well worth seeing too. A good guided tour and such. Hell, there are tons of great places to see here. I totally recommend maybe skipping on St Andrews though. It's really golf orientated and considerably tacky-touristy for such a small town. It is true that there are a few places to see there, but if you're looking to spend quality time, you may find it put to use elsewhere - like the Wallace Monument in Stirling, or more time on Skye.
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Jun 13, 2016 01:27
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I'll be visiting Scotland in mid-November for a couple of weeks, driving up from London. Will everything touristy be shut down for the winter? Any recommendations specific to November? Willing to drive anywhere for worthwhile sights/activities.
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Jun 23, 2016 01:43
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TheManWithNoName posted:I'll be visiting Scotland in mid-November for a couple of weeks, driving up from London. Will everything touristy be shut down for the winter? Any recommendations specific to November? Willing to drive anywhere for worthwhile sights/activities. I can't think of a reason why anything would be shut... New Lanark is a nice day out, there's decent nature surrounding it (a lovely waterfall of the Clyde) and New Lanark itself is a historical village you can wander round with mocked-up houses and such.
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Jun 23, 2016 18:26
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TheManWithNoName posted:I'll be visiting Scotland in mid-November for a couple of weeks, driving up from London. Will everything touristy be shut down for the winter? Any recommendations specific to November? Willing to drive anywhere for worthwhile sights/activities. I'm planning a trip in November, looking for the answer to this question as well. Tentatively I'll be on Skye for two nights and Edinburgh for four, and I've already found some sights to see on the former and some great places to check out for theatre and comedy in the latter, but I'm always looking for more recommendations. Also, I'm looking at AirBNB/VRBO for places to stay, where would be best? Right now I'm looking around at the Old Town/New Town/Castle area, ideally I'd be somewhere that is close to some nice restaurants and pubs, and not horrible to get around/out to other areas. I won't have a car in the city, just for those first two nights on Skye.
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Jun 29, 2016 05:43
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I'm going to visit friend in Edinburgh from the 12th till the 15th of august. I guess the greatest thing to do at that time is visiting the Edinburgh festival fringe. The problem is there is SO much choice. Anybody have any suggestions for shows during those dates? Thanks.
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Jul 13, 2016 19:43
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While the city is very much centered on the sport, if you like golf in the slightest, St. Andrews is worth a couple hours. Probably as a result of being public, the place is surprisingly visitor friendly. You can rent some clubs and play a par 3 there for a very decent price so you can say that you played at St. Andrews. They don't give a poo poo if you wander up and down the Old Course so long as you don't bother the people who actually paid. Several people in my group walked onto the course in between groups and took pictures on the Bridge. Pretty sure some course stewards saw us and didn't say anything. Edinburgh, yes, Arthur's Seat. It really is a pretty good hike though. I also think Scott Monument is a neat thing, but if you're at all claustrophobic maybe give it a skip.
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Jul 20, 2016 02:39
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Bollock Monkey posted:I can't think of a reason why anything would be shut... Sometimes houses/castes etc can be shut for winter, always worth calling in advance rather than driving three hours and finding it all locked up.
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Jul 23, 2016 13:25
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Boxman posted:While the city is very much centered on the sport, if you like golf in the slightest, St. Andrews is worth a couple hours. Probably as a result of being public, the place is surprisingly visitor friendly. You can rent some clubs and play a par 3 there for a very decent price so you can say that you played at St. Andrews. They don't give a poo poo if you wander up and down the Old Course so long as you don't bother the people who actually paid. Several people in my group walked onto the course in between groups and took pictures on the Bridge. Pretty sure some course stewards saw us and didn't say anything. I was at the Scott Monunent a few weeks ago. If you wear anything bigger then a men's US large shirt, you won't make it to the top.
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Jul 24, 2016 08:59
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Infinotize posted:Uh what? None of this makes sense, google estimates will be pretty close. Getting used to driving on the wrong side isn't that bad. Yeah, as a Kiwi (left) who recently drove a whole lot in the USA (right), there's really no challenge involved. Just make sure that you pay attention at intersections. Will be watching this thread with interest - just moved to London and am hoping to make it up to Scotland in September/October.
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Jul 24, 2016 09:07
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I'd like to visit Glasgow and Edinburgh over the course of 4 and a half days with a flight out of Edinburgh. My plan is split stays in both cities. Should I just commute to one or the other? Which one should I focus on more?
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Aug 1, 2016 19:49
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I'm leaving for Edinburgh tomorrow for five days. I'll be staying at a friend who's wive is in Japan at the moment. We'll probably go to the Fringe festival a lot, and we'll also go hiking at least one day. But any other recommendations are always welcome.
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Aug 11, 2016 21:39
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Spent a week in London and unfortunately only did a day trip by train to Edinburgh which means only the touristy parts and the castle tour. Loved the hearing the pipes and Edinburgh had the absolute best pubs. Definitely on the "go back to" list.
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Aug 12, 2016 15:35
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Myself and everybody else I've met who lives here are of the opinion that Edinburgh Castle is overpriced and boring. If you want great views from up high, you have Calton Hill or Arthur's Seat. If you wanna blow money on a sweet castle, I think Stirling is 100x better. Amazing views, huge castle to explore and if you're into history, there's no contest.
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Aug 17, 2016 12:15
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I'm leaving Edinburgh now after 5 days at the fringe. Had a great time, got lucky with the weather (they tell me). The area around the castle is super busy, but once you get a couple of streets outside of that circle of pensioners and Chinese tourists it's nice and quiet. Had good food (burgers at lebowskis, expensive but insanely nice "the scran & scallie" , etc...), went for some hikes in the hills and off course saw a lot of comedy shows. The latter wasn't always easy, because we didn't plan our trip in advance and everything that is even a little bit famous had been sold out. But there's enough of alternative shows to keep you busy. Very friendly people too. Only downside was the loving seagulls waking me up at 4 in the morning.
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Aug 17, 2016 15:43
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Wow, is this thread good timing! I'm planning on going to Scotland for a few days (two week vacation: one week in Poland for my cousin's wedding, and then a few days in London with another cousin who lives there), and was wondering what the best way to spend like, 2-3 days would be, if my main goal is to make room for a distillery tour (ideally somewhere on Islay, but I'm flexible). My original plan is to fly up from London to Glasgow via Ryanair, spend a day there, take a train ride to wherever I'm going (still haven't decided; the feasibility will help determine where I go), and then back to Glasgow to fly back to London. (Glasgow can be replaced with Edinburgh; I'm really unfamiliar with most of the sights, having spent most of my life in Canada, with the occasional trip to visit family in Poland). I've been to the UK once before, four years ago, but outside of London, I'm not really sure what I'm doing. My only real plans other than distillery tour is to find a nice bar with a good whisky selection.
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Aug 30, 2016 18:37
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It looks like I'm spending Christmas in Edinburgh - the 21st or 22nd to 26th, specifically. What's good to do, and what shouldn't I/won't I be able to do on account of it being Christmas time? I'm assuming all the shops will be ridiculously packed with people buying last minute presents. What's the weather usually like? Let me rephrase that: is the rain likely to give way to snow occasionally?
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Nov 21, 2016 13:32
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It'll probably be around 7 or so degrees during the day and 3 or 4 degrees at night. It very rarely actually snows at christmas here. Sometimes it's a bit frosty. There's a good chance of rain but that's mainly because there's always a good chance of rain. The city centre will be incredibly busy with people doing last minute shopping. You can certainly get around, but expect it to take a while on main streets and in shops where people buy christmas things. North Bridge, Princes Street and George Street will be packed with people. The christmas markets will be pretty hectic too. If you like a festive atmosphere though, I guess it's ok. Some shops may close earlier than normal on the 24th and a lot of pubs/restaurant will close a bit earlier than normal on the 24th as well. Maybe just a couple of hours earlier so for pubs 10pm or so rather than midnight for example. Public transport also usually starts to wind down on the evening of the 24th so if you're intending on travelling anywhere, do it before about 10pm ideally. If you're doing shopping, don't do it on the 24th probably. On the 25th, most shops, pubs etc will be closed and a lot of restaurants will only be open for people who have booked ahead of time for christmas dinners. Takeaways, corner shops and some foreign restaurants will be open though. Some pubs open for part of the day but not all. On the 26th, a lot of shops will be back open but sometimes with limited opening hours. A lot of pubs and restaurants will be open but sometimes with limited hours. There is limited public transport on the 25th, and also on the 26th so you can still get around the city, might just take a bit longer. The Christmas markets are closed on the 25th, but open other days. If you're here and looking for non-Christmassy things to do on the 25th, then the zoo is open and will be less busy than it usually is.
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Dec 13, 2016 13:58
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Hey, thanks a lot! This helps a great deal. Partly because it caused us to get off our asses and book a table for the 25th, and we got the last available one 
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Dec 13, 2016 15:22
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why did no one tell me about the thousands of stairs
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Dec 22, 2016 14:42
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No, this is not too much travelling. I actually took a similar route (flew into Edinburgh, up to Isle of Skye then out through Glasgow) a little over ten years ago. You are spacing it out far enough that it's no big deal to drive from destination to destination. I highly recommend a second night at Isle of Skye because it has the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen in my life.
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Dec 22, 2016 19:27
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My Lovely Horse posted:why did no one tell me about the thousands of stairs It's astonishing that we all manage to be so fat and unhealthy, what with all the stairs.
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Dec 22, 2016 22:30
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Bump! I'm flying into Edinburgh (probably, but this is flexible- entering the UK at LHR) and I want to head to Skye for a couple of days in late May before heading back to Edinburgh to meet with friends when they arrive. How should I get to Skye and also around on the island when I'm there? I'm open to driving but it makes me very nervous as I'm from the US and I also don't drive stick. I saw that there was a train? Alternately, I was thinking maybe a guided tour- there's a few that leave from Edinburgh. I'd prefer to make my own itinerary, though. I'm a woman traveling alone if this makes a huge difference. Any advice is appreciated.
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Jan 25, 2017 02:45
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taco show posted:Bump! I'm flying into Edinburgh (probably, but this is flexible- entering the UK at LHR) and I want to head to Skye for a couple of days in late May before heading back to Edinburgh to meet with friends when they arrive. Honestly, having a car on Skye is pretty necessary... There is a bus service I believe, and we looked into to it but it seemed very limited? I know there was a tour company in Edinburgh called Rabbies that did 3 day tours that seemed very popular (we saw the buses all over Skye). So that might be your best option if you're not keen on driving there... Either way, you're going to have an amazing experience! It's out of this world beautiful  Oh yeah, go to the Edinbane Inn and have the Cullen Skink!P.S. We were able to rent an automatic at Edinburgh airport, plus driving through the highlands is magic! liz fucked around with this message at 03:56 on Jan 25, 2017 |
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Jan 25, 2017 03:53
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What liz said.... when you are at the airport in Edinburgh, just request an automatic. They have them and tried to push a standard on me, but I relented and got an automatic. Driving around Skye is really, really peaceful and beautiful
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Jan 25, 2017 18:14
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