We are plannig a Scotland Tour for two weeks in the middle of July. If you have any recommendations, you are more than welcome to contribute them.

Usually we try to avoid crowds and go out into the country. We love nature's beauty and we have seen many pictures of mountains, green hills, blue lakes and old castles. We prefer small country hotels to luxury hotels any day, and we have done a few bed&breakfasts in New England and Texas that we really enjoyed. We don't have any checklist of things that we need to have seen.

Edited by author 06-09-2004 06:40 AM
Nick says:

I would recommend:

a) spending some time in Edinburgh,
b) visiting & walking in Glen Coe,
c) touring and walking on the Isle of Skye,
d) touring and walking in the Torridon region, and
e) visiting the northwest corner of Scotland (Cape Wrath & Durness).

I leave it to you to investigate, but you could drive from Edinburgh to Glen Coe via Calendar and Crianlarich, then from Glen Coe to Oban and take a ferry to Mull for a couple of days with a day or two side trip to Iona, alternatively a ferry to Isla also a possibility. From there you could make your way to the Outer Hebrides (you may have to pass back through Oban). Once in the Outer Hebrides, there are bridges and short ferry rides between islands, and a Ferry from Harris to Uig on the Isle of Skye. Spend some time on Skye, and then head back across the bridge to the mainland, from where you could then head north through Torriden, and Ulapool, etc. to Durness. You can then make your way back south, via variety of routes. There is a ferry site http://www.calmac.co.uk that should prove helpful.

Frank's friend says:

a) spending some time in Edinburgh,

- definitly a must, especially the area around the caste, old town and new town.

b) visiting & walking in Glen Coe,

on the way up from Edinburgh to Glen Coe you will pass Killin (between Calendar and Crainlarich, head for the Falls of Dochart). In Killin you will find an excellent guest house named Invertay House, maintained by Gillean and Bruce Ford. Excellent accomodation with good breakfast and excellent evening meal. Highly recommended. Also a good place for starting some trips maybe to Ben Lawyers and some beautiful Glens around. Bruce and Gillean really know the area and they can give good advise for your trips.

c) touring and walking on the Isle of Skye,

also one of my recommendations. Stay in Portree, some nice guest houses and B&B's there, go for the tourist information, they are very helpful in finding accomodation, even if there accent is quite strange. Be aware that prices for accomodation on the islands are more expensive than on mainland (up to 30%).

d) touring and walking in the Torridon region

e) visiting the northwest corner of Scotland (Cape Wrath & Durness).

both a must. My recommendation is, going up the mainland to Ullapool and maybe further north. Back to Ullapool and take the ferry to the Outer Hebrides (Lewis and Harris). Some island hopping to the south and end up on Skye. If you take the bridge back from Skye to the mainland you will pass the Eileen Donan Castle. You will know it from the movie "Highlander (Part I)".

You also may take the ferry from Skye to Oban, which is a nice route. From Oban heading south the coast to the Isle of Jura and Isle of Islay. By the way Oban and Crainlarich are quite boring, nothing special. On the islands you will find some destilleries (Talisker on Skye e.g. or on Islay). In Pitlochry you will find Scotlands smallest destillery (The Edradour) but that's not directly on the recommended ways (east of Killin).

Edited by author 06-09-2004 06:41 AM
Invertay House is here: http://www.invertayhouse.co.uk/

Armin Grewe has a huge site with his own tours of Scotland: http://www.armin-grewe.com/holiday/holiday.htm#scotland

A couple of things to do:

If you plan to visit a whisky distillery, seek out The MacAllan distillery in Speyside[1]. Even though we didn't have an appointment we were lucky to get on the tour: 2 other tourists and a guide. She took us through the whole distillery for over 90 minutes and we got to see and taste things that other distilleries don't show you (they want you in the shop after 15 minutes)



[1] http://www.themacallan.com/distillery/visitor.html

And if you are a Monty Python fan, you have to visit Doune Castle[1]. Supposedly they give you coconuts so you can run around the courtyard.


[1] http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/doune/dounecastle/

Countryside I know and love (in other words there is MASSES of it and so this is just the bit I know and love):
* I suggest Perthshire for some beautiful countryside.
* Specifically I would recommend Glen Lyon with Ben Lawers for a good hill climb.
* Nearby are Scheihallion and Ben-y-vrackie which are both good hill walks too and next to Aberfeldy which is a lovely town. It has the Dewars distillery too which is apparently good according to my other half who spent some of a friend's stag weekend there recently.
* Driving northwards from Edinburgh up the M90 and then the A9 shows off the change in countryside from lowland to highland really well.
* I would definitely agree with Glen Coe for some truely spectacular, magnificent landscapes.
* These contrast with Perthshire and again with anything much north of Inverness where it gets quite rockily barren and beautiful.
* The Fife Coast - driving through the series of lovely fishing villages (Crail, Pittenween etc) and onto St Andrews.

___________________________
In Edinburgh:
* Good reasonable eats are: The Mussel Inn on Rose Street, The Olive Branch on Broughton Street and La Rusticana on Hanover Street.

Views to take in/ walks to do:
* Carlton Hill which is less of a hike than Arthur's seat, but gives spectacular views over the new and old towns.
* The city is so beautiful I would suggest just spending some time walking round the new and old towns and seeing the different faces they portray - beware of reading maps and finding that where you thought you could turn into another street in fact you are several stories above it!
* If the weather is nice I really recommend walking along the "Water of Leith", a river that runs right through the north of the city. There is a path along most of it for you to follow. Sometimes the path is interrupted and you have to follow signs along the streets, but these tend to take you through really nice areas (like Cannonmills) which are great to stop and have a coffee or some food. It is about 11 miles in total, I think, from Leith to Balerno, but you can do however much of it you want.

Things to do:
* Gallery of Modern Art - some amazing installations.
* Castle, obviously, but leave plenty of time as there is a lot of it.
* Royal Yacht Britannia if you are into Royal history.

OK, here we go, let's start with a few general thoughts:

Accommodation:
* You'll find pretty much everything in Scotland, although a lot of the best places are likely to be fully booked by now. If you already know a place where you are planning to stay I recommend to book as soon as possible
* If you're flexible I recommend the "book a bed ahead" service by the tourist office. Go to a tourist office, tell them the area you want to stay in, type of place/room, how much you'd like to spend etc. For a small fee they'll search for you and make the reservation, usually within 30min or so (while you visit some tourist attraction, do your shopping, whatever). I've found quite a few excellent places through it, only very few places that weren't great

Driving:
* keep in mind that the roads are typically quite narrow and that you won't find many straight stretches. This will slow you down (in addition to all the other stops you will make for views), so keep that in mind when planning how much you'll drive in a day
* you are very likely to encounter some single track roads (well, if you go to Trotternish on Skye you definitely will), which will also slow you down. If you drive slow to enjoy the sights make sure you let the locals (or faster drivers) pass at the passing places. Also you should stay on "your side" of the road (i.e. the left), even if you arrive at the passing place first (at least that's how I learned it).
* be glad that you won't encounter as many roundabouts as down here in England ;-)

Equipment/things to bring
* remember that we don't have Euros over here, so be prepared. Some friends of me only remembered the same day to change some money ;-)
* if you bring your laptop, you'll find WiFi in Glasgow and Edinburgh and some other larger places. Apart from that you'll probably struggle. Mobile phone reception depends on which side of the hill you're on ;-) You can get excellent reception in the middle of nothing much but nothing in the village three miles down the road
* if you plan to go walking, make sure you have the right equipment. Decent walking boots are a must, proper rain clothes in a backpack strongly recommended. The ground can be quite rough and the weather can change dramatically very quickly. And you don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in torrential rain when you started in brilliant sunshine (or the other way around without any drinking water). I've experienced it multiple times (both ways), luckily I was always prepared.
* I assume you'll bring a digital camera, remember to bring enough batteries and have them charged. In some of the more remote places you'll struggle to find emergency batteries and by then the photo opportunity is probably gone.
* be prepared for the midges ;-)

That's all I can think of for the general part. Oh, if you read/use travel guides, I would suggest the Rough Guide Scotland.

Now for some suggestions of places to visit:

An excellent start are the "100 things to do in Scotland before you die" from the Sunday Herald: http://www.sundayherald.com/40798

(And my take on it: http://www.ministryofpropaganda.co.uk/2004...0328-64things.shtml )

I'm sure you'll find quite a few things on it.

Then my favourites:
* I doubt you'll have enough time to make it, but I simply have to recommend Islay. Shameless plug: I also have some pages about it, to be found here: http://www.armin-grewe.com/islay/islay.htm "Problem" is that the shortest ferry crossing is 2hrs, from Oban (I think someone suggested that) it will take far longer. So this depends on how much time you'll spend elsewhere. And the best distillery tour I know of is probably at Bruichladdich.
* Glen Coe has been mentioned several times, so I'll mention it as well.
* Glen Affric takes a while to get to, but is absolutely fantastic. I'd say plan at least a full day to visit it.
* I guess you'll go to Skye (be prepared for lots of other Germans, I've had occasions where every third car I met had German number plates ;-)). Trotternish is great, the Old Man of Storr one of the standard walks. On a clear day drive out to Elgin for the view of the Cuillins, if possible also the boat trip to Loch Coruisk (Don't bother on a rainy day)
* The beaches of Lewis. Probably among the best in the world. Enough said.
* I don't know Edinburgh very well, in a way it's too polished for me. But the view from Arthur's Seat is very nice. And the Museum of Scotland for a rainy day.
* I somehow prefer Glasgow as a city, to me it has a less polished feel. A lot of people claim Glasgow is ugly. They are probably right, if you don't know where to go. If you do it has some fantastic places. Should you happen to go to Glasgow I would recommend visiting a few places on the Mackintosh (no, not the computer ;-)) trail. Another shameless plug: http://www.armin-grewe.com/crm/crm.htm
* For some geeky fun: The Falkirk Wheel and the famous Forth Rail Bridge. Also the West Highland Railway (Steam Train) from Fort William to Mallaig
* Isle of Mull and the long way to get there (instead of the ferry from Oban): From Mallaig (should you take the ferry from Skye) through Sunart and/or Ardnamurchan (with lots of single track roads)
* Cairngorm. Walking up to the summit and around. Or anywhere in the Cairngorms
* Loch Fyne Oysters in Argyll for great food. And allegedly the place where Gordon Brown and John Prescott discussed Tony Blair's successor.

And where I wouldn't bother going to:
* Fort William except for staying over night (handy for the steam train and Ben/Glen Nevis)
* Eilean Donan Castle from the inside. Take your pictures and enjoy the view from the outside though.
* Most of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. Tourist trap par excellence and choc-a-bloc with tourists during the summer
* The furnicular up Cairngorm. You won't be able to get out when you take it.
* The various tourist trap shops you'll find in various places. Tartan, shortbread and other things vastly overpriced. I'm sure you'll recognise them after you fell for the first one.

Finally for another holiday (you won't have enough time to get there this time):
* Orkney for the historic sites
* Shetland for the landscape and remoteness

That's what comes to mind for now, if I can think of anything else I'll come back.

Marks says:

If you are looking for 'Big Country', then getting up to the North-West corner of Scotland is the thing to do. Its not always pretty, but it can be awe inspiring, inspirational, scary or completely insane depending on where you are, the time of day and the weather. I tend to suggest the map here: http://www.taste-of-scotland.com/mapfull.html as being a good trip organiser.

I'd suggest basically the same as Nick, but I would /definitely/ include a tour of as far north as Ullapool - and a little bit further at least - and taking the ferry across to Stornoway on Lewis, Northmost pat of the Outer Hebrides, then come down to Skye via the Tarbert-Uig ferry.

If you do want to spend some money, try to see if you can get a night at the Altnaharrie Inn, opposite Ullapool. Tel. 44 (0)1854 633230. 8 rooms, access by private launch from Ullapool harbour. This is a popular place for very wealthy people (eg rock stars) to get married. If you can book it, keep it a surprise - I'm assuming you're travelling as a couple here, as this a /very/ romantic setting. North of Ullapool, you NEED to take the 'little mad road' north of Ullapool to Lochinver via the coast starting at Drumnunie (spelling?), rather than the main road that goes via Inchnadamph. Car hire: something sporting if at all possible, and you'll thank the lord that made ya! Exercise-wise, you can climb Stac Pollaidh (Stack Polly) from this road. I used to use Stac Pollaidh as my measure of fitness when I lived a few miles north of Lochinver.

Ask Neil for some suggestions about where to visit in the Western Isles. My Top Tip is to go to Harris and stay a night or two at Scarista House on Harris, overlooking a fantastic beach - http://www.scaristahouse.com. We were there last year - good hotel, nicely lived in rather than stuffy. Fantastic dinner with good wine cellar followed by a midnight walk on the golden beach, watching the sun set over turquoise sea.

On Skye - there's loads to do depending on weather, fitness level, time of day and hangover status, assuming you like walking. Avoid staying at the Sligachan Hotel if at all possible - great location, lousy management. Food: The Three Chimneys is Skyes 'destination' place, but has become a little formulaic recently IMHO. That said, the formula is a very good one. http://www.threechimneys.co.uk/ The Cuillin Hills hotel in Portree is getting quite good according to my local spies...

I have not visited Orkney/Shetland so I'm not going to say anything about them.

Vesey says:

Edinburgh is gorgeous -- the only hotel I know is for work: http://www.malmaison.com/edinburgh/. Then all you need is wheels, hiking boots, and some gentle time... and head for the West Coast or the islands. I agree with him about the Outer Hebrides. We had a great summer one year on the island of Barra. Next year we plan to stay at this hotel in the Isle of Harris: http://www.scaristahouse.com/page12.html

One additional island you might want to consider is Colonsay -- beautiful, remote island in the Inner Hebrides http://www.colonsay.org.uk/intro.html. It is easily reached by ferry. I first went there in 1959. Three years ago we had a great time at Colonsay Island Hotel: http://www.colonsay.org.uk/hotel.html

As you know, the quality of hotels in Scotland is not great outside Edinburgh and Glasgow. But that's more than compensated for by the scenery, the people and the whisky.

Vesey says you should visit Colonsay, if you make it there make sure you buy some Colonsay honey: http://www.colonsay.org.uk/honey/honey1.html Best honey in the world! I'm going to buy some again when I'll be there in July.

In regards to hotels outside of Glasgow and Edinburgh I slightly disagree with Vesey. I've found quite a few very nice hotels in a variety of places. They are not necessarily cheap, but still. A few I can think of:

The Port Charlotte Hotel on Islay (where I usually stay when I'm on Islay): http://www.milford.co.uk/go/portcharlotte.html

The Dunain Park Hotel near Inverness: http://www.dunainparkhotel.co.uk/

Kinloch Lodge on Skye: http://www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk/

If you've got a lot of money to spend (or are lucky as I was when I managed to get a room for a huge discount) you can try Rusacks Hotel in St.Andrews (don't seem to have their own website, this is one description I found: http://www.golfing-scotland.com/accommodation/rusacks.asp ). It overlooks the 18th hole at the famous Old Course. Probably only of interest if you're interested in golf though. Or Prince William, who is studying in St Andrews ;-)

But apart from that, a B&B might be just as nice, if not better because you get to know a lot of people.

I remember Kinnaird House in Pitlochry, where all the guests have breakfast together at one huge table (at least when I stayed there): http://www.kinnaird-house.co.uk/products.htm

While the rooms are nothing special the history of the building and the friendliness of the owners of the Empire Travel Lodge make it a great place to stay: http://www.empirelodge.co.uk/

For one of the best views from the guest lounge/ breakfast room I would recommend Kinloch House in Strontian: http://www.ardnamurchan.com/kinloch/ This is in the Ardnamurchan/Sunart area, quite remote and very nice.

Thanks for your recommendation, Armin. By chance we are staying in Port Charlotte Hotel in a few weeks :-)

Edited by author 06-28-2004 06:57 AM
Has anybody been here for a chance? http://www.glenallan.co.uk/ Looks like a lovely place.

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