Scotland?

[jen]

I've been to Ireland and absolutely LOVED it. I'm thinking about going to Scotland---is it anything like Ireland? Do they have cute B&B's with happy, friendly people? :) Easy to drive around and see the sights?

thanks!

[emmjay]

Well, I think Scotland, both the people and the country, are different from Ireland. However, I think if you liked Ireland, you will like Scotland!

In terms of the people, I think the Scots are less outgoing than the Irish - you wouldn't walk into a pub and immediately be engaged in a conversation the way you would in Ireland. I found the people in Scotland to be slightly more reserved, but still friendly. I also found them harder to understand, but that's probably because I am more familiar with the Irish accent! :)

The topography of Scotland is also different - there are parts with the green, rolling pastures like Ireland, but there are also rugged mountains especially in the Highlands. The weather is pretty similar, as is the driving/roads. It's not quite as easy to find a B&B but there are plenty (just not like Ireland where every other house has a B&B sign!).

We got married in Scotland and my ILs came with the expectation that there was no way they'd like it as much as they liked Ireland - afterwards they said they loved it and would like to go back one day. I love Scotland. Edinburgh is world-class, and the Highlands, Orkney, and the Outer Hebrides islands are beautiful and unique.

[Whitters20]

Hi there. My parents went to Scotland last September and my DH went a year after he got out of high school. Since I've never been, I'm just offering their opinions. Probably if you liked Ireland, you'd like Scotland. Are you looking to stay in the big cities or visit small towns? There are plenty of B&B's. My DH and BIL didn't make reservations in advance because they wanted to wing it. They stayed in small towns and never had a problem finding a place to stay. For both my parents and DH, the Scots were very friendly to respectful guests and eager to share history, stories, etc. We are of Scottish descent (DH and my parents) so they had a lot to talk about.

As far as getting around goes, I don't think it's that easy. My parents never drove in the cities, just walked or took a bus. DH said getting in/out of the large cities if very hard, apparently they are not laid out well. But if you, yourself are from a metro area, it might not seem as bad to you. Gas is really pricey although DH did rent a car. Apparently a lot of the roads are gravel, only big enough for one car (which makes things interesting!). But DH did spent his time in very small towns/villages visiting important places to McGregors. But the islands are very beautiful and there are a lot of castles and lochs to see. When DH gets home, I'll get some more info for you.

[Scooter]

We spent our honeymoon there and absolutely fell in love, we were ready to pack up and move there. It's a big country, and there are drastic differences between different regions. We went through Edinburgh and Glasgow quickly, and chose to spend our time in the Highlands and Islands. We got around by train and bus and ferry just fine, no problems. You've just got to plan your days a little differently. (Btw, the train ride out to the Islands is probably the most beautiful train ride you'll ever take. It winds through the Highlands and past amazing lochs, goes past ruins and historical monuments...and if you've seen the Harry Potter movies you'll recognise some of the scenery from their train trips.) We personally enjoyed the small towns and villages, and found people to be more polite there than in the cities (what a shock), but as a culture they're not so open, more slow to warm up to you. As long as you're not pushy, and you respect their culture, they can be very friendly.

I think as far as getting to and seeing the sights it's going to depend on what you want to do. Do you want to spend most of the time in the cities? That's obviously easier to get around to. If you rent a car you can spend half a day driving out to one castle or loch, because it's a big country and there are lots of little winding highways through the mountains. If you're talking about some of the major tourist destinations, I think if you'd have to put some thought into planning & prioritizing exactly which sights are most important to see. And then plan out a fairly detailed itinerary, because they may be pretty far apart. Those types of places are easily accessible by public transportation. Or you could mean you want to have time to explore or see the natural sights (hiking/walking is a huge draw), and discover smaller sights along the way, in which case a detailed itinerary isn't as necessary or wanted.

[boilermaker]

We went to Scotland for 10 days in 2004 and loved it. We flew in/out of Glasgow, which did not impress me. But we loved Edinburgh and Stirling. We did rent a car for the entire trip and had no problems driving once we got use to being on the other side of the road and the round-abouts :)

We didn't do the islands or head up extremely north, but we did go up to Inverness and then made the loop back to Glasgow on the western side of the country. In Edinburgh and Glasgow, we stayed in hotels. Otherwise we stayed in B&B, most with no advance planning. I found the people to be very friendly and helpful and accomidating. I had some trouble with the accent, but not overly so.

Here's a few pics for you..

The Braveheart monument in Stirling
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d830b3127cce9cabce06adad00000015108AbNGLRi5ZNK

Looking out over Stirling from the castle:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d830b3127cce9cabce02ada900000016108AbNGLRi5ZNK

Edinburgh
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d830b3127cce9cabcef6ad5d00000016108AbNGLRi5ZNK

Blair Atholl Distillery
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d830b3127cce9cabceef2c7400000016108AbNGLRi5ZNK

Loch Lomond
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d830b3127cce9cabce952c0e00000016108AbNGLRi5ZNK

I have many many more.

[mbw1024]

I was in Glasgow and surrounding areas and loved it. Stayed at a place called The TownHouse and loved it.

[tinkerbelljenny]

We went to Ireland and Scotland on the same trip and liked Scotland more than Ireland. I would love to go back to Scotland. We stayed in Glasgow at the Sandyford Hotel.
http://www.sandyfordhotelglasgow.com/images/pic1.jpg

[thompso2]

We got married in Scotland and honeymooned there. Obviously, we love the country. There are tons of nice B&Bs. Our honeymoon pictures (http://jessandjer.jeremiahblatz.com/scotland-honeymoon-pictures/) includes photos of the places we visited (including our accommodations).

I've been to Ireland and it was amazing too, but like others have mentioned, I prefer Scotland.

[camberne]

My son and his Sunday school group have chosen Scotland for their pilgrimage for next summer (2007). Through all the research we've done, the three places that seemed to be "must do" are Iona Abbey, Edinburgh Castle with the St. Margaret's Chapel, and the standing stones of Calanais.

Does anyone have any other suggestions that would be good for a pilgrimage of 14-15 year olds? We don't want them to be driving all over all the time, and the duration of the trip is to be 10-11 days.

[emmjay]

I would definitely recommend the Rosslyn Chapel (http://www.rosslynchapel.org.uk/) outside of Edinburgh. It is a small chapel but it is full of fascinating carvings and symbolism (it was mentioned in the Da Vinci Code).

If they are already going all the way out to the Isle of Lewis to see the standing stones, they should go to a service at the Free Church of Scotland in Stornoway (the main town on Lewis). It's sort of a "modern-day" pilgrimage, but the service is in Gaelic and when the congregation recites the psalms they do it by singing/chanting in Gaelic and all of the people start their chanting at different points. It's really hard to describe but it's very unusual.

[camberne]

Oooh, that sounds really neat!! I'll have to bring that up! I know that Rosslyn Chapel is a "wanna do" for the boys since they all are Monty Python freaks and Rosslyn is rumoured to be the resting place of the Holy Grail. Again, that was actually a "selling point" of the kids going to Scotland when they were discussing where to go.

Thanks for your suggestions!!

[Whitters20]

Stirling is a nice town which also has a nice castle and the William Wallace monument. I don't know if the kids have ever seen Braveheart but its only about an hour outside of Edinburgh. Other than that, make sure the kids bring a light jacket, a rain coat and some sturdy shoes!

[emmjay]

For the service at the Free Church of Scotland in Stornoway, I am 99% sure that the Gaelic psalm chanting is only on Sundays in case you need to factor that into the planning.

[Kelly's Girl]

I am leaving on Tuesday to visit Edinburgh, Scotland. We have a flat rented for a week, and then we're going to hit the open road. What should we do while we're in Edi? Any suggestions? What about the rest of the country. Know any areas to see? We were thinking Skye, but don't have any set itenerary. Thanks!

[thompso2]

I love Scotland! My DH and I were married just outside Edinburgh, actually, and honeymooned on the island of Islay (off the west coast) and in the Highlands.

Rather than try to reproduce our recommendations, here's the What to Do (http://jessandjer.jeremiahblatz.com/whatToDo.php) in Edinburgh page from our wedding website (you might also find Getting Around (http://jessandjer.jeremiahblatz.com/gettingAround.php) helpful), and our honeymoon pics (http://jessandjer.jeremiahblatz.com/scotland-honeymoon-pictures/).

You're going to have so much fun!

[Lindsan]

I have been a couple of times. I think Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. I really liked the castle, as well as Holyrood house.We also went on a walking tour at night that was a lot of fun. It centered around ghosts and other "unexplained" phenomena.

Edinburgh is full of beautiful buildings and narrow streets to walk around and enjoy.

Another definite thing to do while in Scotland is to visit a distillery. I never did but plan to go back with DH and visit as many as possible.

[boilermaker]

We spent a week in Scotland back in 2004. I also really liked Edinburgh and think you will have a good time there. The night/ghost tour sounds really cheesy but we had a great time on it. We only spent one night in Edinburgh though, so I don't really have any recommendations.

As for other places in Scotland to see, we started in Stirling. Cute city, lots of history. The Wallace Monument (Braveheart) is there as is Stirling Castle. We then went to Edinburgh, then continued on a loop around the country. We hit Pitlochry and the Blair Atholl Distillary. Very pretty and a neat tour. Cute town with little silver shops and quiant restaurants. Just outside of town is a gorgeous white castle called Blair Castle. It was a nice afternoon trip.

Then we headed up to Inverness and Loch Ness. We did the crazy tourist thing and went out on a boat on the Loch. But the boat driver was a great story teller and it was a nice day to be out on the water.

Then we started back down and went through the mountian area, then down to Loch Lomond, which is a beautiful calm loch.

Then we ended our trip in Glascow. I'm not a fan of Glascow personally. It was to industrial for me and other than the main square, it just didn't feel very safe.

Have a great trip. We loved Scotland and would definitely go back.

[emmjay]

I spent 5-6 weeks in Scotland in 2004, mostly in the Highlands and Islands. If you go up to Inverness/Loch Ness and the rest of the Highlands and you have a day or so, I would recommend Nairn (15 miles east of Inverness). It's a little sea resort town on the Moray Firth - very nice little town. I was married there so I am biased. ;) It is close to Loch Ness, and to the Whisky Trail to visit some of the distilleries.

I would highly recommend going to Orkney. The ferry ride isn't too far if you are up north and it is a really interesting group of islands. We happened to be there during a folk music festival, which was fantastic. There are several ancient monoliths and standing stone formations, and there is even a Neolithic village from 4000 years ago called Skara Brae (if you are interested in that sort of thing). The scenery is gorgeous on the islands and you can rent bikes and ride around for the day. You can also take a day hike to see the Old Man of Hoy, a natural stone pillar in the sea off of the island of Hoy (more interesting than I am making it sound!).

[Amuse Bouche]

We honeymooned in Scotland in 2003. Spent 2-3 days in Edinburgh, then drove around for about 10 days (and saw a lot -- we drove about 1400 miles, I think).

In Edinburgh, definitely do the castle. We also enjoyed Mary King's Close on the Royal Mile. Poke around a bit in the new town, too, but I think the Old part of the City is more interesting and fun. The Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh is pretty interesting, too.

As for the rest, we loved the far north -- Sutherland and Ross, up above Inverness. We stayed at a fantastic B&B called Braelangwell, which I'd highly recommend as a base for exploring. I'd also recommend the entire west coast -- Ullapool is IMO a don't miss destination -- it's just jaw droppingly beautiful. We also loved Oban and the area around Loch Awe and Glencoe. We spent a couple of nights on Skye, which was bit of a disappointment -- the scenery wasn't nearly as gorgeous as the mainland highlands.

It's such a neat place -- have a great trip!

[Kelly's Girl]

Oh my! I had no idea there were so many Scot- fans here who were so knowledgable. Thank you all for fabulous suggestions! I am def. going to try the night tour in Edi- sounds kind of like the cemetary/ghost tours we have in N.O. that I've never taken, so this will be a great time to try!

[Amuse Bouche]

How long are you going to be touring around? Are you going to be touring by car? I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend a road atlas of Britain or Scotland -- a very detailed one. It will tell you, among other things, where the one lane roads are. You should be able to find a good one in a bookshop in Edinburgh.

And here's a link to Mary King's Close -- it's very cool.

http://www.realmarykingsclose.com/about.htm

[bex]

I just got back from Scotland a few weeks ago and I would suggest that you pack at least a few pieces of warm clothing! I had forgotten how far north Edinburgh is. It was jacket and scarf weather - not sandals and skirt weather ;).

I second Holyrood Park. Since the weather wasn't great, I didn't get a chance to hike up to Arthur's Seat, but I really would have liked to.

I would also recommend doing the Highlands. That was by far the best part of my trip. We did a day tour with Rabbie's (http://www.rabbies.com) Tours and they were great!

Have a great time!

[Kelly's Girl]

Bex, How many weeks ago were you there? Is it sandals and skirt weather yet? I packed my sneaks, and also my sandals, with jeans and capris to cover my bases, but no scarf or mittens. I hope I've done okay!

Am Bo, we'll have about a week to bum around after we leave Edinburgh proper. I *think* we'll be getting a car as the rail tix seem cost prohibitive, unfortunately, as I LOVE to ride the train. Thanks for the atlas suggestion!

[Kelly's Girl]

P.S. Jess, I actually remember your name from the other thread. May I ask, why Scotland? Just because you could? I am curious! My married last name is the same as a castle over there, and I would have loved to have been married there. Your wedding pictures are AMAZING. Your dress bustled beautifully, and all the photos are so fabulous!

[bex]

Bex, How many weeks ago were you there? Is it sandals and skirt weather yet? I packed my sneaks, and also my sandals, with jeans and capris to cover my bases, but no scarf or mittens. I hope I've done okay!

I was there the last week of May. It was between 8-12 degrees Celcius each day and I think there were rain showers every day. I imagine it must be warmer by now though :)

I would suggest that you also pack an umbrella and a waterproof coat, if you have it. Hopefully they are into summer now and you will have better weather than I did! :)

[boilermaker]

My sister lived in Scotland for a few years (hence our visit over there) and she says the weather can vary week to week. It can get rather warm, but then the next week it could be in the 50s, even in summer. And definitely bring a rain jacket, esp if you are near the coast.

[Kelly's Girl]

My sister lived in Scotland for a few years (hence our visit over there)
Hey, Boilermaker, me too! My little sister moved over there last fall to go to graduate school, and we're going to visit her TODAY!!! Whoo hoo!!!

I packed an umbrella and rainjacket hoodie on your suggestions, and some layers for my 8 month old son (including his kilt that my sis sent!)

Thanks again, all!

[rangerwendy]

Definitely get over to the Isle of Skye. I lived in Scotland and I think it is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I even have a book about it sitting on my coffee table right now!

[boilermaker]

Can't wait to hear about your trip when you get back!!

[thompso2]

P.S. Jess, I actually remember your name from the other thread. May I ask, why Scotland? Just because you could? I am curious! My married last name is the same as a castle over there, and I would have loved to have been married there. Your wedding pictures are AMAZING. Your dress bustled beautifully, and all the photos are so fabulous!

Yes, pretty much because we could! I wanted to be married in a castle, and Scotland is such a wonderful country, and there's no waiting period, so it was easy. (Way cheaper than NYC, too!) Thanks for the compliments. :D

[Rosebud]

We're planning to spend a couple of days in Edinburgh at the end of our Ireland trip next year. Any hotel/B&B recommendations in Edinburgh?

Also, has anyone visited Rosslyn Chapel? It looks pretty close to Edinburgh on a map... is it really? Did you enjoy it? We're actually thinking of renting a car and seeing Rosslyn and then heading south to Jedburgh, where part of my family is from... all in a day. :D

[Amuse Bouche]

Rosebud, we liked our hotel, The Windmill House (http://www.karenbrown.com/property.asp?propid=1929) but it was a bit out of the main drag. Pluses were that it was quiet and in a beautiful area, minuses were that we had to walk or bus into town, and cabbies had trouble finding it. If you want to splurge on Gothic Splendor I'd look at the Witchery at the Castle, but Channings is supposed to be a nice hotel and a bit less $$. When are you going?

ETA: Let me know if you want to borrow any of our myriad Scotland guidebooks. They're a few years out of date, but things don't change that much.

[Rosebud]

We're planning to go late April/ early May of 2007. It'll be around 10 days in Ireland, 2 or 3 in Scotland. We want to plan a separate trip to really explore Scotland, this time it's just a quick stop in Edinburgh.

Would love to look at your guidebooks, thanks!

[Amuse Bouche]

Jealous! I asked because if you're going in August during the festival, it's tough to get a room. That's actually when we were there, which is one of the reasons we stayed a bit far from the center of town. I think this was our first choice B&B: http://www.16lynedochplace.co.uk/

[emmjay]

Also, has anyone visited Rosslyn Chapel? It looks pretty close to Edinburgh on a map... is it really? Did you enjoy it?
It is very close to Edinburgh - we went there on the local bus and had plenty of time to get out there and back by early afternoon. It is a cool church - pretty small, so you should be able to see it and go somewhere else all in one day. You should try to get a guidebook that explains the different carvings so you can fully appreciate everything.

[thompso2]

I don't know what your budget is, but we have lots of B&Bs in and around Edinburgh -- including near Rosslyn Chapel -- on our wedding website (http://jessandjer.jeremiahblatz.com/).

[trestlegirl]

I spent a semester of college at the University of Stirling. I found it quite easy to get all over the place on the train, buses if necessary. Most of the country is very driveable, although there are some scary narrow, windy roads when you're way up in the highlands (and you have to watch for sheep!)

The people are fabulous, the country is gorgeous, I'm sure you'd have a great time.

My favorite places: Edinburgh, St. Andrews (the famous golf course, but also the ruins of a cathedral and castle where John Knox started the Scottish Reformation), Cawdor Castle, and Eileen Donan Castle. Stirling and the nearby town of Bridge of Allen are also quite beautiful and historically important. People seem to love or hate Glasgow. I love it, but maybe because I have friends there so I've never done the typical tourist stuff.

My favorite things of all in Scotland - Highland Coos, and whisky!

[Rosebud]

I'm definitely planning on doing another Scotland trip to explore the Highlands. This time we're just in Edinburgh briefly and won't make it north-- but better some of Scotland than none, right?

The people on the Fodors.com boards have convinced me that I can reasonably rent a car and drive from Edinburgh to Rosslyn Chapel, then on to Jedburgh and my family's former estate at Edgerston and back to Edinburgh in one day. They're saying the distances are pretty short and easily driveable. A few suggested that I might even have time for the Abbeys at Melrose and Kelso. Anyone familiar with this part of Scotland?

ETA: Thompso2, thanks very much for the link to your site. Those B&Bs look wonderful! I'm going to check their details.