(NGC) Visiting Scotland

[Gliderjohn]

This is on our bucket list since my wife's is Scottish, red hair and all. We would appreciate any advice and/or tips from anyone who has visited there or lives there. We would probably be more interested in the more rural areas and the coastal areas but still want to take in some of the historical sites. Also need to see the Muirhead Scotch Distillery since my wife is a direct descendent and it appears to still be in business.
Outside of maybe renting a scooter for short distances my wife can no longer tolerate extended rides plus it Scottish weather may take some of the fun out of it so renting a bike for most travel is out. Just trying to find out what a Guzzi type of person may like to be sure and experience there. When to go would also be flexible. We would be flexible on other transportation options.
GliderJohn

[nick949]

My suggestions for general UK travel (based on dozens of trips over 'ome) are:

Fly direct to Glasgow, not London.  In Britain, 400 miles is a long way and you would waste a full day at each end getting to where you want to be.
Organize your car rental BEFORE you leave the US. It almost always works out cheaper.
Choose the smallest car you can. British roads are narrow and you will be dealing with drivers accustomed to extremely small distances between vehicles and other obstacles - at speed.
Gas is at least twice the price you pay in the US so small is good for that reason too.
Spend the money on the extra insurance coverage.

The Western Highlands and islands are impossibly scenic. Take an extra SD card for your camera.  For more specifics, I hope others respond.

Have fun

Nick

[Lannis]

This is on our bucket list since my wife's is Scottish, red hair and all. We would appreciate any advice and/or tips from anyone who has visited there or lives there. We would probably be more interested in the more rural areas and the coastal areas but still want to take in some of the historical sites. Also need to see the Muirhead Scotch Distillery since my wife is a direct descendent and it appears to still be in business.
Outside of maybe renting a scooter for short distances my wife can no longer tolerate extended rides plus it Scottish weather may take some of the fun out of it so renting a bike for most travel is out. Just trying to find out what a Guzzi type of person may like to be sure and experience there. When to go would also be flexible. We would be flexible on other transportation options.
GliderJohn

Things I've learned:

1) Exchange your money at an ATM after you get there.   Your US bank will rip you wide open on the exchange rate.
2) You don't need an "International" driver's license since yours is in English.
3) Pubs serving food will be closed at silly hours and open at sillier ones, seemingly random and always right when you want to eat.
4) You don't need to tip in restaurants, although you can leave maybe 10% on the table if extra service was required.   Also, tax is included in the price, so whereas in the US you won't get change back from a $10 for a $6.95 meal, you will get 5 p back on a £6.95 meal in the UK.
5) My experience is that drivers are much more skillful on average in the UK than the US, and will, for example, shoot through a narrow space at speed that a US driver would never try.   Practice thinking about the roundabouts ("yield to the car on the right, yield to the car on the right ....").
6) Don't be surprised if people park in the middle of the traffic lanes in villages.   Just go around them.
7) If you're travelling the smaller roads out in the country, 150 miles is a long day when you go through every High Street you come to, but there's more in that 150 miles to see than your eyes can take in.

If I were going to Scotland, I'd love to retrace the route of RL Stevenson's "David Balfour" in the "Kidnapped" story ... !   Staying out of the cities, that would be me.

Hope you have a great time!

Lannis

[canuck750]

My wife and I spent two weeks in Scotland last summer, rented a BMW 1600 for 10 days. Flawless rental from the BMW dealership in a suburb of Edinburg, they delivered it to Glasgow where we flew into.

We headed from Glasgow to Oban, lovely coastal town, visited the isle of Skye and Isle of Mull, rode north to Inverness, rode the whisky trail, stumbled into the Queen's summer residence at Balmoral, rode the Harry Potter steam train, rode around Loch Ness, climbed around lots of castles, hiked up some hills, and took the amazing one lane trail over the mountain in the fog to Apple cross, then rode the coast back to Inverness. We spent three days in Glasgow and three in Edinburg.

My wife's great grandparents emigrated from Scotland at the turn of the century, leaving a butcher shop behind to farm in Saskatchewan. We found the family grave plot is Glasgow, searched municipal records and found where the butcher shop was (now a music store). Personally I liked Edinburg more than Glasgow but it was all fantastic. We rode many single lane roads in the countryside and probably spent no more than two hours on a 'highway'. We went in July and had fantastic weather, very little rain.

[molly]

Flying into Glasgow direct makes sense then head up the west coast until you can't get any further north then back down the east coast. 150 miles days are plenty on the narrow roads and fill up on a regular basis to avoid detours looking for gas/petrol. Don't bother hiring a scooter.
The west  coast is plagued by midges in the summer months so take plenty of repellent with you.
Dress for the outdoors, good boots, breathable  waterproofs and a fleece top even in summer, no need for anything formal unless stopping in high end hotels.
Food and drink are very good these days but watch what you have if driving the Scots have tightened their drink drive laws recently.
Don't miss Loch Ness, Skye, Balmoral, Ben Nevis/Fort William and the Cairngorms. School holidays are last week in July till first week in September best avoided if possible.

[Mick the Dabber]

Edinburgh is pretty with the castle on the hill and loads of good pubs and places to eat albeit a bit touristy in the summer month. The east cost if generally flat and relatively featureless, much better renting a small car and travelling up the west coast, the scenery is spectacular. there are no large towns on the west coast north of Glasgow, lots of small villages until you get to Inverness and although again worth a visit, is not very large.
Fuel can be tricky(ish) to find on a sunday. Go to the tourist information places to book a room, bed and breakfast is often better than the 'chain' hotels.
If you are a fisherman try and throw in a trout rod, lots of good fishing and it is really cheap (often buy a permit at the local tackle shop or post office.)
Some midge repellant if you are intending going for a walk in the countryside is worth considering.
The driving is easy, the west coast is sparsely populated with the majority of the (light) traffic being tourists. There are no motorways or dual carriageways so a small car is perfectly adequate.
The weather can be errmm 'changable' so take a waterproof coat, I rode my 750 strada over from Aberdeen to Ullapool last friday and there is still snow on the hills.
Hope this helps, enjoy!
Regards,
Mick in Aberdeen

[Gliderjohn]

Thanks for the comments. Just starting to research the possibilities.
GliderJohn

[gooseontheloose]

I did a boat hire on the Caledonian Canal  a number of years ago. It is absolutely stunning. Inverness to Fort William through a few Lochs including Loch Ness. Scenery everywhere and you can moor at a castle (Urquhart)

http://www.caleycruisers.com/cruising-area/
http://www.caleycruisers.com/

[Daniel Kalal]

John,  I have just completed a week ride through much of Scotland on a Stelvio.  It's all good, so don't worry that you'll not see something especially good--you cannot go wrong in any region.

My normal routine of no reservations was a bit iffy in the upper highlands, but something always turned up even after a few 'no vancancies' had me worried.

In some days I'll be able to post (a bunch of) photographs.  For now, though, I am stuck in the Malpensa Sheraton outside Milano waiting for United to find an airplane that works (two days at least).

[geoff in almonte]

Several years ago we toured thru Ireland - my wife's family is Irish.  We rented a little car.

We drove the coast road - if there was a smaller road, we took it.  We stayed in B&B's and Hostels, ate at local pubs, attended concerts with local music (and Storytellers).

I would highly recommend a similar tour in Scotland.  As a matter of fact, it's on my bucket list too.  If you can arrange it try to be in Edinburg for the Tattoo.  My mother's family is from near Edinburg - Berwick upon Tweed.

Remember the road less traveled.

G

[tris]

Replies #1 & #2 show an interesting reflection of this country as a whole (assuming Scotland doesn't get independence) - but here are a few more

If in the boondocks small pubs probably stop serving food between 2 and about 6. Big chain pubs serve all day

Supermarkets are good fall back for food, fuel and pretty much everything else and the big ones are often open 24 hrs or at least until late.

Keep fuel in the car - filling stations can be a long way apart

Bring waterproofs - it doesn't always rain but its good to be prepared.

DO NOT turn left (right in US) on a RED light - its illegal over here - there will be a green arrow light up if its permitted

Flying direct to Glasgow so good advice - its a loooong drive up the A1 to Scotland! However if you have to fly to London (Heathrow/Gatwick problem easiest) either get a transfer flight, or get the train/tube/taxi to Kings Cross and catch the train up. It can be very cheap if you book in advance (very expensive if you don't)
Go here http://www.thetrainline.com/

If you want to start further north, Aberdeen is worth considering. Due to the oil business, lots of regional airlines cover it - BMI, Eastern Airways, KLM,  Lufthansa, BA to name a few. I mention KLM & Lufthansa as even though they're based on mainland Europe the connections from the main hubs work well

But whatever you do please enjoy our country

[Old Jock]

Heh John

If you are coming to Glasgow PM me with your plans I'll see if I can help

As far as the country IMHO the West coast is the most scenic but you'd be best planning in advance for accommodation up there can be scarce at this time of year, but not by any means impossible. Although it's small the roads are also small and can be twisty, so it will take you double the time you think to get anywhere in the highlands and as been mentioned fuel stops can be few and far between, the further north you go the worse it gets, as a rule of thumb. A lot of the backroads up north are single track, no biggie but slow. Take a sat nav (hand held or car) and maps and plan in advance

Glasgow is not that pretty, it was mainly an industrial city, it still has a lot of Victorian architecture, if you like that sort of thing. Muirhead if its the one I'm thinking about is just east of Glasgow, so it looks like you might want to spend a few nights here. If you're having accommodation issues in the city, I might be able to help out.

Edinburgh is far prettier but crowded and expensive, you can get to Edinburgh from Glasgow in about 40 minutes or so on the train. However right now I'm hearing they are planning the usual engineering works, but there is an alternate train that would take around an hour.

All the advice posted looks very good to me

Oh and lastly the weather seems on the up. Up until now its been a pretty disappointing summer

Shame I missed Daniel

John

[molly]

If flying into Glasgow you could take one of the great British train journeys from  Glasgow to Mallaig and rent a car in Fort William for the rest of the trip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T3cL7O2GyM

[lrutt]

Get a UK chip for a Garmin if you are going to drive. A real life saver. Stay in B&B's. Go towards end of August and attend the Cowal highland games in Dunoon, guaranteed to be one of the best times you've ever had. Absolutely amazing to watch 100 Pipe and Drum bands parade the main street at the end of the games.

http://www.cowalgathering.com/

Pick up the Argyle forest after the games and drive a loop up and over the lochs. Amazing drive.

We tended to avoid the big cities a lot and kept to the country and B&B's. Much more interesting IMO. A quick jaunt up to St. Andrews out of Edinburgh is well worth it, even if you don't golf.

[Gliderjohn]

Thank you all so much. This has been great information.
GliderJohn