It's gonna be quick, it's gonna be Scotland - what's a gal to do?

I've lucked into a two week trip to Scotland, other than arriving and departing from Edinborough, don't have any set plans yet - oh - and it'll be the first two weeks of June.
Would HUGELY appreciate input on where to go and where to skip, things to do and things to miss.

Okay, I'm going to talk to some friends of mine and probably post again with more suggestions, but I lived in Edinburgh for a year, and I've got some ideas for you.

For starters, definitely take some time and check out the city. There are great independent hostels on the Royal Mile (my fave is The Castle Rock, about 10-12 quid a night, and literally in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle). From there, Edin is very compact, so you can explore like mad - city centre, outlying places, from Leith's docks and yuppyish area to Portobello's beaches to Morningside's shops to Arthur's Seat. (It will probably help too, as for the first day or two you might be a bit jet-lagged, so staying around Edin will help you get your bearings back).

To just throw stuff out from the top of my head, from Edinburgh I'd hop a train west to Stirling (about 3-4 pounds, I believe). Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle, and just a great, great town.

From there head to Glasgow. (My best mate in Scotland is from there, so I'll ask him for tips on where to go.)

Then head north. You can easily do Edin, Stir, & Glas in about 3-4 days, but from Glasgow I'd head for the Highlands and Islands. I've stayed a couple of days in Skye, and also camped for a week on Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides. If you really want to see some amazing scenery, and meet some interesting people (such as Kenny Leather, the shaman of Lewis).

If you're outdoorsy, there are walks and hikes through the hills, or if you like mountains you can also go 'munro-bagging', climbing the "taller than hills but not quite mountains" of Scotland.

You can organize this yourself, but there is also a tour company that can help you out: go to the page for the Radical Travel Network and click on 'Haggis'. Haggis Backpackers does tours for indie travelers, and one of their offerings is a 79-pound 'flexitour' (which you'll find on the Haggis page, in some small print on the bottom right). This will take you to the places they stop at, you can stay for as long as want, and do whatever you want while there, then catch the next Haggis bus when you're ready to leave. For your two-week time-frame, might be something to consider.

Hope this helps; email me if you have any questions, and I'll talk to my Scottish friends and see what else they might recommend.

Cheers

Anthony

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Thanks soooo much for the pointers ! Looking through guide books only takes me so far. Either it all looks good, or it all looks unbearably dull! Anything else that occurs to you ....PLEASE do post !

If it helps - I do qualify as an "outdoorsy" type, and a little munro-bagging will definately be part of the trip - but with only two weeks, it won't be the focus. After spending years in the Canadian rockies .... "more than a hill, but not quite a mountain" offers limited challange/appeal.
But I was wondering about Ben Nevis...

I'd rather meet people and "do" things than just look at things, not that I'm not interested in a little culture and history. I do NOT want to spend two weeks plodding from museum to art gallery to castle, however. Some would be good ... but I'm sure I don't need to see them all!

It looks like we'll be renting a car - although that's not written in stone either. after many years in the tourist industry, the thought of committing myself to riding a tour-bus makes me dizzy.... but it may come to that.

Again - thanks for the pointers!

Ah, might be renting a car? Brilliant. For starters, you might want to check out our
car rental section for deals and rates.

If you're renting a car, I would definitely recommend the Highlands - it will be so much easier to get around (though the roads aren't necessarily the greatest). I'll see if I can find out some stuff on Nevis, too.

There's always the option of trains, if you don't do Haggis or the car, but extensive rail travel can start to take its toll on the wallet. That said, keep in mind too that Britain has the highest petrol prices in Europe - and for all I know, the highest in the world. I wouldn't be surprised. Depending on your budget, I'd compare rail/bus travel to renting the car and keeping it gassed up, before you decide which to go with.

Oh, tour companies... the cool thing about Haggis is that you aren't shoved into some massive coach with a foul-smelling loo in it. They use these nice, 20-seater Mercedes buses. They've got good heat, soft seats, and a good stereo - it's actually a damn comfy way to go - and you don't have to worry about gas!

Right, gonna check a few more things out, but I'lll write you some more soon...

Anthony

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Hello 123go!

I wish i was in your shoes. I have been to Scotland Edinburgh two years ago when i used to live in England just for two days but i have to admit it wasn't enough at all. The green cannot be that green anywhere else!It was late September when i was there so i freezed!Actually i will not be able to help you with what to do where to go where to stay there but i can say that Scotland is worthseeing and i hope you have a great holiday! Walk through the park that views the castle for me!

Enjoy it!

Gizem Gencer
http://www.kusadasi.net
http://www.holiday4u.net

I was looking up a couple of links, and here's one for Climbing Ben Nevis.

Between Glasgow and Fort William there is also the West Highland Way[/URL, a long hiking path.

The Isle of Skye also has great walking and climbing. Are the Cuillin mountains huge? No - but from what I've read and heard, their terrain and the fickle weather make them challenging climbs. I spent a few days on Skye a couple of years ago, and along with the recommendation of a dear Scottish friend of mine, I would say you should definitely try to get to Skye for a few. Here's a couple of links on the island:

[URL=http://www.skye.co.uk/index.html]www.skye.co.uk
[URL=http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/skye.htm]Internet Guide to Scotland: Skye[/URL

Anthony

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Sorry, those links got screwy. Here they are again:

West Highland Way Walk

www.skye.co.uk

Internet Guide to Scotland - Skye

Ant, I gotta disagree with you on one point. you mentioned that the roads in the Highlands aren't all that good in some places. I have driven through the highlands a fw times as well as road my bicycle through them for a few weeks and I found the roads to be just fine. Even side country roads were paved and flat. Rarely did I come across massive pot holes and gravel roads and I was in the middle of nowhere most often.

my 2 cents

Yer right Sean; actually, I wasn't clear there a'tall.

The roads themselves are good, surface-wise and all, but they are also pretty twisty. I've never been prone to carsickness, but riding through the highlands I actually got pretty queasy.

That's more what I meant - if you get carsick at all, be prepared! The drives themselves, though, are still lovely...

Thanks for pointing that out!

Ant

No doubt, edbh! I'd have to say my fave scottish roads were on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides; I was up there for a week back in August, with my then-girlfriend. She was a Scot though, and we'd come up with her dad, who let us borrow his car for the day. I even got to drive for a while - even though 1) I'd not driven in over a year 2) My refresher course had me both on the wrong side of car and road 3) I could stretch my arms out and be as wide as the average road on Lewis!

We survived... barely. Good fun, though, once I got the hang of it. Even driving the backroads and mountain trails of Tennessee hadn't prepared me for this stuff, and I still have the occasional nightmare about lay-bys. Damn, just makes me want to do it again

2 usefull sitew worth looking at are

www.holiday.scotland.net

www.host.co.uk

everyone should visit god's country at least once, although a week is not nearly enough time to appreciate the whole place. stirling is one place that would be on my list, although you aren't into the history side much it has quite a few important sites. the wallace monument is the best, climb this on a fine day for beautiful views over the town and you can see old stirling bridge and out to bannockburn (famous battles from the braveheart era). you can take a walk up onto the sherrifmuir ant there is a nice wee pub for lunch.
another reccommendation would be the west highland way. if you dont have the time for the whole thing do the strech from loch lomond to glencoe, it might take two days if you want to take it easy, but there are great places to stay at both ends. loch lomond is nice to spend a day at, there are boat cruises and watersports on offer but it can be a bit cold and expensive for some. at the glencoe end make sure that you visit the clachaig inn for tea, and a couple of drinks. if you have walked the distance in a day you may need it!
my favourite places are up on the north coast if you can make it, but be careful on the roads as they are often single track and you get the odd foreigner not very used to it. visit places like durness and strathy for beautiful golden beaches with sparkling clear water completely empty of people. the water is warmer than you think in the summer and it can be quite nice.
orkney is another place to visit, especially if you dive at all as it has the most amazing reck diving in the world. the local food is also great. its not much in the way of mountains etc but go to the prehistoric sites at skara brae, where man began to populate the uk from.
i hope this has been of some help
vix