Things to do in Scotland

[thorgrim29]

Hello everybody. I'm planning a trip to Scotland with my brother later this summer and we're looking for things to do that aren't Scotch related (we have a feeling that after 10 distilleries we'll get bored which would be tragic, also one of us has to be able to drive...)

We have the main stops already scheduled so we're looking for either historical, outdoorsy or just plain cool things to do near Glasgow, near Inverness, on Skye and on Islay (though for Islay we might just stumble from distillery to distillery for 2 days....).

So far I've got Stirling Castle, Doune Castle and hiking on Skye on the list, anything would be appreciated. Also if there are cool breweries around those locations please let me know, we're both beer aficionados but I know nothing about Scottish beer other than Scotch Ale being a thing. Finally, total shot in the dark here, but I've you've stayed at places you would recommend on that route, either airbnb or cheap hotels (we're hoping to stay under 50-60 pounds per night) that would be great.


Thanks

[factotum]

I've not visited Scotland myself, but I will point out that Edinburgh and Glasgow are only 45 miles apart--would those come under "near to Glasgow" and thus allow you to visit the castle and Arthur's Seat?

[2D8HP]

Maybe some advice from the "Visiting Scotland" thread:


You're panning to drive around the Scottish countryside... wouldn't that be better if the country was asleep? :smalltongue:

But seriously, Edinburgh is awesome. I'm planning to move there permanently in the next couple of months as it goes. The castle is a must-see... I've been a couple of times and still feel like I could spend a day there. Oh, another thing I really enjoyed in Edinburgh was this ghost walk we did one night. It finished up in these old underground vaults, which was really atmospheric.


Edinburgh is amazing I go there for work quite a lot. The castle is stunning, great pubs, great food.
Moving away from Edinburgh, Glasgow is a fun place and it is completely different to Edinburgh.

Also if you have chance I'd suggest heading out to Oban to visit the distilleries, from their the Isle of Islay aint to far (more distilleries) there is an amazing nature reserve on Mull and further on from that if you get to Iona you could take a boat of to Fingals cave.


Scotland is a truly amazing place. Cairngorms National Park is truly beautiful, and if you can get to Skara Brae, then go for it, how often do you get to see a 5000 year old housing complex (and quite possibly, the site mentioned in an ancient text).

Disclaimer: It was 1970 when I was there, so …


Oh, very attractive, I will make a plan to go there soon.


Depending where you're from, you might find Scotland more difficult to drive around than you expect. There are only a handful of motorways and big A-roads linking the larger towns and cities, and for an American even these would probably appear pretty piddling. Everything else is going to be winding single-carriageway stuff, so before you get too ambitious with your driving plans, make sure you know what you're letting yourself in for.

Really I think the best bits about Scotland are the the wilder parts in the Highlands and the Isles, but that's probably really something you need to visit on foot, and if you're only there for a couple of days a hiking excursion probably isn't feasible. The best parts are also a fair way from Edinburgh, so not that easily accessible. If it does turn out to be possible, then I'd recommend Glencoe and some of the areas around Inverness. If you get a decent road map, there are probably driving tours of parts of the highlands which are worth doing, though.

More practically, Edinburgh itself is supposed to have lots of lovely things to see, and I've heard good things about Stirling Castle, which is not a million miles away, though I haven't been to either. St. Andrews is also close enough and is an attractive university town in the Oxbridge mould. There is also Glasgow, relatively accessible from Edinburgh and a slightly larger city with some of the features you'd expect. I've been to Glasgow once and could understand literally about one word in ten, was staying in a pretty crappy area of the city and found it not to my liking, but I gather that my experience was somewhat atypical (apart from the not understanding the accent thing: that is pretty much universal).


I agree. When I finished secondary school, I rented a cottage with a bunch of friends to the literal middle of nowhere in Perthshire for 10 days. We were a two-hour walk from the nearest human being! It was really beautiful. You have to take your time with things like that though, you couldn't do it in two days.


Thank you for your suggestions. I will keep them in mind when planning with my friends.

What about the other question? Are interesting places closed or inaccessible during the easter days?


Good Friday and Easter Monday are both bank holidays across the UK as a whole, but that means a lot less these days than it did a few years ago. Time was when everything apart from common tourist destinations *would* be shut on bank holidays, but that doesn't happen now.


Yeah, this has already been touched on, but it's a common mistake of people from North America to look at the size of Scotland and assume that it's easy to see quickly, because it's so small. But like most European countries, it's a lot more densely packed than Canada or the US, with a lot more things of interest in a very small area. I'd say your best bet would be to pick one or two things that you're interested in seeing, and focus on them. If you try and do too much, you'll probably end up wrung out, and missing the experience because you're caught up in trying to make it all work.

That said, what kind of attractions appeal to you and your friends? Are you looking for cultural/historical experiences? I echo the sentiment that you have to see Edinburgh Castle, and there are a lot of different monuments, museums and galleries that could interest you. Are you looking for natural beauty? Because if you just want to drive around and soak in the countryside, or even better plan a walking trip for a day, there's lots of that. Are you interested in more modern or particular cultural interests? There's plenty of specific sites you can visit if you're interested. But I'd absolutely recommend just picking one or two things and focusing on them.


Apart from the much mentioned Edinburgh castle, I would also advise a trip up Carlton hill and even up the Nelson Memorial on the top of the hill as the view from there is quite nice (costs 2 or 4 quid though don't recall exactly), and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh is also quite nice to stroll around.
Another pretty much must see is Stirling Castle overlooking Bannockburn (doesn't look like much but the battle was quite important) and if feeling like another hike up a hill check out the Wallace monument also in Stirling.
Other than that there's history and little gems all over Scotland.

If you wish to do some shopping then Glasgow has more choice on offer.

[thorgrim29]

Oh, there's a visiting Scotland thread? I didn't think to look for that. My bad

[Palanan]

I hear that Craig na Dun has some lovely traditional dancing.

:smalltongue:

[JulieVarnell]

Scotland is beautiful! But the climate sucks.

[hamishspence]

No, that's the midges. They suck. A lot. They suck blood. :biggrin:

[Blackhawk748]

You could always start a war with the English.

[Ninja_Prawn]

You could always start a war with the English.

Better to wait a bit; the British army is planning to remove the garrison from Fort George within the next twenty years - then there will nothing to stop the highlanders from running riot!

To the OP: I've been living in Edinburgh best part of 9 months now, and I work for Historic Scotland so I've seen a few places now! 100% recommend Stirling Castle, but go on a clear day because the view is one of the best things about it. There's another historic site on the way up to the castle - a stately home called Argyll's Lodging. I've not been myself, but it's so close by it'd be easy to do both at the same time.

There's not a lot at Doune unless you're into Outlander, but the Trossachs are up that way and very beautiful. Presumably good for walking. Or you could go to Dunblane where there is a historic cathedral. You can really feel the age of the tower there.

If you're going to Inverness, I assume you're seeing Loch Ness. We've got a castle there as well, Urquhart, which I'm told is pretty good. There's also a bronze age burial near Inverness, Clava Cairns. It might be a nice change of pace. There's also a visitor centre at the Culloden battlefield but that's not one of ours so I can't vouch for its quality! Last time I went up Inverness way I stayed at the Gun Lodge in Ardersier. It might be a bit out of your way, but it was booked through work so I assume it's very cheap. Very convenient if you're going to the Fort (not sure why you'd particularly want to)!

Glasgow way, my favourite thing is Dumbarton Castle. Its a bit out of the city though. Glasgow Cathedral is very nice too.

There's lots more to do. Pitlochry is the way to go for whisky, I believe, but I'm not a drinker. The Islands are beautiful in their own way (though I've only been to Mull and Iona myself). You're driving yourselves, so watch out for single-track roads! I ended up in a ditch and had to be towed out the first time I drove on one...