Help with Scotland tour

My husband and I and maybe 2 friends are planning a 2008 tour of Edinburgh & the Scottish Highlands. We are trying to decide on a few of the optional excursions offered. The optionals offered on this tour are:
1) Half-day excursion to Abbotsford House and Melrose Abbey
2)Half-day excursion to St.Andrews
3)Half-day excursion to Culloden Moor, the Clara Cairns and Cawdor Castle
4)Full-day excursion to Eilean Donan castle and the Isle of Skye

Can anyone help with a "skip this one" or "don't miss" for any of these?
Thanks for your help.

What time of the year are you going? We did Scotland in November 2007 and had a grand time. Of those tours you mention, the only place we went to was St. Andrews. I don't know that I would pay to take a tour/excursion type trip. You can see and do it in less than a 1/2 day so why pay the money and expend the time?

If you click on the link in my sig file, you'll be taken to my travel journals on IgoUgo. I wrote several on our two weeks in the UK (one in Scotland and the other in England). There are a lot of great places to see and things to do. I wouldn't miss Blair Castle or Glamis Castle (which aren't in your list of considerations).

Please feel free to write me off list with any questions you may have.

We were in Scotland this summer, and one thing you should keep in mind that is that it will take you twice as long to get anywhere as it would in the US. Most of the time you are traveling on narrow, winding, two-lane roads. So to actually see anything after you get there, those half-day trips will take you most of the day. My daughter's Scottish boyfriend was our "tour-guide," and I would never try to drive it on my own. The roads and the way people drive is VERY different, and I don't just mean driving on the left. If I was to do it on my own, I would take tours.

The Scottish are actually very good drivers, but their style of driving takes a lot of skill. One thing that's different is that you can legally park a car nearly anywhere you can squeeze it in. So at any given time you can come upon a car parked on the very narrow shoulder of the road, and extending out into the lane of traffic. You have to be ready to take evasive action to avoid it, which usually means crossing the center line and looking out for oncoming traffic. The drivers in Scotland do this without even a pause, be we Americans are not used to having to negotiate around cars parked on the road, while at the same time driving on the left, reading unfamiliar signs, and driving on unfamiliar roads, and it would take total concentration and good driving skills until you got used to it.

We stayed at Kilconquhar a few years back. My husband and the other couple had a driver take them to St. Andrews for golf but I hopped on the the city bus with our kids and meandered through all the little villages to St. Andrews. We stopped in Ansthruther and had fish and chips. The day was wonderful. We enjoyed the villages en-route as much as we enjoyed St. Andrews.

We also went on a tour up to the Loch Ness area and it was too long a day for us - not enough time to stop on the way to and fro. Was a full day from Kilconquhar.

I would suggest taking public transportation any time you can. The small towns are lovely.

We don't plan on driving ourselves...we decided on a guided tour. Looking at going next October. The tour company has a set itinerary with some time to spend on your own or you may sign up for the optional excursions that I listed.

From that list of tours, my first choice would be the one to Isle of Skye to see great scenery of the Highlands. St. Andrews would be a nice tour if it's a place you really want to see. I have heard of Melrose Abbey but not Abbotsford House so I don't know if that's worth it or not. I am lukewarm about Cawdor Castle myself but it it's a place you want to see, it's worth it. You don't mention how much time you have. Do all the tours start in Edinburgh? There is a lot to do in the city itself so if your time is limited, you might just do a couple of tours and spend the rest of the time in the city. I would not miss the tour of the Royal Yacht Brittania. We saw it last summer and it was lovely. If you provide a little more information about time of year and length of stay, I might be able to help more.

Sorry, we posted at about the same time. How much time do you have?

It's a 10 day tour...so we have to squeeze in a lot. It starts in Edinburgh (3 days there) with a city tour. The optional tour to St. Andrews and Abbotsford House and Melrose Abbey is from Edinburgh. Next, its on to Inverness with a visit to Blair Athol Castle and a Whisky Distillery. (2 days)
The optional excursion to Culloden Moor, Clara Cairns and Cawdor Castle is here. Then to the Western Highlands including Loch Ness. It is from here that the optional to Isle of Skye is offered. I'm pretty sure that's one we do want to do. Only 2 days here. Next, on to the last stop...Glasgow with a city tour. Any suggestions as to the optional excursions listed or anything else we shouldn't miss would be appreciated.

I really loved the William Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle on the next hill, Linlithgow Palace, and Callendar House, and they are all close to Edinburgh. Also - the Falkirk Wheel.

Lou said:

It's a 10 day tour...so we have to squeeze in a lot....its on to Inverness with a visit to Blair Athol Castle and a Whisky Distillery.

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Well, I have a soft spot for this place. DW and I were married at Pitlochery near Blair Castle (which is a wonderful museum and has the last private military in the U.K.) in 2003. And if the distillery you are to visit is Edradour, it is the smallest single malt distillery in Scotland and is worth the visit. I still cherish a 'wee dram' from that place.

Jim Ricks

Sounds like a wonderful tour. Glad you are not trying to get to the Isle of Skye from Edinburgh! You must be staying in Ft. William at some point which is a nice town with lovely scenery around it. From your description, you will see most of the highlights of the Highlands. I would agree with another poster about Stirling Castle if you can get to it. Just be prepared to become addicted!

Lou said:

My husband and I and maybe 2 friends are planning a 2008 tour of Edinburgh & the Scottish Highlands. We are trying to decide on a few of the optional excursions offered. The optionals offered on this tour are:
1) Half-day excursion to Abbotsford House and Melrose Abbey
2)Half-day excursion to St.Andrews
3)Half-day excursion to Culloden Moor, the Clara Cairns and Cawdor Castle
4)Full-day excursion to Eilean Donan castle and the Isle of Skye

Can anyone help with a "skip this one" or "don't miss" for any of these?
Thanks for your help.

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Assuming you are planning the excursions from Edinburgh I would say that 1/2 a day is far too short for Culloden etc. That is a 320 mile round trip from Edinburgh so expect at least 6 hours travelling!!.
Skye and back in one day is, in my opinion, a complete waste of time. Again 200 miles from Edinburgh to Skye so 400 mile round trip!! and that just gets you to the Skye Bridge.
Of the trips listed I would say that St. Andrews is the only one practical as a 1/2 day excursion from Edinburgh.
Another place worth considering is Stirling which probably has more history per square foot than Edinburgh. It's a nice compact town and also has a great castle and wonderful architecture in the town. It's a trip you can do independently as it's under an hour by direct train from Edinburgh.

We are thinking of "doing" Scotland early next June, arriving in Glasgow and renting a car. Our tentative plan is
Oban area for two nights
Inverness for seven nights with excursions to Skye, John O'Groats, Ullapool, etc.
Perth area for one night
Stirling area for two nights
Border area (Jedburgh?) for three nights.

Is this reasonable? Is it balanced? (We are skipping Edinburgh because we've been there twice before.) Any explicit suggestions for where to stay, either town or hotel, in each of these areas would be appreciated. (We have found a cottage to rent for the week in Inverness.)

Thanks.

It does look like a nice itinerary and will provide a really good mix of scenery and civilisation. I would strongly recommend an overnight stay on Skye as it is quite a large island, with much to see, and roads which 'encourage' slower driving. If you can remain flexible on the Skye visit it will be an advantage as wet days on Skye are not the most enjoyable experience Also be aware that many things on Skye remain closed all day on Sunday.
Another option possibly worth considering is heading for Skye en-route from Oban to Inverness as that would avoid the need to double back on yourselves. From Oban to Mallaig is about 90 miles and passes through some fabulous scenery. Maybe detour at Ballachulish into Glencoe as well. Take the ferry from Mallaig to Skye, tour the island then leave via the Skye bridge passing Eileen Donan Castle and then driving along Loch Ness to Inverness.

Keith's advice is excellent! Glencoe is certainly worth a side trip. My only additional suggestion is that if you are going to Wick/John O' Groats, you might want to take some extra time to go out to Orkney. Having said that, you are already stretching yourself by taking trips from Inverness and back. I think you will find that you wished you did not stay in one place and do day trips since the distances are quite deceiving. It takes much longer to get around than you would think. Ullapool is definitely a great take although a very small town. The scenery is the best part of all of your choices.

Keitht said:

I would strongly recommend an overnight stay on Skye as it is quite a large island, with much to see, and roads which 'encourage' slower driving. If you can remain flexible on the Skye visit it will be an advantage as wet days on Skye are not the most enjoyable experience Also be aware that many things on Skye remain closed all day on Sunday.
Another option possibly worth considering is heading for Skye en-route from Oban to Inverness as that would avoid the need to double back on yourselves. From Oban to Mallaig is about 90 miles and passes through some fabulous scenery. Maybe detour at Ballachulish into Glencoe as well. Take the ferry from Mallaig to Skye, tour the island then leave via the Skye bridge passing Eileen Donan Castle and then driving along Loch Ness to Inverness.

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That is a terrific idea. Thanks. We might not take the ferry because my wife suffers from vertigo and gets seasick in a rowing boat. We are thinking of adding two extra days between Oban and Inverness to spend them on Skye. The town of Stein looks appealing!

scotlass said:

My only additional suggestion is that if you are going to Wick/John O' Groats, you might want to take some extra time to go out to Orkney. Having said that, you are already stretching yourself by taking trips from Inverness and back. I think you will find that you wished you did not stay in one place and do day trips since the distances are quite deceiving.

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Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately Orkney is out because of my wife's proneness to getting seasick. Our plan for Inverness is to spend every other day taking various trips, some being tours such as this http://www.puffinexpress.co.uk/jog.htm . The inbetween days we'll mooch around Inverness, just relaxing. If we don't get somewhere, it isn't the end of the world!

Hi Lou,

I second DeniseM's suggestions.

I agree with Keitht. Stirling is a most delightful place. There is a nice tour bus for an overall look-see. The Smith museum has wonderful exhibits. The castle is super. The Wallace monument(out of town) is amazing. Just walking around the town is charming!

Have a terrific trip.

Kathleen

Back to Lou

I agree with Keith. St. Andrew's would be the only possible day tour,but what can you see in half a day when you would be on the road for about 3 hours? Stay wherever the tour is overnighting and take the time to enjoy that spot in depth.

Scottish Tour Favorites (1992).

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

Lou

Hi. If you like history and old buildings I think the tour to Abbotsford House and Melrose Abbey would be good. I believe Abbotsford House is the home of Sir Walter Scott and Melrose Abbey is a lovely ruined abbey in the Borders part of Scotland.
I would do the tour to Skye. If you're at all interested in the history of the conflict between Scotland and England, Culloden would be interesting. I believe that the new visitor centre is to be completed next year, which would improve the whole experience of that battle which took place in 1745. I haven't visited Cawdor Castle, but again very old castle, late 14th century, and still in the Cawdor family.
Whatever you decide to see I'm sure you'll enjoy it all. It's a beautiful country.

David said:

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately Orkney is out because of my wife's proneness to getting seasick. Our plan for Inverness is to spend every other day taking various trips, some being tours such as this http://www.puffinexpress.co.uk/jog.htm . The inbetween days we'll mooch around Inverness, just relaxing. If we don't get somewhere, it isn't the end of the world!

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Ah yes, seasickness! I remember well our crossing to Orkney...due to being sick. Not fun. For the future, you (or I) can always fly! The crossing there is one of the worst in the world due to the meeting of the North Sea with the Atlantic. Perhaps that's for another day.

The tour to John O'Groats looks great. I remember standing at the top of those cliffs and hearing the most eery sound of thousands of puffins screeching from their nests. It's fantastic!