Potential Scottish holiday

[Luna]

So, this year we might take our annual holiday in Scotland. Well the plan is to drive up on the west side stopping at the Lakes for a couple of nights, pootle around the Scottish parts and then come back down on the east side so we some Northumberland and Yorkshire.
Is there a good route that will take in interesting things to visit? I’d like to see both G and E and coastal shizz. I’m not sure we’ll have enough time to do islands as well although I would like to see Skye.
All recommendations for places to stay and see gratefully received.

[sally maclennane]

Skye is quite far away, from Glasgow its about a 5 hour drive, and Glasgow is around 3 hours from the Lakes. Its also notoriously crowded in peak holiday times.

I'd probably do Glasgow and also the West Coast, you'd do that anyway on route to Skye if you decide to do that. East coast, the East Neuk of Fife, which is the area around St Andrews is really nice. Further south, I'd stay in somewhere like North Berwick rather than drive into Edinburgh. NB is really nice, and you can get the train into Edinburgh because driving & parking in the city is difficult.

[Luna]

All duly noted. I was hoping you’d reply

[sally maclennane]

All duly noted. I was hoping you’d reply

I'm here to help. Although to be fair, there's Turtles who've seen more of Scotland than me - Marth has been to places like Orkney that I've never been to!

Anything specific you want to know?

[Teasel]

I used to live on Skye. As Sally says it's 5 hours from Glasgow (probably more in the summer). It's also a bigger island than people imagine so takes time to get round.

If you decide on the West Coast, I like Oban and there's a few islands you could do on the ferry from there.

When I had a few days in Edinburgh, we had an Airbnb out of the city centre and used buses to get around. The public transport is great.

[Luna]

I think we could get up as far as Skye. Thie trip all depends on husbands tax rebate being enough to fund this

[Glint]

Another alternative would be to get the Sleeper up, but then you’d either need to rely on public transport or hire a car for part of your trip. (If you’re ok with missing the Lskes).

Marth got to loads of place, I’ve never been as did Ozmum.

Glasgow and Edinburgh are served by loads of trains, so if you don’t want to sleep in the hubbub of city centre, it’s easy to find a quiet town a 20 minute train ride away.

Naturally, I say west is best, but the east coast has its merits too!

[wendy james]

You might find some ideas here to combine or include?
https://www.visitscotland.com/inspirati ... ing-routes

[Teasel]

The most important thing, especially for the west coast and Skye, is to make sure you've got your accommodation booked. Skye in particular is very busy in holiday season and gets booked up early. If you need recommendations for the north end of Skye, give me a shout.

[Marth]

We LOVED driving through Glen Coe and staying by Loch Ness and Loch Lomond. We stopped off around Ben Nevis, Fort William and the Cairngorms were stunning.
I really loved being away from the cities and big towns.

[Glint]

Also, depending on when you’re thinking about coming up, remember that Edinburgh hotels (and those in nearby towns) book up quickly and cost a bloody fortune at festival time.

[Luna]

Yes, we would aim to avoid the summer holiday time in general.

[Hazey_Jane]

At the end of May, we are flying from here to Aberdeen for 2 weeks. During the full weekend we have in Scotland we’ll be in Orkney and still making plans either side of that.

But the most pressing question I have is what do we use against all the midges?

[Arrietty]

Smidge is fantastic! I am a midge/mosquito magnet and it certainly works for me.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smidge-Midge-I ... 131&sr=8-3

[SunnyMum]

I'm an Edinburger and I agree to avoid Edinburgh in the height of summer. It's hooching with tourists. It's awful trying to drive in the City.

One of my favourite parts of Scotland is the Inverness area. There's Loch Ness, Cawdor Castle (Macbeth), Culloden (we lost that one) and Glen Affric within roaming distance. The wee towns in the Glen are lovely and much cheaper than the cities. Our favourites are Beauly and a bit further down the Glen is Struy.

Having also lived on a Hebridean island I do also have a soft sport for Oban, Appin and Fort William.

[Morganna]

When you're in Northumberland/borders, you could check out Ad Gefrin.

We've been today, and enjoyed it. It's a museum of Anglo Saxon times, with a distillery attached. A bit of a strange combination, but it worked. You book a distillery tour slot as you go in, then wander round the museum/gift shop until your time, do the tour, which is followed by a tasting session and then you can go back to the museum if you haven't seen it all (it's small) then there's a really nice bistro if you're hungry. The taster man gives little samples to take away if you're driving. It's quite new, and has been sympathetically built. I think Ad Gefrin means hospitality, and the staff were all very friendly and helpful. The tour and tasting took about an hour, and you can see everything in the museum including the films in another hour, so it's not an all day visit, but Wooler is a pretty town, and it would be a good place to stop off between Scotland and further into Northumberland.

[wendy james]

At the end of May, we are flying from here to Aberdeen for 2 weeks. During the full weekend we have in Scotland we’ll be in Orkney and still making plans either side of that.

That sounds fab! I tried fitting in Orkney on our upcoming Shetland trip but the timings didn't quite work for us. One day though!

[Hazey_Jane]

I am very jealous of you going to Shetland! Was looking at different options with ferries and cars but it was too much or too difficult. One day though