June travels to Scotland

[brewerpaul]

If you are going to Killin, you are only a few miles (10ish) from the West Highland Way, you can pick it up at Crianlarich. http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/

Great looking hike, may have to return to the Highlands just for that. We have so many areas to hike that we will have to pick and choose what looks like the most scenic and challenging. Our plan is one day of hard hiking and the next with a short hike before being tourists. This gives our knees and such a needed break and us a chance to see the castles and museums we plan to visit. Jennifer also plans to spend some time trying to connect some ancestry dots to her family tree. There is an ancestry center in Inverness she plans to visit for that reason, Im sure Ill find a pub near by for my enjoyment.
The last decisions Im having to make is on travel insurance and collision damage waiver insurance. With a rental I will need a bit extra coverage and I am considering a package combined with travel insurance. As anyone who has traveled from the US to Scotland or any other country knows it can cost a bit upfront. For me it would be worth some security to have a combined policy for travel and car rental. Im just reading the fine print on everything now so I dont have any surprises when we get to Edinburgh.

[Julia Elliott]

Just a couple of comments....

If you're walkers/hikers, check this website out: http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk. You'll find a walk for every part of Scotland that you visit.

As far as I'm concerned, you will see the best of Scotland if you WALK Scotland, period.

Plan as much as you can or set modest travel/sightseeing goals...it saves on wandering around and wasting your time AND sideways energy. There are so many things to see and do and whatever you choose will take up more time than first thought. You can't do everything, so plan in a way that gives you the time to appreciate whatever you decide to do.

It's nice that you'll be travelling by rail as it's well organized and gets you to places. Just for fun, check out what it might cost for a car hire....yes, more expensive in the summer but it would give you the unbelievable freedom to drive down the unbeaten track!! Surprisingly, buses will take you to wherever the train doesn't go and I'm sure you will find it just as practical.

Have fun!!

Stephan

Thanks for the link! I am going in october and hope to do a lot of walking.. i also agree with you on the busses.. i have checked into rail and bus options and although I will use trains when i can, It really would limit where i could go.

[Julia Elliott]

I'm no particular fan of Edinburgh or Inverness. Too touristy for me. You wouldn't look out of place in a kilt in either city but don't be surprised if you are assumed by the locals to be a tourist from North America. Even so, you will be very popular with tourists from elsewhere in the world who will want to be photographed with the "kilted Scotsman".
You'll love Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye. Scenery is absolutely breathtaking and the natives are friendly.
Stirling is a nice little city. Lots to see and do including the Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle and the Bannockburn battle site. Stirling is also only a few miles from Falkirk with its famous boat wheel on which you can take a ride.
Stirling is about equal distance from Edinburgh or Glasgow so maybe you will have seen enough of Edinburgh and want to spend a day in Glasgow with its fine architecture, beautiful parks, magnificent museums, friendly locals and vibrant waterfront.
Its a shame you don't have time to come south of Edinburgh and visit this area, the Scottish Borders with all its historic castles and tower houses, a great history of Border Reivers, the rolling hills of the southern uplands, the sunshine coast of the Solway, Dumfries with its 400 year old pubs, also Peebles which is a popular centre for mountain and trail biking - wait you need to come back every year and visit another part of Scotland each time.

That is exactly my hope to come back and explore other areas bit by bit. My trip this year (my first) will all be spent in the lovely Borders. But I am already feeling that the 3 weeks there is not going to be nearly enough time to do/ see all that i want and it may be sometime before i get the area sufficiently out of system and be able to move on to other parts of the country

[The Q]

I've lived here most of my life there are still many areas I would like to visit and quite a few I would like to revisit.

[Jock Scot]

I don't want to depress you Julia, but in seventy something years of pretty extensive travelling around Scotland I still have not seen it all. Still three weeks is going to give you a reasonable start!

If there is anything that I might be able to assist you with, please do not hesitate to ask. Have fun.

[Julia Elliott]

If there is anything that I might be able to assist you with, please do not hesitate to ask. Have fun.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Jock Scot;1288456]I don't want to depress you Julia, but in seventy something years of pretty extensive travelling around Scotland I still have not seen it all. Still three weeks is going to give you a reasonable start!

That doesn't depress me in the least Jock.. if anything, it just further justifies my plan to keep coming back as often as I possibly can.

[Pleater]

Stirling is great - I was at the University for a couple of Summer Schools back in the last century.

With our Yoda voiced satnav there are warnings at the approach, a little circle or arrow appears with a countdown, but the instructions are repeated several times during the approach, and on large roundabouts there is enough time for 'the exit you must take' as you are coming to it, so there is little chance of taking the wrong road.

I do like maps, and I think they are a nice reminder of the trip. I have even been known the pencil in the route on tourist maps - I can't do that on the proper ordnance survey ones - just not done.

Anne the Pleaer :ootd:

[brewerpaul]

0800 Saturday the 13th we catch a plane from Kansas City to Chicago to London to Edinburgh when we arrive Sunday morning. Hotel/Apartment on the Royal Mile just a block from the Edinburgh Museum. It is finally about to happen.

[Stitchwiz]

Have a wonderful time!
You are probably at the airport now, so you'll read this later...
Please take lots pictures of yourselves, and of course we would like to see the Kilt.
After all your careful planning, no one wants to see this banner:

[Pleater]

The weather today, Saturday, is absolutely glorious - hopefully that goes for the whole of the mainland, and that it continues for the duration.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: