Help plan our Scotland/northern England trip

[Brisketexan 105451]

So, we’re looking at an August trip to the UK. We really want to spend some time in and see more of Scotland, and we’re also thinking of getting there via a drive through the Lake District of England (we saw it out the train window when we went to Glasgow from London, thought it was pretty, said “we oughta check it out”). We’re thinking of taking a little over two weeks total, with the following being the START of an itinerary:
 
Arrive London on Friday. Take it easy, stroll, nice dinner, bed at a regular time. Saturday and Sunday: visit with some friends in London, do some London shit we haven’t done before. Could maybe make this just a Saturday thing.
 
Monday: take the train to Manchester or Liverpool (where we can rent a car). Maybe spend the day in the city. Maybe not. Then spend a few days in the Lake District (three?). We don’t know shit about the Lake District, so any recommendations/advice folks can give, we’ll take.
 
Friday: head north. We want to check out Hadrian’s wall (while castles and such are cool, we love Roman and Neolithic Britain, so any such highlights you can think of in/near any of the places we’ll mention, please share). Once we cross the Scottish border, we also need to stop by Lanark, where my wife’s people come from. End up in Glasgow, where we can visit with the boy, take him and his friends out for some tikka masala, and actually set foot in the flat we bought.
 
Monday: head to Oban, and then Iona (spending a night there - it’s an ancient religious community, very much on my wife’s list).
 
Tuesday or Wednesday: head up the coast to the Isle of Skye. Spend two days there.
 
Maybe we do something else after Skye? Maybe we should be flexible on the Lake District idea? We figure we need to end back up in Glasgow or Edinburgh, where we can drop the car and catch a flight home (we’re flying BA, so it’ll be a short flight to LHR, then the direct to AUS).
 
We’re not wedded to the schedule. We’ll start in London for sure, but maybe only one full day there. We know that a drive north, a stop in Lanark, Glasgow, Oban, Iona, and Skye will need to happen. Otherwise…appreciate any pointers.

[jimmyjazz 46248]

You're taking a more westerly route, but I thoroughly enjoyed York.  Jumped off the train (London -> Edinburgh) and spent a half day there.  York was as far south as the Vikings got, and it has a lot of interesting history.  It's an hour or two farther east, though.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

You've already got the Isle of Skye, etc but two other things if you've not done them:

1. Book tickets to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It's held in August and to go one would want to book it early to get the dates. Just a lot of fun and it's held at the castle. Unless of course you don't appreciate pipes and drums in which case you're crap.

2. Cairngorms National Park. Very pretty area for hiking/walking/camping and nature and there are several other parks/forests right there plus if you're into tourist attractions of various types (distilleries, historical sites, Balmoral Castle, etc) there's that too and then you quickly take the highway back to Edinburgh or Glasgow. (there's a train but not as convenient for you). It's not all that far from Skye and it's been awhile so I can't give you much on nicer meals, etc. We were walking so tended to grab stuff from the Tesco and picnic as we went.

[SydneyCarton 48210]

I think you need to spend a couple days in and around Inverness. Not that I've ever been, but I might have the chance to buy a cottage there in the future, so I'd love a ton of pics and maybe some reviews of the city, and surrounding hamlets and the pub options, what the wather is like, etc. 

Thanks in Advance. 

[closetojumping 62891]

11 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

You're taking a more westerly route, but I thoroughly enjoyed York.  Jumped off the train (London -> Edinburgh) and spent a half day there.  York was as far south as the Vikings got, and it has a lot of interesting history.  It's an hour or two farther east, though.

I echo this. I was only able to spend most of a day there, but, man, I didn't want to leave and I would like to travel back through it at some point.

[Wally Fairway 5590]

2 hours ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

You've already got the Isle of Skye, etc but two other things if you've not done them:

1. Book tickets to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It's held in August and to go one would want to book it early to get the dates. Just a lot of fun and it's held at the castle. Unless of course you don't appreciate pipes and drums in which case you're crap.

2. Cairngorms National Park. Very pretty area for hiking/walking/camping and nature and there are several other parks/forests right there plus if you're into tourist attractions of various types (distilleries, historical sites, Balmoral Castle, etc) there's that too and then you quickly take the highway back to Edinburgh or Glasgow. (there's a train but not as convenient for you). It's not all that far from Skye and it's been awhile so I can't give you much on nicer meals, etc. We were walking so tended to grab stuff from the Tesco and picnic as we went.

Agree with 1. - also look into the fringe festival, a bunch of events held in Edinburgh around the weeks of the festival . We saw a few shows, the best was a college company perform Phantom in a church, and it was so well done, helped out by using the church organ for the music. 
https://www.edfringe.com/experience/how-to-plan

[locodos 5397]

1 hour ago, SydneyCarton said:

I think you need to spend a couple days in and around Inverness. Not that I've ever been, but I might have the chance to buy a cottage there in the future, so I'd love a ton of pics and maybe some reviews of the city, and surrounding hamlets and the pub options, what the wather is like, etc. 

Thanks in Advance. 

Mcleod's Fish & Chips - there can be only one!

When we were passing through we stopped in and were the only gringos around. One order of fish and chips is plenty for two.  Good food, local vibe, you'll smell like fish n' chips till you shower 

15 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Monday: head to Oban, and then Iona (spending a night there - it’s an ancient religious community, very much on my wife’s list).
 
Tuesday or Wednesday: head up the coast to the Isle of Skye. Spend two days there.
 
Maybe we do something else after Skye? Maybe we should be flexible on the Lake District idea? We figure we need to end back up in Glasgow or Edinburgh, where we can drop the car and catch a flight home (we’re flying BA, so it’ll be a short flight to LHR, then the direct to AUS).
 
We’re not wedded to the schedule. We’ll start in London for sure, but maybe only one full day there. We know that a drive north, a stop in Lanark, Glasgow, Oban, Iona, and Skye will need to happen. Otherwise…appreciate any pointers.

• Sounds like a great trip.  I'd consider doing your loop and then catching a flight from Inverness out 
• imho You need to be making reservations NOW
•  You can take the ferry from Mull Tobermory => Kilchoan  then from Maillaig => Armdale on Skye (it's a nice drive)
  • Make reservations for the ferry (Especially from Oban => Craignure) Be sure to inlcude the CAR...  the prime spots do fill up and will limit your options  https://www.calmac.co.uk/
• Stuff to make your trip more interesting...
  • Check out hikes and walks here https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/
  • B&B's here https://www.historic-uk.com/BedBreakfasts/
  • https://www.thebritishhistorypodcast.com/ (if you're a nerd and have time to kill...  They do focus some episodes on Scotland)
  • https://www.storiesofscotland.com/storiesmap  (more entertainment focused but the story map helps you listen to stuff about the places you'll be)   Also you'll be doing a lot of driving ... so not bad a bad listen in the car or on the plane)

 

Edited January 19 by locodos

[Brisketexan 105451]

Yep, definitely asking now so we can be making reservations now/next couple of weeks.  AND, based on ongoing conversations (here and with others), we're maybe looking at minimizing the "English lake district" leg of things to do more stuff in Scotland.  My wife is super-interested in the Orkneys, and the neolithic stuff up there.  And a friend of ours was blown away by Lewis and Harris island.  So, maybe modifying to cover these locales in Scotland:

Central/southern: Lanark (just a half-day stopover), Edinburgh (tattoo), and Glasgow (see the boy, check out the flat).

Western: Oban, Iona, Skye (maybe Lewis and Harris?)

Northern: Orkneys.

We also might shorten our time in London at the beginning of the trip.  It really depends on other people (friends we will see, and possibly, my daughter -- she's currently looking at jobs in London, so if she ends up moving there, we'd obviously spend some time with her too).  There may just be a separate England-focused trip in our future (we want to see Salisbury, Cornwall, the Lake District, etc., which can support its own trip).

 

 

[gsoda3 3283]

coincidentally we'll be in manchester, annan, and edinburgh for family stuff the last week and a half of july and first week of august.  will definitely be checking out the fringe festival. 

[locodos 5397]

A few more things...   

• Alamo Rent A Car had unlimited mileage and free drops in different cities.  Check the travel aggregators for a rate and then check Alamo directly.   It was a good bit cheaper. 
• Book the smallest car you can comfortably fit into...  They'll put you in a bigger car anyways.  Fuel is expensive and in the Highlands/Islands range is your friend.  Not to mention the roads are laughably tight.
• Here's a cute one...  the speed limit signs don't have the unit of measure on them, being in the UK I figured it was KPH, and was careful around traffic cameras and in small towns, then I noticed the car's Odometer was set to MPH...  So I was pissed.  I mentioned it to a local and apparently the speed limits are in MPH not KPH  so all good... no tickets in the mail for me... suck it Italy!
• Consider the full insurance protection plan, if going into the highlands...  According to the lady at our car rental return  75% of the cars coming back from the Highlands need at least 1 new tire. (seemed outrageous, but she VERY carefully checked all the tires)  When asked her about it she said UK rules for rental companies are very strict and ANY gouge of the sidewall has to be replaced.   I drove pretty gingerly and still hit plenty of stuff on the sides of their narrow ass roads. 
• You'll want more times on the islands than you think.

[RDCanecutter 26476]

When you get to Skye, ask people "Tha Gaidhlig agad?" (Ha gallik akat) If they say "Tha," tell them "Bod ort!" (Boat orsht) It means "Long live Scotland." Or maybe "May a penis be on you," can't remember, try it out and let me know.

[Brisketexan 105451]

When you get to Skye, ask people "Tha Gaidhlig agad?" (Ha gallik akat) If they say "Tha," tell them "Bod ort!" (Boat orsht) It means "Long live Scotland." Or maybe "May a penis be on you," can't remember, try it out and let me know.

When I try to speak a non-English language, it all just comes out with a Mexican Spanish accent. Which is fine when speaking Spanish. Not so much when I try for French, German, or I’m guessing Gaelic. My daughter rolls her eyes and says “you just sound like a Mexican speaking bad French.” Well, good…BECAUSE THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE. I’m pretty sure my Gaelic would be similarly atrocious.

[RDCanecutter 26476]

5 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

When I try to speak a non-English language, it all just comes out with a Mexican Spanish accent. Which is fine when speaking Spanish. Not so much when I try for French, German, or I’m guessing Gaelic. My daughter rolls her eyes and says “you just sound like a Mexican speaking bad French.” Well, good…BECAUSE THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE. I’m pretty sure my Gaelic would be similarly atrocious.

Well, maybe you just need proper discipline, feisty redheads, fiddle tunes, and a pub. All can be found (according to photos on the internet) at a Gaelic school/broadcasting/music hub on Skye called Sabhail Mór Ostaig. (Sawel Mor Ostik) Be a dear and drop by there and scout it out for me, because I want to go take a course there.

[Brisketexan 105451]

Well, maybe you just need proper discipline, feisty redheads, fiddle tunes, and a pub. All can be found (according to photos on the internet) at a Gaelic school/broadcasting/music hub on Skye called Sabhail Mór Ostaig. (Sawel Mor Ostik) Be a dear and drop by there and scout it out for me, because I want to go take a course there.

I dunno. I apparently already have a neighborhood pub in Glasgow. A block from the flat, the boy has scoped it out for me - “dad, you’ll love it, I see a bunch of old dudes headed in there in the middle of the day.” Just need to get me one of them feisty redheads. Unfortunately, the boy claims that the native pickings are rather slim: “dad….the Scottish girls are short, fat, and orange [see the “chav makeup scheme”].” I’ll have to bring my own Scottish lass with me. Fortunately, I married one. Not a redhead, and not short, fat, or orange. So, I’ve got 3 outta 4 things going for me.

[RDCanecutter 26476]

14 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

the Scottish girls are short, fat, and orange [see the “chav makeup scheme”].” 

They call em Picts for a reason.

[SmokeyTheBear 5568]

On skye: walk the Quirang and if you have the knees for it, hike Storr. Both incredibly beautiful views. Hit up Portree for a dram of whiskey and some shopping. If you find yourself at Talisker distillery, there is an oyster Shack up the road worth a visit for fresh seafood. We stayed on the Isle of Raasay at the Raasay house and really enjoyed it. Raasay distillery is next door and worth a visit.

BE VERY MINDFUL OF THE FERRY SCHEDULES all over the island and highly recommend reserving a ticket. 

Drive thru Glencoe on your way to Skye if you can. 

Cairngorm park is great if you are that far north. We did a hike with Reindeer and got to feed them which was a fun little side thing for the family. 

[SmokeyTheBear 5568]

4 hours ago, locodos said:

A few more things...   

• Alamo Rent A Car had unlimited mileage and free drops in different cities.  Check the travel aggregators for a rate and then check Alamo directly.   It was a good bit cheaper. 
• Book the smallest car you can comfortably fit into...  They'll put you in a bigger car anyways.  Fuel is expensive and in the Highlands/Islands range is your friend.  Not to mention the roads are laughably tight.
• Here's a cute one...  the speed limit signs don't have the unit of measure on them, being in the UK I figured it was KPH, and was careful around traffic cameras and in small towns, then I noticed the car's Odometer was set to MPH...  So I was pissed.  I mentioned it to a local and apparently the speed limits are in MPH not KPH  so all good... no tickets in the mail for me... suck it Italy!
• Consider the full insurance protection plan, if going into the highlands...  According to the lady at our car rental return  75% of the cars coming back from the Highlands need at least 1 new tire. (seemed outrageous, but she VERY carefully checked all the tires)  When asked her about it she said UK rules for rental companies are very strict and ANY gouge of the sidewall has to be replaced.   I drove pretty gingerly and still hit plenty of stuff on the sides of their narrow ass roads. 
• You'll want more times on the islands than you think.

Yeah, and second this. I rented a car and immediately got a flat. The roads, especially on islands and highlands, are horrible. Highly recommend hybrid car as we spent 7 days in Scotland, from Inverness to Skye to Edinburgh, and only filled up once. 

[Telegraph_it 3359]

46 minutes ago, SmokeyTheBear said:

Talisker distillery, there is an oyster Shack up the road worth a visit for fresh seafood.

This and this and Isle of Skye is just a must. 
 

[GenXer 3035]

On 1/18/2024 at 9:36 PM, Brisketexan said:

Monday: head to Oban, and then Iona (spending a night there - it’s an ancient religious community, very much on my wife’s list).
 

If you’re in Oban, stop by the Oban distillery and find a bottle of the 2007 distilled 2021 bottled Oban Distiller’s Edition.

My wife went to Scotland for 10 days and brought back this bottle. Of the 10 or so bottles she brought or had shipped back, it’s our favorite. Can’t find this specific bottle in the US.

 

[Dbeasy 15103]

Subscribed. We are also planning to head there. Still working our time and itenerary but Isle of Islay is part of it due to peaty scotch obsession. 

[Bearlyhangingon 27]

I have hunted red stags in October between Glenfinnan and Arisaig in the western highlands, which is not far from Fort William.  Gorgeous country.  Glenfinnan is best known for the Harry Potter viaduct, but it is also where Bonnie Prince Charlie began the Jacobite rising.  There is a cool monument there.

Just down the road from Glenfinnan is Maillaig.  There is a ferry from Mallaig to Invernie, Knoydart, which is where the Old Forge Pub is located.  It's the most remote pub in Britain.  It's a cool excursion.

https://www.theoldforge.co.uk/

And I agree with the above post about Glencoe.  It's a beautiful area to drive through.  

Glenfinnan Monument:

 

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

 I second Glencoe as well. It's well worth the visit.

Actually, on your drive to Skye, some time spent near The Trossachs National Park/Loch Lomond would be another nature hiking (combined with historical and touristy spots) opportunity. I had mentioned Cairngorms because it's more north (and not too out of your way if you're driving back south from Orkney. Both are beautiful areas.

[morehornsepower 887]

It's been 20 years, but we had the opportunity to stay right on the shores of Loch Lomond, and it was incredible.

https://www.strath.ac.uk/rosspriory/

Maybe on your way from Glascow, heading north.

[Hornbeliever 716]

Cairngorms is great.  We also stayed in town called Tomintoul where we used as base to go to many scotch tastings.  Also stayed at a haunted hotel there that was under renovation (that was an unpleasant surprise).

 

[Neonmoon 38130]

Glencoe was great. don’t skip that  

[High Plains Drifter 11052]

On 1/19/2024 at 1:47 PM, Brisketexan said:

Yep, definitely asking now so we can be making reservations now/next couple of weeks.  AND, based on ongoing conversations (here and with others), we're maybe looking at minimizing the "English lake district" leg of things to do more stuff in Scotland.  My wife is super-interested in the Orkneys, and the neolithic stuff up there.  And a friend of ours was blown away by Lewis and Harris island.  So, maybe modifying to cover these locales in Scotland:

Central/southern: Lanark (just a half-day stopover), Edinburgh (tattoo), and Glasgow (see the boy, check out the flat).

Western: Oban, Iona, Skye (maybe Lewis and Harris?)

Northern: Orkneys.

We also might shorten our time in London at the beginning of the trip.  It really depends on other people (friends we will see, and possibly, my daughter -- she's currently looking at jobs in London, so if she ends up moving there, we'd obviously spend some time with her too).  There may just be a separate England-focused trip in our future (we want to see Salisbury, Cornwall, the Lake District, etc., which can support its own trip).

 

 

 

Caveat: Everything below was true nearly 20 years ago when my wife and I went to Scotland on our honey moon. 

 

There is a train that goes from Glasgow north to either Ft. William or Oban (splits somewhere along the way). Goes through some incredible scenery in the highlands. I reccomend the Ft. William branch, which actually goes past Ft. WIlliam farther north. The route is considered the most scenic train ride in the world by some. Takes something like 5 or 6 hours iirc. You might be able to do it both ways during a long summer day, if you were really motivated, but I'd stay a night or two in Ft. William. Not much going on, but very scenic and bucolic. You can summit Ben Nevis, highest point in Scotland, in half a day if you are in decent shape. Weather, even in summer, might foil those plans however. 

So I don't know how you would work that train ride in with a driving tour, but it really was amazing. We rode it from Ft. William back to Edinburgh (changed trains in Glasgow.) I think the rail line was called the Western Highland Rail Line or something similar. 

If you do drive to or through Glen Coe stay at the King's House. I remember sitting outside, drinking Ale with random people as the sun set, which was at about 11 pm during the summer. Its the in the middle of hiking and mountain climbing country, so there were a lot of  grungy young people camping in their campground (we were young and grungy hikers and mountain climbers, but we stayed in an actual room, since it was our honey moon.)

 

I love Scotland and its people. 

I would live in Ft. William, at least during the summer months, if I could. 

 

[SydneyCarton 48210]

On 1/19/2024 at 11:55 AM, SydneyCarton said:

I think you need to spend a couple days in and around Inverness. Not that I've ever been, but I might have the chance to buy a cottage there in the future, so I'd love a ton of pics and maybe some reviews of the city, and surrounding hamlets and the pub options, what the wather is like, etc. 

Thanks in Advance. 

@Brisketexan Listen asshole, I'd tell you I'm not to ask you again, because that's not true. I'm just going to keep hectoring you about it. 

[Brisketexan 105451]

Just now, SydneyCarton said:

@Brisketexan Listen asshole, I'd tell you I'm not to ask you again, because that's not true. I'm just going to keep hectoring you about it. 

We'll see.  We've only got two weeks, actually probably 12-13 days (going to spend the first couple of days in London - including the fact that the daughter may be moving there, so we'd need to visit her).  There's only so much time.

[SydneyCarton 48210]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

We'll see.  We've only got two weeks, actually probably 12-13 days (going to spend the first couple of days in London - including the fact that the daughter may be moving there, so we'd need to visit her).  There's only so much time.

Aw come on, it's on the way to Orkney.

[Brisketexan 105451]

2 minutes ago, SydneyCarton said:

Aw come on, it's on the way to Orkney.

You can get a 2 bedroom in Fortrose with an offer sufficiently over 225k pounds.  You get that, we'll keep the flat in Glasgow.  When either of us is itching to switch from country time to city time, or vice-versa, we can just swap for a month.

[SydneyCarton 48210]

10 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

You can get a 2 bedroom in Fortrose with an offer sufficiently over 225k pounds.  You get that, we'll keep the flat in Glasgow.  When either of us is itching to switch from country time to city time, or vice-versa, we can just swap for a month.

I'm 90% sure that the farm with the cottage in question is located in Fortrose, fwiw. But we're probably quite a ways away from being able to buy it. 

[SimonBolivar 10961]

Have you thought about Blackpool for a day? It finally answers the question, "What if you combined Branson and Galveston?"

 

[SmokeyTheBear 5568]

The most important part of Isle of Skye is the place where you can hang with our beloved stoner cousin of our mascot.  

 

[GenXer 3035]

Wife went London for work for four days. She hit the duty free in heathrow. Glen Deveron 16 yr is on cast cartel for $320. Duty free in heathrow for $50.
 

We have a Fettercairn 12 yr that we really like. Excited to try the 18 yr.

I picked up the Balvenie 12 in american oak and the 14 carribean cask based on recommendations in the scotch thread and they’re delicious. 18 yr PX cask is very promising.

Wife went to Scotland last Nov and got the glenkinchie distiller’s edition 12 yr. It’s very good. I can’t wait to try the 27 yr.

Heathrow duty free fucks.

 

[InkaUtexas 26177]

Hadrians Wall.

[Sensitive Ponytail Man 9]

Might be too far south for you but we loved Durham and York.   Especially Durham.  It's the kind of place that seems frozen in time.   The cathedrals in both towns are spectacular.   There's more shopping and what not in York but it's more crowded.  Great ancient history museum in York next to the old abbey ruins.  And a fabulous train museum.

we spent a few days in Newcastle and were pleasantly surprised.   Aside from the interesting architecture it had a real modern upbeat vibe compared to my expectations.

[Ghost of LL 15544]

I'm going to echo York.  Between the York Minster and the Shambles, I think York is worth a day.

After that, you can take the train or drive up to Edinburgh.  I know you've been there before, but I don't think you've done the Tattoo.  I have to tell you, I was kind of skeptical.  I mean, how many military bands can a person really take?  But my skepticism was misplaced--it is really cool.

But otherwise, you've got three things on your list--Oban, Skye, and the Orkneys--that are really far apart and difficult to get to.  I don't think you cand do all three in two weeks.  You kind of need to pick two (and those two can't be Oban and the Orkneys).  But if you're going to try to do all three, that's really a Northern Scotland trip.  You need to fly into Inverness and do a loop north of Loch Ness.

Big question: do you want to take the ferry out of Oban down to Islay to take a day around the island and visit the distilleries there?  And if so, how much Lagavulin are you bringing back for me?

[squib 1127]

I am in London regularly for work. In fact will be there again in a couple of weeks. It is less interesting every time I go. I wouldn’t spend more than a day or two there. Manchester has really grown on me and it feels much more real than London. Manchester Science and Industry Museum is a good one BTW.

York is cool; Lake District is nice—especially in August. The Tattoo as suggested is unique. Edinburgh as been really crowded the last few times I have been there. Like people-every-square-inch crowded—and the Tattoo will make it worse. Still a beautiful city, but the smaller Scottish towns hold tons of charm. Last time in Edinburgh, I escaped the crowds one evening by going to Port of Leigh—a few miles out of the city. Great beer places and nice restaurants on the sea—and it seemed like all locals. Much more chill.

Enjoy the trip. 

[Brisketexan 105451]

Okay, flights booked, with some modifications/must-dos on our itinerary.

We fly into LHR landing on Friday August 9th.  We'll spend Friday-Sunday in London, because we'll be 1) visiting our daughter, who is moving there next week, and 2) also visiting some new friends (parents of some of the boy's best friends at uni), so the London weekend will be mostly social.  We'll surely do SOME touristy stuff.  Daughter will be living in Hackney, there's a big Sunday market up there, so expect that will be one of our activities.  But from there....

....we'll head out from London, with a goal of spending Monday night in Edinburgh. Maybe even get there in time for the tattoo on Monday (looks to start at 9:30 pm).  Not sure how we'll get there, or if we'll stop along the way, drive, etc.  Am actually thinking that what makes sense is to hop a quick flight to Edi Monday morning, rent a car at the airport, drive to Lanark (under an hour -- it's where my wife's people are from), spend some time there, then drive back to Edinburgh to settle in to a hotel, then do the tattoo (we've done Edinburgh in detail before).  That said, wouldn't mind time to stop in at the World's End pub, maybe replenish my quality scotch stash at Cadenheads...but then, we'll be going to Oban, too....

Then drive to Glasgow.....or maybe not.  Maybe we bus/train to Galsgow, as we'll spend a couple of days there visiting the boy and his friends.  Again, where we pick up a car to keep and use for the trip is up in the air to me.  But once we get through that Wednesday, we're done with the "visit family and to the tattoo" agenda, so after that, it's a tour of Scotland.  And the main thing I know about THAT is that we have to end up in Edinburgh the night of the 24th, because we're flying home from there on Sunday the 25th.

So, lots of planning left to do.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19164]

Fly or train to Edinburgh.  Train might be very scenic, but also long.  Fly means Heathrow.  Bleh.

[locodos 5397]

25 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Fly or train to Edinburgh.  Train might be very scenic, but also long.  Fly means Heathrow.  Bleh.

City center to city center it's a push as far as time goes IMO.  I'd prefer the train... less hassle

 

London to airport ~ 45 mins

Lead time/checkin/security ~  1 hour (This is bare ass min imo)

Flight  ~ 1:15  mins if no delays (lol)

Airport to Edinburgh ~ 30 mins (by car, tram is ~ 1 hour)

So best case 3.5 hours

 

Train is 4:15 but it's much much easier, the airfare can be cheaper, but it's not much fun waiting in the terminal for a commuter flight that keeps getting bumped.

Edited March 6 by locodos

[squib 1127]

Just got back from London----->Manchester---->Liverpool for an 8-day work trip. Great cities all three and have been to London tons as well as Manchester. This was my first time in Liverpool and liked it. Distinct culture there for sure. Drizzly, rainy, snowy week though. Bit of a beating trudging around in that stuff--but was a nice break for a Texan. 

[Brisketexan 105451]

Ok, so this is going to be a “three days in London to visit our daughter and one friends,” and “the rest in Scotland” trip.

We’ll head up to Edinburgh to do some Fringe festival stuff during the day, then Tattoo that night. Next morning, we rent a car and drive to Glasgow by way of Lanark to see where my wife’s people are from. A day in Glasgow with the boy, then west.
Take our time going to Oban, lingering in the Cairnbaan area to check out all the Neolithic sites. Spend a day in Oban (distillery, other stuff around town), then ferry over to Mull that evening.
Next day, leave Fionnport on Mull early for a 3 hour trip/tour to Staffa, to see the granite pillars and puffins and such. Return to drop off in Iona, spend the second half of the day walking and pondering Iona (pretty impt spot for Presbyterians and said theological musings these days), then last ferry of the day at 6:30 back over to Mull. Spend the night there, then travel to Skye - trying to decide if we take the route with two ferry crossings (mostly coastal route) or the more inland route through Ft William, which gets us on to Skye via the bridge. Either way, it’s a 6 hr travel day.
Do a bit of Skye late that day, a full day in Skye the next day, then most of the day in Skye…then a 3 hr ferry ride late over to Lewis and Harris island. Next day is a full day on Lewis and Harris (always wanted to see the Calanais standing stones there).
Next morning, EARLY 3 hr ferry to Ullapool. Use that as a base, do some local highland hikes, see the gorge, etc. next day, start the 4 hr trip back to Edinburgh, stopping along the way at various things, maybe passing all the way through Inverness and checking out Culloden. Drop off car and stay at hotel at EDI before morning flight home.

My questions are for folks who have done the islands - does it sound like we’re doing things right, or wrong? Two lengthy ferry trips in there (to and from Lewis and Harris), and I plan on buying tix (including for our car) well in advance. I’m actually booking hotels and such now, so appreciate any input y’all may have.