Setting up a 2 week road trip starting in Edinburgh and on to the usual suspects.
Have the destinations laid out but I'd be interested in weather, gear, cultural things to be aware of. In other words the "soft" stuff. Would love to hear from those who have been there in the Spring (May) and would hope a native Scot or two will chime in.
We were there for pretty much all of May in 2024, though our trip was centered around a weeklong walk along the length of the Great Glen Way. We also prefer to travel by train, so that affected our itinerary.
Consequently we spent a fair amount of time in places that were not Glasgow or Edinburgh. We started with three nights in Oban to relax and get past jet lag and to taste the Oban whisky. Oban is a pretty, relaxing place and we’d go back. Then we spent a couple of nights in Port William, where our walk would start.
I’ll spare the details of the walk other than to say that it mostly follows the Great Glen, at times climbing out of it to provide great views down and along its length. (This valley contains Loch Ness and a several other significant lochs.)Each night we stayed in one of the small towns along the way, getting a more local experience. We ended at Inverness and only spent one night — probably could have spent two.
Later on we also spent a few days in Stirling, which we also enjoyed.
Yes, we did Glasgow and Edinburgh. Glasgow feels less touristy than Edinburgh — no surprise — and we’d enjoyed it a lot. Edinburgh is Edinburgh — a very popular destination and it can be pretty crowded, especially in the old town.
Thxs. We will be traveling by car but I'll check the locations you mentioned. Our main interest is scenic/historical sites. We'll hit the typical tourist sites by necessity but will be looking for others that might be nearby but off the beaten path.
My wife and I did four weeks in Scotland early May to early June this year. Loved it!
It sounds like you have a land trip planned. I don't know if you are constrained to two weeks by vacation time but if you have some flexibility you may want to consider a boat trip through the Inner Hebrides. We did a small ship (11 passengers) for eight days and found it quite interesting (especially the Lunga bird colony).
Speaking of bird colonies, if you are going to be in Edinburgh more to the end of the month, consider a trip to the Isle of May. We went at the very end of the month and it was fantastic. There is a huge Puffin colony there (other birds too) and that is peak time for the Puffins feeding their young. The young are in the burrows so you don't see them but you do see a constant parade of Puffins flying out and coming back with a beak full of sand eels. Some great flying shots and great poses (there are some nice patches of flowers that can add to the stationary shots).
We did a boat tour along Loch Ness. I was a bit disappointed as there wasn't a whole lot to see. If you want to say you were on the Loch, do it. Otherwise, don't bother; especially if you are pressed for time.
We thoroughly enjoyed Edinburgh. It is a city absolutely dripping in history. Holyrood Palace is quite interesting (if you go, make sure you get the hand set. It gives you information at each POI but what makes it special is it also has images on the hand set so it is easy to determine which feature they are talking about). The Royal Mile walk down to the castle is quite good too. The castle was interesting (There's that word again) although our time there was cut short due to high winds causing them to shut it down.
Speaking of the Royal Mile, there are "free" walking tours. There is no upfront cost. You tip at the end based on how good your guide was. We did one and it was fantastic (apologies, I can't remember the name of the company. I'll post later if it comes to me).
While walking the Royal Mile, there is a fantastic place to get lunch. It's called Oink, which makes amazing pulled pork sandwiches, which you customize by choosing your bun, stuffing and sauce (closer to the castle than the palace).
Oban was our jumping off point for our trip through the Inner Hebrides. There isn't a lot there, but it IS a pretty little town and would be a nice place for a relaxing few days.
And a final note. Many people think Haggis is gross, yet have never tried it. I was determined to try it and did so. It was fantastic, so I had it at every opportunity (it is quite often on breakfast buffets). I had it six times and ever time it was delicious. Twice it was like a breaded dumpling, twice it was in the shape of a hockey puck or meat paddy and twice it was almost like a very (very) thick porridge that you scooped onto your plate (this description doesn't do it justice). So make sure you try it, at least once.
EverLearning wrote:
...Many people think Haggis is gross, yet have never tried it. I was determined to try it and did so. It was fantastic, so I had it at every opportunity (it is quite often on breakfast buffets). I had it six times and ever time it was delicious. Twice it was like a breaded dumpling, twice it was in the shape of a hockey puck or meat paddy and twice it was almost like a very (very) thick porridge that you scooped onto your plate (this description doesn't do it justice). So make sure you try it, at least once.
I want to confirm that the unsavory reputation of haggis is... undeserved.
I went to Scotland with that same preconception, but since I usually go ahead and try the local stuff I was not going to shy away from trying it.
I chose a gentle approach to my first experience. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we walked the Great Glen Way. At an inn near where we stayed in Lewiston (next to Drumnadrochit, IIRc) we visited a little place called Fiddlers (or close to that) for dinner. (Recommended, by the way.) On the menu was something that may have bene called "Scottish Chick" or similar that seemed like a safe way to try it. On a bed of "tatties" (mashed potatoes and/or sweet potatoes) was a layer of haggis, and on top of that was a fine chicken breast.
I figured that if haggis was a little gross I could just mix it in with the other stuff to hide the taste... and if it was really gross I could scrape it off and eat the other stuff, suffering only mild embarrassment when restaurant employees would see what I did. But it turned out to me... innocuous. And in combination with the other components of the meal it was quite good.
BTW, this restaurant features a ton of different kinds of whisky, and you can order a "flight" with a different whisky accompanying each course. I didn't "go there" (I had one, but only one), but it was apparent that the very happy group at the table next to us was all in...
