3 weeks in Scotland without a car

You have time to do some good research. "Visit Scotland" is a web site that covers areas by regions. There are a couple of admissions passes (Explorer Pass) and ( Historic Scotland Explorer Pass) that can save you money. I think your best plan is to head to central locations like Edinburgh and take day tours. Inverness is another good central location. You can go to the Trossachs National Park from Glasgow. Scotland is pretty civilized except when it's not. A good idea for you is a take a specialized tour like a acquaintance of mine. It was a photographers tour and they went everywhere. Her photographs, sent on Facebook, were fabulous; especially the one in Skye that showed the milky way at night over an old lodge. I wonder if you can book photo tour with a group from here or book a tour starting in Scotland. I wonder how far out you can get on public transportation. April is still cool and the weather can be rainy. As for the last mile, go to the taxi stand and share a ride with another traveler. Bon Voyage

Hello, Halehana,

Welcome to the Scotland forum! You have to start somewhere, so good on you for taking the plunge.

First thing you need to do is arm yourself with a couple of good guidebooks. The Steves' guide is good, and the latest (2018) edition includes a lot of the west and north coasts which weren't included in the initial offering. The Lonely Planet guide is also excellent, as it is more detailed, and covers many areas not covered by the Steves guide. As you'll be carrying your luggage, and won't have access to a car, best to make notes or photocopy the appropriate pages, so that you're not carrying books around with you. I am not going to suggest ripping out the pages as you go, as that is sacrilegious to me.

As a solo traveler, you'll be paying more for lodging in some places than you would if you were half of a couple. Most lodging doesn't charge 50% of the usual tariff for a single traveler; however, you'll still get some sort of discount at most B&Bs and guest houses. The exception would be hostels. Many hostels have modern facilities, including private rooms. But if you want to have exclusive use of a private room in a hostel, you may have to pay full price for the room. It all depends on the kindness of the warden.

You'll find that many B&B and guest house owners (not all) will be willing to meet you at the nearest train station/ferry terminal/bus stop. Getting to activities/sights could present more of a problem, but none of it is insurmountable. Both the guides I've recommended provide the nearest bus or train routes to various sights. As you go farther north, you'll find that public transportation is less frequent, so you may have to rely on taxi service. As you're doing your research on the internet, look for the names and telephone numbers of taxi companies in the areas you're visiting.

I'm assuming that this will be your first time in Scotland. You are in for a treat! The scenery is amazing, and the people are super friendly.

As you have three weeks, you have plenty of time to explore. However, you do need to choose specific areas that you'd like to visit, in order to map out your travels. It is a little more difficult to get to more remote locations without a car, but don't let anyone tell you that it can't be done!

Have a look through the other topics on this forum, and check out recommendations. Also, check Trip Advisor for reviews of potential lodging and places of interest.

Keep asking questions. There are a lot of people on this forum who dearly love Scotland, and will be happy to share their information with you.

Best wishes for your travels!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: Don't spend too much time in the cities. There's way too much beauty in the countryside. If you have the time, I'd highly recommend a visit to the Outer Hebrides. From Ullapool, you can catch a CalMac ferry to Stornoway on Lewis; take the bus to the gorgeous beaches of South Harris; take a ferry to North Uist; then a bus down to South Uist and Eriskay; ferry to Barra; then a ferry to Oban. That will give you mountains, coastlines, islands, bird and other wildlife watching, prehistoric sites, and a trip that you'll never forget.

p.p.s.: Also check out the Walkhighlands website. It gives you information of hundreds of hikes (from easy to difficult) in all parts of Scotland. Not just the Highlands and Islands (mostly), but also city and town walks. The website also contains accommodation information. Also, if you'd like to get away from it all for a couple of days, the islands of Eigg and Rum are ideal. Both have plenty of hiking and walking activities, and are easily reached by ferry from Mallaig. Knoydart is another great place for exploring; accessible by boat from Mallaig, or a 16 mile hike in from Kinlochhourn.

I suggest you check out Aviemore. It is in the Cairngorm Mountains. Lovely small village. We loved staying (multiple times) at the Cairngorm Hotel. It is literally across the street from the train station. It looks like a tiny castle on the outside and a Scottish hunting lodge inside. A piper often plays on the front porch before dinner. You are a short walk from the Funicular to go up Cairngorm Mt., the tallest mountain in Scotland. There are also some good hikes on the mountain. The Rothmurchie estate is nearby and has lots of good walking trails. You can get to lots of THE BEST whisky distilleries by either bus or a short train ride. Or there are 'whisky taxies' that will take you on a tour. Blair Atholl and Blair Castle are nice to visit and are only a short train ride away. There is a restored steam train that makes several journeys a day along the Spey river, so you can see the country side. Aviemore is one of our favorite places and it is along the rail line from Edinburgh to Inverness, so it would make a good interim stop.

Hello again, Halehana,

As you'll be doing most of your traveling on public transportation, and may have to call ahead for a taxi or a lift to your accommodation, you may want to invest in a mobile (cell phone). Check to see if your own cell phone will work in Scotland with a SIM card purchased there. If not, you could probably purchase a cheap flip phone at one of the mobile phone stores once you get to Scotland. A SIM card for one of those phones is about 10 pounds, and will give you 250 minutes for a 30 day period. The phone would come in handy for your next trip to Scotland.

You can also get a calling card from many of the supermarkets which will allow you to call back to the U.S. from your mobile. Tesco has one for 3 pounds which gives you over three hours talking time to the U.S. You can also use the phone card from a pay phone (If you can find one!).

We've found that Vodafone has excellent service and reception throughout the Highlands and Islands. Except for a few patchy areas on Skye.

Once again, best wishes!

Mike (Auchterless)

I suggest you take a look at the HF Holiday country house at Glen Coe, on the shores of Loch Leven:

https://www.hfholidays.co.uk/country-houses/glen-coe/

This is a member-owned cooperative that operates country homes all over the UK. They are mainly focused on walking, and offer guided or self-guided walking programs for 3, 4, or 7 nights, as well as programs focused on special interests such as photography, culture, yoga, etc. The Glen Coe location seems to focus mainly on walking and nature as that is the main attraction of the area.

Your stay at one of these is all-inclusive, providing nice accommodations, delicious meals, guides and transport to and from the walks, and lots of camaraderie. They also provide specific directions on arrival. For Glen Coe, they have their own shuttle from Glasgow on Saturdays (for arrival and departure), and directions by bus or train for other arrival days. You need not be a member to stay at the country houses; there is a small supplemental fee for non-members.

We have been to the one in the Lake District, and are going next May to Dorset to walk the coast path there. I recommend them highly, and think this would work very well for you toward the beginning of your three weeks in Scotland.

Cairngorm Mt., the tallest mountain in Scotland

Cairn Gorm is actually the sixth highest mountain in the UK. The highest mountain in Scotland is Ben Nevis.

Agree with what Lola says about HF holidays above. Another option for short tours is Rabbies - www.rabbies.com. May give you some more options.

One factor I don't think anyone has mentioned so far is the weather. Traveling by public transport, and going out in the countryside for walking, means you'll have a high likelihood of getting rained on. Be prepared for that. In late April - early May the temperatures could be chilly, especially in mountainous areas. Dress in layers and definitely have a water-repellent coat and hat as well as thoroughly waterproofed boots, whether ankle or higher. Fingerless gloves are another useful accessory. Note that a poncho and/or umbrella would probably NOT be very useful, because the rain is often combined with strong wind.

you'll have a high likelihood of getting rained on

That goes for your luggage as well. If your bag(s) are not watertight add a rain cover.

Arriving somewhere with your bags drenched and all your clothes soaking is not fun - I have tried it a couple of times.

Hello again! Thanks for your patience with me getting back to my post, and thank you all for your thoughtful replies! I’ve been doing a lot of reading (purchased the Lonely Planet guide book) and am starting to dial in on the places I want to visit in Scotland.

A few general points I’d like to clarify:

I’ve been traveling solo for several years and recently returned from 8 weeks in Australia and New Zealand that included about 30 days with small group tours and about 26 days entirely on my own. I booked everything many months in advance including flights, shuttles, hotels, and day tours. I can do this for Scotland, but would rather have more flexibility if possible (meaning book transportation and lodging a few days ahead). I’m hoping that will be possible in April/May.

I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwet of the US since 1991 and actually prefer cloudy, cool weather to warm and sunny. I’m expecting Scotland to be “cold” and rainy and will take waterproof coats and shoes like I do on every trip, and I’m not worried about walking in the rain.

I travel light, taking only a 21” wheeled carry-on bag and a small daypack. I carried about 17Kg on my 8-week trip that involved temperatures from 40º to 85ºF and should be able to pare that down to about 12Kg for a shorter trip in weather that doesn’t have those extremes (and doesn’t require swim suits, shorts, and sandals). So it’s relatively easy for me to use public transportation and walk to hotels.

I’m computer savvy and have been using the web since 1994, so I’m used to doing online searches, downloading maps and timetables, reading reviews and forums, and booking flights and lodging. I travel with two smartphones and a tablet and will get a SIM card for my “old” phone and an international texting plan for my “good” phone. I plan to take screenshots of pages of the Lonely Planet guide PDF and send them via Bluetooth to my phone so I have them when I’m out and about. I did this on previous trips, and it worked out well.

I do prefer to travel on my own and sleep in a private room with en suite bath, but I realize that is not possible in many locations. I actually love camping but I don’t want to do that on my own in a foreign country (in the rain). I don’t require luxury, and I have no special dietary needs, so I’m sure I’ll be able to find suitable accommodation. I can put up with almost anything for one night! 😊

more in the next post...

Kathleen, thanks for your advice about taking tours. I have done this in other countries and have had mixed experiences (most have been good). I will most likely end up with a combination of tours and traveling on my own. The next step of my planning is to see how far I can get on a bus or in a taxi, and the places that are farther out I’ll look into tours.

Auchterless, I very much appreciate your detailed reply! At your suggestion, I downloaded the Lonely Planet guide book and have now read it in its entirety, making notes of things I want to see. Like I mentioned above, I’ll screenshot the maps and other important pages so that I have them on my phone. I also download offline Google maps of places I’m traveling.

As far as paying extra for being solo, I’m prepared to do that if needed. I’ve found that I’m much happier if I get a good night’s sleep, and that’s difficult for me to do in shared rooms.

I appreciate your suggestion of getting out of the city, and that’s my intention! I live in a big city and much prefer rural areas and natural beauty. I’m hoping to spend a good part of my time on islands.

Toni, Aviemore is certainly on my list! I may spend a few days there so that I have time to explore. The funicular to the top is definitely something I want to do! I just read about the Rothiemurchus Estate and added it to my list. I may also check out the sled dog tours.

Lola, thanks for the link to HF Holidays. I didn’t know about that! I’ve looked briefly at their packages and will take a closer look in the next couple weeks.

Katy, thanks for mentioning Rabbies. I have been reading reviews of their tours, and I will most likely end up joining one or two of their tours.

epltd: Ah yes, the weather! That’s always the first thing I look at when deciding on a destination. And the weather in Scotland in late April/early May looks very similar to my current weather here in Oregon---45 degrees and raining. It’s bleak, but I’m kind of used to it. And to be honest, I think it adds to the atmosphere of places like Oregon and Scotland. I know I could wait until the weather is better, but I prefer rain to crowds.

l.p.enersen: noted! And thank you! I think my bag is water resistant, but I’ll put it to the test before my trip.

Thanks again everyone!

Kathy (halehana)

You never know about the weather. In mid-May, 2014, we had 6 days of lovely weather and one day of rain in Scotland. We used the good days to explore Edinburgh and hike Arthur's Seat, to walk a section of the West Highland Way for two days, and to circumambulate the Isle of Kerrera (a 3-minute ferry ride from Oban). We were in Glasgow on the rainy day and visited museums and the Charles Rennie Mackintosh house.

For the West Highland Way section, we booked a room at Bridge of Orchy, a hotel right by the path, and walked several hours in each direction on two successive days. ( The northbound walk was more scenic. It was so beautiful Inused the landscape photo on my Facebook page for awhile). We heard a cuckoo calling, which fascinated my sister as she thought the cuckoo was a mythical bird!

http://www.bridgeoforchy.co.uk

You can reach the hotel by either train or coach, both from Glasgow. It would make a nice stop on your way deeper into the Highlands; well worth a splurge for one night.

My husband says we should not go back to Scotland as the weather will never be that good again. But in 2016 we were very close by at the end of April, walking Hadrian's Wall. Two days of glorious sunshine ( and lots of wind, so it was cold).