My spouse and I will be taking our three young adult kids and their partners to Scotland the week of July 4th. Not ideal, I know, but one is a teacher and the others need to stretch their PTO allotments. Initial plan is to start in Edinburgh, staying in a guest house or VRBO (much more affordable than 4 hotel rooms!). We’d also spend 3 or 4 days somewhere else that’s reachable by train or bus, since we won’t have a car, or maybe do a Rabbie’s tour for a few days. I’d appreciate any advice about how to plan an enjoyable, relatively affordable week for such a large group.
Posted by
Land of La
9246 posts
Why isn’t traveling to Scotland the week of July 4th not ideal?
Posted by
Atlanta
5210 posts
You said "...the week of July4th." Do you only have a week, or more? If you can let us know when you'll depart the U.S. and the date you'll leave to return home, we'll be better able to make suggestions.
Posted by
Bristol, UK
1418 posts
The Scottish schools have broken up by July 4th so it possibly will be a busy time to visit Edinburgh, but not as bad as August.
Posted by
Seattle
93 posts
What a wonderfully generous gift for you to give to them! Edinburgh is an amazing start. Have a look at this website for discussions about southern Scotland and on YT for RS videos on Edinburgh and Glasgow..
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11893 posts
I’d appreciate any advice about how to plan an enjoyable.......... week
Really need to know how many nights you will be there, for folks to give useful advice
Posted by
Lake District, England
7977 posts
With 8 of you Rabbies may well do a private hire, in which case you would be able to bespoke a tour with them. Worth enquiring anyway.
You simply don't give enough information to be able to provide practical advice. Are you interested in the historic abbeys of the Scottish Borders, the seabirds of East Lothian, the rugged landscapes of the West Highlands, the golf around St Andrews/fishing villages of the East Neuk etc?
If, for instance, you were doing the East Neuk, then a new travel opportunity by train is pencilled in to open in March 2024- with the re-opening of the Levenmouth line, which provides more journey options than will even be in the new RS guidebook.
If budget is an issue, and it will be in Edinburgh in July, have you investigated options like Premier Inn, or other budget chains, or staying in a town in the Borders, East Lothian or the Central Belt which is within very easy commuting distance of Edinburgh (up to an hour), but where prices will be much keener; or even Dunfermline or North Queensferry, over the Firth of Forth in Fife. All those places have transport back until close to midnight, even all night in some cases.
Posted by
Glasgow, Scotland
1692 posts
Apart from the need for two vehicles can I ask what is excluding you getting a couple of cars? Outwith Edinburgh that would extend where you would have to choose from?
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
8065 posts
So it sounds like you have one week to spend in Scotland. You would like to start in Edinburgh and then spend 3-4 days somewhere else using public transportation. As others have mentioned, it would be helpful to know what your interests are, but that might be hard to answer given that you have 8 people traveling, who probably have different interests.
isn31c above mentioned Rabbies. You could certainly talk to them about a private 3-4 day tour, which would be easier than trying to plan something yourself. But they also have many regular tours to various parts of Scotland that depart from Edinburgh. You might want to look at a few to see if there is anything that strikes your fancy. Rabbies is a reputable organization that has gotten many good review on this forum. Here's a link to their tours that start from Edinburgh: https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-edinburgh
One other thing to think about is that most people start booking accommodations a year ahead of time for parts of Scotland, especially Skye. So at the very least, I would start looking for lodging in Edinburgh as soon as you can. Rabbies offers you a choice if you book one of their tours: you can let them book your accommodation or book it yourself based on their itineraries.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
468 posts
You have about as much time for your trip as we did when we went in 2009. Our trip was in April, so a slower, quieter time period (at least it was then) than your July trip might be. We stayed in Edinburgh both at the start and the end (after taking the train up from London with friends who lived in London at the time). We were a group of four. We did rent a car, however, so you would have to look at what pubic transport would work for you. From Edinburgh we went to Sterling Castle, then we traveled the West Highland Way (lots to stop and see along the way) to Isle of Skye (a couple days there), then around through Loch Ness and Inverness and back to Edinburgh. Our trip gave a good taste of Edinburgh and the Highlands, but not nearly enough. I was totally mesmerized by Scotland and really want to go back.