Ardvenrike: flash trip to Scotland -- HELP!

I did a Monarch of the Glen pilgrimage a few years ago. I headed northeast from Spean Bridge where I had been staying. You can see the house from the road. In Newton Moore there was a bulletin board with directions to the places. Had you thought of staying on the estate? They are self-catering so probably not too good for a single night. But, you could go and just stay there. You can easily get down to Fort William for walking in that area. You can also get to the Cairngorms very easily. Just a thought.

Yes, I think you need a car to do what you want to do. One thing to remind yourself--if you like it, you can always come back! The Scots have no restrictions on return visits! : )

There are some nice walks near Aberfeldy and near Dunkeld in Perthshire. That would keep you headed south from Monarch of the Glen Territory. You also pass a great castle--Blair Castle--on the way south on the A9. You can do a fantastic drive to Aberfeldy, by getting off the A9 at Queens View. Drive east and then when you get to Loch Rannoch work your way to the south shore and look for a road headed south over the mountain. It's single track and beautiful. Don't do it at night!

Pam

Thanks, Pam! I'd love to stay on the estate, but it's bit dear.

On the Ft. William side, do you think we should take the train, or just drive? The website are confusing: some say that the West Highland train is just a pricey version of the local train. Some say that you get better views by driving. Others say that the Jaobite and the regular train run the same rails, so that unless it is terribly important to you to be in a "Harry Potter" rail car on the steamJacobite, just use the local train.

If we pick up a car near Glasgow, is the airport the best pickup? We haven't driven in the UK in a zillion years.

Thanks, Meryl.

Yes, if youre not that confident about driving then airport is probably easier and it's next to the freeway that leads towards the W Highlands. Bus or cab from city centre takes about 20 mins.

You are probably better off if you are willing to drive rather than rely on public transport as this can be limited in the Highlands.

As for the trains, the Jacobite does run on the National Rail network between Mallaig and Fort William so if money is a concern but you want to take the train, the local ScotRail alternative will be a lot cheaper.

Plans are starting to come together.

We will be in Scotland over a weekend. Is there a website that has a calendar of local events -- games, music festivals (traditional is better), sheepdog trials, and so on? We love going to truly local events. Or perhaps a website listing local tourism sites, for the places we will be visiting?

(When roadtripping in the US, on weekends we often stop in small towns when we see a sign that a church or a local organization is having a food-related fundraiser. Our best "finds" were the volunteer fire department in Smithfield VA with a fundraiser lunch of Smithfield "ham biscuits," another VFD supper in rural Oregon, and amazing fish and hushpuppies on the South Carolina coast -- can't remember the organization.)

I think you are brave leaving Edinburgh on the morning of your last day and flying out that evening from London.

Are you allowing 3 hours at the airport and an hour to get to the airport by Tube from Kings Cross?

Have you worked out that you will be on the Tube in the peak rush hours.

Good luck with the house repairs. Do you have somebody to supervise, or a good calling plan on your phone, or wifi and Skype on your travels?

Go to VisitScotland. If you look under Activities Tab you will find a search for festivals and all kinds of events. If you know the town, then also look on the city/town/village website. You can explore an area within the Visit Scotland site.

Of course Time Out also has websites to check. Here's Edinburgh.

Pam

Nigel: Yes, we came to the same conclusion yesterday after twp other people questioned by PM our, uhm, extreme optimism in the schedule for that day. We will return to London the day before our flight. But I do hate giving up a day in Scotland! We are considering giving up our recovery day in London instead.

Now it is a matter of putting dates on accomodation and tweaking. We have decided to pickup/drop off the car in the same location (Glasgow or Edinburgh) as it is not worth the 47GBP drop off fee; the cities are so close to each other.

We only found one Highland Games -- Inverness. No sheepdog trials (we have two Border Collies). No traditional music festivals. Oh, well -- we must come back.

Nigel: yes, our son lives two miles away, and our neighbor is an architect. Both have promised to keep an eye on the property. We are banished only because of the flooring -- board replacement, sanding, and recoating with two coats of slow-curing polyurethane -- so we are not overly concerned. The plumbing repairs will be complete. But yes, we have voice and data programs for international travel.

Well, if you wanted to skip Edinburgh, you could go to the Tarbert Music Festival in Tarbert in Argyll. I went to this festival the weekend after 9/11 and it was amazing. That's when I stayed in the nearby castle. The bands that year were mostly from Glasgow. Some of them did updated traditional music. I will never forget the lime green violin or the way they sang Cockles and Mussels!

Also, the first time I went to Scotland, my sister and I had a flight that went into Gatewick. We immediately hopped a train to London, then too the tube up to Kings Cross and immediately took the train to Edinburgh. It worked out well. I did a similar trip a few years ago, but went all the way to Inverness after a flight from the US. You can rest or walk about on the train as your body requires....

If you are interested in sheep dogs, don't miss going to Leault Working Sheep Dog Farm at Kingussie - just near Aviemore. It was one of the highlights of our Scottish adventure.