Booking Accomodations on the fly in Scotland

I've not been to Scotland yet (shame!), but I can report that on-the-fly still works in France and Switzerland. It's easier than ever.

We travel on the fly on most of our trips since we don’t always know where we’ll stop for the night and have always found lodging. A few times we had to visit a few hotels before finding a room, but have always found something. More recently, we’ll sometimes make reservations a day ahead if we know where we’ll be stopping. However, we travel off season, not during prime tourist season. If going to a small town popular with tourists and with limited lodging, you may want to make reservations ahead of time.

You should be fine in Edinburgh but the Isle of Skye might be a problem. Depends on how much you’re willing to pay and what kind of places you’re willing to stay in.

You can always go to the Tourist Information Center and they can help you book a bed ahead so to speak. I think in June you would be okay. August and into July would be problematic. The thing is that you need to be accepting of less than perfect accommodation. Are you someone who can walk down the hall to the bathroom? If you can be flexible you can find something. Also, I think that singles are harder to find than doubles.

Pam

I was on the Isle of Skye a couple of years ago in early June and even the campsites had no vacancy signs out! All the B&Bs had similar signs, as June is a popular time to visit and many places there are booked up to a year ahead. I would be nervous trying to get what I wanted on Skye now, never mind leaving it till lunchtime of the day in question.

Edinburgh would be easier, but I wouldn’t go all the way to Orkney (not the Orkneys) without a reservation.

Double-check that there won’t be any major events taking place. On our 2012 trip, I thought we could wing it on our night near Inverness, but then I just got a feeling five months beforehand and researched, only to find out that the Scottish Open PGA tournament was starting the day we were going to be there. I booked our B&B immediately. After driving around Glencoe and up the north side of Loch Ness, we stopped for dinner before getting to our room. An American couple on motorcycles stopped for some food and were asking the waiter about accommodations nearby. I had to break the news of the golf to them and advised that they head down towards Ft. Williams.

I would never travel in June without reservations. Thanks to the internet and travel shows on TV, more people than ever are taking to the roads. I think you would be wasting precious time and paying top dollar to find a vacancy last minute. Enjoy Edinburgh, my second favorite city.

Thank you one and all for the insight. My friend and I booked accommodations for our entire trip the other day per your advice. I will stop in to one of the Tourist Information Centers and scope things out for any future trips. Thanks, everyone!