Historic Scotland Pass - skip the lines?

We were in Scotland in June and Edinburgh and Stirling were the only locations that we booked in advance. In Edinburgh it didn't get us to the front of the line because everyone had to book ahead and we weren't given any special privilege. At Stirling, we arrived about 45 minutes before our reservation and were waved right in, likely because there were no lines.

We were in Scotland for two weeks, June 2022. Many of the historic sites are closed off behind wire fencing, although most of the grounds are open. The guides / docents did not expect re-opening soon at most of them. We had the Historic Scotland pass but did not encounter lines anywhere.

I don’t think the pass let’s you skip a line, but you won’t need to wait in line to get a ticket. At least that’s how it worked with the Wales pass and the last time I had the Scotland pass. You can look At the HES site to find out which sites are totally or partially closed. Right now some Abbeys are partly closed as is Dumbarton castle. With the partially closed Abbeys, you can walk on the outside of them, but not the interior of them. Others are completely closed. Once the walls are stabilized, things will reopen.

We’re headed there soon and will buy the pass and reserve times for Edinburgh and Stirling. Those are the only sites I expect to be busy.

I have just tried a dummy online booking for Stirling Castle for today and tickets are available all day today, starting at opening time in 25 minutes time.

There aren’t any queue jumping tickets as far as I am aware (what is it with Americans not being prepared to queue?!) but in October, the lines should be short.

You need to work out if the pass is the best value, having regard to what you want to visit.

The value in these passes is not in whether or not you can skip the line, but in how much money you save. Look at which sights are included, and whether or not you will visit them, and figure out how much you will save if you buy the pass. Some of these passes pay for the self with just a couple visits to the more popular sights. I uses this pass extensively when I was in Scotland several years ago, and even found myself going into some places simply because it was included, and I found some unexpected treasures. Check what days sights are closed and compare with your schedule to make sure it will work.

Thanks for all of these helpful replies! I had done the math and didn't think it would save money, but thought the pass would still have value if it allowed me to spend less time standing in line. It's good to know that most likely in October longs lines won't be much of an issue. Also, I'm happy to get first hand accounts of some of the sites only being partially open. I will make sure to look at each website to get additional details.

My main goal is to not be tied to timed reservations. I've never been to Scotland before and am looking forward to wandering and exploring wherever the cobbled streets take me, and not feeling rushed because I have to be at a site at a certain time. It sounds like whether I have the pass or not, walking up to a site and either buying a ticket or showing the pass, I won't end up waiting in long lines.

Dawn, I’ll be very interested to hear how it works for you, that is if you decide to buy the pass. My husband and I are going to Scotland next April/May and I’m planning to pick up passes for us. I did add up admission to the castles we expected to see, and it adds up quickly. For us the pass is a no brainer! After reading the online guidebook from HES I discovered that we can buy it there in Scotland at the first sight that accepts the card…saving a £10 fee for postage. I’m hoping that works.
I hope you have a fabulous trip and report back.

I wanted to give a quick update...

I decided to buy the Historic Scotland Explorer Pass. The only difference between this pass and the Historic Scotland Pass is that it is good for 7 consecutive days, rather than a full year. This will work perfectly for me. At only 35 pounds, it's a steal - just by going to Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle it pays for itself. You can only buy it online https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/explorer-passes/

I received an email with my pass attached as a pdf, and have printed it as well as downloaded it to my phone. When I am at the various sites they will just scan the pass and I'm good to go!

It is my understanding that with the explorer pass you do not need to reserve a time to visit Edinburgh and Stirling Castle. Can anyone confirm that?

@kpaige4444 - Yes, I can confirm that. I just used the Explorer Pass at both castles and didn't reserve a time at either one. I visited Edinburgh Castle around 11:30, and Stirling Castle around noon and walked right up to the ticket checker, they scanned by pass bar code, and I waltzed right in.

Now I went in mid-October, so if you are going during peak summer times or first thing in the morning when the tour buses show up, you may not be able to get right in. One thing I did was to go to each castle's website and pretend to buy a ticket so I could see how many tickets were available. As long as it doesn't say "sold out" next to the day/time you want to go you can be confident that you won't need to reserve a time.