Last Minute Planning for Scotland Vacation

These days not booking ahead is high risk unless you are prepared to take whatever is available, wherever it is.

Much depends on whether you have any agenda at all, meaning any must-sees. If not, then go for it. By going in May, you are avoiding high season, which will help. Another way you can help yourself is by avoiding heavily touristed areas, especially on the weekends. If you get there and find you are spending too much time looking for a place to stay, you could take a day and book yourself out for the rest of the trip. I think this is the main reason people book ahead, so they don't have to give it any thought during their vacation.

English Schools are on holiday the last week of May and it is also a bank holiday weekend. It will be busy and many places will be booked up. Places like Isle of Skye also book up very early and many will be fully booked already.

The danger of doing this is that you may waste a lot of time trying to find somewhere to stay at the last minute. You will also have to take what is available which could either be very expensive or places no-one else wants to book.

The days of planning as you go are long gone.

There is a risk that doing this will cost you a good bit of extra money in Edinburgh (though possibly not in much-less-touristy Glasgow and Dundee), and you may find virtually nothing available in towns accessible by public transportation on the west coast and the islands. It's already a bit late to be looking for something on Skye or Mull. I really don't think you can travel this way to most of the Scottish destinations popular on this forum without a rental car.

I went to Scotland in 2019. It was in July, which I realize is a higher-demand period, but I struggled to find lodging on Skye despite looking in January, and I ended up on the mainland in Oban rather than in Tobermory on Mull. There are definitely more people traveling now than in 2019, and there's a new Scottish law effective this year that imposes additional requirements on operators of B&Bs. Anecdotal reports suggest that some of the small operators have chosen to close rather than spending the money to bring their facilities into compliance. More demand and lower supply means things are probably going to be noticeably tighter in 2025 than they were for me in 2019.

This is a very high risk strategy for rural areas. B&Bs book up well in advance these days and the days of lots of 'vacancies' signs hanging outside B&Bs are long gone. The new regulations (Short Term Let Legislation) have had a major impact on the number of small B&Bs, with many closing due to cost of compliance with the regulations. I think you are also underestimating how busy it is in Scotland at that time of year. Many people have worked out that while it's not the main school summer holidays, people without kids choose this time to travel because the weather is usually less rainy than in July/August. It will be busy. Plan accordingly.

Don't do it! May, as said, is a busy , popular month.I think you'll give yourselves a real headache especially as you are limited to travelling about using public transport.

Thank you all so much for your advice. This completely changed our plans for the better. What an awesome community of helpful travelers this is!

There are definitely more people traveling now than in 2019, and there's a new Scottish law effective this year that imposes additional requirements on operators of B&Bs. Anecdotal reports suggest that some of the small operators have chosen to close rather than spending the money to bring their facilities into compliance. More demand and lower supply means things are probably going to be noticeably tighter in 2025 than they were for me in 2019.

I would agree with this. The new(ish) short term rental requirements are far reaching and I have noticed a number of properties along the Dee valley which were holiday lets up for sale this year. Presumably what is happening in Aberdeenshire is also happening elsewhere in Scotland.

Even though many local attractions are now closed I continue to see tourists in the area so guess more people are choosing to travel later in the year than might have been the case pre-Covid.