My husband and I are traveling in Scotland for two weeks this fall, starting and ending in Edinburgh and doing a loop as far north as Inverness, including Ballater, the Isle of Skye and Stirling along the way. We hope to visit as many historic sites as possible. I am considering getting a couple of the historic site passes that provide free entry and skip-the-line privileges, but it's hard to tell whether it is worth it to spend nearly $100 for this. It looks like many of the sites are free. Can someone advise me on whether getting a pass is worth it in terms of saving money and time, and if so, which particular pass is best? Thanks.
Posted by
Glasgow, Scotland
1692 posts
If you are intending to visit Edinburgh, Stirling, Urquhart Castles that would probably pay for the Historic Scotland sites.
What you need to decide is which sites you want to see. Historic Scotland tend to be the older castles, NTS the country houses, with some like Eileann Donan, Duart or Dunvegan being in private hands.
Posted by
69 posts
The VisitBritain website outlines the different passes available. We did about 5 days in Scotland and 12 more in England two years ago, and even for that short period, we wish we had done a pass for Scotland, because we ended up stopping at so many of the sites, particularly on the Heritage pass. We ended up getting a pass for England because we planned on seeing so many of those houses/castles. It will save you money in the end, even if you are just planning on the popular ones - Edinburgh Castle, Culzean Castle, Stirling Castle - the pass is already worth it. There are so many more, though.
Enjoy your trip! We are planning to go back to Scotland at some point for a much more detailed trip. We spent only a day in the Isle of Skye, but it was by far our favorite part of our trip.
Posted by
Banchory, Scotland
283 posts
As has been said you need to decide what you want to see and then work out what pass is worth it for you, or whether you need the two passes. You know some historic sites are ruins and you don't really need a pass to view them. Ruthven Barracks is one such place which springs to mind and I do recommend you take time to view it if you are in that area. It won't take long, but it is a very interesting ruin all the same.
If you are going to be in the Ballater area then Braemar Castle might be of interest, but it is run by the local community and so not involved with NTS or HS. Braemar is about 17 miles from Ballater along the A93
http://www.braemarcastle.co.uk/
I'm based in Crathie which is mid-way between Ballater and Braemar and am happy to answer any further questions which you may have about the area. Send me a private message if you wish :-)
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Very helpful! Thank you all!
Posted by
Glasgow, Scotland
1692 posts
One thing when looking at the passes, the link given is a good one, is make sure the pass applies in the bit of the UK you are visiting.
National Trust - Charitable (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)
National Trust for Scotland - Charitable (France)
English Heritage, Historic Scotland and CADW (Wales, from the Welsh for keep) are the government ones and slightly worse at getting on than the two National Trusts.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
There are two advantages to the passes. One is the saving if you are visiting sufficient properties to save the $$. But as you note you can also skip the lines. This can be particularly advantageous in Edinburgh depending on the time of year. I have usually gotten the pass for Historic Environment Scotland. Browse their site and see if there are sufficient sites that it makes sense. I am particularly interested in history and so I actually took out a membership. You get a quarterly magazine that is kind of fun and bit of an ongoing souvenir. Check out the prices for membership.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
933 posts
As others have said it depends on your interests, and also your route. I got the Historic Scotland pass, and I found it quite useful, especially for skipping the lines at the bigger places like Edinburgh Castle. I did a similar trip to what you are planning going from Edinburgh to St. Andrew's, then up to Inverness stopping at Ballater (to find ancestors) and several castles on the way. Then over to Isle of Skye and back down through Oban and ending in Glasgow. There were a lot of places on my route that I used the pass, but I think I still paid for others. Check the admission for some of the major sights you know you will go to and see what it adds up to. I think you will find it will pay for itself fairly quickly.