One week and two locations?

For our day trips look at what Rabbies has to offer. They offer day trips out of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.) I've taken a few with them but one of my favorites was the day trip to Skye out of Inverness.

Castles and Harry Potter make me immediately think of Alnwick which is Northumberland rather than Scotland... Alnwick Castle was used for many scenes in Harry Potter and is also amazing, still lived in Castle, being the home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. As well as the castle, there are Alnwick Gardens which have been described as one of the best contemporary gardens in the world. Alnwick itself is an attractive small town with a lot of locally owned shop, including Barter Books which is one of the largest second hand book shops - they even provide a plan so you can find your way around. There is a fire and cosy chairs to sit and browse too.....

From Edinburgh catch the train to Alnmouth, then catch a bus X20, hourly service) or take a taxi to Alnwick. I've stayed in the white Swan in Alnwick which is an old coaching Inn in the centre of town. The Olympic dining room is a stunning place to eat as all the paneling, mirrors, stained glass and plaster ceiling were salvaged from RMS Olympia, a sister ship to the ill fated Titanic.

Hi Billie -

I’m always a bit puzzled by Inverness as a preferred destination. I’ve travelled a fair bit in Scotland and been there precisely once (twice if you count the airport when in transit from the Hebrides) and then only because we were picking up transit/accommodation for our ‘SOBO’ trip on the Great Glen Way (it was a barge!). Inverness was….OK. Nothing at all wrong with it, but not essential viewing as it were.

Loch Ness, while boasting Urquhart Castle I’ve always found somewhat underwhelming - the are much more attractive lochs in my view, albeit maybe none quite as big.

So….if I were you I’d spend a couple of days in Edinburgh and do the castle and Harry Potter stuff and then look for one of the small multi day bus trips into the western highlands. Rabbies is the name that crops up most frequently here but there are others. A multi day trip to or towards Skye would hopefully take you through Glencoe, to the Glenfinnan Viaduct (made famous by McAlpine, but now superceded by the boy wizard Potter) and the nearby monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie landing in Scotland and Eileen Donan Castle, the one that (rightly) launched a thousand shortbread tins, and a ton of stunning scenery en route. If you go across Rannoch Moor en route to or from Glencoe there’s enough moorland there to satisfy the deepest yearning! And there’ll be the odd whisky distillery too, but with distilleries, in my opinion, seen one, seen ‘em all unless you are a whisky fan deeply into the minutiae of its manufacture.

That would be my suggestion but go with what will suit you best. Hope you have a great trip.

Ian

Thank you for your responses. Great information. I am now looking up information on Alnwick, side trips to Skye and others with Some tour companies. Again thank you for your advice/information.

Northumberland is very much ignored by tourists who rush through on their way to Edinburgh. This is a great shame as they miss so much. You could easily spend several days there and still hardly scratch the surface.

Close to Alnwick is the ruined Warkworth Castle which was the home of the Dukes of Northumberland before Alnwick Castle wass built.

There is also the iconic Bamburgh Castle overlooking the sea. This is the picture you see on all the tourist literature.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne, with its ruined Priory, early Christian history and castle is reached by tidal causeway. You can also take a boat trip to teh FArne Islands from Seahouses.

Cragside on the outskirts of Rothbury is often described as 'the house where modern living began'. It was the family home of Lord Armstrong, a successful Victorian industrialist and inventor as well as an important philanthropist. His scientific innovation and entrepreneurial skill was employed in the manufacture of hydraulic machines, heavy industry, armaments and ship building. By the end of the C19th, his factories on Tyneside employed 25,000 workers and were responsible for building the largest and most powerful battleships of the time, for customers across the world. He used his inventive skills at Cragside in the late C19th. It was the first house in the world to be lit by electricity. It had hot and cold running water, central heating, telephones, fire alarms, a hydraulic passenger lift and even a Turkish bath suite. It is a fascinating place to visit and surrounded by a huge estate too.

There are long sandy beaches although these are best for tramping as the North Sea doesn't encourage sun bathing. The walk from Craster to the stark ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle is well worth doing.

You also have the Cheviot, some of the most isolated scenery in England. There is the North Tyne Valley with Kielder Water and Forest. The South Tyne is Roman country with Hadrian's wall and its major forts...

Castles have pretty much been covered already. As stated, parts of the first two HP movies were filmed at Alnwick Castle. The exterior of Bamburgh castle was used in the last couple episodes of Outlander, season 1. There are other HP sites in the general Glencoe area including Rannoch Moor and the Glenfinnan Viaduct. There is a train station at Glenfinnan. You could also look into taking the Jacobite Train / Harry Potter Train. Unfortunately, with limited time and no car getting everywhere would be difficult.