Scotland May 2022

I used the www.travelinescotland.com website for public-transportation schedules. I observed a few cases when the train schedules differed from those on the nationalrail.co.uk website, so I would verify train times on the latter. Two other websites for intercity bus schedules are www.citylink.co.uk and www.stagecoachbus.com

I spent a few nights in Dundee in 2019, during which time I day-tripped to St. Andrews by bus. It would be easy to do that in reverse; I'd guess this would make more sense than taking the car and looking for parking, but you should check on the bus schedule (I think buses are frequent) and parking cost. Dundee doesn't get a lot of foreign tourists, so it makes a nice real-world destination when you're spending so much time in St. Andrews. Major tourist sights in Dundee include:

• Discovery Point, Riverside Dr, across from train station: Historical museum documenting the Shackleton and Antarctic exploration. Includes restored ship Discovery.

• Verdant Works, W Henderson’s Wynd: Restored jute factory. Guidebooks say this industrial heritage site is extremely well done.

• McManus Art Galleries & Museum, Albert Sq, Fine art and decorative art. This is a traditional museum.
  www.mcmanus.co.uk/content/galleries-displays/galleries

• V & A Dundee Design Museum, 1 River Esplanade. New branch of London's V&A. Has what looked like a destination sort of restaurant, but I didn't eat there. Free/donation requested except for special exhibitions. www.vam.ac.uk/dundee

• Dundee Botanic Garden, Riverside Dr.

St. Andrews itself has a picturesque center (medieval street plan but mostly Victorian-era buildings) where you can enjoy some wandering-around time during one or more of your free half-days:

• There may be guided walking tours of the university.

• Ruins of St. Andrews Castle

• St. Andrews Preservation Trust Museum and Garden, 12 North St.: 17C fishing family’s house.

• Museum of the University of St. Andrews, 7A the Scores: Art and decorative art, I believe; it was closed at the time of my visit.

• St. Salvatore’s Chapel: Beautiful medieval church (1450).

• St. Andrews Cathedral: Ruins are best part and free.

• There's a coastal walking path; not sure exactly where it is.

The East Neuk villages on the coast between St. Andrews and Edinburgh are picturesque. There are buses taking that route, though you might have to transfer. I think Crail, Pittenweem and Anstruther ("Enster") are considered among the best to visit. This might be an option for one or two of your half-days.

I didn't have time to go to Perth, but it is supposed to be a nice city with some worthwhile sights:

• Scone Palace, E side of river: About 3 miles N of Perth RR Station.

  • Perth Museum and Art Gallery, 78 George St: History, natural history and art. www.culturepk.org.uk/museums-and-galleries/perth-museum-and-art-gallery/

• Fergusson Gallery, Marshall Place: Small gallery showing works of a Scottish Colourist. www.culturepk.org.uk/museums-and-galleries/the-fergusson-gallery/

• River Tay Public Art Trail (sculptures, gardens). Taks about one hour.

• Balhousie Castle, 99 Hay St: Houses the Black Watch Museum. About 0.8 miles from town center.

• Branklyn Gardens, 116 Dundee Rd, E side of river, about 1 mile from town center. Has a tearoom.

With a car you'll have a lot more options for easy side trips than I did. I trust others will make suggestions, because I didn't cover a great deal of the Dundee/St. Andrews area.

I'll put some Edinburgh suggestions in a separate response since I'm about maxxed out here.

Before I get into ideas for Edinburgh: There are places in Scotland where you need to make dinner reservations, because there are too many visitors for the number of restaurant tables. I observed this especially on the west coast and Isle of Skye, but it might also be an issue in St. Andrews and Carnoustie. I'd suggest checking with your hotels on this.

You could probably spend a week in Edinburgh and not run out of things to do. (I did, and I didn't.) This is a bit of a cross-section of possibilities. Many of these places I did not have time for:

• Edinburgh Castle. Very crowded. One book says it's usually better after 2 PM. Lots to see. Allow time.

• Walk the Royal Mile, going into some of the closes along the way.

• National Museum of Scotland: Large, modern museum covering a variety of topics in a very engaging way. Worth exploring the website to decide on your priorities.

• Palace of Holyroodhouse and Queen's Gallery

• Royal Yacht Brittania. This is out in Leith, so it takes time to get there, especially if you go by bus rather than taxi. I wouldn't recommend spending that extra travel time on a quick, one-day visit, but if you are nuts about boats or the royals, that would change things. (I skipped it myself.)

• Charlotte Square: Particularly attractive and location of Georgian House, visited for its 19th-century interior.

• Scottish National Gallery: The country's best art museum.

• Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Excellent Scottish paintings and photographs.

• Royal Scottish Academy: Exhibitions of contemporary art.

• Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

• Gladstone’s Land: 16th/17th century merchant’s house in tenement building.

• New Parliament Building

• Our Dynamic Earth: Although this is apparently designed to appeal to children, adults on the forum have recommended it highly.

• Surgeon's Hall: Medical museum south of city center.

• Royal Botanic Garden

There's a great deal more.

Edinburgh is an extremely touristy city. As such, it has a lot of companies offering walking tours--some of them probably longer on entertainment than on facts. I wouldn't just choose blindly.

You might want to drive up into the highlands and tour Glamis Castle. It has abundant acres of garden landscape to see outdoors, an excellent cafe for lunch and afternoon tea, and a fascinating indoor guided tour. The drive up there from St. Andrews is scenic, too.

Have a look at the Undiscovered Scotland website.

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/

Pick the relevant map page and click on the names for text pages with lots of information and pictures. It is a wonderful source of ideas and I use it to plan all my trips to Scotland. It covers many places ignored by the other guide books.

If you are planning to visit any Historic Environment scotland properties (which include many ruined castles) check their websites as a lot of the properties are still closed "as a precautionary measure while we undertake high level masonry inspections". edinburgh CAstle is OK, but St Andrews Castle and the ruined St Andrews Cathedral are both shut at the moment.

Acraven, what a great list of options for Edinburgh!!! I’m seriously considering spending a week in Edinburgh May/June 2023 and this list is a great start to my research.

Here are some other ideas.

Falkland Palace--has a very old tennis court!

Scone Palace is just north of Perth.

Seconding Glamis Castle.

Dumferline Abby is an Historic Scotland site.

Arbroath Abby is where the famous declaration was signed.

Donnottar Castle is a wonderful castle to visit.

If Peter Pan played a significant role in your early life you can James M.Barrie's birth place in Kirriemuir.

Lastly, if you just want to drive up into the mountains one day, here's a route to Balmoral. You wouldn't have a lot of time but you would see a different part of Scotland.

Carrie, that was an abridged list. Give me a few minutes and I'll PM you a fuller one since you have a lot of time--about the same amount I spent in Edinburgh (not that I hit everything listed).