Hi All -
We will be traveling in a circle(ish) from Edinburgh, Stirling, Pitlochry, Aberlour, Inverness, Fort William, Oban, Islay, and back to Edinburgh in April 2023. After I drop the family off at airport, I'll have another solo week to myself from Edinburgh. I'm debating whether to take a Rabbies tour or should I plant myself in a small village somewhere and just soak up the land and people? Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you.
Posted by
Freedonia
14994 posts
Either would be fine depending on your interests. Rabbies does a fine job.
You could also hop a Loganair flight to one of the outer Islands--Orkbey. Shetlands or Hebrides.
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
853 posts
I spent six days in Edinburgh just wandering, visiting the castle, Holyrood, the royal mile, climbed Calton Hill, visited a Victorian mansion, the park, went up the Walter Scott monument, visited the Britanica yacht, took a day tour to Hadrian’s wall/Rosalyn Chapel. Glasgow is only an hour on the train an is definitely worth at least a day, and you could also do a day trip to Sterling castle and Loch Lomond. If feeling energetic you could do the walk up to Arthur’s Seat. Lots to do in and around Edinburgh.
Posted by
Delaware
1376 posts
Hi, Jeep-Girl,
Will you have a car during your solo week?
Mike (Auchterless)
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6534 posts
If you had a car you could spend a couple days in the borders area and visit the four borders abbeys. If you’re into woolen mills, Lochcarron in Selkirk is a high end shop and offers tours. You could also drop down in northern England to the Lake District, Hadrian’s Wall, or over to Alnwick and Bamburgh if you like castles, or even Holy Island. Plenty of places to visit depending on your interests and mode of transportation,
Posted by
OP
Waukesha, WI
47 posts
Thank you for the suggestions.
I'd rather not keep the rental car. Unless I was going to drive to a specific spot and stay there a while. I'm easily distracted by scenery and wildlife - I may never get where I'm going. ;-)
We plan to use Loganair to hop to Islay while the family is together. I hadn't thought about flying up to Orkney. I will look into it.
Leisurely wondering the city of Edinburgh sounds nice, too.
So many choices. Aaaaahh!
Posted by
Freedonia
14994 posts
You could also look east... St. Andrews, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen.
Posted by
Washington DC
27111 posts
I used Dundee as a base for seeing that city (the V&A Design Museum is really good, and it's not the only good local museum), St. Andrews and (en route back to Edinburgh) the East Neuk area. Dundee doesn't get many foreign tourists, and hotels there are a lot less expensive than those in Edinburgh.
Glasgow is also a lot cheaper than Edinburgh and far less touristy.