Hi! We are thinking of ending our 3 month Europe trip in Scotland. Thought we might fly into Edinburgh and fly out of Glasgow. My husband loves Whiskey so that's a major interest to him. I want to see some castles and history. We'd be flying in on 01 Jan and out on 09 Jan. We don't want to rent a car so would be buses and trains. Any itinerary suggestions are appreciated.
Thank you!
- Ronda
Cant really help, since there are both distilleries and castles all over Scotland. However in both cases, availability may be reduced in both days and hours that are open. And advance booking may be required, since you are visiting in low season. Note that Scotch is whisky, not whiskey. And which distilleries to visit may depend on the type of whisky you prefer to drink, since the taste profiles vary greatly depending on the region. I'll leave it to our Scottish members to suggest a reasonable itinerary, given the time of year.
For castles, right in Edinburgh is of course a castle, well worth the tour, see the Scottish crown regalia and the Stone of Scone. Another worthwhile trip, accessible by train, would be Sterling Castle, another historically important sight.
For Whisky/Whiskey (The difference is purely spelling, like Color/Colour, Center/Centre, Defense/Defence), unfortunately most distilleries require a car and are located away from Edinburgh and Glasgow, up into the highlands or the islands. But do some searches for both cities. There are certainly lots of shops offering tastings and education. Edinburgh also has places like "The Scotch Whisky Experience", "The Edinburgh Whisky Trail", and the "Johnnie Walker Experience", bigger flashier, maybe interesting, maybe a bit too touristy, but maybe worth it.
You may have trouble finding distilleries open just after the New Year. And don't forget that the days are short with only about 7 hours of daylight.
There are a few small group tour with the often recommended Rabbie's that offer 1 days tours from Edinburgh to several distilleries. They also have a few day tours to nearby castles and places.
In Edinburgh you can visit Edinburgh Castle at one end of the Royal Mile and the Palace of Holyroodhouse at the other end.
In Glasgow you have the wonderful Kelvingrove Gallery.
Stirling Castle can be visited on an organized day tour or easily on your own from Glasgow.
For the spelling the difference isn't just spelling. In UK English they do refer to different spirits.
Scotch and Canadian whisky, Irish and American whiskey.
All derived from the same word, uisce, or 'water' in the various Gaelic languages.
In Edinburgh you have Holyrood Distillery and also Port of Leith distillery.
The process of making whisky is similar whichever distillery you visit. The taste of the different whiskies depends upon a variety of factors - the water used, how the malt is dried (peat gives the characteristic smokey taste) the shape of the still, the casks it is matured in and how long it is aged for....
If dependent on public transport, and want to sample a wide range of different whiskies, you might do better by visiting somewhere like the Scottish Whisky Experience in Edinburgh which offers tours testing different single malt whiskies.
Also you will find pubs in Edinburgh with a wide range of whiskies for you to sample. Ideas here.
When you say castles, are you thinking about ruined castles or those that are furnished/still lived in?
Edinburgh and Stirling Castles have already been mentioned as has Holyrood House. This is the only furnished palace I can think of that is open in January. Most don’t open until Easter.
There is the ruined Craigmillar Castle in Edinburgh (accessible by bus).
Linlitgow with its ruined palace is a short train trip from Edinburgh.
Think about a day trip to St Andrews with its ruined castle - train to Leuchars and then bus or taxi to St Andrews. If you catch a bus, get off in Guardbridge for Eden Mill Distillery Which distils gin as well as whisky) and then catch a later bus to St Andrews.
The best place for tasting whisky in Edinburgh is the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Part of it is members only and part is open to the public.
If you want to visit a distillery just outside of Glasgow, Auchentoshan is very good and the people there are friendly.
Thanks, everyone for the replies and advice!
Appreciate it greatly!
Cheers!
- Ronda
