My family has been offered a lovely home exchange (including car) in Joppa, Scotland for 2 - 3 weeks next summer. I'm not sure if there is enough to see/do in this area for such an extended trip. The home is in walking distance to the Portobello Promenade (beach) and only a short bus ride into Edinburgh. Is the area around Edinburgh pretty? We can do lots of daytrips, say 1 1/2 - 2 hours drive, and a few overnights are certainly doable. We are a family of 6. We love little villages, ports, castles, ruins, gardens, festivals, etc...We do like to settle into a place and live like a local, so everything doesn't have to be a big tourist attraction. We love to stumble upon real people (as opposed to our fellow tourists). We just don't want to be bored! It seems most people base elsewhere in Scotland, so maybe this area does not have enough to offer?
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1518 posts
I would look up the Historic Scotland website for some idea of what is near you.
If you don't mind driving you can see a lot in a day. It seems that you may be farther from Edinburgh than you may think...so I would plan at least one overnight near there. We also stayed overnight in Dumphries which is near some mideval castles and is the home town of Bobbie Burns. You are also not too far from the ferries to the western islands. The countryside outside of Edinburgh is rolling hills with some heather. They do have some Douglas Fir plantations at higher elevations. There are several Tudor era estates with formal gardens. The Borders area has several ruined Abbeys which are quite picturesques. The drive to the Lochs is also doable.
Posted by
OP
Tinton Falls, NJ
792 posts
Thanks. The home exchange family indicates it is a 25 minute bus ride from the end of their street into Edinburgh.
Posted by
OP
Tinton Falls, NJ
792 posts
The home I may exchange is on www.homeforexchange.com (listing number 44224) and it is listed under Edinburgh. Maybe Joppa is not the town name, but something less formal? I don't think they would lie about their location. They indicate they are 4 miles from Edinburgh city center and a 3 - 4 minute walk to Portobello Promenade.
Posted by
OP
Tinton Falls, NJ
792 posts
Thanks Keith. I would appreciate any input you can think of. Most people seem to visit Edinburgh for a couple of days and then "flee" the area. So if I accept this home exchange offer, I would be basing (free of charge, including car) in this Edinburgh suburb for several weeks. So, I'm curious to know how much there is to see and do within a couple of hours drive. Is the area scenic or just okay? It's not the only home exchange I have to choose from, thus I want to pick the best offer that comes to the table. This may or may not be right for us.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1518 posts
Kerry: If your home exchange is in a suburb of Edinburgh...that isn't such a terrible thing. It is actually centrally located...so you can easily get to many interesting places in a couple of hours. Just use the web to follow your interest. I think that what surprises some people is that Edinburgh the town isn't really that big in square miles compared to American Cities with our miles of Suburbs. Their "country" is much closer. You can do the major tourist sites in Edinburgh in 2 days.