We're trying to plan a trip to the UK in September or October. Fly in to London - train to Liverpoool-train to Carlisle (?), rent a car and drive to Newcastle. See Hadrian's Wall along the way. Visit family in Newcastle - train to Edinburgh. Stay 2 days - rent a car to tour the western coast of Scotland and then back to Edinburgh to fly home. I feel like we're hopscotching around a bit there. There has to be a more practical way of seeing these sights. My husband's grandfather was born and raised in the Ayr and Girvan area is the reason for driving and touring the western coast of Scotland. It just seems like a fun thing to do since we are both interested in geneology. I have the street address where his Gfather lived. But who knows if it's even there anymore? Maybe not worth the time and money. Any ideas? Thanks. Cindy
Posted by
Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada
629 posts
Once you've rented the car in Carlisle, why don't you keep it? You'll get a better rate weekly than daily here and there. The drive from Newcastle to Edinburgh is nothing and you're going to be rerenting a car anyways? My grandfather was born and raised in Ayr (near Maybole). We visited the town and even met some very distant relatives (everyone is sooo friendly and helpful). Don't know if it interests you but we made a short visit to the cemetary - had a look at all the relatives that my grandfather had left behind. It was quite touching. Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
OP
Guthrie, OK
251 posts
Bob. thank you so so much for your reply! I've been hoping that someone who had visited that part of Scotland would respond. It was my husband's great grandfather who was born in Girvan in 1852. His address was listed on the census as Green Door by the Sea. How neat is that? His son, (my husband's grandfather) grew up and lived in Cambuslang, which I found is a part of Glasgow. So my wish would be to drive from Glasgow to the western coast to Ayr and down to Girvan. There is a castle south of Girvan. I believe it is Culzean?? Would it be hard to drive around Glasgow since it's a fairly large city? We have never driven in the UK, so it will be new to us. I didn't know how far the driving time would be from Carlisle to Edinburgh, but I'm sure we would enjoy the scenic route. It's so nice to talk to someone who has actually been there and know the roads. I have heard that the people were friendly and helpful also. I am so looking forward to it. You have been a big help! If you have any other tips for us - knowing the part of Scotland we want to see - please private message me if you can.
Cindy
Posted by
Fort Wayne, IN, USA
2349 posts
Looks like Culzean is actually north of Girvan. I was at Culzean Castle in 1987. I think it's worth a visit while you're in the area. (It's not pronounced cull-zeen, btw, but more like cull-ain.) You should visit Burn's Cottage in Alloway on the outskirts of Ayr. We stayed in Prestwick, and were in Ayr quite a bit. The people are friendly, funny, and helpful. They can also be very hard to understand. That accent is thick! I had a good bit of experience with it because my friend's family is from there, but I had a hard time. To me, this is the fascinating bit of genealogy. Not the graphs and dates, but seeing a place, imagining life there, and wondering what reasons they had for leaving and starting a new life. Do as much research as you can before you leave.
Posted by
OP
Guthrie, OK
251 posts
Karen, Did you travel by car while in Ayr and Prestwich area? We are still undecided about renting a car. We just talked to a friend who spent a year in the UK and he found driving very tricky even in rural areas. I would love to know all about your experiences in that part of Scotland, down to food, accommodations, etc. Yes, I find the geneology fascinating. It's my husband's family and I think I have more interest than he does. The grandfather and great uncle left Cambuslang in 1907 with the intentions of working their way through the United States to get to Australia. This didn't make sense to me until my husband reminded me that they were working their way across the US to be able to afford the ocean voyage. One settled in New York and the other in Ohio and they apparently married had their families and stayed. My husband is from Ohio. But I have often wondered why they left Scotland. Being from a family history of coal miners, I'm sure they wanted a better life. Oh, well, I'm getting carried away. I would appreciated all your input. Thanks, Karen!
Cindy
Posted by
Camas, WA, USA
3 posts
Cindy, my sister and I took my dad to Scotland two years ago. She ended up doing all of the driving and I navigated. We had a taxi pick us up at the airport and take us to Stirling where we picked up our car. Glasgow is a big city and it can be overwhelming when you're trying to navigate from the opposite side of the road. We had no problems with driving but were glad we didn't try to drive out of Glasgow. We did fine getting back to Glasgow once we had been driving for 10 days. We didn't go south but did a loop that took us up to the Isle of Skye, down to Oban and down the Mull of Kintyre before heading back to Glasgow. The smaller roads offer great sightseeing and are of course much more pleasant than the freeways. You have the added bonus of being able to stop at lovely spots along the way for scones and tea. Enjoy your trip. Scotland is a beautiful country.
Posted by
Fort Wayne, IN, USA
2349 posts
I'm afraid I can't help you much with accommodations, etc. It's been almost 25 years since I was there. We stayed with my friend's cousins in Prestwick. We just walked and used buses, and a few trains when we went elsewhere in Scotland. A cousin did drive us down to Culzean Castle. A lot of the sights we saw were inside pubs. We also went to dog races and horse races. We actually flew in and out of Prestwick. I don't even know if that's possible anymore. The area was, and probably still is, pretty working class. It's pretty, but no spectacular scenery like further north into the Highlands. We were there in September, and it seemed like a good time to go. I do remember seeing lots of B&Bs. Good luck!