Edinburgh and Oban in June

I assume you will be hitting the big tourist sites on the tour, so that's not what you're looking for.

If the weather is nice in Edinburgh, you could go for a walk along the Water of Leith and/or the canal that runs through Edinburgh. It's not all the most scenic, but quite peaceful for Edinburgh and perfectly safe. If you google Water of Leith you should be able find a map.

Or you could go up Arthur's Seat and get a view of Edinburgh.

Kate

Steven, most of your questions can be answered by combing all the info on Rick's "Plan Your Trip" and "Graffti Wall" sections. I'm going on my first European trip this summer and I've found a lot of great advice.

In Edinburgh, a walk up the Royal Mile is always a great way to begin your trip. If you like museums the Museum of Scotland is fun--I had my picture taken with Dolly, the cloned sheep! For a smaller collection of European masterpieces I enjoyed the National Gallery of Scotland.

We took a boat tour of the harbor in Oban that provided a good orientation to the area or as Rick suggests you could take a boat to Iona and/or Mull. The pubs are fun too--we were in a pub near the water and a line of 15 bagpipers marched into the pub playing their pipes. A real taste of Scotland!

As someone earlier, a link titled "Packing and Planning" is on the "Graffiti Wall" section of this site.

You will have an amazing trip!

From Edinburgh you could take the local bus to Roslin and see Rosslyn Chapeln...it's Great

as far as luggage...you should take an extra larger checked bag to use as 'storage". They will put it under the bus for you to get to when needed....we took this trip 2 years ago...it was fantastic

I'm also going on a June RS Scotland tour. We're planning to do the Britannia yacht and maybe Rosslyn Chapel for our pre tour day. Wanted to do Holyrood House, but it will be closed for the last two weeks of June. If you are interested in doing that you might want to check and see if it's open.

Travel Space Bags are very helpful in packing in one bag. Many times on RS tours the guides will be able to point out a day in the middle of the tour that would be suitable for doing laundry, and often will know of a place where you can drop off/pick up.

Also, I print address labels and bring them so that I can send postcards and not have to spend time writing addresses.

My best advice for packing light is to pack clothes that will dry out quickly. Avoid cottons and go with those man made fabrics or blends. It's damp in the UK and Scotland can be a bit misty. ; ) Don't forget your Gortex Jacket.

Pam

I agree - BRING GORETEX! Spend the extra money - you won't regret it! Don't forget the bottoms (unfortunatly we did!)

For those of you going to the Royal Yacht, buy your tickets by phone prior to arrival to prevent waiting in a very long line to purchase your tickets. It might not be bad in June, but in August it was horrible. We had a 2 hour wait to BUY a ticket - then we had to wait to get on the yacht.
Well worth it though, I enjoyed it!

Oban has a whiskey distillery. Maybe you can take a tour and sample some of the product.

Oban Distillery,
Stafford Street, Oban, Argyllshire
Tel: +44 (0) 1631 572004 Fax: +44 (0) 1631 572011
E-Mail: carol.j.bennett@diageo.com
Cost £3.50 ???
Opening Times
All year, Mon - Fri, 9.30am - 5pm
Easter to October, Sat, 9.30am - 5pm
July to September, Sun 12 - 5pm
December to February, restricted tours - by appointment only.

If you walk the Royal Mile, be sure to stop at Gladstone's Land, 477B Lawnmarket. (On L side, about 2/3 of the way down, if you're walking from Edinburgh Castle at the top to Holyrood Palace at the bottom.) This "tenement" dates from 1620 and gives you an idea of what life was like from then through the early 1800s. It's a National Trust for Scotland site, open 7 days 10-5 except August when it's 10-7.)