I will be in Scotland for 11 days. Middle of June. Decided to stay in Edinburgh for the entire time. Thought it would be good to have a home base. I am thinking of taking trains to see various locations instead of signing up for day tours. Any advice? I did not want to be committed to spending too much time on the bus with tours. I am landing in Manchester and taking a train to Edinburgh, has anyone done this?
I am also spending one night at Borthwick Castle, has anyone been there?
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
While I like Edinburgh, I think 11 days- even with some day trips- is too long. I'd recommend that you split the time- say 3 or 4 days in Edinburgh and the rest in Inverness. Do Glasgow, and/or Sterling as trips from Edinburgh; maybe go out to Roslyn. From Inverness you can do Isle of Skye with Eliean Donan, Orkney, a cruise up Loch Ness and Urquart Castle, a whisky tour, etc.
Posted by
Adelaide, SA, Australia
977 posts
I agree with Toni. Spend at least 3-4 days in the Inverness area. We had 3 days in Edinburgh and then caught the train to Inverness. We trained up to Isle of Skye from there one day. Plenty of choice of day tours from Inverness. You will love Inverness. We stayed in a very comfortable B & B right on the banks of the River Ness(Ness Bank House).
Posted by
OP
St Louis, Missouri, USA
2 posts
Thanks for the info.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
I agree with the other two. You can spend 11 days in Edinburgh, but you do that over several years or do it because you're attending a workshop or some other event. I've not been to Borthwick Castle, but I did stay in a different castle one weekend and I really enjoyed it.
What are your interests? I would also recommend Inverness, but there are other places you could visit. First, I like Pitlochry for the Festival Theater. http://www.pitlochry.org.uk/index.php?whatsonmonth=6&whatsonyear=10 See what's playing while you are there. The theater is small. Blair Castle is near by. I also enjoyed the Explorer's Garden and the Blair Atholl distillery. If you want a a little bit, stop off at Dunkeld. There are lots of paths to explore and the scenery is beautiful. Plus you can visit the Music Bar, see a Telford Bridge and check out the Cathedral and wee houses.
Pam