Okay seasoned travelers, I need help! Son is studying in Dundee and husband and I are going to visit. We arrive Edinburgh December 6 and leave December 18th. To complicate things, our son has finals December 8 and December 16th, so can only travel with us from the 9th to 15th. I'm thinking husband and I will take side trips first and last days, but not sure what is reasonable. We have only been to Edinburgh, Scotland for 2 days and have never been to Ireland so I think there would be plenty to do in Scotland and Ireland for our 12 days. I would appreciate any and all suggestions. Thank you in advance for any help you can give me. Pamela
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
December is a bit of a conundrum for Scotland. Inverness, Aviemore and the Carigorms, Edinburgh and Glasgow- all can be lovely in the winter. Getting around can be a bit of a hassle, though. They already have had significant snow this year! And the Orkneys, and other remote islands would be very, very hard to get to and most of the tourist stuff, like accomodations, resturants, sites, etc. will probably be shut down in the remote islands and highlands. Aviemore is a ski resort, so most of it stays up and running all year. We don't drive in the UK- we love using the trains. But one Dec. it did snow on us in Drumnadrochit/Inverness an in Aviemore. Just about 2 inches, and the trains were closed the day before we had to travel, but started running again soon. Things were beautiful, though. I don't know how many tours for guided day trips will be operating- you might want to do some internet searches now. Doing independent trips might be feasible- but do your research and planning- will you want to drive or use trains/buses? will what you want to see be open? etc. Tell us some of your interests, and we can make some relevant suggesstions. FYI - there is a great Christmas market in Edinburgh.
Posted by
OP
St. Louis, MO, 63090
2 posts
Thanks Toni, We were planning to use public transit, but I hear what you are saying about the weather. I hear great things about Inverness, so thinking that should be a must and of course we will be flying in and out of Edinburgh as well as seeing our son in Dundee. The Christmas Market sounds like a great idea. In general I prefer rural areas, but do think some cities are in the 'must-see' category. I should also mention we are in our 50's, so not as much energy as we used to have : ) Thanks again, Pamela
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
We are in our 50's, too! Aviemore is a great place. we like to stay at a lovely little hotel across from the train station (it is about a 2 hour ride from Edinburgh, if I remember correctly, and about 45-min to an hour from Inverness). The hotel is the Caringorm Hotel. It looks like a tiny castle and they have THE BEST food! There are several whisky distilleries you can visit by bus or train from there, a restored steam train that does round trips through the country side along the Spey river from the Aviemore station, a funicular up Mt. Caringorm, skiing, a reindeer preserve, a microbrewery that give tours and samples (hubby loved several of their beers), great walks, etc.) It was lovely in the snow!!! Inverness is a great place, too. There are even some tour companies that operate on limited service in the winter. Drumnadrochit is a small village at the top of Loch Ness. Good souvigner and art shopping there as well as all the Nessie tat. There is regular bus service between Inverness and Drumnadrochit. In Inverness we love to stay at the Royal Highland hotel= right next to the station! It's lobby stair case was used in the movie, Titanic!!! Be sure to take good gloves, scarves, hats, socks, coats and waterproof and warm foot gear. They have just had a BIG snow event.