Scotland

Are you going to Edinburgh? It is really worth it.

I hadn't really considered it but I've heard that a few times. Perhaps I should fly out of Edinburough instead of Glasgow..

That would be great, before we went I read that Edinburgh was the Athens of Europe and believe me it was so worth it. I can't compare it to Glasgow as we were only there a little over a day and half but personally we liked Edinburgh better, just our choice. See what others say.

I'd give up on Glasgow in a heartbeat and think about a three-guarters of a circle route that ran Aberdeen, Inverness, Ft William, Edinburgh. Wiggle around and deviate to see whatever strikes your fancy. You'd probaby need a car, but it makes a nice couple of weeks with only eight or nine hours of driving for the basic route.

I agree that I prefer Edinburgh over Glasgow- though each is really worth at least 1 full day. Inverness is well worth several days as there are lots of great day trips you can do from there (Isle of Skye, Eliean Donnan, Cullodan and Clava Cairns, even Orkney- plus the Black Isle, etc.)I also like the Aviemore/Caringorms area. Lots to see and do- especailly good as a "vacation from your vacation" spot. We don't drive- we use trains and occassionaly buses and sometimes use tour companies for day trips. Pamela can give you good advice if you decide to drive.

If you do decide on Edinburgh, be at the castle at 1PM for the firing of the cannon. Also, we loved Mary King's Close just down from the castle, an underground city. Also Grey Friar's Bobby by the museum and the Royal Yacht down at the harbor. So much to do . We were at the Royal Museum and they were taking a survey to see why tourists were there and we said because of Rick Steves and we were told were the tenth person that day who said that and it wasn't even noon. thanks Rick.

You'll regret missing Edinburgh. Give it two nights.

wow ok i definitely will try for edinburgh! thanks for preventing me from going the glasgow route which i wasn't really stoked for anyway haha so is inverness/loch ness worth the stay, and does anybody have advice for city to city public transportation if my travel partner and i don't rent a car?

Only went from Glasgow to Edinburgh by bus from airport and was fine, about 45 minutes I think. Takes you right to center of town and I think the train does the same. Bus in Edinburgh was great, enjoy, lucky you!!!

Inverness is definitely worth the stay. Nice town, very convenient for nearby sights and scenery

The trains in Scotland are very easy to use. We have often gone from Edinburgh to Aviemore (lovely village in the Caringorm Mts. with lots to do and see) then to Inverness by train. Lots of other places to stop/stay along the way, too. Inverness is about my favorite place to stay (maybe tied with Aviemore) in Scotland. It makes a great base and the Tourist Information office is one of the best I've ever seen. Lots of tour companies operate day trips from there. Drumnadrochit is the village at the top of Loch Ness- it makes for a nice stay, too.

I'm definitely the car person. I know that you can get to a lot of places by train in Scotland, but if you want to get out into the countryside, without a car, you have to rely on tours and I prefer to manage that aspect myself. Aberdeenshire has many castles. I'm away from home and don't have access to all my resources. But if you'll look on visit Scotland you can look at what castles are in the area. Search on Explore Scotland, pick the area and look at area attractions choosing castles. There are also wonderful galleries to visit. There was one right up the hill behind Balmoral Castle which has lovely amber, a beautiful garden and a view of the castle. As Toni has already pointed out this is the Cairngorms which are lovely mountains to walk around in. Also, to north is Speyside which you will want to visit if you like whisky. Also along the north coast (the Moray Forth south coast) is the town of Pennan where part of Local Hero were filmed. Also on the North Coast of Aberdeenshire is Elgin which a beautiful ruined cathedral. And as you drive toward Inverness you go through the town of Nairn which has a Scottish Country Dance named after it. Also, there are some nice hotels and places to stay. Inverness is one of my favorite cities and I'm going to continue this post separately as I can't begin to deal with it in 600 characters. ; ) Pam

The inverness area has access to so many wonderful parts of Scotland. Clearly, visits to Culloden Battlefield and Fort George are high on most people's lists. There is a new visitor center at Culloden so plan on spending some time there learning the history. Cawdor Castle is nearby and they have a good tour and beautiful gardens if you haven't over killed on castle when in Aberdeenshire. There are the Clava Cairns which are similar to stone circles and easy to get to from Culloden. If you want to explore the clearances, a nice day trip from Inverness would be up to Bettyhill on the north coast where they have an interesting museum. You can also explore the valley of Strathnaver and walk around the glen where the houses once were. Read here about it. http://www.electricscotland.com/history/sclearstrath.htm. Back near Inverness, you can go to Loch Ness and visit the Nessie "museums." This is the closest thing you'll find to the Wisconsin Dells in Scotland. Urqhart Castle is well worth a visit. Beauly is also a nice town. Glen Afric is just plain beautiful. You can walk in a bit on the road and enjoy the countryside. You can also do a day trip west to Ullapool from Inverness in your car. I love Ullapool there are nice walks in the hills and the best woolen shop. The drive is beautiful as well. Alternatively if you are tired of driving, you can do a day trip by train to Kyle of Lochalsh and this is one of the more beautiful train rides around. Although it's a more traveled road, I like the north side of Loch Ness for the drive south. More in a third post.

As you drive south on the A82 you'll go through Fort Augustus. You can stop and see the Canal that connects the west and east coasts. continue south. If you have time, when you reach Invergarry a side trip up the Glen Garry is well worth it. Little traffic and stunning views. Take the A87 west until you see a small road off to the left. It's likely sign posted for Inchlaggan. You can either turn around and go back to the A82 or if you have a good map work your way back down again through the wee roads. Once back on the A82 you'll go south of Loch Lochy toward Spean Bridge. Just before Spean Bridge is the Commando Monument. Stop off and enjoy the view and the monument. This is where the commandos of WW II trained for their missions. Read Douglas Reeman books for novels on military training is Scotland during WWII. At Spean Bridge you can either continue on to Fort William, or take a side trip up to Loch Laggan. If you've seen Monarch of the Glen this is the Glen where much of the filming took place. Fort William itself is a very touristy town. But be sure to explore Glen Nevis where more movie filming was done. And you can go further west to Glen Finnan where Prince Charlie landed and where the famous Glen Finnan Viaduct of Harry Potter Fame can be seen. Also, there is a steam train ride from Fort William to Mallaig which is quite beautiful. If you want to explore a more isolated area, drive out (with a full gas tank) to Ardnamurchan. Pam

I agree with the others that Edinburgh is worth the visit. You can still easily fly out of Glasgow if you find Edinburgh problematic. You can take the train to Glasgow in less than an hour and there is a bus from the train station that takes you directly to the airport. On your way south from Fort William, you'll want to stop visit Glencoe. From there you have many choices. You can back track a wee bit and take the coastal route to Oban and from there take a ferry to Mull. Or you can continue south on the A82 to the A85 and take it east either up toward Killin and Loch Tay. Or, you can continue south on the A84 toward Callandar and the Trossachs. If you have an interest in Rob Roy the latter takes you near Balquhidder where he is buried. The road west from Balquhidder is another gorgeous drive. There's a very posh hotel out there where you can get lunch. As you continue south on the A84 you'll drive through Doune which is home to Doune Castle of Monty Python fame and well worth a visit. Then into Stirling which has one of the most strategic castles in Scotland and it has just undergone wonderful restorations to Renaissance Palace. Budget half a day. Bannockburn is nearby as well and there's a great view from the Wallace Monument. Hang on to any children as the railing is terrifyingly low. From here it's on to Edinburgh. Blackness Castle and Linlithgow are both worth visits if you aren't castled out yet. Do save some Castle Fever for Edinburgh Castle. It's so important to Scotland and the views of the Firth of Forth are spectacular. Ah I wish I was there now. ; ) Pam