Scotland...

We've been to Scotland many, many times and we only use the trains and buses! I know Pamela insits that she loves the "wee" roads of Scotland, but I prefer to let someone else do the driving. Inverness makes a great base for many day trips and has good tour companies that use small vans (up to 15 people, but often fewer). We even did the long day trip to Orkney. Aviemore is a lovely village in the Caringorm Mts. Lots to see and do there. We often spend several days in London, then train to York for 1 night (or 2)then train to Edinburgh for a night or so, then to Aviemore then Inverness. You can then go to Glasgow, or other places. For me an hubby, trains are a great way to see Scotland!

I think it depends on what you want to see and how you'd prefer to experience Scotland.

Train/bus is certainly viable, but you are limited by where they go and when they go. Same with (most) tour companies - you are locked into their route and timing. You also need not worry about driving in an unfamiliar place, on the left, suffering the high costs of fuel and so on.

On the other hand if you want maximum flexibility in terms of where you go and when you go there, then perhaps a car is more advisable. For me, it was the choice because I wanted to get back into the single track roads, get lost a little, see things I wouldn't otherwise be able to see. But, I had to pay for fuel (though the cars tend to be much more fuel efficient IMO) and had to make sure I could find parking in villages, etc. I also couldn't appreciate the scenery as I drove as much I could have on a train or bus (but I DID still appreciate it a lot!).

I guess that was a lot of words to say that neither way is "better", but that it largely depends on what you want your experience to be/your style of travel. Either way Scotland is wonderful!

Hope that helps!

Happy travels!
Eric

Hi Laurel,

I'm with Toni--I use trains/buses/day tours when visiting Scotland. But Eric has great points (both pro and con), so it really is up to your personal choice.

If you're looking for recommendations that support whatever may be your first thoughts :-) .. many people drive and do fine .. some like Toni and myself thoroughly enjoy visits and stick to public transport.

Enjoy!

I've traveled in Scotland both by car, by train, and with an organized walking tour where someone else did the driving. I would advise that you determine what you want to see and then decide about the car. If the places you want to see can be reached by train and you are comfortable with some day tours, then do public transportation. But if you want to explore the west coast, and Skye in particular, you'll need either a car or a tour. It's a question of style and and the places that you want to visit.

For example, Stirling, Dunkeld/Birnam, Pitlochry, Blair Castle, Aviemore, Kingussie and Inverness are all easily reached on one line from Edinburgh to Inverness. If you are interested in seeing the abbey's and border lands you will either need a tour or a car. Sure you can get to some places by bus, but usually when on vacation time is also important, and getting from Melrose to Jedburgh to Kelso, to the Hermitage Castle and to Peebles would take a lot of time. Or if you want to explore the castles in Aberdeenshire it's difficult by train and busses would be needed.

So, why don't you explore the place that you want to visit via guidebooks and www.visitscotland.com and http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ and then come back and ask again with more information about the sights you're interested in seeing and we can tell you what's feasible by train.

Pam

Eric says it best, but IMHO driving is more fun.

We have done driving trips of Scotland, England, and Ireland several times. Having a car greatly increases your flexibility, letting you explore as you please on your own schedule and drive down any road that interests you. If you are using public transportation, you always need to worry about making your connections and can only go where the trains/ buses take you. In many parts of the highlands, the bus is the local school bus!

In some cities you can ride with the local mailman for a few pounds

We rented a car on our last visit and we'll be renting a car next year. First you should decide what you want to see and then check out your transportation options. With a car you can stop anywhere, beat the bus tours to sites and even stay outside of the main cities and take transit in for the day. Driving on the left side isn't that hard, it's getting used to shifting with my left arm that takes me a while.

It seems to me that the public transport in Scotland is pretty comprehensive and inexpensive. You should have good luck with trains and buses depending on where you want to go.

Check out Traveline Scotland to see how public transportation works for your desired locations:
http://www.travelinescotland.com

Also, you can buy train tickets in advance directly from Scotrail too for specific trains and times to save a lot of money, if you know where you are planning to go. Look for a link on their website for buying tickets from overseas.

There are also some passes that allow travel on buses or buses and trains in Scotland that might be effective for you if you want to be looser in your itinerary.