Scotland Alone...

Mandy, Where does the ferry land in Scotland?

The ferry will land in Stranraer, coming from Belfast.

Mandy, You will do fine and have a good time. We have been to Scotland six times so maybe we can help. Stranraer is on a penninsula on the south coast. Oh, first I should say our best go-to guidebook is Scotland: The Rough Guide. You should find one. From the ferry landing take either a bus (to Buchanan Station) or train (to either Queen Street Station or Central Station) and go to Glasgow. There are lots to do in Glasgow and you might spend several days there. The train to Edinburgh leaves Queen St. Station and if you go after 9:15 there is a cheaper fare. Time is an hour. We have spent at least twenty-five days in Glasgow and can help with some sites and our favorite hotel. We have always tone to Edinburgh on day trips so I can't help with places to stay. You will be able to spend several days there too. You could take the bus from Glasgow up to Inverness, a day trip one way through Stirling and Dundee, and some beautiful country, then back down to Edinburgh. If I can be of any other help just email.

Since you're 20, renting a car might be problematic. Research bus tours and rail trips through the highlands. Inverness is worth a day and a night. Glasgow, maybe two nights. Edinburgh is easily worth two full days. Get to a bookstore, buy a cup of coffee, and look through a travel. book that has lots of pictures. When it comes to deciding where to go, pictures beat words every time. Remember, too, every location you might consider has a website.

If you spend a couple of days in Inverness, you can use one to take a (very long) day trip to the Orkneys and see Skara Brae. There's probably also day trips from there to Urquhart Castle and Culloden and nearby Clava Cairns....... You might also want to consider a few days in Fort William. We have always traveled with a car, but you can access Glencoe from there and the steam train that goes over the Glenfinnan viaduct. see link below......Also check out Oban, it is the terminus for several ferry routes to the islands. Google Oban and ferry and look for the CalMac site (they are the ferry company)........From Edinburgh, you can take a city bus to Rosslin and see the famous chapel which is associated with the Holy Grail legends. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g186545-s303/Fort-William:United-Kingdom:Public.Transportation.html

Mandy, you will have a wonderful trip. There are lots of places you can get to by train. I would suggest that after exploring Glasgow a bit, head north to Inverness. You can get day tours from Inverness to a lot of sites. You can take a beautiful train ride to Kyle of Lochalsh and back. You can take public transportation out to Culloden just outside of Inverness and learn about the history. Other places that are easy to get to by train include Aviemore. Lots of outdoor activities there if that is your interest. Blair Castle. You can walk to the castle from the station. Pitlochry has a whisky distillery that you tour and the Festival Theatre Check to see what is playing during your visit. Dunkeld/ Birnam has lovely walks and the Music Bar often has traditional music sessions. So spend time in Edinburgh. It's a wonderful city and so much history occurred there. Think too about going to Stirling. It's a great castle and a nice town to visit. BTW you should be fine traveling alone. Scots are friendly, but not obnoxious to single women. Pam

I did a similar trip a few years ago. Took the ferry from Belfast to Stranraer, then the train or bus to Glasgow. Had a few hours to kill in Glasgow so I rode the train out to Stirling and then back to Glasgow. Then from Glasgow north to Loch Lomond, and Fort William and eventually the Isle of Skye.
Then a bus/train loop past Loch Ness to Inverness and down towards Aberdeen, and then eventually to Edinburgh. I very highly recommend the Isle of Skye! Stonehaven was a town I stayed at on the east Coast, nice seaside town with easy train access and a very nice castle on a cliff overlooking the ocean within an easy walk of the town center.

Mandy the Edinburgh Festival starts the 14th of August.
It could very booked then. Have you looked into staying in University housing? You can run into a lot of companion travelers that way.

Mandy, if you end up staying in Edinburgh and are looking for day trips, you might want to check out this summer service for Oban. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g186501-i1070-k4329684-Sunday_Train_services_Oban_Edinburgh-Oban_Argyll_and_Bute_Scotland.html Normally, you have to change trains in Glasgow to get to Oban on the west coast of Scotland from Edinburgh. This summer only service makes it feasible to have a day on the west coast from Edinburgh. Pam

Reiterating Kathleen's warning about the Festival in Edinburgh. A very big deal and well worth seeing. But, my guess is that everyone is already booked for the duration.

Yes- Fringe Festival I believe continues for 3 weeks. Check out the details of the Festival on their web page to see if you are interested, but also warnings about scarce accommodations. Plan accordingly.

You haven't said what you're interested in seeing or where you intend to stay. What you will find interesting will drive a lot of our suggestions. Definitely get a couple of guide books at your local library. Figure out which one you like the most and buy it. Scotland has lots of history, culture, scenic beauty, lovely villages. There's also lots of night life and entertainment. When I was 20, the cost for a B&B would be pretty prohibitive. Are you planning to hit hostels? Where they are located will certainly limit your travels. Why Scotland for the whole time? At the risk of offending the Scottish boosters, I'm going to assume you haven't seen the southern part of the UK. You could spend a night or two in Glasgow depending on your interest. Go to Edinburgh by train for 2 full days but that is probably not viable if the Tattoo is on. There are probably day trips out of Glasgow that would give you the loop around the lochs and some of the main historic sites. You could easily catch a train to York and then to London. Out of London you could easily visit Bath or the Cotwolds. There are many other day trip options.

Oh Ken, you Sassenach, Mandy is obviously Scottish at heart and knows where to spend vacation. ; ) Seriously , Mandy, if you can't find a place to stay in Edinburgh head north and you will find plenty of places to stay and you will experience a wonderful part of Scotland. You can always come back for Edinburgh and then maybe you can go over the border to check out the south. Pam

Matt mentioned Stonehaven .. I loved, loved, loved a weekend trip there! It was a couple hours by train from Edinburgh, easy to walk around town. I didn't make it to the Castle and I want to return for a lot more exploration, not to mention trying the outdoor heated saltwater pool. I stayed here: Glennifer Guest House, http://www.gleniffer-stonehaven.co.uk/ I highly recommend The Bay Fish & Chips (excellent!) and Robertson Bakers, where I had a great homemade bread sandwich with egg salad filling and a strawberry tart. I see bakeries with tarts here, but they have more looks than taste, if you know what I mean. Robertson Bakers' tart just melted in my mouth - buttery shell, sweet filling and a luscious huge! strawberry. I admit, I purchased it on the eye appeal, expecting some kind of likely disappointment, but instead I got a definite "wow" taste sensation. I'm from NE. It tickled my funny bone that I was thousands of miles from home and watching some people in the harbor practice falling out of an Old Town (Maine) canoe. I've twice stayed at the Dene Guest House when in Edinburgh, www.deneguesthouse.com .. good bus connections and easy on the budget (standard single was under £30, though August could probably be higher than when I stayed in April and June). Cheers.

Thanks so much to ALL of you guys! This helps so much! I guess I won't be alone anymore, my sister just suprised me and bought tickets to come =) THANKS AGAIN!! Mandy

Mandy
Thats great. It is always more enjoyable (and comforting) to be able to share your experiences with someone

Mandy, If you like bagpipes and pipe bands, the World Pipe Band Championships are held the 2nd Saturday of August on Glasgow Green. 8,000 pipers and drummers from around the world will converge. You won't be alone in Glasgow for the entire week. There are over 170 piping events taking place the preceding week all over Glasgow. Now, if you don't like piping, well, then they'll be plenty to do in Edinburgh...