Scotland: Which area for 3-4 days?

My personal favortie is Inverness. It is a wonderful small city and there are lots of things to do as well as lots of 1/2 day or whole day trips. You can fly from London on BA. Let us know if you want ideas. What are you interested in doing??? Nature, art, history, whisky, .....

If you want a small place, you might think about Pitlochry. It depends on when you're going. Remember the daylight in Scotland is limited in the winter. Check out this website to figure how much daylight you will have. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=90 I do love Edinburgh and in the winter there will be more things going on there in the winter. Also, it doesn't take much to get out of Edinburgh and into the countryside.

Pam

I just re-read your post. If you want countryside and bagpipes, I'd suggest Aviemore. It is a lovely small village about half way between Inverness and Edinburgh in the Caringorm Mts. We like to stay at The Caringorm Hotel. It is across the street from the train station and looks just like a small castle. Every night before supper a piper plays on the front steps. The food is amazing (I love their roast chicken with skirlie and kilted soldier and my husband likes their fresh fish we both like the roast beef and they also serve traditional Scottish dishes). There is hiking, walks, and horseback riding in the area. You can take a funicular up Mt. Caringorm to the only alpine habitat in the UK. There is a restored steam train that does a round trip through very seanic area along the Spey river. And there are good day trips, too, including some of the best whisky breweries!

No car!!! You can take the train or a bus to several distilleries and there are companies that do special tours- let them drive- the roads in Scotland tend to be small- even 1 lane in places and winding, plus driving a straight drive and on the "wrong" side of the road. Check out "day trips Aviemore" on Google or Yahoo. If I recall correctly one is called Heavenly Highlands. There is also a microbrewery (beer) in Aviemore- they do tours and give samples- try Blessed Thistle and Caringorm Gold! By the way- the Skirlie I mentioned is a oats and onion mix that is sauted- sounds strange- tastes wonderful and looks a bit like thanskgiving dressing. Kilted Soldier is a link sausage wrapped in a piece of bacon. You might want to check out Rathmusie (sp????) it is a large estate in Aviemore with a lake- hiking, horseback riding, etc.

Thank you for your suggestions. Both towns you suggested look wonderful and exactly what we are interested in seeing – my husband will be ecstatic at the prospect of a whisky brewery tour!

Pam, the link for sunrise/set will be very useful – truthfully I would never have thought to worry about that. You’re right; sunset for December is around 3:30 pm.

Toni, your list is complete! Nature, art, history, and whisky, and a hotel with a piper at the doorstep sound perfect.

Have you both found that a car is necessary when visiting the smaller towns? I would suspect so if we want to visit breweries.

Thanks again,
Carrie

Toni and I disagree on the car front. She's all about trains. While I like to use the train, I love driving in the UK and the wee roads of Scotland. It really depends on your style of travel. If you want to explore the countryside then I think a car opens up opportunities. But if you want to just settle down in Aviemore then you probably don't need one.

Pam

Twenty years ago I was in Aviemore, and we found it difficult without a car. Everything we wanted to see was a cab ride away, but our budget was bone-dry. It was nice to walk around and into the hills around town. Pitlochry is also great, and we did a lot there without a car. Do spend one night in Edinburgh. You won't regret that. It doesn't feel like a huge city. Plenty of atmosphere for a cold winter's night.

If you prefer the coutryside I think you will also prefer a car to explore it.

I share your interest in the countryside over the cities but I urge you to investigate Edinburgh for at least one overnight. It is a university city with many open areas and feels quite small. Perhaps you could fly London/Edinburgh and begin your adventure there.

Aviemore has extensive bus and train services. There are buses to Rothmurchie (sp?) and the Caringorm hiking and funicular areas. Additionally there are buses and trains to the Dalwhinnie distillery and trains to Strathala distillery and to Dufftown/Cambletown for Belvinnie and other distilleries. You can also get a train to Blair Athol (Blair Castle) and other sites. Inverness is a shor train ride away.