Hello, I wanted to share info from our recent trip to Scotland In hopes that some of it might be useful!
We built the trip around a 3-day Rabbie's tour to Orkney. I love neolithic monuments and orkney has quite a few of them. We flew directly to Inverness at the start of our trip. We stayed at a lovely B&B that was recommended here, the Eildon Guest House. Very reasonably priced at about $150. Good breakfast and a very welcoming host.
After two nights there, we left on the third morning on our Rabbie's tour. Here's a link to the one we took:
https://www.rabbies.com/en/scotland-tours/from-inverness/1-3-day-tours/orkney-explorer-3-day-tour
We had a fantastic tour guide and it was super nice to not have to drive. The group was 15. The first day we made a few stops and then got on the car ferry to Orkney. We stayed 2 nights at the Kirkwall hotel, probably the fanciest hotel in town. There were several other options, as we would see where our van mates were staying when they got picked up each morning. It was misty and cool both days with temps in the high 50s. I brought a waterproof raincoat and a light puffer for underneath. Also brought a rain hat, but only needed that one day. The weather improved on the trip as we went along.
The second day we toured the major sites on orkney, a Stone circle 1000 yrs older than Stonehenge and a preserved settlement called Skara Brae. In addition, we saw the Churchill barriers which were built during the war to keep enemy ships out of Orkney which was very strategic. All of it was amazing even when it was "smurry" - a Scottish term for when it's not really raining but it's misting and wet.
On the third day we headed back down to Inverness and arrived around dinner time. We booked 2 more nights just so we would have a rest day after the 3 days of intensive touring. We booked the Art House apartments, which were on the other side of the river from our first B&B and actually closer to downtown. This place was more expensive (and gorgeous!) & had a washer/dryer which was helpful at that point.
Inverness is a good place to base yourself, but there's really not a whole lot to do there (which I had been told). We did have a couple of really nice dinners at Cafe 1 and Encore une fois. Both recommended. We walked along the river and had a really nice free day. There's a great used bookstore called Leakey's that had interesting stuff including vintage prints and drawings.
We decided to take the train to Edinburgh from Inverness. We paid L57 each so about $75, booked about a month out. There are two train companies in Scotland and Scotrail is less fancy. Our train did not have food on board so we got sandwiches beforehand and it was fine.
Once we got to Edinburgh we picked up a rental car to our next destination. We booked with Arnold Clark (reco from RS) who gave great service and provided us with a much nicer car than we expected. Then we drove about 1 hour south from Edinburgh to Kelso where we were staying at Schloss Roxburgh. We booked this with Hyatt points so it was free and it was fantastic. Perfect country estate with a massive breakfast and great walking trails.
After two nights there we moved to Edinburgh and stayed at the Kimpton Charlotte square- which was a great location. We only had two days there so we did a hop-on hop-off bus tour which was excellent. Not something I usually do but it was great way to see the city!
Posted by
OP
190 posts
The new town and the old town in Edinburgh are separated by this giant green space which is also at a much lower level. I wasn't expecting Edinburgh to be so hilly! One of those things that you can't tell when you're looking at a map. So it was really nice to take the hop-on bus to that other part of town get off, walk around and then just wait for the next bus. We We loved the stone architecture! The buses came every 10 minutes so it was really easy. There are many to choose from - I recommend picking one that has an actual person on the bus narrating. It's much more interesting. The other buses you just listen with headphones to an audio tour.
After our two nights in Edinburgh, we took the train from there to London and spent one last night before our flight home. We stayed at a very convenient hotel for the airport. If you don't want to stay out near Heathrow. It was called Wilde Aparthotel Paddington. Super modern and new. With great air conditioning and a washer and automated blinds that really black out the room. And it's also walking distance to a very cute area with a canal and electric boat rentals and several restaurants. Then it's literally a 10-minute walk into Paddington station where you can catch Elizabeth line direct to Heathrow. We enjoyed having our last evening with a nice dinner and people-watching instead of just being at the airport.
We really enjoyed all of our stops in Scotland. The people are so friendly! By the time we got to edinburgh the weather had improved and the sun was coming out (sometimes) but you must be prepared for cool and cloudy. Already planning my next trip back!
Posted by
Lynnwood
280 posts
Thank you! This was really fun to read.
Posted by
Camano Island, WA, usa
1517 posts
Very nice narrative style report. Very useful information.
Posted by
New York
143 posts
Thank you for sharing your trip report, it sounds like you saw and did a lot!