Cheap season for Scotland?

[Kid Cossack]

Gents:

Talking yesterday with a good friend from the early college years, we ended up discussing trips worth taking, and Charlie (the avid flyfisherman) and I (the kilted fellow with an interest in single malts) somehow settled on . . . Scotland! (Yeah, there's a shock, right?)

So thinks I, I might as well ask what the cheap season for visiting Scotland was, at this website I know of. So here I am. I'm asking. What say ye all?

What's the "best" time to visit Scotland? What's the "cheapest" time to visit Scotland?

[McClef]

There are so many variables such as season of the year, the type of weather you would like to see, where in Scotland you want to go.

Obviously summer is a more popular time. Don't expect Edinburgh to be cheap in August because of the Festival and the Tattoo - accomodation prices can double (or worse) then. Once you have an idea of your itenary and dates there are many search engines you can use to find out availability and cost.

[Mike1]

What's the "best" time to visit Scotland?

The days that end in "Y" are the best days to visit. (As if there is a bad time, eh?)

What's the "cheapest" time to visit Scotland?

Peak travel season is peak travel season, no matter where you visit.

[Caradoc]

We had a lot of luck in early November. It's just after the "regular" tourist season ends in October, and prices are good for those places that remain open... The Big Red Bus doesn't run after October 31st in a number of locations, which means you're stuck with regular trains, buses, taxis, or renting a car.

[mang1974]

We went in May back in 1998. Weather was pretty good overall. We used a company called Home At First (http://www.homeatfirst.com/) that sets you up with a flat/apartment and a car.

[MACKAY]

We had a lot of luck in early November. It's just after the "regular" tourist season ends in October, and prices are good for those places that remain open...

I too have found that late Oct - early Nov is a great time to visit. Most, if not all, 'tourist' are gone which makes time at museums or historical sites much more personal and enjoyable. I also find that the hotel prices are cheaper, but I personally prefer B&B accommodations. During that time of the year the prices get very reasonable at the B&Bs. Oh, and the Haggis hunting season is in full swing.

Now the bad part - a LOT of the tourist areas and attractions are either closed or have limited hours - the weather can be tricky (rain, fog, snow), especially up north. And if you are looking for the Heather to be in bloom you will be out of luck. But what the heck - you're in Scotland!

Brian

[Pour1Malt]

prices fur B&B's gae oop in the summer season (June 1-Oct 1)

some B&B's arr closed frae Nov-March (Ferintosh is open a' year!)

some castles an other sichts arr closed in the winter (Oct 1-March 31)

The Edinburgh Festival (Fringe, Tattoo, an sae oan) is in August... it is Edinburgh a' it's best- but alsa a' it's busiest... book accomodation 12 month in advance....

Hogmanay/New Year many towns an villages arr a guid pairty... Edinburgh is the maist famous... book 12 months in advance... (an bae prepared fur the ootdoor pairty tae bae cancelled- it has twa years in a row noo... )

it rains in Scotland 12 months a year... the maist moderate weather is in the soothwest o' Scotland (it is the warm Gulf Stream keep things moderate...) the maist rain falls in the western he'lans...

it snaws in the higher areas Nov-March... the worst weather tends tae bae Dec-Feb...

Scotland is a wee country compared tae usa... but dinnae bae deceived...
Scotland has 790 islands an 6000 miles o' coastline (just the mainland- no countin' the island coasts) an 600 sq miles o' lochs.... Scotland has o'er 600 castles...an roon 100 distilleries... 540 golf courses... 100's o' neolithic standin' stanes an circles... an 100's o' Roman ruins...

there is literally thousands o' things tae see an dae in Scotland... dinnae think ya "HAVE TO" dae it a' in yin trip.... ya cannae see it a'!

the 'cheapest' time tae see Scotland is aff season (Oct 1- March 31)

the 'best' time... depends oan whit ya want tae see an dae... depends oan if storms arr cold temps wuid ruin yur trip... depends if ya want tae hire (rent) a car an drive yursel (an if ya want tae drive oan oan the other side o' skinny curvey, wet, snawy roads...)... depends if tons o' tourists roon ya wuid ruin yur trip....

dae ya want a Burns Supper? come end o' Jan... dae ya want golf? come summer arr autumn... dae ya want Hei'lan games? come summer... dae ya want Edinburgh Festival? come August.... dae ya want Hogmanay? come end Dec.. dae ya want castles? come spring, summer, autumn...dae ya want ta fish? hike? tour distilleries, camp oot, island hop?

see this fur whit tae dae roon Dumfries...

http://www.ferintosh.net/tourism.htm


if ya want less tourist an a 'feel' o sma' toon life... come in the aff season...

we get tourists in Dumfries 12 months a year....

slainte

[Kid Cossack]

Robertson:

The initial impetus for travel to the auld sod came from you! It was your pictures from your wandering pub day that got things started, and Ferintosh is definitely the place we'd be looking to stay at. Unfortunately, with the little monsters being somewhat grown, we are now tied to a school schedule, which would give us a late December-early January time frame. It's still in the planning phases, but we're definitely looking forward to a trip to Scotland in the next year or two.

[cavscout]

what about between February and June.

Edit: Oops, should have waited for P1M to post.

As I've tried to answer many of the same questions, can you get in on the front end of the tourist season and find good deals?

I'm torn on what part of Scotland to visit because I want to see mainly beautiful landscapes (Mountains, Lochs...) and quiet, remote villages but I also would like to have time at Fraserburgh and Inverness and Loch Ness. I'd also like to hit at least one of Glasgow or Edinburgh.

If you fly into Glasgow or Edinburgh, spend a day or two. Then Drive or take a train into the highlands. I guess the main question is where in the highlands to you base out of? Around Aberdeen or Inverness or do you go further north.

Perhaps the desires are more than one trip can accommodate. Any ideas?

[starbkjrus]

As someone who is booking a trip as I type here I can tell you the last two weeks of June are NOT the cheap season. Judging by the hotel rates in Edinburgh July, August and September are not either. $ 1.95 = 1 GPB doesn't help either.

It seems that most folks I know who go to Scotland seem to think there is nothing in the country outside Edinburgh and Loch Ness. (The knowledgeable denizens of this forum notwithstanding.) I'm certainly no expert but we're going to spend the majority of our trip in the south using Ferintosh as our base. (Robertson, I have my dates and will send you a reservation this afternoon.) There is much to do and see either in within driving distance from Dumfries and much of it will be cheaper than Edinburgh.