Travelling to Scotland - advice??

[Hachiman]

Hi folks!

Ok, this is question is a tad odd, hence placing it here in the Miscellaneous forum. Both my wife and I have Scottish heritage, and I would like to take us both to Scotland to visit our ancestral "homes". Her clan is a sept of MacLaren, which means her ancestral home is near Stirling. My ancestor came from Ayr on the west coast.

My question to those familiar with these regions of Scotland is this: what areas / sites / sights would you recommend to someone travelling to these areas for the first time? What is a "must see" and what would you suggest be avoided?

At this point this is more of a "wish list" than a definitive plan to travel, but one has to start somewhere, huh? Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

regards
Hachiman

[Baldybrown]

Edinburgh! There are a million sunny beaches in the world, but there is only one Edinburgh. Plan on at the very least, a couple of days there. Head West young man. Stop at the Falkirk Wheel, the Wallace Monument, Sterling Castle. St. Andrews is an absolute treasure! (hit the bakeries as soon after dawn as possible) The Urquhart Castle visitors center on the Northwest shore of Loch Ness is fabulous, as is the city of Inverness. The Isles of Skye and Mull are worth spending your whole trip there. If you find yourself in Oban, and you should, do whatever it takes to eat dinner at The Seafood Temple. The best thing to do is get lost and ask the locals for directions.
No matter how long of a trip you have planned, know that you will be missing most of the wonder that is Scotland. Don't worry about it overly much, you'll be back! We are leaving for our second trip in 24 days, 9 hours, and 12 minutes. If you'd like to see some of the highlights of our last trip you can go to our blog http://grandmagrampabrown.blogspot.com/ Scroll down to the older posts and you'll see why we've fallen in love with our common homeland.
slainte

[cessna152towser]

Must see is Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument.
While in Ayr be sure to visit Burns Cottage and the new Burns Heritage Centre at nearby Alloway.
Glasgow would make a good base as it is a great city with fine buildings, the Cathedral, the Provand's Lordship, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery etc. Also a vibrant waterfront and great shopping opportunities for your wife. Glasgow has quite a few modern hotels and is less than an hour's train ride to Stirling or Ayr.
I live just 55 miles from Edinburgh and I would say it is one place best avoided. Too touristy and full of tat shops and if you are going to be in Scotland in August, Edinburgh will be too busy with people who regard the tattoo and festival as must sees.
My key piece of advice though would be to make sure you have waterproof clothing as it rains a lot here in Scotland.

[Jock Scot]

I know many will not agree, but I am with Alex on this one -------avoid Edinburgh and particularly, avoid Edinburgh in August. As to seeing Scotland as a whole, listen to those that have visited ----------its no good asking a local!

[Chas]

While I want to agree with all the previous posters, I really do think that there is a case to be made for doing all the touristy things. It is not just your experience at the time but the shared experiences with others in the years to come, which will allow you to relive the first experience.

It is like going to Brey in Berkshire and deliberately NOT going to the Fat Duck, so that you can tell all your friends that you went to the local McDonalds, instead.

It can be argued that the Angel Falls in Venezuela is the most beautiful in the world. Or that the Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe is the most beautiful. But people will flock to Niagara Falls because they have toilets, cafes and souvenir stands.

Tourist places cater for the tourist.

Next visit, you can go off the beaten track.

Regards

Chas

[Father Bill]

My thinking has always been that on the first trip I take a touristy-tour. It teaches me what it is that I will want to see on my next trip - the REAL one.

[Jackson]

I will be following this thread with a great deal of interest in the next few days. My wife and I will be travelling to Scotland in 10 days or so for a 2 week holiday. It will be our first experience in Scotland and I'm already making my list of "things to do". Thanks for the input, the "what to see", and expect a full report upon our return!

Jackson

[Oldhiker]

Take some back roads, avoid most the major tourist spots. You will meet some of the most friendly people in the world if you take your time and go slowly. My first trip we moved each night... I was exhausted.

[Jock Scot]

Well alright, from locals point of view and in the spirit of being helpful, Blair Castle(House of Bruar shop is close by too, also good for a spot of lunch), Ruthven Barracks, (both along-side the A9 road to Inverness). Whilst at Inverness, Culloden, Fort George, Cawdor Castle, Close up views of wild dolphins at Channonry Point. Cut accross to the West via the Great Glen(A82) stop at Urquhart Castle(along-side Loch Ness), onto the Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge, onto Fort William.Take the world renowned steam train ride from FW to Mallaig and back, going over the "Harry Potter" viaduct at Glenfinnan(look out for the Glenfinnan monument where the clans gathered in 1745). From FW you could go to Skye, or Oban(onto Mull +Iona), or Glencoe(A82 South) or the "coast road South around Argyle.

Or head further North, or visit the Western Isles, or, or, or--------. An absolute must do if in the Highlands and we do it at least once if we have visitors staying, is take a side road and find a Glen away from the main routes-----HAVE FAITH and a full tank of fuel----- the roads are usually single track and can lead you no where! Stop out of the treeline and have a picnic and listen! On the right day the silence can be deafening!We find that after a while even children almost whisper. If the weather is wild then just stop for a while and let the atmosphere do its stuff, the light will constantly change, so will the view, one minute it might be 30 yards through low cloud and pouring rain, the next minute you might be able to see clearly for thirty miles. Yes I am biased, I love every second(ok, OK,OKAY apart from the midgies!) of not only the Scottish outdoors and the views it provides, rivers, wildlife, colours etc., but also the castles, history, people and these days, the food too.

As always, if any one is in the area of the "Great Glen" then there is a standing invitation for a possible meet up for a wee dram with "Jock". It is not always possible of course, but I have been known to bump into various members of xmarks in various places around and about. Have fun.

[brewerpaul]

If you can swing it, and you can do it easily by rail from Edinburgh, head to places like Pitlochry and take a morning walk up to the oldest farmhouse distillery in Scotland. Edradour is worth the walk, or drive if you prefer. There is a good brewery/pub in Moulin just a mile out of Pitlochry. Some great Indian food can be found there too. Aberfeldy has the statue to the Black Watch and Dewars distillery if you wish to see a big production distillery. We enjoyed Collander which is a short drive from Stirling. There was a nice walk to some beautiful falls and the Crags of Collander. The crags are bluffs but worth the hike. Stirling was enjoyable for the castle and one very old pub we found, The Settle Inn est. 1733. The Wallace tower is there also, though we didnt have time to get to it.

Of course diets are out of the window with a traditional Scottish breakfast.



Take in a bakery or meat market in the small towns and find some wonderful lamb, veggie, meat pies. They make great lunch treats.



In Stirling make sure to find The Settle Inn, it was a wonderful Inn and one of the few that had dark porters and stouts on tap.




If you can get to the Crannogs it is a fascinating bit of early Scottish history.

http://www.crannog.co.uk/


Mostly enjoy as we did last year. We were there in June so a bit ahead of everyone on holiday. Edinburgh was still busy even then but we flew into Edinburgh and had two days to do the tourist thing.

Enjoy your trip.