June travels to Scotland

[brewerpaul]

Paul,
Another small point when you're driving. In Scotland the legal alcohol limit has recently been reduced to 50 milligrams of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood (as it is in most of Europe but not England and Wales). Most people simply don't drink and drive.
Alan

Many thanks Alan for this point. If we drink while in the car it will be perhaps a pint at a pub while we eat a bite of lunch and visit some castles or such. Otherwise our drinking is reserved to finding an evening pub for a pint or two, withing walking distance from our B&B, and then a nightcap of some good whisky back in the safety of the B&B. We did that last visit and it was quite a nice way to end each evening.

Many thanks for all the links and photos posted. I know the next few weeks will be spent researching and narrowing down places and hikes we want to do. That will keep us from spinning in circles with to much to see and no plan of action. I know we will visit Knockando Wool Mill when we are staying in Inverness. I donate to the wool mill historic fun yearly and want to see the place after all the restoration.

As far as the flying/biting critters, we will manage. Having hiked with net hats before and spent time with ducktape pulling seed ticks off Im sure we will do ok. The deer/horse flys are a bit of a pain but also kinda slow so good targets to swat.

Everyone has been great here, as is always the case on Xmarks, and I know our trip will be a quality visit using this information. many many Thanks
Paul

[neloon]

Paul,
The views on drink/driving have changed since your last visit so here is yet another link
http://www.dontriskit.info/
Alan

[brewerpaul]

Paul,
The views on drink/driving have changed since your last visit so here is yet another link
http://www.dontriskit.info/
Alan

Im sure it will be obvious as a bright red beacon on my car that Im a tourist so I plan to play it very safe. Drinking is something we enjoy and explore, especially local brewed ales, so I dont plan to see the other side of iron bars unless it is in one of the castle dungeons. Most of our days will be spent hiking or biking so the rare occasion we tourist to some castles will be the only chance we might share an ale with lunch. Otherwise we prefer our pints after dinner and an evening walk back to our B&B. Ive even entertained the thought of a large sign in the back window stating "Yes I am an American tourist, Ill try to stay on the correct side of the lane".

[Dixiecat]

Im sure it will be obvious as a bright red beacon on my car that Im a tourist so I plan to play it very safe. Drinking is something we enjoy and explore, especially local brewed ales, so I dont plan to see the other side of iron bars unless it is in one of the castle dungeons. Most of our days will be spent hiking or biking so the rare occasion we tourist to some castles will be the only chance we might share an ale with lunch. Otherwise we prefer our pints after dinner and an evening walk back to our B&B. Ive even entertained the thought of a large sign in the back window stating "Yes I am an American tourist, Ill try to stay on the correct side of the lane".

You can drop the American bit. It seems that 98% of the world drives on the right.

[brewerpaul]

You can drop the American bit. It seems that 98% of the world drives on the right.

You are correct there so Ill just have tourist in bold. I seem remember when I was in Nepal they drove down the right... and the left.. sometimes the middle between to other vehicles. The only thing safe from the honking horns were the cows.

[Jock Scot]

Just a thought as you like local brewed ales. If you have a spare hour, have a look at the Black Isle Brewery. Its about 3 miles North of Inverness just off the A9. There is also the Skye Brewery on Skye . OK that sounds obvious doesn't it? Well, don't rely on businesses being situated necessarily where you think they might be!

[frank_a]

I would love to visit Inveraray, simply because it is one of the only planned villages in Scotland. A former Duke of Argyll didn't like having all the rabble living so close to his castle, so he designed a village for them, built it, and moved the bunch of them down to the loch!

Having said that, the possibility of me ever getting to Scotland gets a bit dimmer every year. I hope all you folks that can go (yes, YOU Paul!) have a great time and keep us posted. If nothing else, I can live vicariously.

Frank

[Pleater]

Sat Navs have increased in ability and dropped in price each year just recently - I have found them so useful when travelling as they can direct you to the closest place to eat or nearest petrol station, I have had the one fixed into the vehicle and a hand held one for wandering on most trips in the past year or so. I tend to wander about towns looking at the changes in architecture and thinking more about the development of the different areas of the place, locating the old marketplace and coaching inn for instance, traces of bygone industry, and to be able to use the Sat Nav to give me a direct path to where I left the car rather than retracing my often erratic route saves time and worry.

I love maps - I have a set of small scale OS maps of the entire country, but the Sat Nav is a great addition to the enjoyment of the moment.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Pleater]

The vehicles I have hired recently have all been fitted with sat nav boxes - which - if they have the features, can be very useful in finding places to stop, park, eat and visit.
The really clever ones - I was most impressed last year when I encountered one for the first time, can direct you around road closures due to accidents.
The portable ones can be very useful when on foot - particularly for finding the shortest route back to the car again, but I am not sure how easy it is to get a map downloaded. I met some visitors who had decided not to pay for the map and download it at home, and when they arrived in the UK the providers were most uncooperative and would not allow them to have a download.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[SeumasA]

It's been a few years since our trip, but at the time the fee for the satnav was more than the daily car rental. We brought our own, but primarily used our maps.
I still like to look at a map to get the big picture, instead of that little screen on the GPS.