Honeymoon in Scotland, trip suggestions

[cessna152towser]

The rolling Southern Uplands are too often overlooked by our visitors from North America. Here in the Scottish Borders and in neighbouring Dumfries and Galloway you can see much surviving history of the borders warfare and the Reivers in the form of many castles, tower houses and fortified farms. The Borders towns all have their own individual character with their annual horseback Common Riding events. Here in Hawick alone we have the House of Cheviot sock factory, Johnston's of Elgin Cashmere Visitor Centre, Hawick Cashmere visitor centre, the award winning Wilton Lodge Park with its spectacular waterfall, the Heritage Hub where you can carry out ancestry research if you have ancestry from Scotland or Northern England, or sip a cool beer or latte on the glass floor over the water wheel of the historic Tower Mill. Hawick markets itself as Scotland's heritage capital and is very popular with European visitors, and also a stopping place for some of the Japanese tourists but strangely is relatively unknown to our North American friends.
Most of the Scottish population lives in the central belt and the Southern Uplands are in places just as sparsely populated as the Highlands. The scenery is more gentle and while the mountains may be less spectacular the ancient castles and abbeys more than compensate for this.
If you do spend time in Edinburgh, you can easily visit the Borders on a day trip using tne new Borders Railway which opened last September and can bring you here in under an hour from the centre of Edinburgh. Don't go all the way to the, hopefully temporary, end of the line at Tweedbank as this is just a residential area and leaves you a forty minute walk or a five minute bus ride short of the tourist town of Melrose with its historic Abbey and walled gardens. Instead alight at Galashiels and take a bus from the transport interchange there. Buses run fast and frequent from Galashielse to Melrose, Kelso, Jedburgh, Selkirk or Hawick. Visit Kelso or Jedburgh abbeys or explore Jedburgh's historic closes (from Jedburgh Castle down to the High School is just like Edinburgh Royal Mile but on a smaller scale and without all the tourist tat). Or explore the Kirk o' the Forest in Selkirk where William Wallace was first appointed Guardian of Scotland and where Franklin D Roosevelt's mother's family are buried, just a one minute walk from the main bus stance in Selkirk Market Place.
Personally I think Edinburgh is a dump and not worth visiting, but like CTBuchanan I have connections with Glasgow so maybe I am biased. Glasgow is worth visiting for its friendly people, its vibrant waterfront, beautiful parks and splendid architecture, especially the People's Palace, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow University and the Charles Rennie MacIntosh designed Scotland Street school museum.
Glasgow is a good location for visiting the west coast. There are frequent trains to Gourock, Ardrossan, Largs or Ayr and many ferry services on the Firth of Clyde. Visit the islands of Bute and Arran if you have an opportunity. There are a few daily trains to Oban or Fort William and onwards to Mallaig on the West Highland line famous as a location in the Harry Potter films.
If you really do need to visit the outer islands such as Tiree, the Outer Hebrides, Orkneys or Shetlands, best to fly from Glasgow Airport, otherwise you will spend a lot of your time on surface travel.

[NPG]

The rolling Southern Uplands are too often overlooked by our visitors from North America. Here in the Scottish Borders and in neighbouring Dumfries and Galloway you can see much surviving history of the borders warfare and the Reivers in the form of many castles, tower houses and fortified farms. The Borders towns all have their own individual character with their annual horseback Common Riding events. Here in Hawick alone we have the House of Cheviot sock factory, Johnston's of Elgin Cashmere Visitor Centre, Hawick Cashmere visitor centre, the award winning Wilton Lodge Park with its spectacular waterfall, the Heritage Hub where you can carry out ancestry research if you have ancestry from Scotland or Northern England, or sip a cool beer or latte on the glass floor over the water wheel of the historic Tower Mill. Hawick markets itself as Scotland's heritage capital and is very popular with European visitors, and also a stopping place for some of the Japanese tourists but strangely is relatively unknown to our North American friends.
Most of the Scottish population lives in the central belt and the Southern Uplands are in places just as sparsely populated as the Highlands. The scenery is more gentle and while the mountains may be less spectacular the ancient castles and abbeys more than compensate for this.
If you do spend time in Edinburgh, you can easily visit the Borders on a day trip using tne new Borders Railway which opened last September and can bring you here in under an hour from the centre of Edinburgh. Don't go all the way to the, hopefully temporary, end of the line at Tweedbank as this is just a residential area and leaves you a forty minute walk or a five minute bus ride short of the tourist town of Melrose with its historic Abbey and walled gardens. Instead alight at Galashiels and take a bus from the transport interchange there. Buses run fast and frequent from Galashielse to Melrose, Kelso, Jedburgh, Selkirk or Hawick. Visit Kelso or Jedburgh abbeys or explore Jedburgh's historic closes (from Jedburgh Castle down to the High School is just like Edinburgh Royal Mile but on a smaller scale and without all the tourist tat). Or explore the Kirk o' the Forest in Selkirk where William Wallace was first appointed Guardian of Scotland and where Franklin D Roosevelt's mother's family are buried, just a one minute walk from the main bus stance in Selkirk Market Place.
Personally I think Edinburgh is a dump and not worth visiting, but like CTBuchanan I have connections with Glasgow so maybe I am biased. Glasgow is worth visiting for its friendly people, its vibrant waterfront, beautiful parks and splendid architecture, especially the People's Palace, Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow University and the Charles Rennie MacIntosh designed Scotland Street school museum.
Glasgow is a good location for visiting the west coast. There are frequent trains to Gourock, Ardrossan, Largs or Ayr and many ferry services on the Firth of Clyde. Visit the islands of Bute and Arran if you have an opportunity. There are a few daily trains to Oban or Fort William and onwards to Mallaig on the West Highland line famous as a location in the Harry Potter films.
If you really do need to visit the outer islands such as Tiree, the Outer Hebrides, Orkneys or Shetlands, best to fly from Glasgow Airport, otherwise you will spend a lot of your time on surface travel.

Thank you, and point conceded about skipping over the Border towns. I did not know about the new rail line. You also bring up a point I had not considered. I had planned on using mostly rail for our travels, and ferries out to the isles, but would flying be more expedient? Here in the states it is a little hard to find flights within the UK to the smaller airports.

[cessna152towser]

but would flying be more expedient? Here in the states it is a little hard to find flights within the UK to the smaller airports.

Flying is not cheap as the flights to the islands tend to use smaller planes with a more personal service, but can be cost effective if you want to see as much as possible in the time available.
When I was based in Glasgow I often had to visit Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula on business and my employers insisted I travel by air as it was only a 75 mile, 20 minute flight each way and I could do a full working day and be home the same evening. The alternatives were a 145 mile drive on circuitous twisted roads or two car ferries via the Isle of Arran with overnight hotel stays needed to complete the work.
There are flights daily from Glasgow to the islands of Tiree, Barra, Lewis and Harris, Orkney and Shetland, and twice daily to Islay, and from Oban Airport to Coll. On a clear day you get some magnificent views of the west coast from the air. There are also internal flights over the Scottish mainland from Glasgow and Edinburgh which would take you to Aberdeen, Inverness or Wick.
Information on some of Scotland's smaller airports can be found here:- http://www.hial.co.uk/

[NPG]

Flying is not cheap as the flights to the islands tend to use smaller planes with a more personal service, but can be cost effective if you want to see as much as possible in the time available.
When I was based in Glasgow I often had to visit Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula on business and my employers insisted I travel by air as it was only a 75 mile, 20 minute flight each way and I could do a full working day and be home the same evening. The alternatives were a 145 mile drive on circuitous twisted roads or two car ferries via the Isle of Arran with overnight hotel stays needed to complete the work.
There are flights daily from Glasgow to the islands of Tiree, Barra, Lewis and Harris, Orkney and Shetland, and twice daily to Islay, and from Oban Airport to Coll. On a clear day you get some magnificent views of the west coast from the air. There are also internal flights over the Scottish mainland from Glasgow and Edinburgh which would take you to Aberdeen, Inverness or Wick.
Information on some of Scotland's smaller airports can be found here:- http://www.hial.co.uk/

Thanks for the information, are there specific airlines you can recommend for these flights? My google-fu only turned up a site that wanted me to fly from Glasgow to Dublin to get to Stornoway airport.

[cessna152towser]

Loganair, which flies under the FlyBe franchise does most of the flights to the western isles, Orkneys and Shetlands.
Also Eastern Airways for flights up the east coast from Edinburgh to Aberdeen Inverness or Wick.
http://www.loganair.co.uk/destinations/timetable

[CameronCat]

Given the interests listed above what would people suggest as must see locations? Are there islands outside of Skye, Lewis and Harris that you would say are can't miss experiences?

Yes, absolutely...go to Orkney! If you fly in, plan to hire a guide and tour all the sites and sights. If you take the train from Inverness to Thurso, sign up for the complete tour via the John O'Groats ferry. (I believe the other ferry near Thurso also offers a similar tour but I have no experience with that one.) Either way, the price is reasonable for what you get and includes an (almost) all day bus tour. You'll see stuff from the world wars back through the neolithic era.

You want history? Try walking next to the Standing Stones of Stenness, thought to date from about 3000 BC. Trust me -- thinking about that will mess with your head.

Skye is beautiful--wild and primitive. You could spend your 3 weeks there and not see all of it. The outer islands as well, but Orkney is a must. And the Shetlands aren't too far away then.