Scotland trip....Suggestions?

[Freelander Sporrano]

The distances are not as far as you think. It doesn't take long to drive from Edinburgh to Inverness. Culloden and Lochness are on the doorstep from here.It's a nice drive to Drumnadrochit and Fort Augustus and Fort William.

Have a great trip

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I echo what Freelander said, Scotland's about the same size as South Carolina (to give you a comparison to something in your back yard), so distance is not that great between any two points.

I'll also agree with all who said rent a car. When my wife and I went over, the rail just didn't get to a lot of the places we wanted to see. Getting to them would have meant taking a bus, and I could just envision us hauling all our luggage from train staion to bus station and waiting in lines everywhere we went.

Nope, a car rental was required. Worked out great. Just threw our belongings in the trunk and went wherever the winding road led. We got a great deal using http://www.bluewheels.com/ which I highly reccomend to anyone.

I told them what kind of car we wanted (an automatic, so I didn't have to worry about driving on the other side of the road, and shifting gears with my opposite hand!), and a small car (best fuel economy). I told them when I needed to pick it up, and where, and when and where I planned to drop it off.

Within a few hours I had an email back that they had something for me. They handled all the arrangements. I didn't have to pick up a phone or pay them a dime (the car hire companies pay them for their service). It was so much easier than I anticipated.

I've reccomended them to anyone travelling to the UK ever since.

Aye,
Matt

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

TH, congratulations! You will have a great time. I guess I am going to be in the minority here and say that we have found the rail to be easiest way to go on all our trips across the pond. It was especially great on this last trip with the girls because we just had to get on the train and then we could play with the girls, enjoy the scenery, get a snack, etc. and just had to get off at our stop and grab a cab to our hotel or other destination. We rented a car once when we traveled to Germany and I don't think we would not do it again. Also, in the UK we found the driving on the opposite side of the road enough of a challenge as pedestrians. I would just not want to deal with it while driving. Too many things to see. A railpass does take a little bit of planning, but for us less than the stress of driving. Depending on the length of your trip and your plans, you could get a 4 or 8 day rail pass and spend less than a car, I believe, and if you plan on using public transport while in each destination, the rail pass is not sitting there costing you money while uunused as a car does.

Just our experiences and preferences. One thing to remember is that rail service in the UK and Europe is worlds better than anythin here in the States. Rail is one of the primary means of transportation for a large percentage of the population and the cleanliness, on-time schedules, and ease of use reflects that. We also have met some nice people and had some great conversationsw while traveling by rail that we would not have had by car. That is also a great reason to stay at B&B's or guest houses where you get to meet people at the morning breakfast.

[davedove]

One thing you're going to have to remember is that you'll be a lot farther north than you would be here in the States. That means at that time of year you'll have a lot less daylight hours.

[Monkey@Arms]

I echo what Freelander said, Scotland's about the same size as South Carolina (to give you a comparison to something in your back yard), so distance is not that great between any two points.

Aye, its smaller, but when it comes to planning your drive time always keep in mind that most roads are much narrower and slower going than what your probably used to in the states. We used to say some destination might only be 10 miles away, but they're "Scottish miles" Fortunately, when it comes to scenery, the getting there is half the fun.

Have a great trip!

Best regards,

Jake