Honeymoon in Scotland

[IEScotsman]

My new wife and I would like to take our honeymoon in Scotland and would love help from "the experts" (that's you!). We would like to go sometime in early August and have a true Scottish experiene instead of JUST the touristy stuff.

What advice can the wonderful XMarkers give? I've heard there is a huge festival around that time - should we try and see it? We would love to see a variety of castles, Wallace monument(s), and good Scotch...I mean restaurants.

Thanks everyone.

[Oldhiker]

My advise is to rent a car, don't take the bus tours. You will find many excellent places off the beaten path. You can still hit the high spots like Stirling Castle, etc. Take the single lane roads and you will find many jewels that only the locals see. Single lane roads take driving on the wrong side of the road worries away haha.

Stay in B&B's, all the ones we stayed in the owners are very helpful and gracious host.

I personally like the west coast, highland country, but that is personal preference.

[IEScotsman]

I own a timeshare and will be able to stay an entire week free, as long as we're in their resorts for the week. But I love the rental car idea. Thanks!
Any centrally-located city that would give us access to a lot of sites?

[McClef]

Edinburgh and Glasgow for the central belt or Inverness or Aberdeen for the Highlands.

Scotland is a lifetime's study, so much I have seen and so much yet to see!

[cessna152towser]

August is Edinburgh festival season, so it will be very busy then, but also one of the best times of year to see plenty kilts on the streets. Glasgow or Edinburgh being centrally situated, if you hire a car you can easily make trips into the Highlands or head south into the southern uplands and see some of our rolling hills, forests and moorland and fabulous abbeys, castles and tower houses, and maybe meet up with some of us. My wife and I own timeshare in Madeira,but as my wife is no longer able to travel we use it for exchanges to timeshare properties in Britain and next week we are planning to stay in an Edinburgh property for a week.

[GatorUK]

No X marker's trip tae Scotland would be complete w/o dropping in on Robertson (our own P1M) in Dumfries. I'm sure he'll make it well worth your while. Follow the link laddie and congratulations!

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...rkers+discount

[IEScotsman]

Looks like Glasgow and Edinburgh are our best bets. Thanks much for the advice. I've heard that Tattoo is the highlight of the festivals...would you recommend we see it?

[McClef]

The Tattoo is indeed a highlight but I gather that all tickets for this year's season have already been sold. They really do go like hot cakes.

Many organisations buy them up in bulk but you may be able to get them as part of a package such as http://www.destination-edinburgh.com...0tattoo%202007

However the Festival alone would give you plenty to see and do as will Auld Reekie herself.

But by all means check out the official tattoo site http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/ in case what I have been told about tickets is wrong.

[Caradoc]

Looks like Glasgow and Edinburgh are our best bets. Thanks much for the advice. I've heard that Tattoo is the highlight of the festivals...would you recommend we see it?

If you get a chance to see the Tattoo, do it.

If you're in Glasgow, avoid The Brunswick Hotel.

B&Bs are better than hotels, everywhere we went (Edinburgh, Dumfries, Glasgow, Stirling, Oban, Ft. William, Inverness, St. Andrews) with one exception - also avoid the Corstorphine House in Edinburgh, as well as the other guest houses on either side of it.

I wouldn't recommend renting a car unless you're really, really sure you want to do it, and then you should still pay the extra to get a GPS unit with the car or bring your own UK-capable GPS unit.

Getting lost for four hours in a city in a foreign country on your honeymoon is not something I'd recommend if you can avoid it.

And, yes, I made that mistake and learned from it.

Read up on VAT refund policies and procedures before you go. There are a number of websites you can reference via Google.

HIGHLY recommended B&Bs, in my order of preference:

Ferintosh Guest House, Dumfries
Moyness House, Inverness
Greencourt Guest House, Oban

Things to see that aren't on the "usual" tourist lists for Scotland - everyone wants to see the castles and museums...

If you end up near Oban, make sure you see the Scottish Sea Sanctuary north of Oban. They rescue wounded and sick seals and nurse them back to health, and sick baby seals are the most pathetically cute creatures on the face of this fair planet of ours.

On the road between Inverness and Perth is a little roadside place called the Ralia Cafe. Prepackaged sandwiches, but their soups are homemade daily and they've got free wi-fi access, and they've got a nice selection of snacks and dessert-type yummies.

In Inverness is a rather nice bar/pub that serves Thai food and live Scottish music - called "Hootananny."

Hope this helps...

[Mike1]

If you're going to be spending any time in the Stirling area, I can recommend The Treehouse Bed & Breakfast, located near the Allan water in Bridge of Allan.

I stayed in the studio apartment for a week, back in late 2005 and Fiona was an excellent host. Bridge of Allan is a very nice community and you are only moments away from Stirling, the Wallace Monument, Stirling Uni, etc.