Britain/Ireland for the holidays

[highlander_Daz]

for Hogmanay I would recomend you head north, Inverness and Drumnadrochit has fantastic Hogmanay celebrations, Inverness is a very low crime/Neds area, fireworks pipers and authentic Highland hospitality i can also reccomend the isle of Mull, i spent hogmanay in Tobermory one year and it was brilliant.

If you must go to London please be careful, it has changed so much, its a hotbed of crime/mugging/pickpockets .

[fluter]

In London, I highly recommend "the original" London Walks for guided walking tours. If I recall correctly, they operate on Christmas and Boxing Day.

[Beertigger]

for Hogmanay I would recomend you head north, Inverness and Drumnadrochit has fantastic Hogmanay celebrations, Inverness is a very low crime/Neds area, fireworks pipers and authentic Highland hospitality i can also reccomend the isle of Mull, i spent hogmanay in Tobermory one year and it was brilliant.

We'll be in Inverness on the 28th/29th, after a stop for lunch in Pitlochry on the way.

Hogmanay'll be in Dumfries, enjoying the much-proclaimed hospitality of Ferintosh.

The wife wants to take a cruise on Loch Ness. Possible or just too damn cold to consider? I'd like to see Culloden, but there don't seem to be any tours running on the 29th, and we'll be w/o transport, since we're training it.

[highlander_Daz]

Pitlochry is nice can be expensive to eat but cheap for gifts/ outdoor wear, last time i was there I was dismayed to find a branch of the Gold Bros empire.
you can do a cruise on the Loch however, it can be very cold, and misty

Culloden is a very emotive place, i dont know if the visitor centre will be open but it doesnt matter if its not, its worth a look, there are plenty of taxi firms

[Beertigger]

Pitlochry is nice can be expensive to eat but cheap for gifts/ outdoor wear, last time i was there I was dismayed to find a branch of the Gold Bros empire.

What's the name of the place, so I won't waste my time?

In Pitlochry, the Moulin Inn doesn't look that pricey, and has plenty of great reviews online. I hope to find time to visit Edradour Distillery while we're there, as well.

[highlander_Daz]

Dont worry youll know it!! its on the main drag near to the kids amusment arcade.near to the path to the dam/ fish ladder (as opposed to damn fish ladder)

[Beertigger]

I'm rather excited at this prospect - just found out Big Country will be playing at Inverness while we're there.

Never got the chance to see 'em before Stuart died; they weren't real big on touring the U.S.

The other three members have always been some of my favorite musicians, drummer Mark Brzezicki especially.

"We lay the night in anguish
Snakes drawn out by the tide
The compass of decision
Falls always on one side

But many went before us
And still the cries are clear
There is no beauty here
Just the stench of wine and beer"

[Beertigger]

A self-serving bump, if anybody's got any more input...

Thanks for all the advice and PM's thus far.

[Jock Scot]

for Hogmanay I would recomend you head north, Inverness and Drumnadrochit has fantastic Hogmanay celebrations, Inverness is a very low crime/Neds area, fireworks pipers and authentic Highland hospitality i can also reccomend the isle of Mull, i spent hogmanay in Tobermory one year and it was brilliant.

If you must go to London please be careful, it has changed so much, its a hotbed of crime/mugging/pickpockets .

I echo what HD has said.I also think that Christmas is not the HUGE event in the Highlands that it certainly is further South, so if you are near Inverness dont be surprised if the Christmas(not the day of course) period seems to have no effect on shops etc..On the other hand the rail system could be even more unreliable than normal!

[cessna152towser]

Hogmanay in Dumfries - great idea - if weather's mild my wife and I may come along and join you for the evening.
Glasgow - When we go there, Ann and I always stay at the Ramada Hotel at Glasgow Airport. Not very central but there is plenty of public transport from the airport to the city centre. Being an airport hotel most customers just stay the one night and in the winter months they offer some very cheap deals if you want to stay for several nights. Comfy beds and good food.
Trains - My experience of trains is that you can be much cheaper booking individual journeys with the train companies direct. Tickets which involve travel on trains of more than one company are accounted to the train companies through the Railway Clearing House, with the train company only getting a share after the admin costs have been covered and the price will reflect this. As a recent example in August of this year when I had to leave the 'plane at Blackpool due to bad weather and come home by train, I paid the local fare on First North Western train from Blackpool to Preston to the train conductor and then bought a ticket at Preston from Virgin Rail's ticket office for a Virgin train to Carlisle. On my way back to collect the 'plane I went to Virgin Trains desk at Carlisle Railway Station and asked for a one way ticket to Blackpool. This proved much more expensive, simply because the one ticket covered travel on two different companies' trains.