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STICKY: Your top tours and itineraries!
VisitScotlandIntro
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This is a sticky thread for the best tours and itineraries added to the Itineraries and trip planning category. Please let us know if you see a good itinerary, question or other thread and we'll add it to this list.
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Hopefully some other members have done this and can chime in with specific recommendations!
Did you have a look at our guides to what to see and do in the area? You'll find them here and here
Perhaps you could start a new discussion or question on this and I'm sure you will get some replies and recommendations.
As I've just joined I'm not yet allowed to post links. Just take my user name (jordangirardin) and add .com
We will be considering doing the 3 Day Highland Itinerary on your website. We will be starting our time in Scotland in Edinburgh and then travel the itinerary you mention...we would like to stay after this trip at a castle convenient to our location that would be near a well known golf course to play a round before heading back to Edinburgh to fly back to the states... Could you recommend something for us?
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
https://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/attractions/tv-film/outlander/
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
My my friend owns this apartment in Edinburgh, Susie is really lovely and does her very best to ensure all her guests have a great stay.
http://www.pleasanceapartment.co.uk/
You don't say what interests you most?
There are are plenty of places you can get to by public transport. There are some that you can't though
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
Scottish Tours
The Original Loch Ness Tour
(Sorry, I can't post the link since I'm new here)
Do you think it's worth it? I'm kinda bummed out by the extra fee to visit the castle.
My trip will be very short, so I thought this would be a good idea to see as much as possible.
When are you visiting and how long for? What sort of things interest you? What's your budget?
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
Hi I would like some info about where is best to stay to go on the castle trails. My plan is to take our first trip to Scotland in either June or September - 7 days. Interests are; architecture, history, local culture/food. We want to see a lot but have a day or 2 where we are not travelling. Ideally we would be in one spot but would not mind moving once or twice...especially if we could find a great deal to stay in a castle. Budget $2000 for 2 adults.
Can you clarify, is that budget for the whole 7 days and is that USD?!
The best area for castles is Royal Deeside / Aberdeenshire with around 300 of them. Even some you can use as a hotel or self catering accommodation.
http://www.kpcastlehotel.co.uk - 2 for the price of one stay in the 4* castle hotel overlooking the 13th century castle ruins.
OK this one is not a castle - http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6626-mercure-aberdeen-ardoe-house-hotel-spa/index.shtml BUT it is castle like in appearance and very grand in terms of delivery.
And a final idea - this castle has self catering units available - http://www.delgatiecastle.com/Index.html
Aberdeenshire is home to a few distilleries (8) and 55 golf courses so there's plenty to see and do outside of the castle spotting!
I hope this helps, if I can help any further drop me a message.
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
Carrying south toward Galashiels, Melrose, St. Boswells, Kelso and Jedburgh will have you in the heart of the Border Abbeys and the communities above-named. Every history lover should experience these 12th and 14th century abbeys, their massive ruins tell stories of hundreds of years of sacking from English troops and destruction during the Scottish Reformation, perseverance by devout monks seeking to maintain their (not always) peaceful lives. The burying grounds are worthy of a wander, the inscriptions and carvings on the stones are intriguing.
There are lovely walks in the area to get your feet busy. You can plan a long one, such as St. Cuthbert's Way and catch a coach back to your starting point; or a shorter section of that particular walk, picking it up at St. Boswells, wandering along the tranquil River Tweed to Dryburgh Abbey, have a wander thru the abbey and its grounds, back along the river until you follow a cutaway route to Newtown St. Boswells, back along the road to finish your 8-10k loop back at St Boswells. You can connect the towns of Melrose and St Boswells and gain some elevation (and views!) up and over the Eildon Hills. You can link the abbeys by car, lovely country driving thru the green, rolling hills of the Scottish Borders.
Heading east toward the quaint fishing villages of St Abbs, Eyemouth and Coldingham offers a different history, that of making a living from the sea. The tragic Eyemouth Disaster of 1881 affected several communities, over 125 fishermen lost their lives in a storm. In St Abbs, the bronze statue outside of the visitors' centre pays haunting homage to the widows and children whose men didn't come home. The birdwatching is fantastic along the coast too! Hike up the St Abbs Head if you find yourself there on a good day. Visit the Coldingham Priory, right in the centre of the village. The site dates back to a monastery in AD 660, the priory started in 1080, it's history marked with conflict during the Reformation, Oliver Cromwell's 1650s raids, some rebuilding, some ruins, the ancient arch and wall of tombstones - all fascinating to wander about.
Heading north along the coast brings you to several East Lothian castles including Tantallon Castle, believed to be the last curtain walled medieval castle built in Scotland, as well as Direlton Castle, Innerwick Castle and the Chrighton Castle with its family ties to Mary Queen of Scots.
This scenic, now-tranquil, history-filled driving loop brings you back to Edinburgh. The Scottish Borders suffered greatly, being so close to the English border, and it's remarkable that there are Abbey and castle fortresses that still hold their presence after centuries of sacking. I suggest staying three nights in B&Bs or guest houses along the way, there's too much to take in otherwise.
North of Edinburgh you can take in a taste of the highlands in the Trossachs, Stirling ...but that's for another post, this one has enough to get you going on your history quest!
EDIT added on.... Its hard to take a poor photo with these subjects, but the eight images I included with cut lines aren't showing up after posting ;( I'll give the upload some time, maybe that's all it needs. Other photos I've attached to posts have uploaded smoothly. I'll repost the pics later if they don't appear.
Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin
Rosslyn Chapel, Roslin
Melrose Abbey, Melrose
Town of Melrose, Eildon Hills from Melrose Abbey
Dryburgh Abbey, with its famed rose window. Follow St. Cuthbert's Way along the River Tweed, a lovely walk to access by the abbey by foot
The Eildon Hills from above St Boswells village and Dryburgh Abbey. Town of Melrose is on the other side of the hills.
Seaside charm, the village of St Abbs, east coast.
Coldingham Priory in the village of Coldingham.
I would suggest you need 10-14 days to really get into the spirit of Scotland without a rushed itinerary.
'Budget depends on what you want to do, the quality of accommodation you want and so on!
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
We were also visiting friends so it is my own itinerary but the travelling times were all very comfortable. A combination of staying with friends, B&Bs and AirBNB. Should have booked earlier as accommodation on the north west coast was 99% full when I booked. We crammed in a lot but loved all of it and we will return to do more of the bits we missed as well as returning to some of our favourites. We were travelling from Devon so had to break the journey up and back. A total of 2140 miles driven. Itinerary attached
We are planning to stay between 5-7 days and will be traveling on a budget (retirement & birthday gift all-in-one!): the idea would be Edinburgh to start with then the Lochs region, Glencoe and a national park at least. I'd love to take her to the Shetlands but I am afraid it would be too pricey and not enough time to get there... what do you think?
For the moment, we have a budget of 600 € but I am hoping to get up to 800-900 € by the end of August. We are looking for people to host us as the moment otherwise we will choose to stay at B&B's places.
What would you recommend for best transports/ one-day or two-days tours/ must-see etc... ?
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
Whisky, Castles and Food a speciality.
yourscotlandtour.co.uk
The Scottish Borders is a unique region of Scotland, a land of rolling landscapes, astonishing abbeys and babbling rivers. Here's the best of the region - in three days.
You'll arrive in Edinburgh at around three o'clock or three-thirty. Take the time to stroll around the city and get some food before boarding a train on the Borders Railway. Get off at Galashiels or Tweedbank. There are hotels and other places to stay in Galashiels, Melrose and Selkirk - buses from Gala's interchange will take you into Selkirk, while a bus typically meets trains at Tweedbank to take passengers to Melrose.
DAY ONE: wonderful writers
From either of the three towns, Abbotsford House is easy to reach - this country home, with its gardens, was the residence of Sir Walter Scott.
Stay and have lunch at the café before walking into Tweedbank and catching the X62 bus west to the pretty town of Peebles, where John Buchan wrote The Thirty-Nine Steps. Find out more at the John Buchan Story Museum in the town, or board the 91 bus towards Biggar. You could ask to get off at Dawyck Botanic Gardens and take a look round before boarding the bus back into the town.
OVERNIGHT: stay in Galashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, Peebles or Innerleithen
DAY TWO: astonishing abbeys
From the central Borders, journey to Jedburgh. Jedburgh Abbey is the first abbey you'll encounter on your trip, and it's possibly the grandest. If time permits, you can also pop into the Jedburgh Castle & Jail Museum in the town. Another bus will take you back to Melrose. Have lunch at the Greenhouse Café before visiting Melrose Abbey, which dominates the town.
OVERNIGHT: stay in Galashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, or St Boswells
DAY THREE: Borders bonanza From your hotel, journey out to Newtown St Boswells. Ask to get off at the Garden Centre. After crossing the main road (the A68), walk up a lane that will take you past a Donkey Sanctuary and eventually to a green bridge with cracking views over the River Tweed. From here, there's a Victorian Folly to explore, then turn right at the end of the bridge and follow the signs to Dryburgh Abbey, a beautiful, secluded ruined abbey that's very photogenic. Walking to the abbey takes about half an hour. Afterwards, return to the bus stop on the edge of Newtown St Boswells the way you came. You have a choice of what to do with the rest of the afternoon. Either:
-get the 52 or 67 bus to the lovely, well-sited Borders town of Kelso, where you can walk to the beautiful stately home of Floors Castle on the edge of the town, and visit the smaller Kelso Abbey in the centre of the town
-get the 51 or 52 bus to Lauder, where you can visit the grand 16th-century home of Thirlestane Castle, the residence of the Duke of Lauderdale, during the summer months
-return to the central Borders, and get the bus to Selkirk and explore the town
OVERNIGHT: stay in Galashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, St Boswells, Kelso, Lauder or Earlston
The next day, get the train back up to Edinburgh. Consider stopping off at Stow - formerly Stow of Wedale - on the way, a Borders village with its own railway station, a café, and a picturesque packhorse bridge over the river of Gala Water.
BUS PROVISO: Getting to Kelso or Jedburgh from the central Borders (i.e. Galashiels or Melrose) may require a change at St Boswells. Buses in the region are almost entirely run by Border Buses (https://www.bordersbuses.co.uk/timetables).
During the summer months, the council-run Border Weaver serves Abbotsford: https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/downloads/file/1706/bus_timetable_2016
Train times: https://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/sr1705_newcraighall-tweedbankv2.pdf
(p.s. does anyone know of any famous monument harder to get to by public transport than Smailholm Tower? I realise that you could probably broker a deal with your bus driver to drop you off at the road end, but I wouldn't like trying)
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