Northern Scotland
I am traveling to Scotland (Edinburgh) for a wedding. Am planning to spend some time before and after and have 3 days prior and 3 days after the wedding. Can anyone suggest what to prioritize and visit in Northern Scotland?
Thanks.
Critter
Tom
West Chester, OH USA 10/31/09
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Visit Loch Ness and say hello to Nessie for me. Oban is a great town, see some castles along the way. Inverness is fun and a good place to explore the lochs. Rick has some great tips in the Rick Steves Great Britain book.
It will be a great trip. What types of things are you interested in and what time of year are you going? If you are comfortable with a car and are interested in castles and whisky then I would send you to Aberdeenshire to see some spectacular scenery while checking out the castles and having a sip or two. If you are interested in history and are traveling by rail, I would send you north toward Inverness with a stop at Blair Castle and day tours out of Inverness to Loch Ness and Urqhart Castle and Culloden and maybe even down to Skye. (The train ride scenery alone is worth the trip. ; ) If you want to see the isles and have a car, I'd send you up the west coast to Oban and a ferry to Mull or a drive up through Glencoe to Fort William and the west.
I would stay around Edinburgh at one end of your trip. You can tour Edinburgh, and take the train to Stirling and or Glasgow. Both are very close.
Let us know more about your interests.
Pam
If you like outdoor activities and/or beautiful scenery, I'd suggest Aviemore for one of the "ends". It is about half-way between Inverness and Edinburgh. There is hiking, trips up Mt. Caringorm by funicular or on foot, horseback riding, canoeing, etc. There is a restored steam train that does round trips to Boat-of-Garten and back. Also, a local microbrewery does tours and sample. It is easy to get to several very good distilleries by train or bus from Aviemore.
Inverness also makes an excellent 3 day trip from Edinbrugh.
Hi Critter A great way to get around the city is to hire or download a Roam Edinburgh guide (see www.roamedinburgh.com). It will show you how to get to places and you can even follow one of its suggested walking tours. It is packed with info on all the city centre attractions. They have a cool online demo on thier website so you can try before you buy! Have a great trip to this great city!