A Visit To Scotland - brainstorming

Kintyre is beautiful. Seriously, I'd give the islands a miss this year. Even the first minister of Scotland apologised for the current ferry situation.
We always used to holiday on Harris the the Uists and Barra. They are beautiful.

Why not try Kintyre? The beaches are fantastic and you can visit the islands. Saddel beach and it’s castle is amazing . We also have done the ferry from Oban to Barra and then travel through the Western Isles to Lewis. A real adventure. We love Orkney and Shetland too.

A final big thank you to everyone who has replied.

If I were young and fit I'd go the Borders and ride a pony. Or else I might got to the Clyde coast and hire a wee clinker rowing boat for pottering about in. As it is I will never see these places again.

I am a Scot and I'm sure you will enjoy your trip. Edinburgh is easy to navigate using hop on hop off buses - no need for a car if you decide to travel by train. Lots to see and do. When the festival is on however it is really busy. Skye has become choc a bloc with motorhomes (we have one) and we wont be rushing back! The highlands Glen Coe, Aviemore, Callendar, Stirling, Fort William, Inverness are all scenic. I have a soft spot for Dumfries and Galloway as it isnt so much on tourist trail. You are spoilt for choice and give yourself time to enjoy whichever area you choose.

Aberdeen is awful for shopping now, Charlie. John Lewis, Fraser’s, Debenhams etc have all gone. It’s very sad. There’s still plenty to see but it’s not a shopping paradise anymore.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned anywhere north of Inverness. Caithness & Sutherland are wonderful counties, unlike the rest of Scotland, with a Scandi flavour to them. Likewise Orkney. The North 500 road is beautiful, although oversubscribed in summer.

As others say, it’s not possible to do Scotland in one trip, so pick your region and then come back again!

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Me too Prescott!
I took the train from Fort William to Mallaig which has to be one of the great train journeys of the world. Then the ferry to Skye where there was a breeze so no midges
As long as you avoid the tourist hotspots, you can have a very quiet time.

Ofcourse Edinburgh and Glasgow have their own appeal.

A lot depends on what you want to see-shops, scenery or culture. If you want shops the big cities are Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. Even living in London these would be my port of call even having lived in Edinburgh and Dundee.

We’ve just returned from Glencoe, Plockton and Hebrides! Absolutely magical imho!💕

I’ve been following a video blogger called Steve Marsh. You will find him on you tube. He takes you on lots of trips around Scotland and his videos are very informative and full of ideas. Well worth a look.

I always recommend visiting in May or Sept/Oct. More sun and less rain usually - though this year the hot weather in the north was in June. I love the whole of Scotland.

Thank you ethelwulf. There are so many places worth visiting in Scotland that it's worth considering all aspects including reliable access. Large motorhomes and caravans are not popular on country roads and hard to park in towns and cities. I'd say holidaying in Scotland isn't particularly cheap but is worth saving and planning for. There's all sorts of accommodation available. Seasonality is important. I Iike Autumn best. The weather can be great in October just when the trees are at their best. Elegran is right. You simply can't do it all in one trip. Focus by area and come back several times?

Pitlochry and Dunkeld are particularly lovely in autumn. Pitlochry tends to be really busy with tourists. There aren't many shops but it has a decent theatre and other sites of interest. It isn't far from Perth and Dundee. I'm another fan of St Andrews.

Thanks again all. Lots of research to do.

I have driven twice to Scotland, once to Ayrshire and to Edinburgh. On the Edinburgh trip we stayed in Leith and had a drive out to St Andrews for a quick visit and loved it.
I was very young on the first trip to visit a friend, it was for the New Year, and I don’t remember much about the area other than rain 😬

Any more of your happy places to share?

paddyann54

Och Aveline why would your first thought be to tell visitors that there MAY be an issue with SOME ferries.They may well not have any intention of using those ferries to get to those islands.Calmac stats this week show that ferries are running at 97% efficiency . Are you working for Wm or the Scottish unionists ANTI Scotland brigade?
Tell people whats good and there is so much that is ,be positive about the country, its people,, its culture, its vision .
I ran businesses for 45 years if I'd immediately been negative about any aspect I doubt we'd have survived for more than 5 ..

Cant you just TRY to be a positive voice for Scotland ....leaving your hatred of all things SNP out of it ? .

Where's the "hatred for SNP" example? Seemed to me a positive vote for visiting Scotand, agreeing with Blondiescot and including useful advice that there may be some issues with ferries. In my own post I also dared to mention that midges can be a problem in places and at certain times of year.. Does that also show hatred for the SNP? You're the only one to bring up Nationalism here, which seems unnecessary on a thread about tourism. Super-sensitive, perhaps?

Och Aveline why would your first thought be to tell visitors that there MAY be an issue with SOME ferries.They may well not have any intention of using those ferries to get to those islands.Calmac stats this week show that ferries are running at 97% efficiency . Are you working for Wm or the Scottish unionists ANTI Scotland brigade?
Tell people whats good and there is so much that is ,be positive about the country, its people,, its culture, its vision .
I ran businesses for 45 years if I'd immediately been negative about any aspect I doubt we'd have survived for more than 5 ..

Cant you just TRY to be a positive voice for Scotland ....leaving your hatred of all things SNP out of it ? .

The highlands are beautiful however ......... We love Dumfries and Galloway!! Don't miss it.

Blondiescot

Depends what you are looking for, to be honest. Everyone talks about the Highlands and beyond and yes, they are definitely worth visiting, but places such as the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and the Lothians are often overlooked and have plenty to offer as well. Same with Fife, especially the East Neuk. And yes, as a proud Scot, I am biased, but Scotland as a whole is beautiful. Wherever you end up, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

I would agree with all of these suggestions. Galloway is probably the quieter with a small distillery and good book shops in Wigtown as well as mountains a beautiful beaches.
The borders around Melrose and Kelso have lots to see and do.
East Neuk has good beaches and seafood and is very near St.Andrews.

Yes, totally agree. Around August 17th there’s usually a Meteor shower. Amazing sight.

J52

Ohh forgot the Dark Skies National Park.

The skies are so clear at night there without the light pollution. We sometimes stay in a little bothy which is almost out in the middle of nowhere and it's so beautiful.

Ohh forgot the Dark Skies National Park.

I’d third Dumfries and Galloway, so unspoilt. It has the same geological landscape as Cornwall and Pembrokeshire. It also benefits from the warm air of the Gulf Stream.
Loads of beautiful empty coves and beaches, fantastic walks in the Southern Upland Hills and magnificent wildlife.
Culturally, it’s the area where the Glasgow Boys spent their time living and painting. The town of Kirkcudbright is known as Scotland’s Artist Town.
The history goes well back before the 12th century, with lots of castles, defensive towers and of course Robbie Burns.

We stayed opposite the Islands of Eigg, Muck and Rhum (sp?.). It was late July and the weather was atrocious. Could not have been worse. Poured with rain, very cold and dense fog. Lots of old cars and vans just abandoned in gardens and fields.

After a few days we were advised to move inland, went about 15 miles and the weather was better but it had spoiled our holiday and we never wanted to go back.

Wow. So much fantastic information from you all. I’m really grateful, thank you.

paddyann you must know that those stats relate only to the ones still actually sailing. Some islands and connections have been cut altogether for many weeks as various ships have to be juggled around to serve more prioritised routes.