jaosehl
Coconut Creek
A question about this place:
My family and I will be visiting Scotland for a week over Christmas, and...
Answers:
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
...we are looking at getting a cottage (or staying in an abbey?) in Inverness. We’ll be using that as a ‘base’, but will be travelling quite a bit to take in as much of Scotland as we can while we’re there. What we’re really interested in is absorbing as much of your culture, history, wildlife (not the type you find in nightclubs) and scenery as we can. Do you have any suggestions for us?
David Cross
Todmorden
The ‘wrong’ [south-eastern] side of Loch Ness seems to me by far the nicer. Foyers has particularly attractive woods and waterfalls. Then Fort Augustus at the end of Loch Ness is worth seeing – where the boats coming up the Caledonian Canal from Fort William climb up a flight of locks to Loch Ness.
East of Inverness you shoul;d try to see Cawdor Castle where I’m glad to say nobody mentioned Shakespeare or his Scottish play.
A trip to the Cairngorms is easy from Innverness. Going West or north-west it’s simply a question of how far you want to go. You can, in a long day, get to Skye and back or to Toridon area or Inverewe gardens or Ullapool and Achiltibuie or – -
come back if you want more.
David Cross
Todmorden
The ‘wrong’ [south-eastern] side of Loch Ness seems to me by far the nicer. Foyers has particularly attractive woods and waterfalls. Then Fort Augustus at the end of Loch Ness is worth seeing – where the boats coming up the Caledonian Canal from Fort William climb up a flight of locks to Loch Ness.
East of Inverness you shoul;d try to see Cawdor Castle where I’m glad to say nobody mentioned Shakespeare or his Scottish play.
A trip to the Cairngorms is easy from Innverness. Going West or north-west it’s simply a question of how far you want to go. You can, in a long day, get to Skye and back or to Toridon area or Inverewe gardens or Ullapool and Achiltibuie or – -
come back if you want more.
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
Thanks so much for all the info David. Much appreciated! You say that we can get to Skye “in a long day” – how many hours roughly would you say it is from Inverness? And would a day be enough to take it in? I’ve heard it’s absolutely beautiful, so I’d really like to work a day trip in to there.
David Cross
Todmorden
It’s 90 miles roughly from Inverness to the Skye bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh – but travel in Scotland is not particularly fast north of the Highland Line so I should allow 2 hours each way – you should not need more.
It’s not a pretty bridge and you have to get as far as Broadford before you approach the really great stuff. If you are really only going to give it a day – it deserves much more – my own suggestion s that you drive to Elgol and get a boat trip to Loch Coruisk, a true loch but only a short walk from sealoch Scavaig. It’s amazing – with the sharp peaks of the Cuillin rising all round.
Then you could keep on the Portree road from Broadford and turn left towards Dunvegan at Sligachan and left again to Glenbrittle, where you could walk to Corrie Lagan.
There is much else on Skye but the Black Cuillin are the most spectacular and you will find ore than a day’s worth there. How long you stay depends solely on how late you are prepared to get back to Inverness.
If you are having difficulty following this, you can get help with maps from http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap/
Click in the pink circle, put Broadford in the search box and choose the ssale you want.
Come again if you want.
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
I really appreciate all your thoughtful input David. You’ve been an absolute star – thank you so much. I’ve done quite a bit of googling around your posts, and the Black Cuillin trip is definitely on the cards – it looks incredible! There are so many others that you have mentioned that I’d love to see too – it’s going to be very hard to choose.
Many thanks to you!
yeahyeah3
0 places
take tours and dont be afraid to be the “tourist type”... if you’re brave enough, rent a car, but get good directions =]... and talk to the people at the places you visit… you’ll learn alot from them that you don’t just get from reading signs and pamphlets
i hope your family enjoys scotland! it’s beautiful… oh!! and be sure you try haggis!! =]
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
You’re the third person who’s said I should try haggis. It looks a little scary, but I think maybe I’ll have to give it a shot. =)
gussy916
Singapore
My Husband and I did this trip around Scotland in a little over a week, we drove past and stayed at B&B’s, it was amazing!
Started at Aberdeen, Inverness, went all the way upto Ullapool (had some grat fish and chips there)....then headed off to Skye which is beautiful. Try and visit the fairy glen…its spooky! and yet eerily beautiful.
We then headed off to Fort william, and decided to visit one the lesser mentioned spots in Scotland but by far my favourite! Oban. You MUST try and drop by there, from Oban you could take a ferry to the Isle of Mull which is simply magnificcant! And From Mull, another ferry will take you to Iona, a tiny little island you can literally walk across, with a population of less than 150 (apparently!) and the place where Christianity came into Scotland.
Much more that Skye (which is fantastic but then again, you’d expect it to be) Mull is unexploreed, the locals are friendly, the village itself is rustic and the Abbey there is breathtakingly beautiful.
You could also visit Staffa (another island or outcrop of caves) right next to Mull.
Scotland is so much better when you go off the beaten track!
Ofcourse we did drive through and stop at Stirling (The Wallace monument is fantastic and the view from the top…amazing!)
Edinburgh is nice, but I’d rather have the country…
And Glasgow was fun!
Lucky you, Scotland is one of my favourite places, would love to go back someday!
gussy916
Singapore
My Husband and I did this trip around Scotland in a little over a week, we drove past and stayed at B&B’s, it was amazing!
Started at Aberdeen, Inverness, went all the way upto Ullapool (had some grat fish and chips there)....then headed off to Skye which is beautiful. Try and visit the fairy glen…its spooky! and yet eerily beautiful.
We then headed off to Fort william, and decided to visit one the lesser mentioned spots in Scotland but by far my favourite! Oban. You MUST try and drop by there, from Oban you could take a ferry to the Isle of Mull which is simply magnificcant! And From Mull, another ferry will take you to Iona, a tiny little island you can literally walk across, with a population of less than 150 (apparently!) and the place where Christianity came into Scotland.
Much more that Skye (which is fantastic but then again, you’d expect it to be) Mull is unexploreed, the locals are friendly, the village itself is rustic and the Abbey there is breathtakingly beautiful.
You could also visit Staffa (another island or outcrop of caves) right next to Mull.
Lochness is nice, a big huge lake to some, an awe insspiring view to some others, but worth a visit!
Scotland is so much better when you go off the beaten track!
Ofcourse we did drive through and stop at Stirling (The Wallace monument is fantastic and the view from the top…amazing!)
Edinburgh is nice, but I’d rather have the country…
And Glasgow was fun!
Lucky you, Scotland is one of my favourite places, would love to go back someday!
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
I was waiting till I had some cheers to respond to this post. Thank you! I hadn’t even looked at Oban or Mull (and neither had anyone else in my family) until you mentioned them. Based on David’s posts and yours, we’re now going to see if we can find a cottage on the west coast as a base. It seems to be closer to all the spectacular sounding places, but it’s still not too far away for a day trip to the Highlands, and Loch Ness. (It may be just another big lake, but how can I go all the way to Scotland and not see the famous Loch Ness!? And who knows – I may get lucky and see Nessie. ;) )
Many thanks for the info – it’s been very helpful!
carlamoose
Pittsburgh
I went to Loch Ness in March, and it wasn’t as pretty as I thought it would be. I’m guessing you would have to go there in the summer. Loch Ness is only worth going if you’re into that. Otherwise, it’s just another big lake. If you do go to Loch Ness, try to see the rest of the highlands as well.
Glasgow is not meant for tourists, so you’ll get a better feel of the culture there. Edinborough is tourist-city. The castle was good but expensive to get in. My friends went on a ghost tour in Edinborough while I was at Loch Ness, and they said it was one of the best.
If you want to eat authentic food, try haggis. I know the concept sounds gross if you know what it is, but it tasted amazing with neeps and taters. For daring foodies only.
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
‘Just another big lake’ will still be great scenery compared to the concrete jungle I live in now, I’m sure. =) I’m definitely going to have to try that haggis though! Thanks for the info. =)
frugalmummy
10 places
Hi,
sorry, very quick answer, I’ve not really been north of Inverness,
but coming south try edinburgh, (take a city bus tour to get the history and sights- makes it much more interesting),
Glencoe, Fort William with Ben Nevis and beautiful lochs, Mallaig & Skye,Loch Lomond, Loch Awe, Oban & Mull, Lower Clyde. It’s a lot but well worth it to catch some of the scenery.
Enjoy !!!
jaaeyy
Bangkok
As David has mentioned, a trip to the Cairngorms is easy from Innverness. Back 4 years ago, I stayed at this very nice B&B in Inverness, I don’t remember the name but will look around for their namecard for you, the scenery is absolutely stunning! It’s like you stay in the middle of nowhere, green green green everywhere and the air was very fresh! From there, we took the train to Caingorms, and I think it will be worth visiting to all the highlands..By the way, if you are already in Scotland, Loch Ness is also nice to see.. I visited Scotland for 3 times already and always in summer (August). Military Tattoo is amazing! The atmosphere in Edinburgh was so vibrant, people are also very friendly! I recommend Melville Castle if you stay in Edinburgh. It’s an old lovely castle (hotel)that you can stay and feel you are back to the old times..
So you will be there in December, I feel so envious :) Scotland is my favourite country and I wish to be there again some day!
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
Yeh – we’re pretty excited. I can’t wait to get there! My work buddy told me (again) today that he was jealous, and I told him that if I wasn’t me, I’d be jealous too! hehe.
I think that Cairngorms are definitely on the cards. Thanks for the input! =)
gorganalmighty
0 places
Don’t miss Glen Finnan. Its about an hour’s drive from Loch Ness, down near Fort William and Ben Nevis. Its the site of the world-famous Glen Finnan Viaduct, which has been featured in many different films, including Harry Potter. The viaduct is an amazing site, and its even better if you’re able to see a steam engine go across it (although I’m not sure if the steam trains run during the winter).
I agree with others that the Isle of Skye is worth a trip. But its a long way from Loch Ness (on the west coast), and it takes a good day to go round it visiting the various places. So I recommend that you head there in the afternoon and stay the night at a B&B in the Kyle of Lochalsh, then go round Skye the following day. I can even give you the number for the B&B we stayed at if that would help.
Many people say their visiting Scotland, but they really mean either Glasgow or Edinburgh. As far as I’m concerned, you haven’t been to Scotland unless you’ve been to the Highlands, so I think you’ve made a very good choice, and you’ll be glad you did!
Only thing though: it will be cold and may be wet in the winter, so do expect that. There’s also a risk of roads being closed due to excessive snow fall.
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
Ooooooo! I just googled Glen Finnan, and it looks awesome! Thanks for the info. I hope we’ll be popping into Edinburgh to do the tourist stops, and catch the German market, but other than that, yes – mountains, lochs, countryside and castles are what we’re after.
I’m not sure we can do the B&B since we’ll be paying for a week at a cottage, but I appreciate the offer. Hopefully if we get up at sparrows, and come back late, we’ll be able to squeeze in a good day at Skye.
Many thanks! =)
jaosehl
Coconut Creek
Just wanted to come back and let you know that we went to Glen Finnan. We probably would have missed it if you hadn’t mentioned it, and we loved it. My dad and I walked to the top of the hill for a great view of the monument on the one side, and the viaduct on the other – it was pretty darn beautiful! Did you see that beautiful little church in that area too? With the loch and the mountains in the background? Gorgeous! Thank you so much for the recomendation. :)
Dorian
Charlotte
When I went back in ‘94 we stayed with family in Dundee, which is not too far from Inverness. Dundee is a wonderful little town and they do ghost tours all the time which is very informative about the history. They also have an indoor water park/pool that’s a blast for the kids. Glamis castle is a lovely tour and St. Andrews is a hop skip and a jump over the Tay bridge. St. Andrews has a Sea Life Center and the first golf course. I recommend Edinburg as well, make sure you climb the Scots Monument while your there, it’s a tight long climb, but the view is amazing!!
Oh and forget the haggis, have a meat pie and chips from one of the take-a-way shops!
Have fun and we want pictures!
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