Visiting Scotland in May--suggestions?

Hi all. I'll have about 10 days to spend in Scotland (and will be flying into Glasgow from Amsterdam). I have to touch the house my Grandfather was born in (Troon North) and then I'm open. Planning on renting a car, and will have my wife with me. Neither of us has been to Scotland (or the UK) before.

We both like scotch, birding and nature in general. I like mountain biking. I'd appreciate any "don't miss" suggestions. I'd guess there aren't a lot of either Ferrari or car centric activities in the area.

My one concern is that I am gluten free (not by choice) and low carb (also not by choice). Eating is going to be a challenge, I think.

 

About 15-20 years ago we stayed at what was then the Stakis Dunkeld - excellent hotel (now the Hilton Dunkeld I believe) with this nearby (albeit in a less formalised way) Loch of the Lowes and toured around from there



At a guess a larger chain hotel will be better able to accomodate diet



.

 

Visit the Loch's the roads on the West coast are fantastic and empty Edinburgh is a great city plenty of history. Get in touch with the Ferrari Owners Club UK Scottish region maybe they will help you get your car fix.

Sean

 

Cameron House on Loch Lomond is a De Vere hotel. Pretty high end rooms, facilities, and restaurant, also all priced as such. I've not stayed in the rooms myself, but have looked around, had a great dinner there, and it has been used by UK FChatters visiting Scotland in the past.

If you like nature, then Mugdock Country Park might be good for you. If you rent a mountain bike from somewhere (sorry, can't help there) then you can ride all over it (my wife and I usually walk) and there are two old castles in there. One is a dangerous building and is fenced off least it fall on you, but the other is a safe ruin you can explore.

Glengoyne is a very picturesque distillery in the Loch Lomond area, and is the most Southerly of the Highland distilleries. Auchentoshan is not quite as picturesque (off the A82), but makes in my personal opinion a better whiskey and has a very nice bar area at the end of the tour where you can buy drams of the full range in addition to your tour sample.

In the city, the University of Glasgow campus is impressive, Byres Road and Ashton Lane is a cultural hub of the affluent amongst the university students, and contains many pubs, bars, and coffee shops - although accommodating your diet will be difficult there.. The Kelvingrove Museum is a brilliant free attraction with a very eclectic collection. The Burrell Collection (you'll have to Google directions) is also pretty interesting.

If you rent an interesting car to drive, the Trossachs Trail is a nice (though not brilliantly surfaced) road. It's not so much fun for passengers though as they will tend to get flung about in their seats.

On the car front, the Riverside Museum of Transport is pretty good. No Ferrari content unfortunately, but it has a few interesting bits of machinery in there. My wife and I have been 5 or 6 times when various friends come to the area. Look up the address online though, as the location in even new car satnavs (my parents rented a new Audi this past summer) is not accurate - it moved to a larger building over the river.

Will get back to you if I think of anything else.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Thanks all. I'll do some further research and get back with other questions. My bride is advocating for a few days on the Isle of Skye.

 

You've got to drive up the west coast ,Loch Lomond/Glen Coe etc
Maybe in one of these
Fantasy Garage: Supercar, Sports Car and Classic Car Hire Scotland

 

visit Edinburgh.

 

Well.
I would recommend a 4x4, some wellies, a hat, an umbrella, and maybe even a boat the way this year is starting!

 

i ve been in Edinburgh, Glasgow but i have loved to go more in the north of the country
i love so much the landscape.
i regret the route of Whisky...

 

If you are going to the Isle of the Skye the most famous restaurant is the Three Chimneys (you can stay there also) The Three Chimneys

You normally have to book, 3 to 6 month in advance to stay there, so make a reservation soon if you are going,

the drive to sky is fabulous, I would be happy to put a route together for you that you would enjoy,

When you go to troon, the restaurant called Scotts at the marina is a fab bistro wine bar diner which is one of my favourites,

Loch Green Hotel in Troon is high end accommodation and dining, and High Grove house which over looks Troon is also a nice county hotel to eat at.


I live south side of Glasgow, I am Regional Organise for Porsche Club Scotland, (a few of us have F cars also), happy to give you as much advice as you want, and let you know what events are running, the only Ferrari dealer is in Edinburgh, but there is a specialist called Stewart Rodden Motors that repairs restores Ferraris (near Edinburgh) ,

you can get me on [email protected]

cheers
scott..

 

All--now have reservations. Will have 8 full days in Scotland (+ travel days on either side). Trying to decide where to fly into and out of. Glasgow and Edinburgh are the two choices. Have to do Glasgow to see the house where my grandfather was born, but most folks I've talked to here suggest Edinburgh is the nicer city to explore. Still planning on spending most of our time north of the two big cities. Will report back as plans develop.

 

Glasgow has the better and more convenient airport (in my opinion), but Edinburgh is by far a more interesting city to explore on foot and has the most excellent advantage of a nice big castle. Edinburgh has more of a touristy feel to it.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

At this point we are flying in from Amsterdam (AMS) so we can go into and out of either city. Andrew, we are going to rent a car, but I won't be looking forward to driving on the side of the road that I am not used to. Which airport is easier to access via public transport from the downtown core, and which airport is easier to get to when coming in from the Highlands?

Thanks.

 

Well, both airports have bus services into the city centres, and you can summon or find a taxi at both airports to get to wherever you like. I tend to get taxis back and forth from Glasgow airport when I fly and it's about £20 each way - I'm on the north edge of the city centre. I know Glasgow airport has a car rental place on site, but I only presume that Edinburgh also does (it seems pretty standard). I find it a little easier to get on and off the M8 motorway with Glasgow Airport, but that's probably because it's on my doorstep and I've done that journey many more times. I don't think either airport would have a significant advantage over the other in those regards. There's a tram service that's supposed to open linking Edinburgh Airport to the city centre in summer 2014 (assuming it is miraculously on schedule), so it would depend on when you're flying as to whether that would factor into your thinking.

Having driven on both sides of the road, the bit of golden advice I can give is: "the driver stays in the middle of the road, passengers get in and out at the curb". It sounds dumb, but when you have a brain fade moment, it helps to reorient you quickly.

If you plan to visit Edinburgh to explore on foot then I'd either start or end your journey there. Either pick up the car on leaving Edinburgh city or ditch it upon arrival - it's very hard to park in Edinburgh due to congestion and pay parking lots are extortionate (e.g. $40 for 8 hours), so you won't want the burden of a car whilst exploring Edinburgh. The drivers in Edinburgh are also borderline insane, I am very accustomed to driving over here and I am reluctant to drive in Edinburgh itself. Glasgow is a more car friendly place to go, but it's still a compact/congested city and it can be difficult to park at times (though is not as extortionate when you find a space).

I think either city would be fine for accessing the highlands - even if you had to drive via Edinburgh from Glasgow, it only adds about 40 minutes by car.

Hopefully some of that is helpful.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

An umbrella, warm coat and hats, and a minder/bodyguard if you venture into Glasgow! Hahaha

 

Well, he should be fine in the city centre and the west end. Hopefully he'll avoid The Gorbals and so will make it out alive.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

As well as the osprey at Loch of the Lowes (linked above) there's the Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre which looks really neat Home

 

Thanks for the continued suggestions. I have a couple of random questions.

1) Any suggestions on a phone company to buy a "disposable" phone for use in county? I have an old Apple iPhone, and I got a SIM card when in Australia, but the battery is getting dicier and dicier.

2) Any off road (4WD) driving schools?

3) Any good one day mountain bike tours?

I've found stuff on line regarding 2 and 3, but would appreciate any personal experience.

Thanks.

 

First supermarket or Carphone Warehouse you come accross should do a disposable phone for ten or twenty quid but you might want to check networks for coverage out of town

 

I use VirginMobile with an unlocked original iPhone and have not had any issues with network coverage. I switched from Vodafone to VirginMobile (5 years ago) when I often encountered lost signals and dropped calls up here. When I lived in England, I had liked Vodafone but I don't think they've invested in their infrastructure in Scotland. Don't use sn Australian SIM card here, buy a cheap one here - supermarkets or Carphone Warehouse. If your iPhone is not unlocked you must use the mall stall guys to do it any it takes over a week, so you might need an inexpensive handset too.

Knockhill Racing Circuit has an offroad experience I keep meaning to try but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Therefore, I can't really say anything helpful on that one.

Bikes aren't my thing, so haven't a clue.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

As an Edinburgh man born and bred, of course I'd recommend visiting here! For airport to city centre transfers, Edinburgh has the afore-mentioned express bus, various car hire companies, taxis...you might even get to be one of the first to use our forthcoming tram service which is due to be operational by May. Someone had better use it after all the disruption and costs!

Parking in central Edinburgh is indeed a bit of a nightmare, but all the main attractions are fairly close together so you shouldn't really need a car for the time you stay here. We do have a good bus network that services the rest of the city so if there are any particular places you want to see outwith the centre it isn't too difficult. My local attraction is Rosslyn Chapel (of Da Vinci Code fame) which is definitely worth a look if you like mysterious history, intricate stone carvings and/or Knights Templar type things. A walk through Roslin Glen, just behind the chapel, is also a popular spot for bird watching with some interesting species around.

If you come to Edinburgh you could always head a little further South for mountain biking in Glentress Forest, just near Peebles, which is recognised as one of the best mountain biking locations in the UK. While you're there you can visit nearby Kailzie Gardens which has a dedicated osprey viewing centre with nest cameras etc.

For off-road driving experiences I can highly recommend the official Land Rover Experience in Dunkeld. It has a great variety of terrain that allow you to really put their vehicles to the test; I did it a couple of years ago and was thoroughly impressed. Dunkeld is also a lovely town surrounded by beautiful countryside.

I'm sure you'll have a great time wherever you end up though!

Ben

 

Not sure when you arrive but look up seaplane. There is a company that's does 1 hour flights from loch lomand (30 mins from Glasgow) and they have other flights from Glasgow centre to distilleries and also, I think, to Cameron house on loch lomand for lunch.

The 1 hour flights were around $140 a person which is not too bad. Weather plays a big part though - can't be too rough to take of or land.

Don't worry about the driving, the advice to keep the driver to the centre of the road is sound. I have driven in lots of countries and the switch to me anyway is no bother. I also drive an lhd lancia integrale in the uk and Ireland - that can be confusing and scary for the passengers!

I am Scottish but live in Ireland now although I keep my f cars there. There is some great driving to be had in Scotland especially when you have a forgein licence (Irish now) and not running a front plate makes one immune to the blight of average speed cameras in some areas.

Have a good trip, had a spin round Skye myself last year and it was great.

 

Scottish indeed. Can't even spell Loch Lomond correctly

 

If thats the only spelling mistake in that post I am pleased I did so well!

 

I proposed, rather successfully I might add, on the shores of Loch Lomond.

All the best,
Andrew.


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