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YOUR SCOTTISH VACATION SOUTH
T0 WEST:
Coming north
from eastern England you enter the Scottish Borders region.
Here one finds some of the world’s best fishing combined with
walks and biking through the tributaries of the Tweed River.
Enjoy a rugby match and shop for some of the best woolen
tweeds and tartans from both regular and discount shops. Just
don’t go too fast - plan a trip that covers a week or more to
see all well. If you must limit yourself to under 7 days we
will help you with realistic options.
 Leaving
the Border Region you can either swing west to Glasgow or
north to Edinburgh. For our overview let Henri and I take you
into EDINBURGH.
Architecture draws
many to Edinburgh as do the golfing and musical sites that
engulf this region of Scotland. The city circles its Castle
with the New Town and the Old Town joined by the Royal Mile
that invites you to explore side streets and hidden views.
History in the
city and region speaks from prehistoric sites through Celtic
traditions into Medieval legends and Knight Templar holdings
and King Arthur legends.
 Here
golf was born and here also a land of greens mixed with
country gardens beckons every taste and fulfills many dreams.
Families seeking their genealogy will find help and able
researchers before they arrive as well as a warm welcome as
they “come home”
Outside Edinburgh
explore the great castles and honored battle sites in the
Lothians countryside. At the coast picnic from seaside to the
Pentland Hills.
Along the
northbound As you drive or train north to Edinburgh yoy
Kingdom of Fife welcomes you along the coastal route toward
Falkland and the fishing villages and hamlets south of Saint
Andrews. Stop at Petteween, Crail and other East Neuk towns,
castles and battle sites.
For nature walks,
many miles of surf and wild waves allow you to view seals,
sharks and in summer dolphins.
Another stop and
possible day trips on your way north toward Inverness and St
Andrews:
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WHISKY COUNTRY - NORTHWEST OF ABERDEEN
Half the distilleries
in Scotland lay in Speyside and we suggest that as you take
the costal highway north from Edinburgh you consider a day in
Aberdeen or a few nights closer to whiskey counties. While
Aberdeen is indeed a oil industry city it also has a great
nightlife and boasts of art and history. Scotland is
famous for it's "Scotch" and there are interesting and
historic distilleries all over the country.
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ST. ANDREWS -
The destination of many - the 40 golf courses of the Kingdom
crowned by St. Andrews.
We have great
hotels (some with golf packages), B and B’s and guest houses
that range from 120 to 400 a night in all the areas of
Scotland - all reviewed and revisited since May of 2007 by our
3 intern inspectors and our 2 professional guides.
Leaving Fife
there are three areas of the Highlands we recommend.
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Consider staying off the
tourist route in summer and save money by staying near or in
Nairn along the Inverness-Elgin road. At this seaside
village you can easily reach Fort George and its famous 18th
century fortifications as well as Cawdor Castle.
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For the historian the
religious war sites and for the nature lover great beaches
are great for relaxation.
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A day trip into Inverness
and a visit the castle with its re-enactment of the life of
18th century soldiers will entertain children and
adults alike.
Inverness is a small city
and very upbeat with excellent shows, music and food.
Attractive gardens and the lovely walk by the Ness islands
make a stay worthwhile. Ten miles west of Inverness the 18th
century Bewauly was a favorite rest place of Queen Mary who
stayed there. Great place for craftware and gifts.
This rural area of the Highlands
includes many glens and a National Nature Reserve, Glen Affric.
Close by is Lock Ness and its monster.
Loch Ness is
Scotland's largest Loch in terms of its volume, and it is more
than 600ft (180m) deep for much of its 23 miles (37km) length.
Stop at the Exhibition Centre
and the Original Loch Ness Monster Visitors Centre, at
Drumnadrochit. There are many child friendly sites and
exhibitions in the area ranging from cave centers to a rare
breeds park.
For hikers besides the difficult
Great Glen Way you can enjoy shorter walks as well as a
cycleway and pony paths.
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FROM GLASGOW TO THE ISLANDS OF ARGYLE
 Glasgow
has become famous for its architecture, design and Art Nouveau
style seen in the works of its native designer Charles Rennie
Mackintosh. Henri and I see this major and largest city of
Scotland as a center for both art and a gateway to the very
popular and isolated Argyle islands.
 As a UNESCO heritage
site you will find great ballet, opera and theatre besides a
shopping paradise and lively night life. Like Barcelona,
Glasgow has an excellent clean beach and harbor. Glasgow has
many museums like the newly remodeled Kelvingrove (right) that are
free. Other favorite spots include the Tenement House
and, or course, the world class Burrell Collection.
From Glasgow a train or auto connection takes
you ferries on to the Isle of Arran - great hiking, geology,
stone circles and golf - or the Island of Islay (eye-la).
If you missed the distilleries on the mainland
don’t fret- on the island of Islay you will find seven.
In Islay we have both Inns and B and B’s.
Glasgow also offers direct trains to
Oban - a beautiful destination village in its
own right - with connections to more of the Western Islands.
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OBAN
 Castles
associated with the MacDugall Clan are near the coast while a
few short miles away Dunstaffnage Castle which has belonged to
the Campbells since 1470 and is open to the public all year
round.
There is also the Oban Distillery, built by Hugh Stevenson in 1794. Kids will
love a visit to the Scottish Sea Life & Marine Sanctuary near
to Oban on the shore of Loch Creran.
Your French Connexion
LLC has several excellent B and B’s in the walking region of
East Dunbartonshire along the borders of the highlands. Less
than an hour away take the family to visit New Lanark and its
fully restored 18th century cotton mill village
near the Falls of Clyde.
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THE WESTERN ISLANDS -
Among our clients there are four major themes
in visiting the islands:
In the Western Isles near Oban we recommend a
stay of at least four nights to sample Oban, Mull, Staffa and Ione.
From lovely small inns and hotels to the warm hospitality of
many B and B’s we can assist you in exploring then wildlife and
nature walks of the islands as well as boat trips among the
islands.
The ferry from Oban docks in Craignure on
MULL. This little
village makes a great headquarters for a Mull stay. You can catch the steam train to Torisay Castle
with it's beautiful gardens or take a bus to the historic
Duart Castle.
You can also take a whole day trip to visit
the historic island of Iona with it's beautiful Abbey and
peaceful village and Staffa with it's incredible basalt
columns fascinating cave.
Enjoy Mull’s largest village, Tobermory and its
charming natural harbor. All around Mull there are beaches,
bays and walking trails to delight all ages. If time for
only one island stay we would do Mull again just for the
wildlife, birds, villages and hiking trails.
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If you wish to reach the
Outer Hebrides from
Oban it is a five hour crossing on an excellent ferry. Barra
has great beaches and the Kisimui Castle as well as an
airport.
The major Outer Island is Lewis with its
Standing Stones of Callanish and Calroway Bay views. The Lewis
Castle has extensive gardens and don’t miss Stornoway harbor
and the views from the northwestern coast.
If you are not a sea voyage type, we have
another island option for you - Skye - now connected to the
mainland by a bridge as well as a ferry.
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THE NORTHEASTERN ISLANDS
THE ORKNEY AND SHETLAND ISLANDS
are a long distance from the mainland of Scotland and closer
to Bergan, Norway than to Aberdeen in Scotland. The major
tourist interest is ancient Nordic burial grounds, history and
ruins and the major tourists are from Norway. |
