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 Midget Lover
     
Location: Kentucky | I just put a travel deposit down to visit Scotland in July 2018. Any tips or places to visit? We will be visiting Edinburgh, Inverness, Glasgow and site seeing a few castles, distilleries, Culloden, and maybe Ft. William. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1117
Location: MI | I LOVE SCOTLAND!! I visited in Fall 2010 when I was studying abroad in Italy..can't wait to go back (hopefully within next few years). Edinburgh is great- definitely visit the castle, there's a cool scotch whiskey experience place near the castle https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk/.
The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh is a must see. http://www.nms.ac.uk/
Check out the Grassmarket area of Edinburgh- https://www.greatergrassmarket.co.uk/ great bars/restaurants there - along with an amazing vintage shop that's just cool to see, called Armstrongs.
I also visited Inverness - very cool town also. It's not hard to get to Loch Ness from Inverness, that was neat. Urquart Castle is on Loch Ness. Colloden and Ft. William would be great. Sounds like you're off to a great start. I'm jealous/excited for you - it's such a beautiful/unique country!
PS if you love Scotland and love to read, check out Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books .. I'm obsessed. It's a show on Starz right now too- they just started filming Season 3.
Edited by KDS 2016-08-03 7:51 AM
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 BHW Resident Surgeon
Posts: 25352
Location: Bastrop, Texas | I spent a year in England, and a 2 week driving trip around Scotland was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. We took the train from Oxford to Edinburgh and stayed in Bed and Breakfast inns the entire time. I highly recommend the B&B experience. We spent 3-4 days in Edinburgh, where there's plenty to see and experience.
Edinburgh Castle was one of the highlights, where a person can easily spend an entire day. If you like ancient history, you will love it. From Edinburgh we drove across the country, through Queen Victoria National Park, but we bypassed Glasgow, on the advice of friends, mainly because it's just a large industrial city. I strongly recommend spending a night in Portree, on the Isle of Skye. We visited Ullapool and Inverness up north and also Darwin on our way back to Edinburgh to spend another couple days. The Scottish Highlands are absolutely beautiful and unique. It's a little hard to put it into words. You just have to see it. The "mountains" of Scotland are more like huge hills, and I think the best time to go is late summer or early fall, when the purple Heather is in full bloom. You can look out over the rolling hills covered with Heather, and if the wind is blowing, it looks like a purple sea. The "lochs" or lakes are huge, deep glacial lakes.....of course Loch Ness is the most famous. The best part about the trip was enjoying the people and random sites. Staying in B&Bs helps to meet people from all over the world. Scotland is very north, so the nights can be pretty chilly. You need to buy a big thick hand made Scottish wool sweater which you'll wear while sitting in front of the roaring fireplace, visiting other tourists while enjoying your favorite libation. It's amazing to sleep in a house built 300-500 years ago. You can be driving along a winding country road and around a corner come upon an ancient castle randomly. Don't pass up the opportunity to stop at those.
I could go on and on. Scotland is one of those places you'll just have to experience, because words simply don't do justice to the overall experience. Thanks for stimulating my trip down memory lane. |
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  Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | I have never been, so I can't help you with tips, but just have to say I am jealous. Hope you have a great time!! |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | JEALOUS!! My sister and I were supposed to go to Ireland and Scotland for 3 weeks in 2002, but I broke my leg 3 days before we were supposed to leave. Then we got married and had kids. Someday tho... |
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 Expert
Posts: 2128
| HOLD UP .. Are you an Outlander fan  
I would LOVE to visit Scotland. Beautiful place I am told. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 407
| We went to Scotland, England, Wales. Rented a car and just drove around. It was great! Saw alot of Castles and if you get a chance to see old churches along the road, they are great to stop in and see the history. I liked looking at the old graveyards too. Just to see the old stones and see how old they were. Really cool country. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | scwebster - 2016-08-03 9:33 AM HOLD UP .. Are you an Outlander fan
I would LOVE to visit Scotland. Beautiful place I am told.
Yes she is and I am too! <3 |
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Location: Not Where I Want to Be | I used to live in Scotland
Was sort of a big deal until Falkirk
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| Three 4 Luck - 2016-08-03 9:56 AM scwebster - 2016-08-03 9:33 AM HOLD UP .. Are you an Outlander fan
I would LOVE to visit Scotland. Beautiful place I am told.
YAY!!!! I was just introduced to the story last year and LOVE the show. Plan to start the books :) :) Glad to see other fans on BHW  |
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Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | scwebster - 2016-08-03 11:06 AM Three 4 Luck - 2016-08-03 9:56 AM scwebster - 2016-08-03 9:33 AM HOLD UP .. Are you an Outlander fan
I would LOVE to visit Scotland. Beautiful place I am told.
YES! My sister and Mom are also, so that's why we are going :) I hate to wait two years, but my Mom is going to Paris in 2017, and has limited vacation.
Thanks all for the good tips!! Isle of Skye is on my radar also.. I think we are going to try to stay at least one night there. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | scwebster - 2016-08-03 10:06 AM Three 4 Luck - 2016-08-03 9:56 AM scwebster - 2016-08-03 9:33 AM HOLD UP .. Are you an Outlander fan
I would LOVE to visit Scotland. Beautiful place I am told.
The books are even better. I've been a fan since 1994... Jamie was my first love. LOL It's been so fun seeing them brought to life. |
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Expert
Posts: 2128
| Three 4 Luck - 2016-08-03 11:02 AM scwebster - 2016-08-03 10:06 AM Three 4 Luck - 2016-08-03 9:56 AM scwebster - 2016-08-03 9:33 AM HOLD UP .. Are you an Outlander fan
I would LOVE to visit Scotland. Beautiful place I am told.
I am very impressed by the quality of actors on the show (except Bree..hoping to warm up to her). As a reader of the book, do you feel they have done a good job casting. |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Oh yes, they have done an outstanding job with casting. Bree's character takes some warming up to, so it's no surprise that a lot of people (not just you) have said that about the actress. Diana has said that Bree started as a necessary protagonist to move the story where she wanted it, and it took a while before she found her own voice. I kind of grew up with her--I was 20 when I started reading the books, and by book 8 our kids were similar ages. So I never looked at her character and thought "what an immature brat" because I was there myself. LOL |
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | And Voyager is my favorite book of the series, so I'm really looking forward to next season. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1117
Location: MI | Three 4 Luck - 2016-08-03 1:18 PM And Voyager is my favorite book of the series, so I'm really looking forward to next season.
OMG more Outlander fans... I could go on for hours about the books and show, etc. SO Great! I've read the books multiple times, listened to audio books, etc. I'll have to come back on after work hehe 
PS - Voyager is my favorite book as well! Have you read the novellas? Such fun little reads! |
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Folks on-line