Freshwhyte

Hello all,

Been busy planning for a brief return to Scotland for three weeks from the third week of March onward, so far I have the following itinerary planned:

Day 1: Glasgow
Day 2: Glasgow to Inverness by train, bus to Ullapool and ferry to Stornoway
Day 3-8: Stornoway (family visit)
Day 9: Ullapool - Inverness - Glasgow
Day 10-14: ??

The thing is its been so long since I've been back, my interests have changed (I was a wee ned who didn't care about anything but partying when I was last there) and now I want to absorb as much of my history and culture as possible, whilst on a rather tight budget (I'll have about £1100 at my disposal, most hotels will be prepaid) I've been considering using Edinburgh as a base, close to the old town but at the same time I'd rather be home in Glasgow (though I've found Glasgow to be more expensive) does anyone have any tips for me ? I'm also considering London but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

I'm also going to be taking a full day or two for property hunting and a potential of having a few interviews lined up for the final move, but that of course is me being optimistic

Cheers !

brits1

I would leave London unless it is something you have really wanted to do and if you just want to connect with Scotland again it would be a bit of a....dare I say it...waste. If Scotland is you choice (and staying in the region would be better for the budget) then why not try one of the Islands on the West coast, plenty to choose from and beautiful. The border country is also an interesting area, it depends if you want a bit more of a City action/pace after your rural visits. Hope you have a lovely time

Freshwhyte

Cheers, I have been on the fence about London, the prices are outrageous for accommodation and what you can find for a reasonable prices is either a hovel or completely out of the way.

Freshwhyte

Also has anyone ever taken first class on National Rail or Scot Rail ? They have some great deals for when I'm going but I've only ever booked standard fares so not sure if worth the extra 5 quid

Cheers all

yellowroom

I have on the East Coast line (ie "intercity") - quieter carriages, bigger seats, proper food served at your seat (free), complimentary drinks, a plug socket to charge your laptop/phone/device. For £5 I'd do it for the seat alone! What you get will depend on the company running the service - their website will tell you more.

yellowroom

Are you going to hire a car or rely on public transport? Last summer my husband and I did a week going from Glasgow - Loch Lomond - Glencoe - Fort William - Strontian - Skye. Plenty of scenery and castles and lochs and walks, staying in small hotels/b&bs. We did intend to take a boat trip to St Kilda but it was called off due to weather.

If you're relying on public transport then I'd recommend sticking the the area between and just north of Glasgow and Edinburgh: Linlithgow (for the castle, the Kelpies and the Falkirk Wheel) Stirling, Perth, Pitlochry - plenty to see and do with castles, parks and distilleries. Jupiter Artland is a good day out if you like art, not sure when it opens again after winter break.

Freshwhyte

Yeah I'll be using public transport, thanks for the suggestions !

Definitely want to see Falkirk and Stirling, and possibly Carlisle, other family members are really encouraging me to go to London even if for a day, which I'm sure I can pull off.

yellowroom

The thing with going to "London for the day" is that even though it is technically feasible with first train out and last train back, what are you going to see/do that you can't do in Glasgow or Edinburgh? You either spend all day just wandering about "seeing the sights" walking for miles or getting a bus tour, or you pick one thing and do it properly, like the National Gallery or British Museum or Tower of London. Are the bragging rights of London really worth it compared to, for example, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Edinburgh Castle or the Palace of Holyroodhouse? All of which are world class tourist attractions in their own rights

HKG3

If you want to use public transport for travelling within the Strathclyde area, SPT (Strathclyde Partnership for Transport - the local transport body) have a number of different day tickets on offer. You may want to have a look at the link below for details -

Day tickets - SPT

Freshwhyte

I agree with your sentiments regarding London, I feel that there are just as many sites of great historical and cultural value in Scotland and along the borders as there is in London and the surrounding areas. Not to mention I find London to be a giant money pit, which goes against my frugal nature

Cheers pal, I am definitely going to get some sort of fare card, my first day in Glasgow alone will see me go from Paisley to Braehead to Glasgow Central, so there will definitely be some heavy transport usage on a daily basis.

HKG3

A few more tips for the OP -

1) First Glasgow, the biggest bus operator in Glasgow, operates on an exact fare system (with the exception of the service 500 - Glasgow airport to Buchanan Bus Station express). This means that you cannot get any change from the driver. You can purchase day or weekly tickets from the driver, however, you can only use the ticket on the same bus company. The only multi bus company day ticket for the Strathclyde area is the SPT Daytripper ticket. (The OP needs to be aware that even in the case of the Daytripper ticket, not every bus company takes part).

2) Glasgow Subway - if the OP uses the Glasgow Subway while he is in Glasgow, it can work out cheaper if he uses a smart card. You can apply for a personal smart card on line for free and it will be send out to you by post.

Subway - SPT

3) The OP can consider taking a number of coach trips during his free time in Glasgow. Scottish Citylink offers an Explorer Pass which enables the pass holder to get three day's travel on all its services for £41.

Citylink :: Green Thinking, Citylinking

scot47

Glasgow is cheaper for accommodation than Edinburgh. No question. I am headed to Glasgow tomorrow. For a decent hotel I am paying £24. With full breakfast. You won't get that in "Auld Reekie".

Freshwhyte

£24? That's brilliant ! Where are you staying ? So far I've booked one place for the day I land which is McLays Guest House on Renfrew st. Set me back £31 for a single room with breakfast.

petitefrancaise

I'd fly from Glasgow to Stornoway to maximise time spent with family. Flybe has flights for 3rd week March at £151 return.

hotwire.com is a good site to look for hotels, airbnb might not be a bad option if you're going to be based in one place for a few nights.

I'd take a look at the national trust for scotland for ideas of places to visit. There are loads and loads within an hour of Glasgow.... Culzean Castle is one of the best, Charles Rennie MacIntosh house spring to mind.

Freshwhyte

Cheers for the suggestions, flying is out as I already have train/ferry tickets paid for, plus the last time I flew into Stornoway it was VERY unpleasant and not something I'd like to go again.

Definitely looking forward to visiting Culzean Castle as well as Dumfries House and Crookston Castle, plus of course the sights in Edinburgh