Rick Grigutis

in 2000 a friend and i backpacked/hitchhiked the west coast of ireland and
had a ball staying in hostels and getting down w/ the local folk. we're
both in our 50's but in real good shape. now we want to tackle scotland. i
know not much about scotland except they make excellent whiskey and have
some famous golf places. i love the former but care little for the latter.
can anyone suggest a 2/3 week itinerary that is backpack/hitchhike friendly?
we love the rural scene, enjoy good hostels, and colorful people. thanx in
advance rick

Deep Floyd Mars

Rick Grigutis wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > in 2000 a friend and i backpacked/hitchhiked the west coast of ireland and
    > had a ball staying in hostels and getting down w/ the local folk. we're
    > both in our 50's but in real good shape. now we want to tackle scotland.
i
    > know not much about scotland except they make excellent whiskey and have
    > some famous golf places. i love the former but care little for the
latter.
    > can anyone suggest a 2/3 week itinerary that is backpack/hitchhike
friendly?
    > we love the rural scene, enjoy good hostels, and colorful people. thanx
in
    > advance rick

I hitched around Scotland about 3 months ago, and met plenty of colourful
folk. Getting lifts is VERY difficult on main roads because of an annoying
'edge' on the side of the road that means that drivers can't really pull
over to pick you up. Getting out of Glasgow is a nightmare.

Once you get up around Glencoe / Fort William area, there is awesome
trekking to be done, but don't underestimate the weather. Do you really need
an itinerary? It is very civilised up there. I would just take it as it
comes.

It takes little to get your archetypal Scot to have a drink, but the further
north you go, (and the more whiskey you pour into them) the harder they are
to understand. Have fun!
---
DFM

John Andrews

Hi Rick

Sounds like you know how to enjoy your holidays!
I'm not a hitchhiker, but I am Scottish, so here's my badly
informed opinion ...

For hitching, avoid the central belt - the built up areas
around Edinburgh and especially Glasgow. Lots of traffic,
not much fun. Get yourself out of there on a bus or something,
public transport is straightforward and pretty cheap, even
though everyone here complains about it all the time.

An area called the Borders (find eg Melrose, Jedburgh on a map)
is all rolling hills, wee towns and villages, and good walking.
A good option.

The western highlands (Glen Coe, Fort William, further north)
and islands (eg Skye) are spectacular, and offer tougher walking.
Weather is wet, and the midges bite deep and often!
Perthshire is a good bit gentler, and very beautiful.

My personal favourite place to go is the very north-west of
the mainland, where the beaches and hills are amazing. Go!
Orkney is also well worth a visit - the Stone Age sites there
are amazing, world-class gobsmacking. If you do that, head south
via Dornoch, a very picturesque town.

Oh, the weather is usually best in May and June, but nothing
is guaranteed ever. The midges are worst in August.

If you're a serious or slightly-serious walker, there are
two very well known routes called the West Highland Way
and the Southern Upland Way. There are places to stop
and stay along the way where walkers are well catered
for. I understand you can get your backpacks forwarded
to the next hostel etc.

There are local newsgroups, eg.
uk.local.scot-highlands
where I'm sure you'd get an enthusiastic response if
you asked around.

I hope that's even slightly useful

Best wishes
John

Owain

"Rick Grigutis" wrote
    | in 2000 a friend and i backpacked/hitchhiked the west coast of ireland
    | and had a ball staying in hostels and getting down w/ the local folk.
    | we're both in our 50's but in real good shape. now we want to tackle
    | scotland. I know not much about scotland except they make excellent
    | whiskey and have some famous golf places. i love the former but care
    | little for the latter.

Whiskey is the Irish pretender; the real stuff is whisky (never 'scotch'
when ordering in a pub, and never with ice or mixer or the teuchters won't
be friendly). Golf is something like a religion, except that religion is
observed only on the Sabbath and golf is seven days a week!

    | can anyone suggest a 2/3 week itinerary that is backpack/hitchhike
friendly?
    | we love the rural scene, enjoy good hostels, and colorful people.

I won't suggest an itinerary as such because this will depend on your own
inclinations and walking ability, and the weather, and whether you want to
do completely your own thing or join a backpacker's tour (which carts your
luggage, and sometimes you, between stops in a minibus). Tours include

http://www.haggisadventures.com/
http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/getaway...factsheet6.asp
[article on Haggis backpacker tour]

If you are going to travel by train, the ScotRail website is
www.scotrail.co.uk There are brochures and timetables to download in PDF as
well as online booking. You can book online and collect tickets from major
stations. For longer distance travel you can make big savings by booking in
advance. Be aware engineering work can affect routes and times at weekends,
and Sundays are less frequent services anyway.

There is supposed to be a new integrated travel site at
www.travelinescotland.com however also check local tourist info offices and
links at www.electricscotland.com/tourist/travel.htm And if you want
internet access, public libraries are cheaper than the kiosks in shopping
centres.

Most areas of Scotland have some public transport although in really remote
areas it will be the Postbus i.e. the postman drives a minibus and you get a
ride with the parcels - don't worry you're not charged postage by weight and
you don't have to have stamps stuck on your forehead! You will find
delightful little footnotes on timetables like "Service will continue to
Toscaig on request. Details from driver." and "Nigel lives in Glasnakille,
so the bus route starts at the Elgol end of the Strathaird peninsular and
makes return journeys from there to Broadford and back, not the otherway
round."
www.postbus.royalmail.com/routefinder.asp

For accommodation, start at Scottish Youth Hostels Assoc website at
www.syha.org.uk and also most of the tourist boards will reserve
accommodation for you and offer a book-a-bed-ahead service. (see below). At
SYHA Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland you can stay in (perhaps
unsurprisingly) a castle. There are also Independent Backpackers hostels at
www.hostel-scotland.co.uk

For whisky, the following links will get you started:

The Malt Whisky Trail
"Discover the best Scotland has to offer - Highland scenery, a beautiful
coastline and attractive towns and villages. Visit the seven distilleries
and cooperage on the Malt Whisky Trail, the Cashmere Visitor Centre, craft
centres, castles & gardens and Baxters of Speyside. Play on championship
golf courses, fish, sail, go dolphin watching or follow the Speyside Way
footpath from the coast to the shadow of the Grampian Highlands." [Baxters
is a tinned soup factory.]
http://www.maltwhiskytrail.com/index1.htm

"France has its Rhone wines, where the place- names along the river valley
read like a wine list. Similarly in Scotland, the valley of the River Spey
produces famous malt whiskies. As you travel here, signposts point to the
best places to enjoy the art of distilling.
More than half Scotland's distilleries are close to the River Spey in
Moray and the best of these are linked together in Scotland's unique Malt
Whisky Trail. A journey here is to gain insight into the traditions and
skills of this most rural of Scotland's industries, and to discover the many
delights of Speyside."
http://www.undilutedscotland.com/htm...alt_whisky.htm

The Scotch Whisky Association
http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/

Distilleries to visit in Speyside and area
http://www.scotland2000.com/whisky/speynear.htm

The Quaich malt whisky links
http://www.thequaich.com/links.html

Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board - incl Accommodation
"Relax in the great outdoors where you'll find an irresistible mixture of
golfing, fishing, sailing and horse-riding, along with hundreds of
kilometres dedicated to walking and cycling trails."
http://www.agtb.org/

There are links to all Scottish tourist board sites in 'Travel Information -
UK' www.stirlingcity.org.uk

Depending on the time of year you will be travelling, look out for Highland
Games in local events lists - these are sports (Tossing The Caber etc) often
with country dancing displays, stalls, etc - and Ceilidhs (dances).

If you enjoy visiting 'Stately Homes' and other historic locations a
membership or pass for Historic Scotland, or National Trust for Scotland,
might be an investment - especially in Edinburgh and Glasgow where
attractions are closer together. NTS is GBP50 and HS is GBP49 - both for two
adults for a year. Edinburgh Castle is GBP8 admission and Stirling Castle
are GBP7, for example (both are HS). A 3 consecutive day HS explorer ticket
would be GBP30. Less prestigious attractions will be less costly to enter,
or free, and local museums and galleries are usually free.

http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/ and
http://www.nts.org.uk/

For maps, Ordnance Survey main map ranges include Landranger 1:50,000 (one
and 1/4 inches to the mile) and Explorer 1:25,000 (two and a half inches to
the mile). (The old Pathfinder 1:25,000 maps will be replaced with either
Explorer or Outdoor Leisure maps.) Each map has a letter/number eg E423 is
the Explorer map for "Elgin, Forres & Lossiemouth" and is GBP 6.99 ordered
direct from OS. Bookshops in large towns will usually have all the maps for
the local area, if not all Scotland. If you are walking in remote areas it
may be useful to familiarise yourself with the OS Grid System of
co-ordinates which is the standard way of identifying position.
http://www.ordsvy.gov.uk/

Any further information you need, post back here.

Owain