Mr. A

We're planning our first trip to Scotland next month, and will be there for
1 week. I would appreciate any opinions regarding taking the train while in
Scotland vs. renting a car. Are there so many things to see off the beaten
track that we'd miss things if we took trains? We're flying into Edinburgh
and would like to head to the west coast.

Wessie

"Mr. A" wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    > We're planning our first trip to Scotland next month, and will be there
    > for 1 week. I would appreciate any opinions regarding taking the train
    > while in Scotland vs. renting a car. Are there so many things to see
    > off the beaten track that we'd miss things if we took trains? We're
    > flying into Edinburgh and would like to head to the west coast.
    >
    >
    >

Personally I would always take a car. The railway timetable will severely
restrict your options.

Part of the charm of Scotland is arriving somewhere nice, seeing a nice
B&B or hotel and deciding to stay for a day or 2 to explore that
particular area in detail. B&B/small hotel owners are usually a fount of
local info. and will point you in the direction of local highlights not
always listed in guide books.

I used this B&B near Fort William - highly recommended. The owners are a
local photographer and his American wife. Breakfasts are an interesting
combination of US/UK favourites.
http://www.almac.co.uk/personal/woodside/index.htm

If you are travelling by rail then you will most likely spend your nights
in the larger towns as you will not have the option to drive on to the
next village should you find a particular B&B full.

However, if you just want to view scenery from behind glass then there
are some great rail journeys possible - there was a thread here last week
on that topic.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?X38852893 will take you to the thread on
google



--
[email protected]

BMW R1150GS

The Reids

Following up to Mr. A

    >We're planning our first trip to Scotland next month, and will be there for
    >1 week. I would appreciate any opinions regarding taking the train while in
    >Scotland vs. renting a car. Are there so many things to see off the beaten
    >track that we'd miss things if we took trains? We're flying into Edinburgh
    >and would like to head to the west coast.

Scotland is all about the Highland landscape, OK there is a rail line
but you will be *severly* restricted in what you see. IMO drive up the
west coast and maybe over the bridge to Skye.
--
Mike Reid
Land of roast meat "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk/castile.htm"
(see web to email)

Desmond Coughlan

le Tue, 25 Feb 2003 17:49:23 +0000, dans l'article , The Reids a dit ...

    >>We're planning our first trip to Scotland next month, and will be there for
    >>1 week. I would appreciate any opinions regarding taking the train while in
    >>Scotland vs. renting a car. Are there so many things to see off the beaten
    >>track that we'd miss things if we took trains? We're flying into Edinburgh
    >>and would like to head to the west coast.

    > Scotland is all about the Highland landscape,

Erm ... pardon ?

--
Desmond Coughlan
desmond @ zeouane.org
http: // www . zeouane . org

Owain

"Mr. A" wrote
    | We're planning our first trip to Scotland next month, and will be there
    | for 1 week. I would appreciate any opinions regarding taking the train
    | while in Scotland vs. renting a car. Are there so many things to see
    | off the beaten track that we'd miss things if we took trains? We're
    | flying into Edinburgh and would like to head to the west coast.

You won't want a car in Edinburgh and can do without one in the
Edinburgh-Glasgow central belt which is well covered with trains and buses.
Trains run to Oban and beyond that there are local bus services - but a car
will give you considerably more freedom.

You might find a 3-day rail rover ticket then a 3-day car hire for the west
coast a convenient combination. As wessie said, there was a thread on train
travel in Scotland not long ago but I will mention again www.scotrail.co.uk
for timetables, route maps etc.

Tourist boards you may be interested in:

Argyll, The Isles, Stirling Loch Lomond
http://www.scottish.heartlands.org/

Ayrshire and Arran
http://www.ayrshire-arran.com/

Dumfries and Galloway
http://www.dumfriesandgalloway.co.uk/

March is probably a good time to visit as you should get fairly good
weather, but the tourists and the midges won't be out in force.

Owain

Mr. A

"wessie" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "Mr. A" wrote in
    > news:[email protected]:
    > > We're planning our first trip to Scotland next month, and will be there
    > > for 1 week. I would appreciate any opinions regarding taking the train
    > > while in Scotland vs. renting a car. Are there so many things to see
    > > off the beaten track that we'd miss things if we took trains? We're
    > > flying into Edinburgh and would like to head to the west coast.
    > >
    > >
    > >
    > Personally I would always take a car. The railway timetable will severely
    > restrict your options.
    > Part of the charm of Scotland is arriving somewhere nice, seeing a nice
    > B&B or hotel and deciding to stay for a day or 2 to explore that
    > particular area in detail. B&B/small hotel owners are usually a fount of
    > local info. and will point you in the direction of local highlights not
    > always listed in guide books.
    > I used this B&B near Fort William - highly recommended. The owners are a
    > local photographer and his American wife. Breakfasts are an interesting
    > combination of US/UK favourites.
    > http://www.almac.co.uk/personal/woodside/index.htm
    > If you are travelling by rail then you will most likely spend your nights
    > in the larger towns as you will not have the option to drive on to the
    > next village should you find a particular B&B full.
    > However, if you just want to view scenery from behind glass then there
    > are some great rail journeys possible - there was a thread here last week
    > on that topic.
    > http://makeashorterlink.com/?X38852893 will take you to the thread on
    > google
    > --
    > [email protected]
    > BMW R1150GS

Thanks, wessie. So, is it safe to assume that we won't need advance
reservations for a room at this time of year.

Wessie

"Mr. A" wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    >
    > Thanks, wessie. So, is it safe to assume that we won't need advance
    > reservations for a room at this time of year.
    >

You will have no problem finding places to stay

Some B&B's are seasonal but you will almost certainly find places to stay -
having a car will help as you will not be looking for somewhere close to the
rail station and can stop when a "vacancies" sign is spotted.

I like to find a pub with a nice log fire at this time of year. Then if the
weather turns cold/wet you can snuggle up to the fire with a pint of 80/-
whilst your Aberdeen angus is grilled to your liking.

If you want to guarantee a room then go into any tourist office and they will
prebook a room for you at your intended destination

--
[email protected]

BMW R1150GS

Ian Millward

I would be inclined to pre-book a night in Edinburgh for when you arrive and
have a look around then hire a car and head out to Stirling on the M9. From
there you could either potter about the Trossachs which have lots of
scenery, or head on up the A84, A85 and A82 through Glen Coe. By then you
will have had a surfeit of nice views and would probably want to start back
again.

Places on route you might consider stopping over night are:Aberfoyle,
Callander and Oban, Cutting across to the East on the A85 you might like to
consider joining up with the A9 for your return journey. Some places en
route worth stopping at: Aberfeldy, Dunkeld or Pitlochry. I think that would
probably use up a week without overdoing it.

Hope this helps,

Druid29

U¿ytkownik "wessie" napisa³ w wiadomo¶ci
news:[email protected]...
....
    > Some B&B's are seasonal but you will almost certainly find places to
stay -
    > having a car will help as you will not be looking for somewhere close to
the
    > rail station and can stop when a "vacancies" sign is spotted.

Hi,
I have a short question - how much does it cost to stay at B&B's ?

--
Druid29

"All art is quite useless"
(O.Wilde)

Wessie

"Druid29" wrote in news:[email protected]:


    >> Some B&B's are seasonal but you will almost certainly find places to
    >> stay - having a car will help as you will not be looking for somewhere
    >> close to the rail station and can stop when a "vacancies" sign is
    >> spotted.
    >
    > Hi,
    > I have a short question - how much does it cost to stay at B&B's ?

Depends on the location - farmhouse B&B can cost as little as £12.50 per
person sharing a double room, whereas a night in a castle could cost hundreds
of pounds

£20-25 per person in tourist areas is more the norm for a traditional B&B or
small family run hotel.

http://www.smoothhound.co.uk will give you specific details

--
[email protected]

BMW R1150GS

Druid29

U¿ytkownik "wessie" napisa³ w wiadomo¶ci
news:[email protected]...
    > Depends on the location - farmhouse B&B can cost as little as £12.50 per
    > person sharing a double room, whereas a night in a castle could cost
hundreds
    > of pounds
    > £20-25 per person in tourist areas is more the norm for a traditional B&B
or
    > small family run hotel.
    > http://www.smoothhound.co.uk will give you specific details

Thanks a lot. I've just visited the webside and this is what I needed. I
come from Poland and our tourist offices don't offer accomodation in UK.
Now I think about situation when I travel without reservations made via
Internet. Can I expect similar prices? What about availability in high
season (July)? And the last question - how expensive is petrol in UK?

--
Druid29

"All art is quite useless"
(O.Wilde)

Wessie

"Druid29" wrote in
news:[email protected]:

    >> £20-25 per person in tourist areas is more the norm for a traditional
    >> B&B or small family run hotel.
    >> http://www.smoothhound.co.uk will give you specific details
    >
    > Thanks a lot. I've just visited the webside and this is what I needed.
    > I come from Poland and our tourist offices don't offer accomodation in
    > UK. Now I think about situation when I travel without reservations made
    > via Internet. Can I expect similar prices? What about availability in
    > high season (July)? And the last question - how expensive is petrol in
    > UK?

All of the B&B on that website quote their rates - sometimes you can
negotiate if you plan to stay in the same place for more than 1 night or
are a large group.

If the B&B has its own website and an email address then they will usually
respond to an email enquiry about availability. If you are planning to
visit popular areas such as the English Lake District or Stratford upon
Avon then I would recommend that reservations are made for July.

Fuel prices: see http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/fuel/index.html



--
[email protected]

BMW R1150GS

Peter McGurk

"Druid29" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Thanks a lot. I've just visited the webside and this is what I needed. I
    > come from Poland and our tourist offices don't offer accomodation in UK.
    > Now I think about situation when I travel without reservations made via
    > Internet. Can I expect similar prices? What about availability in high
    > season (July)? And the last question - how expensive is petrol in UK?
    > --
    > Druid29

Druid:

For July, book ahead - popular destinations may be getting full. Most B&Bs,
etc., even if they don't have internet bookings, will happily take a booking
by phone, especially if you can guarantee your reservation with a credit
card (lots of places take VISA/Mastercard these days, although some may
still be cash-only).

Petrol is EXPENSIVE in the UK, especailly compared with Poland. See
http://www.aaroadwatch.ie/eupetrolprices/ for comparisons; unleaded is ?1.15
a litre in UK.

Peter

Rh

    >Following up to Mr. A
    >>We're planning our first trip to Scotland next month, and will be there for
    >>1 week. I would appreciate any opinions regarding taking the train while in
    >>Scotland vs. renting a car. Are there so many things to see off the beaten
    >>track that we'd miss things if we took trains? We're flying into Edinburgh
    >>and would like to head to the west coast.
    >Scotland is all about the Highland landscape, OK there is a rail line
    >but you will be *severly* restricted in what you see. IMO drive up the
    >west coast and maybe over the bridge to Skye.
    >--
    >Mike Reid
    >Land of roast meat "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk/castile.htm"
    >(see web to email)

But there is an extensive bus network in Scotland bside the train lines. True, both trains and
buses in the Highlands and the islands are rather infrequent. Did not bother me, I planned the
trip before leaving for Scotland (all schedules on the web) and I enjoyed the social
atmosphere in buses and even more so in trains, meeting Sctos of all sorts. I don't like to be
locked into a car with the scenery passing like in a movie and rare contacts during stops.
Public transportation travel is an experience in itself.
An when getting to an island or a town, why note rent a bike to discover the surroundings?
RH

Rh

    >U¿ytkownik "wessie" napisa³ w wiadomo¶ci
    >news:[email protected]...
    >....
    >> Some B&B's are seasonal but you will almost certainly find places to
    >stay -
    >> having a car will help as you will not be looking for somewhere close to
    >the
    >> rail station and can stop when a "vacancies" sign is spotted.
    >Hi,
    >I have a short question - how much does it cost to stay at B&B's ?
    >--
    >Druid29
    >"All art is quite useless"
    > (O.Wilde)
Suggest to have a look at the different websites. You have to expect a range of between 12
and 40 Pounds per night and person, with Scottish breakfast.
BTW: I also love the Ayrshire Coast, about 40 mins by train from Glasgow, including the Isle of
Arran.

RH