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Post by Jules80 on Apr 6, 2006 22:36:19 GMT -5
so i'm 99.9% sure i'm gonna head to the UK in two months for 2.5 weeks. part of this time will be visiting my grandmother. part will be spent in shetland (i'm thinking about 5 days) i'm also hoping to squeeze in a few days in other scotland cities. i'd really like to go to stirling. i've been to edinburgh before so i'll prolly avoid that one for the most part. any other suggestions of cities not too far from stirling? hmmm... what about balloch? any thoughts? after shetland i'll head down to london a few days to sight see a bit but mostly see friends and family.
Jules
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Post by Shmemily on Apr 7, 2006 7:14:58 GMT -5
I can't think of any right now but I'm off on a three day highland tour tomorrow that includes Stirling and the Isle of Skye (which is a bit further away from Stirling - but everyone says it's beautiful). I shall let you know what I see up there and if there are any places I think you should head.
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Post by crystal on Apr 7, 2006 10:01:19 GMT -5
Don't know too much about this area but I'll give it a go. Depending on what you want to see you could try some of these cities.
St Andrews (56 miles from stirling)- university city with university bods
Inverness ( 145 miles - a bit further away from Stirling but on the way back from Shetland) - good access for Loch Ness and highlands
Glasgow (30miles) - big city, 2nd most important in scotland need i say more
Falkirk (15 miles) - Not a city but loads of local history
Balloch is about 30 miles from stirling. It's only a small place but is good for access to Loch Lommond and the beautiful countryside around it. Only ever past through Ballock so I can't be more help to you.
not sure if i've been any at all help or have just rambled on :-)
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ashleyg
Full Travel Member
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Post by ashleyg on Apr 7, 2006 11:24:49 GMT -5
I've been told repeatedly that Isle of Skye is a must. I'm also doing that three day tour - let me know how it goes!
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Post by Jules80 on Apr 7, 2006 14:15:05 GMT -5
are you guys doing the sky high haggis tour? i was contemplating that one myself. let me know if its worth it. i was contemplating Balloch but from the area website it seems quite difficult to get around once you're there. the youth hostels seem fairly inaccessable without a car. is glasgow really worth seeing? i've heard its a pretty ugly city with not a lot going for it. oh and i'm definately going now! the tickets are bought and everything! 790$ canadian! for june 21-july9th!  Jules |
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Post by crystal on Apr 11, 2006 9:51:24 GMT -5
I must admit i do like Glasgow but I have no idea why  It is fairly industrial and I guess pretty ugly but I can't help thinking it's got a certain charm about it. I know they have tried to spend money to improve it but you can only work with what you've got. I don't think I would put myself out to visit on a UK trip and if I did I think it would only be a night or maybe two but well different cities for different folk I guess |
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patrickt
Senior Travel Member
Near? Faaaaaar!!!!
Posts: 80
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Post by patrickt on Apr 13, 2006 15:52:37 GMT -5
JULES!!!!!!! What up?? Let's talk Scotland.... shall we?? I went to Balloch.... short train ride from Glasgow.... cute lil town on the edge of Loch Lomond... GREAT day trip... If you go, you HAVE to go to the Balloch House... it's a hotel... but the people and food there are SUPER cool... I also took the Skye High tour based out of Edinburgh... I cannot tell you how great it was... If I could upload the pics, I would... Our tour guide, Rab, was simply awesome... You get a lot of the fact AND fantasy (legends) of the Higlands.... and the Isle of Skye is simply breathtaking... You've helped me out with so many things... and it's my turn to return the favor.... If you've got the 3 days to spare.... take the Haggis trip.... It's worth it on SO many levels... Let me know how it goes.!! (PS... if you go... remember the story of the Battle of the One-Eyed Lady.....  |
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Post by herrbert on Apr 14, 2006 15:36:44 GMT -5
If you like the scenery of the highlands, then try to catch the train from Fort William to Mallaig, from there you can make the crossing to Skye. (and make the tour)
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Post by Jules80 on Apr 18, 2006 8:19:54 GMT -5
Patrickt!
the skye high tour... do you manage to get enough time off the bus or do you feel rushed all the time? i was looking to make my way up to skye by myself but that seems to involve 6 hours of train... which doesn't appeal! does that tour stop at loch lomond?
Jules
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Post by crystal on Apr 18, 2006 12:52:50 GMT -5
There are buses from Fort William to Mallaig that take about 1hr 30mins. From there you can catch the ferry to Skye which I think is about 30mins journey but I could be wrong. www.citylink.co.uk/If you were coming from Stirling the journey would be between 4-5hrs with a change in Glasgow. Of course the train journey from Fort William to Mallaig is world famous for it's scenery but for some reason the train takes you back to Glasgow before going to Mallaig which makes the journey a crazy 6hrs. |
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patrickt
Senior Travel Member
Near? Faaaaaar!!!!
Posts: 80
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Post by patrickt on Apr 19, 2006 6:47:41 GMT -5
Jules... The tour itself doen't stop at Loch Lomond... But we saw plenty of other places in the highlands and on Skye that made Loch Lomond look like a puddle...
The tour is generally for younger people... and even though the guide says '5 minutes'.. it usually turned into 10-15... I didn't feel rushed at all...
A 6 hour train ride may be long... but if you get a window seat, the countryside is simply phenomenal... Yes... one can only stare at mountain ranges and sheep for so long... but still, it's quite a sight...
Whether by tour or on your own, you really can't go wrong... It's amazing either way!
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Post by Shmemily on Apr 19, 2006 7:07:20 GMT -5
Sorry that took a while for me to get back into the loop of things. I went up to the Isle of Skye for a three day tour with Wild-In-Scotland. I would HIGHLY recommend using that company to anyone who was wanting to go (although it sounds like Haggis is popular too). We passed a Haggis tour on the way and they had twice as many people on the tour as us - I enjoyed the small atmosphere. Anyway it's great and you see more beautiful scenery than you can imagine. You can take the train up but I agree it would be a long trip. I never really noticed the time on the bus - there were so many legends and stories and views. On their website they show you the route that you take so check it out to see what towns and Lochs and mountains you pass (I've forgotten names). As for Glasgow, not a huge fan myself. However, I have been living in Edinburgh now for 7 months and they feel very strongly that this city is better - I may have been influenced |
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Post by Jules80 on Apr 25, 2006 9:23:48 GMT -5
after considering my options the haggis tour doesn't really leave on convenient days for me. shmemily... what days of the week does the wild in scotland tour leave? otherwise i'm thinking fly up to edinburgh on the 26th. visit my dad' family. leave dunfermline for stirling on the 28th. striling to glasgow on the 30th in the morning. explore for the day. then take the plane to shetland on the 1st.
any thoughts?
Jules
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