Hopefully visiting Ireland & Scotland in 2012

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Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

I was up at Edinburgh Castle a few weeks ago, I enjoyed it, far more interesting than I remembered it from school visits.
Also in Edinburgh there is Craigmillar Castle which was home to Mary, Queen of Scots at one point. If you are walking up to it there is a cycle path/walkway accessed from Craigmillar Castle Avenue, its much safer than walking up the twisty turny road which has no sidewalk. The path crosses the road at one point and comes out at The Edinburgh Royal Infirmary ( near the bike rack at back of medical school )

If you're thinking about visiting a lot of palaces/castles maybe think about an Historic Scotland pass to save on money
http://www.visitscotland.com/shop/tickets-passes/historic-pass/

To see the highlights of Edinburgh there are open topped tour buses which you can hop on and off.

Don't forget Edinburgh has a whacking great hill in the middle, the remains of an extinct volcano, Arthurs Seat. Great views from the top ( if it's not raining ) situated in Queens Park next to Palace of Holyrood, there's also 3 lochs in the park

I loved Orkney, maybe a bit remote for a quick visit but it has fantastic ancient sites like Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, Maeshowe
There are flights from Edinburgh and Glasgow to Kirkwall

We spent around 10 days in the summer touring up the west coast, along the top and down the East. The scenery was fantastic.
There's now a free bridge over to Skye from Kyle of Lochalsh.
Some villages in the Highlands and Islands stick to the old ways ie shops and petrol stations close on a Sunday so be prepared for that.
Durness and nearby Balnakeil are remote, windy but wonderful empty beaches. Wonderful chocolate for sale in Cocoa Mountain in Balnakeil.
The visitors centre in Durness has a beautiful wall hanging showing the "riots" - basically the women of the village burned the eviction notices, you can walk round the abandoned area where families once lived and worked until the landlords reckoned sheep were more profitable and less bother

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 1:56 pm

^^ Thanks for that information esp. about the Historic Pass. I had forgotten about Orkney.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 659

For a small fee I can provide you with the information. Please send your contact and banking infos to Barrister Goodluck O'Sullivan. Laughing

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:12 pm

^^^ Nice try, BF! Wink

Posted: Wed Jan 04, 2012 10:37 pm

To add my bit, try going to Fort William, have a vintage steam train ride £32 standard return, see this site.
http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/

Also if you decide to travel by car, remember that the person driving, its best for them if they don't drink, when you visit any brewery, distillery or any other drinking place, laws are very stricted on drink driving.

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 12:51 am

^^^ That sounds neat. The steam train ride.

I will try to confine my drinking to sitting in a pub with lodging within walking distance.!

It is beginning to look like that I will have to spend a month traveling. Laughing

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

Yeah the steam train goes over the Glenfinnan viaduct famous from the Harry Potter films.
Glenfinnan is also where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in his failed bid for the British throne

Glenfinnan monument

Sango Sands, Durness

sunset at campsite Altandhu ( near Achiltibuie )

Summer Isles from Achiltibuie road

Skye Bridge from Kyleakin

Kenn and the salmon, ( from the book Highland River ) Dunbeath -memorial to writer Neil Gunn

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 1:31 pm

^^^^Thank you for sharing those photos.

Re: the last photo. Wonder if we could get a lad to get a photo with a large fish like that. hmmmm

here · Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:32 pm

^^^
you mean like the group of lads that Bravo and I have been messing with for almost a year now?

Twisted Evil

Posted: Thu Jan 05, 2012 2:55 pm

^^^ Yes, but a BIG fish! Wink

Thinking of the song He Ain't Heavy He is My Brother -- inserting BIG Fish for the word "brother"

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