Insight Guides Scotland (Travel Guide eBook)

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight Guides
• Year: 2020
• eBook ISBN: 9781839052088
• Edition: 8
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Travel

Insight Guides Scotland Travel made easy. Ask local experts.
Comprehensive travel guide packed with inspirational photography and fascinating cultural insights. From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this guide to Scotland is all you need to plan your perfect trip, with insider information on must-see, top attractions like Glen Coe, St Andrews, Burns National Heritage Park, and cultural gems like visiting the grand Stirling Castle, spotting minke and killer whales in the abundant waters around Mull or enjoying Edinburgh's Fringe Festival. Features of this travel guide to Scotland:
- Inspirational colour photography: discover the best destinations, sights and excursions, and be inspired by stunning imagery
- Historical and cultural insights: immerse yourself in Scotland's rich history and culture, and learn all about its people, art and traditions
- Practical full-colour maps: with every major sight and listing highlighted, the full-colour maps make on-the-ground navigation easy
- Editor's Choice: uncover the best of Scotland with our pick of the region's top destinations
- Key tips and essential information: packed full of important travel information, from transport and tipping to etiquette and hours of operation
- Covers: Edinburgh; Glasgow; The Borders; The Southwest; Forth; Clyde; The West Coast; Skye; The Inner Hebrides; The Outer Hebrides; Central Scotland; The East Coast; The Northern Highlands; Orkney; Shetland Looking for a specific guide to Edinburgh? Check out Insight Guides City Guide Edinburgh for a detailed and entertaining look at all the city has to offer. About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Travel Tips: A–Z

A

Accommodation

A wide range of accommodation is available in Scotland, from hotels of international standard and simple Bed & Breakfast (B&B) accommodation to campsites, bunkhouses and bothies Prices vary from under £25 per person a night for Bed & Breakfast to well over £200 at the most luxurious hotels.

VisitScotland (www.visitscotland.com) operates a system of grading accommodation concentrating on assessment of quality (although symbols still indicate services available). Star gradings range from one star (fair and acceptable) to five stars (exceptional/world-class), and these are applied to all types of accommodation, including hotels, Bed & Breakfasts and self-catering.

If you are planning a caravan or camping holiday, look out for the Thistle logo. The ‘Thistle Award’ is bestowed by the industry and VisitScotland to parks that meet standards of excellence in environment, facilities and caravans.

Staying in Bed & Breakfast accommodation is not only economical, it is also a flexible and potentially interesting way to see the country. Local tourist offices operate a convenient booking service (for which there is usually a small charge) and, except at the height of the tourist season in July and August, it is usually not necessary to reserve in advance. Bed & Breakfasts in VisitScotland’s scheme will, at a minimum, be clean and comfortable. With luck you may find the proprietor friendly and a mine of local information on local routes and things to see and do. Most of the better Bed & Breakfast establishments serve dinner on request, which is usually excellent and modestly priced.

Particularly good value are Campus Hotels, the name given to Bed & Breakfasts and self-catering facilities offered by the Scottish universities in Aberdeen, St Andrews, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling, which are available during vacations. In addition, they offer the use of university facilities such as tennis courts and swimming pools. There is also a vast choice of self-catering accommodation in chalets, flats, cottages and castles.

Information on all types of accommodation is available from VisitScotland and local tourist information centres (for more information, click here), or visit their website, www.visitscotland.com, where you can find comprehensive listings, sorted by area, and refine your search to your specific requirements. Note that, especially for the hotel chains, room rates vary widely according to demand, and weekend rates in city business hotels are often much lower than weekdays. It’s always worth enquiring about special offers: many hotels offer good-value short breaks outside the main holiday periods.

On occasions, the distinction between Bed & Breakfast establishments, guesthouses and private hotels becomes blurred, especially when the former have en suite facilities and serve dinner.

Admission fees

Many museums and galleries in Scotland are free to enter, including the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow and the National Museums in Edinburgh. The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES; for more information, click here) do charge admission to many of their properties, though both offer substantial admission discounts to its members, so joining may be a worthwhile investment if you’re planning to visit a number of places. The Historic Scotland Explorer Pass is also a cost-saving option. Some places, like Edinburgh Castle, can cost the best part of £20, so it’s definitely worth asking about child and family discounts.

B

Budgeting for your trip

Despite Scotland’s relatively small size, its rugged geography, narrow roads in remoter regions, and patchy public transport away from the central belt and major cities mean journeys by private or public transport can take longer than expected. For example, the 260-mile (420km) drive from Edinburgh to Thurso on the north coast takes almost as long as the 400-mile (650km) drive from Edinburgh to London. Fuel costs are similar to elsewhere in the UK – currently around £1.20 per litre, but expect to pay considerably more in remote regions and on islands. Bus travel is generally up to 50 percent cheaper than travelling by train on the same route, and for many journeys the bus is the only public transport option. There are accommodation and food options for every budget, from the almost five-figure cost of a five-star dining experience and a suite at the Gleneagles Hotel to camping free on beaches, moors and glens throughout the country.

However, as a rule of thumb, budget at least £40 per day for travel and food, and, depending on how you like to travel, £20–£200 per night for accommodation.

C

Children’s activities

Scotland is a child-friendly nation, but attitudes definitely vary from place to place. For example, in cities and larger towns, some of the more established bistros and cafés generally welcome kids and are equipped with high chairs. However, many a parent has found their evening plans disrupted when their tiny offspring are deemed unwelcome at restaurants. In truth, access sometimes depends as much on the attitude of the owner of the establishment as the law, though Scottish pubs must obtain a special licence to permit under-16s into their bar. Invariably, parents will find the remoter parts of the Highlands and islands much more accommodating, though it’s worthwhile considering self-catering as a cast-iron option for eating and accommodation.

That said, there are hundreds of child-friendly attractions across the country, from the child-oriented interpretive walks and interactive displays to be found at the Forestry and Land Scotland (formerly the Forestry Commission) centres (www.forestryandland.gov.scot) to the renowned Landmark Forest Adventure Park in Carrbridge (Speyside) that comes complete with tree-top and red-squirrel trail (tel: [phone]; www.landmarkpark.co.uk). Parents will ...

Table of contents

• Scotland’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: Scotland the Brave
• The Scottish character
• Decisive Dates
• Beginnings
• Battle for the throne
• The age of rebellion
• Industrialisation and war
• Modern Scotland
• Highlanders and Lowlanders
• How the Kirk moulds minds
• Scots geniuses
• Scottish art and music
• Outdoor pursuits
• Porridge, haggis and whisky
• Introduction: Places
• Edinburgh
• Insight: Old and New Town architecture
• The Borders
• Insight: Historic castles and abbeys
• The Southwest
• Forth and Clyde
• Glasgow
• The West Coast
• Skye
• Insight: A crofter’s rugged life
• The Inner Hebrides
• The Outer Hebrides
• Central Scotland
• The East Coast
• The Northern Highlands
• Insight: Highland flora and fauna
• Orkney
• Shetland
• Travel Tips: Transport
• Travel Tips: A–Z
• Travel Tips: Further Reading