So, it looks like a family trip to Scotland this summer. It will include my parents (both in their mid seventies and in good health) my son and I. It also may include my brother and his wife (35 for her and 42 for him) and possibly my ex mother in law “Greta” who had a stroke a few years ago but other than a slight limp is quite hale and hearty. Greta is from Denmark and well travelled through Europe but not so much in the UK. Neither my parents nor I have been to Europe or the UK at all. Dad tends to get nervous and tense in large cities and crowds,
It looks as though we are flying from Vancouver to London and then London to Glasgow. We may do a brief stop over in London, but perhaps not.
There are only two “have to’s” on this trip. Dad wants to go to Ayr, Scotland and see his father’s grave marker. (Dad’s father was in the RCAF Ferry Command and died in a plane crash in August 1941… Dad was only 5 weeks old and his friend’s father were in the same plane. She was born a month or so after the accident)
More pleasantly, a tour of a whiskey distillery is also on the list of things to do. Other than that we are open to ideas. I’m a history/literature buff, so I really will be good with doing almost anything, (I’d love to see a MacBeth performance, I am sure I will be able to find that somehow) I am aware of the Edinburgh festival and also the Fringe, so that is on the list but my Dad doesn’t do well with crowds so that may be some mini excursions of mine and whatever group chooses to do that.
Our main concern is finding things that will interest my 12-year-old. He is interested in government, and such, so some historical things may be of interest but I am not sure how many museums etc he will tolerate. I don’t want him to view Scotland by occasional lifts of his head up from his iPad.
So tell me, Dopers, what should we be doing in Scotland in August?
I was in the Highlands near Fort William just after Christmas (it was lovely, and not that cold!) One thing that we couldn’t do (because it was winter, and shut) was the Hogwarts Express, to Skye - is your 12-yo a HP fan?
Skye is lovely in its own right, and from Ayr you’d get there through the Trossachs, which are also just gorgeous, and Glencoe, which is appropriately historic in a gory blood and guts way. So that’s my hot tip!
Oh, and in Edinburgh itself? Camera Obscura FTW! And the Scottish parliament building at the bottom of the Royal Mile is well worth a visit
I’d guess there will probably be at least one group performing Macbeth during the Edinburgh Festival or Fringe. Their official programmes haven’t been announced yet but Shakespeare is quite popular and multiple productions of his plays are quite common each year.
For possible future reference: Edinburgh Fringe site Edinburgh International Festival
The city does get extremely busy (and expensive) every August so, while there’s a huge amount to see and do here, your idea of day trips is probably a good one if some of your party don’t like crowds. And, yes, the Camera Obscura is a neat attraction but it does involve a fair number of steps to reach the top. It has a hall of mirrors and other walk through optical illusions as well as the more historical tower and viewing apparatus.
As your son is interested in government, there are daily tours of the Scottish Parliament - if you pick a day it’s not sitting, you should get onto the floor of the main debating chamber.
Elsewhere, as mentioned already, the Falkirk Wheel is quite a sight, together with the giant Kelpie statues about 4 miles away down the Forth & Clyde Canal. The Roman Antonine Wall passes close by as well.
If you like ships there’s a tall ship moored in the Clyde in Glasgow which you can go round.
Stirling has a castle almost as good as Edinburgh’s and Linlithgow has a very historic Palace as well.
As you’ll be in Ayr, you’ll be fairly close to Culzean (pronounced Cull-ane) Castle, set on cliffs on the Ayrshire coast. Not been there since I was a child, but it still places high up on the list of top attractions.
Um, that’s probably enough castles!
I second Oban. It is one of my all-time favorite travel memories, and I’m pretty sure I was there in August. I also loved Skye, and the Isle of Mull.
I wouldn’t worry to much about the issue of large cities and crowds. There might be some crowds in Edinburgh, but in general everything in Scotland is much smaller and emptier than the U.S. Also wild, historic, and stunningly beautiful.
Not explicitly stated yet, but Oban’s the site of a perfectly fine Scotch Whisky distillery. So that could help you cross off multiple 'to do’s with one visit.
Oban’s good: hard to characterize, but I’d class it as a cross between a good Highlands and a seaside, if not full-on Islay character Scotch. Sweet, with some smoke. The 14 year old is usually a crowd pleaser IME, even among non-Scotch drinkers, which isn’t the same thing you’d claim for, say, Laphroiag.
Approximately two weeks, in the first part of August. August 14th is the date of my Grandfather’s plane crash. Originally I thought some how I could link being in Europe with going to Denmark with my son and Greta, (she wants to go there with my son or both of us, to meet family there) but for the moment for various reasons it is impractical. Also she would like to see Scotland. I am not sure how this dynamic will work, but I am willing to make it happen. I am just excited to go anywhere.
How practical is going to Inverness/Culloden area from Glasgow. Remember we are Canadian, (and a Danish born Canadian) so cold and north does not scare us. I’m in love with history so I’d enjoy seeing the Battlefield, etc but is there any centre or museum that gives some context so that the less informed would also enjoy it? Or would it even make sense given the two week time period?
It’s feasible to travel from Glasgow to Inverness - approx 3 hours drive or the same by train. Probably easiest to have a car if you want to visit the Culloden Battlefield. It’s about 7 miles from the centre of Inverness and I don’t know what, if any, public transport there is.
This shouldn’t be too much trouble if you’re in Scotland for 2 weeks. It would be a long day trip from Glasgow, or a comfortable overnight. And yes, it’s a bit north but we’re not talking Arctic Canada here: it’s unlikely to be particularly cold in Inverness in August. It might well pour with rain, though.
Enjoy the cool weather! I know that whatever they have there, it’s better than the early-mid August hellscape we typically suffer through here in Texas.
(seriously… if the weather’s over 70-75 in Scotland, I’d be surprised.)
Outside of that, I’d say that visiting some of the “castles” would be neat- I’ve been to Crathesand Fraser Castles, and both were surprisingly cool. Dunnottar is more like a “real” castle, but is mostly ruins these days.
I’d also recommend a trip to/through the Highlands- very impressive in terms of natural beauty.
If you’re down Ayr way there’s all sorts of Robert Burns stuff to see.
Also in that general area is the beautiful island of Arran - often called “Scotland in Miniature”. You catch the ferry from Ardrossan which is just up the Firth of Clyde coast from Ayr.
I would worry about the issue of large cities and crowds if you’re going to Edinburgh in August; it could be unbearable for someone who doesn’t like crowds. And the conurbation of Glasgow is twice the size of Edinburgh, with some very busy stations, streets, shops, restaurants etc.
Also, there are 32 US states that are less densely populated than Scotland (which is slightly smaller than South Carolina), so in general it’s not really “much… emptier” than the US.
Yes. My wife, who is from the USA and a naturalised Canadian who lived for years in Winnipeg, finds Glasgow to be very crowded on a normal day. Edinburgh at festival time will be heaving.
Not saying don’t go there, of course - it may well prove worth it. But it’s not safe to assume that a person who doesn’t like crowds will be OK in Scottish cities.
The Highland and Islands has a population density slightly less than that of Nebraska - the 43rd most densely populated State so there’s “really quite empty” to be found in parts
and Linlithgow has a very historic Palace as well.