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Travel & Transport Tips
for Scotland (Vacation / Holidays)
Internet Access - Phone
Numbers & Address Postcodes
Brochures
- Money - Useful info addresses
Disabled access / Mobility assistance
Online Maps
How to get to/from Ireland
Travel by air - ferry - train
- coach
Car hire -
Campervans - Motorbikes - Cycle hire
Guided coach tours
Tours and excursions - Activity
holidays
Cruises
Summer Schools / Field Studies / Learning English
Weather
Accommodation web sites - Hostels
- Campsites
Events listings
For travel and transport details on specific places
see the appropriate regional pages.
Internet Access
BT Internet kiosks (payphone boxes) are now available in many cities in the UK. Services include Instant Email, SMS text messaging and access to the Internet via broadband. Pay by coins or credit card.
Most public libraries in Scotland offer Internet access (often for free).
Phone numbers & Postcodes
Most phone numbers in the UK now follow the format: 01 plus 8 or 9 digits which is easy enough to dial if you are already in the country. However if you have to call from outside the UK, first dial
the international dialing code, then dial 44, omit
the lead zero, then dial the rest of the of the number you are calling.
For example if the phone number is 01475 650 100 and you are not already
in the UK, this is what you dial: international code + 44 1475 650 100.
A phone number beginning with 07 is probably a mobile phone (cellphone).
Looking for a someone's phone number? The whole of the
current UK phone directory is available online - searchable for free via the BT phone web site or try www.ukphonebook.com.
Looking for the exact address of a house or business? If you wish to mail/post something to someone in the UK, you can find their postcode via the Royal Mail web site (click on Postcode and address finder).
Brochures by mail
Click here for details.
Money
The currency in the UK is the pound sterling where 1 pound (£) is made up of 100 pence.
This is the currency of England, Wales and Scotland, although you will find that Scotland has different banknotes for £10, £20, £50 and sometimes £5 as well.
The exchange rate is around 2 US dollars = 1 UK pound.
Yahoo keeps up-to-date figures on currency rates (select British Pounds).
Credit cards such as Visa and MasterCard are accepted in major shops and hotels, but not often at small B&Bs.
uk-yankee.com has a useful page showing photos of UK coins and notes (although this doesn't include Scottish notes).
Useful info addresses & sites
Visit the official UK Government Foreign Office web site for all information about
Visa Requirements.
VisitScotland (formerly the Scottish Tourist Board) has various offices. You can view contact details for them at
visitscotland.com
Or if you are in North America, visit their US site at toscotland.com
The US site has various fact sheets with useful info (about cellphones, currency, hospitals, etc.)
Also try the main UK tourism agency VisitBritain which has offices worldwide.
Scotland Groups Guide
- everything you need to know to plan group travel in Scotland (activities, coaches, accommodation, incoming tour operators, etc.).
VisitScotland's Convention Bureau has useful information for conference planning and group visits.
For advice on hospital and medical treatment for visitors to the UK - visit the Department of Health web site.
First time visitors
- www.i-uk.com: UK Government web site
- Although aimed at Americans moving to live in the UK, the uk-yankee.com is also useful for tourists with practical tips including articles on cultural differences, electrical goods, money, etc.
- Driving in the UK
- You can read about other people's experiences on their trips to Scotland in the
Travel Tales file or browse suggested itineraries.
Contacts for disabled access / mobility assistance
- Capability Scotland which offers an Advice Service at 11 Ellersly Road, Edinburgh EH12 6HY. Tel: 0131 313 5510. Fax: 0131 346 1681.
- Holiday Care Service. Tel: 01293 774 535 / Fax: 01293 784 647
- Holibility Scotland (based in Perth) offers
information for disabled and elderly holidaymakers in Scotland, including lists of recommended accommodation.
- Allgohere.com incorporating Everybody.co.uk offers disabled-friendly accommodation listings
- ShopMobility - great scheme offering mobility scooters for shoppers in many UK cities including Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow & Inverness
- Nevis Mobility offers mobility equipment for hire (mobility scooters, wheelchairs and walkers). Collection/delivery anywhere in the Glasgow/Edinburgh area. Tel: 01698 711103.
- Mobility Scotland
- Ardgarth Guest House in Portobello (Edinburgh)
has full disabled access for 2 of its ensuite bedrooms. In recognition of this, they were awarded overall winner of the Leonard Cheshire Award for Business 2005 (designed to recognise businesses in Scotland which are promoting inclusion and equality for disabled employees and customers).
- Try the accessible accommodation search engine provided by VisitScotland (the official Scottish Tourist Board).
VisitScotland can also send you a copy of their brochure called 'Accessible Scotland' - phone 0845 22 55 121 or contact them via their web site. The brochure only covers accessible accommodation and visitor attractions which are members of the tourist board.
- The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions lists contact details for over 400 places - email them about disabled access to the properties you want to visit.
- For access to the great outdoors for those with mobility problems, visit the WalkScotland site.
Online Maps
To calculate driving distances, use the RAC route planner or MSN Maps UK.
If you are trying to identify the location of specific places, check out these other sites where you can view searchable maps online:
Old maps (circa 1850) are available courtesy of Landmark and are currently browsable by county name.
The Scottish Gazetteer is another useful resource online.
Travel between Scotland and Ireland
Ferries between Scotland and Ireland:
- P&O: between Larne (in Ireland) and Cairnryan (in Scotland)
- Stena Line from Stranraer (Scotland) to Belfast (Northern Ireland).
- Combined coach and ferry tickets to Belfast: CityLink
- Also check out air travel below.
Air travel
For international and domestic flights, see:
- British Airways online
searchable timetable. Tickets from London Heathrow or Gatwick to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow, also to Inverness (more expensive). Flight connections to the islands of Barra, Benbecula, Islay, Lewis, Orkney and Shetland.
GO FLY (part of BA) operates flights from Stansted to Edinburgh.
- EasyJet operates daily cheap flights from Gatwick (London), Luton Airport (about 30 miles north of London) direct to Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Single journey tickets allow flexibility to fly into one part of the country and fly out of another.
- RYANAIR operates cheap flights from Prestwick (south of Glasgow) to London and many other European cities. Ryanair routes also include Inverness, Aberdeen and Edinburgh.
- KLM UK is another company which is offering flights from London City Airport to Edinburgh, or from Stansted to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow.
- bmi (British Midland Airways Ltd) has a variety of cheap flights (domestic and international).
- Highland Airways operate an Island Hopper Service linking Inverness - Stornoway (isle of Lewis) - Benbecula, and Inverness - Shetland.
-
cheapflights.co.uk and
cheapflights.com (for US residents)
English Airports (based around London):
Gatwick -
Heathrow -
Stansted
Main Airports in Scotland:
Other airports in Scotland include:
- Stornoway (Isle of Lewis)
- Balivanich (Isle of Benbecula)
- Isle of Barra
- Isle of Islay
- Kirkwall (Orkney)
- Sumburgh (Shetland)
- Lerwick (Shetland)
- Campbeltown
- Wick
For more info on these, visit the
Highlands and Islands Airports official web site.
Flights between Scotland and Europe include:
- Ryanair flies from Glasgow Prestwick to Girona (Barcelona), Bergamo (Milan), Ciampno (Rome), Beauvais (Paris), Charleroi (Brussels), Hahn (Frankfurt), Skavsta (Stockholm), Torp (Oslo), Gothenburg.
- Germanwings flies from Edinburgh to Cologne.
- Germania flies from Glasgow Prestwick to Berlin.
Ferry travel
Most ferries in western Scotland are operated by Caledonian MacBrayne based in Gourock. They sail to 23 islands off the west coast and have special tickets for
multiple journeys (Island Hopscotch and Island Rover tickets).
Ferries to Orkney and Shetland from the Scottish mainland are run by
Northlink Orkney & Shetland Ferries Limited.
Ferries between the various islands of the Orkney group are run by
Orkney Ferries Ltd. in Kirkwall - Telephone: 01856 872044 / Fax: 01856 872921.
Ferries to/from Europe: ( useful ferry map )
- The Smyril Line
operates ferries between Scrabster (northern Scotland) and the Faroe Islands, Norway and Iceland.
- Superfast Ferries operate a ferry service between Zeebrugge (Belgium)
and Rosyth (Fife, eastern Scotland). Voyage time is 17 - 18 hours.
This is the only ferry between Scotland and Continental Europe. This service is due to cease in mid September 2008.
Rosyth is less than 30 minutes drive from Edinburgh, 35 minutes from Perth, 1 hour from Glasgow, 2 hours from Aberdeen and 3 hours from Inverness.
- P&O North Sea Ferries operate ferry links from Holland and Belgium to Hull (northern England) from where it is a 6 hour drive to Edinburgh.
- DFDS Seaways operate ferries from Europe to Newcastle (northern England) from where it is a 3 hour drive to Edinburgh.
- For all the different European ferry routes, visit
ferrybooker.com.
Rail travel
The main railway lines within Scotland operated by First Scotrail are:
- Between Edinburgh and Glasgow
- From Glasgow south to Dumfries
- From Glasgow south to Stranraer (via the following places on the west coast:
Wemyss Bay, Largs, Ardrossan, Irvine, Troon, Prestwick, Ayr, Girvan).
- From Glasgow north to Oban
- From Glasgow north to Fort William and on to Mallaig
- From Edinburgh north to Inverness (via Stirling, Perth, Pitlochry, Blair
Atholl and Aviemore)
- From Edinburgh north to Inverness (via the east coast stations of Dundee,
Aberdeen and Nairn)
- From Inverness north to Thurso
- From Inverness west to Kyle of Lochalsh
Since there are now so many cheap flights from London to Edinburgh and
Glasgow, the rail companies have had to do special deals to compete. It takes about 4 hours
to travel from London to Edinburgh on a day-time train and 5 hours to Glasgow. Sleeper trains are available from London to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fort William, Inverness and Aberdeen.
thetrainline.com is the official way to check timetables and book train tickets online.
Savings within Scotland can be made with TravelPass & Rover tickets.
For example the Highland Rover allows 4 days unlimited travel out of 8 consecutive days on Highland rail lines plus the Inverness-Fort William-Oban Citylink bus service.
The Freedom of Scotland Travelpass allowing unlimited travel throughout the country on trains plus Cal Mac ferries and some bus services is available for 4 days travel out of 8 consecutive days (or for 8 days out of 15). For more details and prices see the special tickets page on the
First Scotrail web site.
Railtrail Tours Couriered Holidays: exploring the Scottish Highlands and other parts of the UK in style.
The Royal Scotsman: Luxury tours of Scotland by train departing from Edinburgh.
Coach travel
National
Express is probably the biggest company - tel: 0990 808080. It takes
almost 8 hours to travel from London to Edinburgh (twice daily) or Glasgow
(up to 6 buses a day).
The Scottish Citylink
web site gives the timetables of all their services within Scotland (click on Journey Planner).
If you are a student aged 16-25, or if you are aged over 50, you can get a Smart Card offering you discount fares. Another option is the Explorer Pass which offers for unlimited travel between certain dates.
Megabus is a new budget double decker bus service operating between Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Perth, Aberdeen and Inverness. Tickets from as little as £1.
travelinescotland.com is the official public transport guide with online timetables and a journey planner.
For all local transport connections in the Highlands and Islands (including Orkney), there are 8 individual printed Travel Guides which can be purchased for a small charge. Contact the public transport section at the Highland Council in Inverness
(public.transport@highland.gov.uk or Tel: 01463 702695).
Each island has its own bus service run by a local operator. Some places
(both on the mainland and on the islands) are also served by Royal Mail
post buses which not only take the mail around to villages, but also transport
a few passengers for a small fee. Telephone 0131 228 7407.
For Guided Coach Tours - see below
Vehicle / Car Hire / Campervans / Motorhomes
- Hertz have branches in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and Prestwick Airport.
- Bespoke Highland Tours operate good value
car hire deals in conjunction with well-known national car rental firm Arnold Clark Ltd. Hire locations include Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Aberdeen, Perth, Stirling, Dumfries, Dundee, Prestwick.
- EasyDrive
in Fort William has a wide range of hire cars, vans and people carriers.
Personal service.
- For something special, check out Gran Turismo based in Edinburgh.
They have a range of sports cars, classic cars and luxury vehicles for hire. Chauffeur available on request. Ideal for romantic breaks. Self-drive tours can be customised. Accommodation in friendly country mansions.
- Based near Stirling, Campers Scotland have campervans for hire with a collection and drop-off service for all major Scottish airports and stations.
- Deeside Motorhomes (based in Aberdeenshire) have a fleet of motorhomes for hire.
- Discovery Motorhomes Scotland
(based near Dundee) can provide hire of 5-berth and 7-berth motor homes with Satellite Navigation.
- Escape Campers offer classic VW campervans for hire. Based near Glasgow.
- Happy Highland Campers - fully equipped vintage VW Camper Vans for hire (based near Inverness).
- Highland Campervans - modern, heated, 4-berth campers for hire. Automatic and 4-wheel drive. (Based in Inverness)
- Highland Classic Campers - classic Volkswagen campervans for hire (based near Inverness).
- Kira Rentals have modern campervans for hire (based near Glasgow Airport).
- Loch Ness Motorhome Hire: 6-berth modern motorhome for holidays in the Highlands.
- Openroad Scotland luxury 6-berth motorhome hire (based in Glasgow).
- Perth Motorhome Hire offer vehicles which can sleep up to 6 people.
- Scotland by Camper - classic camper vans for hire
(based just outside Glasgow).
Make sure you have enough petrol (gas) in your vehicle - some islands
may only have one filling station. It is more expensive than in North America for example.
(Note that 1 US gallon is about 3.785 litres but 1 UK gallon is 4.546 litres). Diesel is more expensive.
Prices fluctuate frequently of course.
Yahoo keeps up-to-date figures on currency rates (select British Pounds).
Motorbike Hire & Tours
- AMTURUS - Guided motorcycle tours through Scotland and Ireland with accommodation, baggage transfer, and a German and English-speaking motorcycle tour guide.
Hire of Harley-Davidson motorcycles available as extra.
- Caledonia Motorcycle Services - based in Aberdeen.
- Caledonian Classic Motorcycle Tours offer a wide range of guided tours on classic British motorcycles throughout Scotland. Tours can be tailored to individual requirements, bikes available for hire or bring your own, classic or not!
- Highland Motorcycle Holidays - based in Invergordon. They can also arrange itineraries and biker-friendly accommodation in the Highlands if you are visiting on your own bike or hiring one from them. Contact Nigel Newell - tel: 01862 842260.
- Guided motorbike tours can be arranged by Highland Rider. Bring your own bike or hire one of theirs. Based near Edinburgh.
- scotlandbybike.com offers guided motorcycle tours throughout Scotland.
Cycle Hire
Click here for my list of places where you can hire
bikes. Other places are listed on the appropriate regional pages.
Guided Coach Tours
- If you want an all-inclusive coach tour package (4-14 nights accommodation, etc.) then
check out the major coach tour companies such as Shearings Holidays.
- Prestige Tours offer a choice of all-inclusive coach tour packages with hotel accommodation and flights from the USA if required.
- Based in Argyll, Highland
Heritage have a variety of trips.
- Brightwater Holidays specialise in coach tours including gardens, castles, islands, wildlife, etc.
- Perth-based McLeanScotland operate all-inclusive luxury coach tours. Also fly-drive, golfing, fishing, weddings, as well as trips covering England, Wales, Ireland, WW2 Battlefields, etc.
- Ochils Tours offer guided day trips in a 16-seat Mercedes Mini Coach. Trips include Glamis Castle, Fife and St. Andrews, Pitlochry and Loch Tay, Glencoe and Oban, Crieff & The Famous Grouse Experience. Pick-ups in Perth, Crieff, Comrie, St Fillans and Callander.
- Based in Edinburgh, Timberbush Tours offer a choice of small coach tours with a driver-guide. Tours include the Scottish Highlands, Fife, Perthshire, Stirling, Loch Lomond and the Edinburgh area. Half day and one day excursions are available, plus longer tours of 2, 3 and 5 days. Accommodation not included, but a booking service is offered if required.
- Based in Glasgow, Maxwell's Heartland provide tours in a luxury minicoach (maximum 16 people).
They offer a choice of day tours - either Glencoe or the Trossachs and Rob Roy country, plus a 3-day tour to the Highlands. This extended tour (which includes accommodation) has pick up points in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and goes to Loch Lomond, Glen Coe, Fort William, Eilean Donan Castle, Glenelg and Skye. It features Camusfeàrna (home of Gavin Maxwell’s 'Ring of Bright Water') with a view to spotting otters.
- Discover Scotland have several day tours by 16-seater mini coach with regular departures from Glasgow. Tailor made private tours can also be arranged.
Also see the tour operator list compiled by The Scotsman newspaper.
Alternatively, why not book base yourself in Edinburgh or Inverness, and then take day trips by coach to see the sights?
For tours departing from Inverness - click here.
Departing from Edinburgh:
- Scottish Tours (based at the Scottish Sightseeing Centre, 63 High Street, Edinburgh):
- Day Tour 1: Callander, Glen Coe, Fort William, Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Inverness, Pitlochry, return to Edinburgh (Daily April - October)
- Day Tour 2: Linlithgow Palace, Stirling Castle, Loch Lomond (optional cruise) and Braveheart Country, return to Edinburgh via Glasgow (Daily April - October)
Longer coach tours (complete with hotel or guest house accommodation) include Inverness and Loch Ness (2 days), the Highlands and Isle of Skye (3 days), The Best of the Highlands (4 days) and Highland Explorer (5 days).
Scottish Tours can arrange private tours for a half day or full day for small groups either by saloon car (for 3 people) or people carrier (maximum 6) from Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Tailor-made group tours by coach including accommodation can be arranged on request.
- Heart of Scotland Tours - daily minibus tours all year round. Tours include Lothian castles & distilleries, St Andrews & the fishing villages of Fife, Stirling Castle & Loch Lomond, Rosslyn Chapel & Hadrian’s Wall, Loch Ness.
Booking Tel: 01828 627799. Tours can be booked at Edinburgh Tourist Information Centre. All tours depart from Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. Private tours for groups can be arranged.
- Highland Experience Tours depart from Parliament Square, Edinburgh, 7 days a week. Day trips include Loch Ness, Loch Lomond & Stirling, or Rossylyn Chapel.
An extended 2 day (1 night) tour to the Highlands is also available. Private tours can be arranged on request.
- Timberbush Tours offer a choice of small coach tours to the Scottish Highlands, Fife, Perthshire, Stirling, Loch Lomond and the Edinburgh area. Half day and one day excursions are available, plus longer tours of 2, 3 and 5 days.
- Scotline Coach Tours - daily minibus tours all year including Stirling, Perthshire, Loch Lomond, Loch Ness, the Borders.
- Gray Line offers a wide selection of day coach trips, plus a few that are afternoons only. Book online via their web site or contact them at 81 Salamander Street, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 555 5558.
- Haggis Backpackers: 1, 3 and 6 day tours in the Highlands. Also jump on, jump off, flexi-pass on their tour routes.
- Rabbie's Trail Burners: 1, 2, 3 and 5 day tours by minibus. Tailormade tours also available.
- Wild in Scotland: 3, 5, 6 and 7 day tours from Edinburgh by minibus as far as the Hebrides.
- Based in Edinburgh, Jackie Queally of Celtic Trails offers unique half day and whole day personalised tours from Edinburgh to sites of prehistoric, Celtic and medieval/Templar interest, including Rosslyn Chapel and other sacred sites. Templar Trails also available.
Tours and excursions
( For walking/cycling tours see below. )
Here are just some tour companies who operate in Scotland:
Scotland Made Easy can plan a customised itinerary for a self-drive tour to suit your interests, budget and time available. They will book you into recommended accommodation where you are assured of quality, comfort and hospitality - usually in 4 star B&Bs in Scottish homes. Optional 'specials' include a night in a castle, church, lighthouse, country mansion, etc.
Whether you have already decided which places you want to visit
or if you haven't a clue where to start,
Scotland Made Easy
will advise and take care of all the planning for you.
Gran Turismo, based in Edinburgh, offer something special. They have a range of sports cars, classic cars and luxury vehicles for hire. Chauffeur available on request. Ideal for romantic breaks. Self-drive tours can be customised. Accommodation in friendly country mansions.
Clansandcastles.com
can take you on guided tours of Scottish Castles with departures from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Inverness or Aberdeen. Take one of the suggested tours or have a trip customised especially for you. Themed tours to follow in your clan footsteps available on request. Small groups in a car, minibus or a 50-seater coach can be catered for. Day or half-day trips, or week-long tours. Professional, local private guides.
Accommodation reservations for castles, inns & country houses also available, together with
itinerary planning for self-drive tours (with car hire if required).
Absolute Escapes is a specialist Destination Management Company providing tailor-made travel packages for individuals, groups and corporate clients. Packages can include acommodation and activities - either self drive or with a private tour guide.
Alasdair Ross offers private tours for small groups covering his native Isle of Skye and also the neighbouring West Highlands.
Celia Ffitch-Stewart is a fully insured driver-guide with Mercedes limousine for your tailor-made guided tour. Based near Inverness.
She offers half day, full day or extended tours. Airport collection (Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Inverness).
Services can include itinerary planning and accommodation reservations. Meet your clan chief, trace your roots, stay in a castle, tour the distilleries. Member of HOSTGA (Highlands of Scotland Tour Guide Association).
Kathleen Cameron is a professional Scottish tour guide living in Inveraray, Argyll (tel: 01499 30 2361, fax: 01499 30 2435 or mobile phone: 07777 5691641).
For walking or driving tours in cities, towns, or countryside, she can accompany groups of any size, from independent travellers (up to 7 in her own vehicle) to coach parties. Tours can be started from any destination including Edinburgh or Glasgow. Fluent in Spanish.
Sandy Stevenson (native Scot now based in the US) is a guide offering custom-designed small group tours to Scotland.
NordRaad Konsult specialises in bringing Scandinavians to Scotland as they speak the
languages and have run their travel business for over 20 years. Based in South Queensferry near Edinburgh.
Hans Arends is a tour guide for German speakers who wish to visit Scotland.
Click here for more Scottish tour guides .....
Activity holidays
Visit the web site by Activity Scotland which is an association
representing activity holiday providers in a multitude of fields throughout Scotland. Their site has separate pages for each region and each activity on offer so it is easy to find a company to suit your needs.
Information is also provided on my
Walking and Cycling page.
Cruises
- Hebridean Princess - small cruise ship (48 guests) offering 5 star luxury. Sails from Oban to the Inner and Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. March - November.
- Lord of the Glens - small cruise ship (54 guests) offering 4 star luxury.
Sails from Inverness/Loch Ness to Fort William and the Inner Hebrides. Some departures from Oban. 4, 7 or 10 night cruises.
- Noble Caledonia - variety of itineraries and cruise ships, including expeditions to various Scottish islands.
- Northern Light Charters has 4 small ships which offer a variety of private charter, wildlife cruises, bird-watching and whale-watching cruises, dive charter, island cruising, and research and survey services. Based in Oban.
- The Majestic Line
operate 3 and 6-night cruises from Oban and from Holy Loch (near Dunoon) in converted traditional wooden vessels with 6 cabins (for 12 guests) to explore the coastline and islands of Argyll. April to October.
- Links list of Cruising & Charter companies in Scotland.
Summer Schools / Field Studies / Learning English
Weather
Scotland is well known for its unpredictable weather. It can change very fast in a matter of minutes, especially in mountain and sea areas. When travelling around Scotland it is always best to be prepared for anything, good or bad.
In the height of the summer, the hours of daylight are long and it may not get dark until after 11pm, particularly the further north you are. In winter, daylight hours are reduced to around 7 hours at the lowest point in December (click here for a useful daylight hours summary table).
Average Temperatures for Edinburgh are approximately as follows:
|
January 6 C / 42 F |
May 14 C / 58 F |
September 16 C / 61 F |
|
February 6 C / 42 F |
June 16 C / 61 F |
October 12 C / 54 F |
|
March 8 C / 47 F |
July 18 C / 68 F |
November 9 C / 49 F |
|
April 11 C / 52 F |
August 18 C / 68 F |
December 7 C / 45 F |
Web sites providing useful weather forecast information include:
There are various phone lines you can call for weather updates including:
10-day Weathercall forecast for North West Scotland: 09068 500 425.
Click here for a phone list of other regions throughout Scotland (the Weathercall service uses data provided by the Met Office).
A few accommodation resources
Hostels in Scotland
For hostels in the specific towns and islands, see the accommodation section of the relevant guide pages - e.g.
Inverness
- Oban
- Fort William
- Aviemore
- Ullapool
- Skye - Harris
- Lewis
Camping & Caravans
Wild Camping
Click here for advice about wild camping
(courtesy of walkscotland.com) and also read the Wild Camping advice leaflet by The Mountaineering Council of Scotland.
Be responsible and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
And finally...
It is always best to book accommodation in advance on the islands during
the tourist season. Some islands are so small they don't have that many
places where you can stay and you might find that they are all full.
Allow yourself plenty of time when driving from A to B since many of
the roads in rural areas are narrow and sometimes twisting. Also, don't underestimate the number of times you will be stopping to admire the views and take photos!
Be sure to take waterproof clothing and good shoes or boots. The weather
in Scotland can change very quickly particularly in mountain areas and
by the coast (which means most of the country!). It can be sunny one minute
and pouring with rain and blowing a gale the next. Be prepared for anything
and everything.
If you are walking the hills and moors during the hunting season, make
sure that there is no deer stalking or grouse shooting in progress, as
I'm sure you wouldn't want to get shot. Ask your host or the people at
the Tourist Office which are the areas to avoid at this time. The usual
season for deer-stalking is from 1 September to 20 October for stags. Hinds
are culled from then until 15 February. You should also take care during
the grouse-shooting season from 12 August to 10 December.
And don't forget that Scotland is famous for its midges, so remember
to take some insect repellant with you whether you are camping or just
walking.
Also take a look at the online Midge Forecast.
I have always found people in Scotland to be very welcoming and friendly.
Often they will go out of their way to help visitors, particularly in the
islands where the community spirit is still very strong. They will pick
up hitch-hikers and offer people a lift even if you are just walking along.
Scotland is a wonderful place - visit it if you can. And once you have
been there, it will keep drawing you back.
To see how it has inspired me, you can plough your way through the complete story of my 14-week trip in 1993 in my Highlands and Islands journal.
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