1. Rent a car

It is the only way to go if you want to see more than the cities and aren't keen on major hiking with all your gear. For many of the specific places of interest outside the cities, especially in the Highlands, a car is the only way to get there - I'd still recommend this as switching sides of the road isn't that difficult an adjustment.

2. Get out of the cities

Do plan to spend some time in at least one city, but most of Scotland is rural and so not well served by trains, etc. (Mind you, most of the people live in the small portion of Scotland known as the "Central Belt" -- the bit between Glasgow and Edinburgh.) Staying in the cities is like a foreigner visiting New York City and thinking that's what America is, or visiting Sydney and thinking that is Australia.

3. Organisations to join

If you want to visit lots of castles and such, look into joining Historic Scotland (which covers the government owned places -- the ones that are not in current use tend to be ruins, but they do have some that are not only all in one piece but are still being used, such as Fort George and Edinburgh Castle) and/or the National Trust for Scotland (which is a private charity unconnected to the government, and tends to cover places that are all in one piece and furnished -- sometimes even with the former owners ensconced in a wing or two). You can join either of them "at the door" of the first place of each you visit.

4. Planning

Plan what you'd like to see, but don't plan too much -- stay flexible and be prepared to drop items off the itinerary and/or add others. Don't try to pack too much in -- take the time to enjoy what you visit and the trips between them.

5. Travel

Remember it will take twice as long as you think to get anywhere on Scottish roads, especially in the rural areas. (In some areas they are single track -- if a car is coming the other direction, someone has to pull off into one of provided wide spots to let the other pass.) There are motorways from about Dundee down to Edinburgh/Glasgow and on to England, but north of there the best you get is dual carriage way, and if you're not travelling between major cities (and there aren't any major cities north of Aberdeen) you won't even get that. Plan on being leisurely -- stop and smell the castles on the way.

6. Maps and listings

Get the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland listing of properties (you get them when you join), the Castles of Scotland map (or some such name -- it lists the sites of about 1200 castles, ranging from lumps in a field to lived in castles), and an Ordnance Survey road atlas. This will help you find what there is to find, and give you some idea how steep that hill is.

7. Accommodation

Get the Scottish Tourist Board's book listing B&Bs -- it lists the facilities of the places, and this can be important. (Some B&Bs are literally a room in someone's house, although these days the quality is really quite good and improving all the time.) Stay in B&Bs -- especially ones that *are* in someone's home -- as that is your best way to meet real Scots and it is ridiculously inexpensive. Book your bed at least a night in advance if you go during tourist season -- July & August -- and when in Edinburgh during the Tattoo.

Off peak season you can often just drive up, providing you drive up at a reasonable hour -- I'd say by dinner time.

8. Winter

Remember that it stays light very late in summer and gets dark very early in the winter. If you extend your stay, I recommend doing it as much on the summer side of mid-March - mid-September as you can. Also, at the beginning of October, many of the tourist places shut down (staying shut until Easter). This is most noticeably true of National Trust for Scotland properties, as it is too expensive to heat the furnished castles in the Scottish winters. Places in the cities may stay open, however, and the ruined places also (they usually shut at dusk, though). Some places stay open but have altered schedules. Basically, don't go in off season if you can avoid it! It's cold, dark, and frustrating!

9. Weather

Whatever time of year you go, prepare for variable weather, ranging from t-shirt & shorts weather down to freezing cold -- think layers. Especially make sure you have a light, wind-breaking, water proof outer jacket (a shell or windbreaker) as sometimes all you need is protection from the wind/rain in order to be warm, and a heavy jacket would be too hot.

10. Edinburgh

You'll want to check out some (or possibly all!) of the National Museums of Scotland . They have a website which will help you plan what you want to do. [There's also the new Museum of Scotland to look at, next to the National Museum in Chambers Street, Edinburgh - Ed.]

Also, the National Galleries of Scotland

For a good bookstore with a substantial Scottish collection, and old & rare books, visit James Thin . [Note this has now been taken over by Blackwells, so Sharon's comments may no longer be valid... Ed.]

I also recommend, of course, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile, and I *think* there is a museum somewhere on the Royal Mile called the "Museum of Edinburgh" -- it is a social history of Edinburgh rather than an artefact style museum. Though I haven't visited myself, there are also supposed to be some old houses that are now preserved as museums. One is called "Knox's House" (but named for a different Knox than the famous one) and there might also be at least one other.

[Sharon is correct about the Museum of Edinburgh; there's also the new Scottish Parliament, if that interests you, and the new 'Dynamic Earth' exhibition, close by Holyrood Palace - Ed.]

11. Castles and Abbeys

I particularly recommend are Dunnotar, just south of Stonehaven, 13 miles south of Aberdeen. It is a privately owned but very substantial ruin in a spectacular setting. Also Urquhart, on the edge of Loch Ness, another ruin but substantial and truly an experience on a foggy day (makes you understand the Nessie stories -- by the way, I don't recommend the Nessie exhibits, you're better off buying a book about it). Also, for a furnished castle, try Craigievar, to the west (and a bit southish) of Aberdeen. It is a Scottish National Trust property, I think, and one of the best preserved late 16th/early 17th century tower houses in Scotland. (It avoided being Victorianized!) However, because it was getting too much traffic, they have taken it off the lists and maps, so you'll have to call and ask for directions and times. You may have to wait to go in (they only let in so many people at a time) but it is worth it to see a tower house with the interior roughly the style it was before the Victorian era. And there is Spynie Castle near Elgin -- this is another ruin but one that has been partially restored by Historic Scotland and is very impressive. I saw it before it was restored and they've really done an excellent job.

But then, there are hundreds and hundreds of cool castles -- you really can't go wrong castle hunting.

Also, though it's not a castle, there is a particularly large and particularly fine carved stone (Pictish, maybe? Can't recall) in Forres (east of Inverness). It's in a huge glass case, which you can see from the main road. I highly recommend taking a peek. Also in Forres there is the 19th century Nelson's Tower which you can climb for a spectacular view of the north coast. And in Elgin itself there are the ruins of Elgin Cathedral.

Among my favorite places is Pluscarden Abbey, also near Elgin, which is a 12th century monastery that was in ruins but is being restored by the order of monks who re-established residence there a few decades ago. They are a Roman Catholic order and, unusually, say their Masses and Offices in Latin (with permission of the relevant RC authorities). On holy days they chant the mass, and the public are welcome at their services any day. I tell you there is really something about sitting in a 12th century Abbey listening and watching as robed monks sing the Mass in Latin in Gregorian chant!!! (And the grounds and surrounding countryside are spectacular, too.)

[If you're into Abbeys, there is one of especial note in the south; Inchcolm, on an island in the Firth of Forth - boat trips from South Queensferry on the south shore or Aberdour, on the north during the tourist season- ask Tourist Information in Edinburgh for details of sailing times, prices and how to get there - Ed.]

12. Balmoral

Balmoral is a 19th century castle -- excellent if you're into 19th century stuff, useless if you just like medieval stuff. (However, the drive along the Dee is gorgeous.) For cool 18th century stuff, I highly recommend Fort George, built just after the Jacobite rebellion northwest of Inverness. This is still a working military barracks/fort, but you can wander around it and it has a good exhibit of barrack life over the centuries.

13. Food

Try some haggis -- it's really good stuff. (If you like sausages, you should enjoy haggis.) If you buy some in the shops, though, don't buy Baxter's canned haggis -- it's horrible and is, as far as I can tell, more like hamburger hash than haggis. Buy the uncanned kind from a good butcher if you want to do it yourself. But better to find a restaurant that has it on the menu. For the full treatment, you're looking for haggis, tatties and neeps (that is, mashed potatoes and mashed turnips).

If you go to a fish and chip shop they will have batter dipped and deep fat fried haggis. This is really good, but won't really give you a good idea of what normal haggis is. Deep fat frying everything appears to be a modern tradition, not a medieval one, in Scotland. Oh, and deep fat frying the Mars bars -- which are called Milky Way in the USA -- is the sort of thing that happens at the corner chippy where you have to take it away to eat. Harry Ramsden's, mentioned by someone else, is a sit-down restaurant and is probably above the Mars bar thing. (Besides, if I recall correctly, Harry Ramsden's started in England.) I never tried it myself, but I understand in many chippies you actually provide your own Mars bar, and there is also a regional element to where they'll do it but alas I can't recall where it started or where they're likely to look favorably on the request. However if you go to Glasgow they deep fat fry pizza at the chippies... (Glasgow is the heart attack capital of Europe)

[A good chippy will do deep-fried fish, chicken, haggis, black pudding, white pudding (an oatmeal pudding), smoked sausage, sausage, hamburger (just the meat pattie, battered and fried), steak pie (sometimes deep-fried...), king rib (a sort of burger), chipsteak (also a sort of burger), pizza (battered and deep fried - be aware that some chippies also do 'proper' baked pizza, but if you ask for a pizza supper, you'll get half a frozen pizza, battered on one side and deep-fried) and sometimes side orders of onion rings, mushrooms, and curry sauce. Ordering: 'xxxx and chips' is usually referred to as a 'xxxx supper', if you don't want the chips - and these are not dainty french fries! - order a 'single xxxx' - Ed.]

14. Strategies

Think about basing yourself in a handful of places for extended periods of time and taking day trips from base. If you do this, make sure your bases are not all in cities! For example, I stayed with my parents a couple miles from Elgin -- about 10 or 15 miles east of Inverness -- for a week and from this base we had a good day trip range into the Highlands, over to Skye (though we only had time to eat lunch on Skye before returning because we had a 6:30 dinner deadline), along the north coast, Strathspey, etc. -- even over to Aberdeen if we'd wanted to.

Alternatively, meander through Scotland stopping each night wherever your trip that day took you. I've done this too and it allows great freedom of movement. (Or do a little of each method.)

Whichever way, plan on going to several different regions -- the Northeast, the central Highlands, the Western Isles, the far north, the Northern Isles (Shetland and Orkney), the Borders, Galloway, etc. There is huge variety in Scotland from region to region.

15. Aberdeen

If you go to Aberdeen, Provost Skene's house is a 16th/17th century house decorated in the style of various periods and has a wonderful 3D model of 17th century Aberdeen based on the earliest map of the city -- wonderful for getting at least a hint of what the late medieval burgh looked like. There is also an outstanding Maritime Museum -- with exhibits ranging the gamut all the way to modern North Sea oil exploration (Aberdeen is an Oil town ;-)). There is also the Tollbooth museum (with another 3D model that is larger but depicts a smaller section of the 17th century map -- but it's got people in it ;-) -- and the winter gardens. Oh, yes! Almost forgot (familiarity, you know ;-). Visit the Old Aberdeen section of town, where the King's College campus of Aberdeen University is. Places of note are King's College Chapel, St. Machar's Cathedral (with its medieval heraldic ceiling), and the Brig o'Dee.

16. Skye

If you go to Skye, be warned that the very expensive bridge toll is payable in *both* directions -- I think the total round trip was something like 11 pounds when I went last summer. (Though perhaps they have abolished or reduced it ... nah ;-)) [not as of July '99 - Ed.]. Skye, however, is worth it. I'd give it more than a day.

[Note: The toll has been abolished in December 2004 so enjoy your visit to this wonderful island - Ed.]

17. Religion

Be warned that in the West Highlands and on most of the Western Isles, most people are very conservative flavours of Presbyterian and Presbyterian offshoots and so things tend to be well and truly shut on Sundays. (Some people frown on anyone doing any labor on Sundays, too -- so no gardening, etc., where your neighbors can see!) The ferries to some islands do not run on Sundays. Restaurants and shops will be closed. (Heck, even in the rest of Scotland many shops are closed on Sundays, though these days mainly only the smaller ones -- and grocery stores are all pretty much open 7 days a week.) Anyway, plan Sundays carefully in the West or Isles.

18. Walking

If you enjoy hiking/hill walking, Scotland is a great place for it, but be warned that despite their short stature, those are real mountains and you should go prepared. (The taller ones do get sudden snow storms in the summer every so often!).

[Absolutely. Scotland's mountains look small and benign compared to, say, the Alps, but they can be dangerous. Be sure you know what you're doing and are well prepared for bad weather, even if it looks fine when you start. Also make sure someone knows where you're going and when you expect to be back - Ed.]

19. Whisky

Whisky Distillery tours -- definitely do a couple. (I did and thoroughly enjoyed them even though I hate whisky.) I particularly recommend going on the tour of the distillery owned by Historic Scotland (or was it Scottish National Trust?) called, I believe, Dallas Dhu. (You'll not be surprised this is in the Elgin area ;-)). This is no longer a working distillery but the self paced tour lets you climb in the nooks and crannies and really see what the details are. *Then* go tour a working commercial distillery, and you'll appreciate it all the more. Some places charge for tours, at others it's free. You can get maps that show you were they are and the times they're open from Tourist Info Offices. (Visit a Tourist Info Office in each region you visit -- they have a wealth of info on local events and places to go.)

20. Other advice

Take some time to just drive leisurely along back roads and see the scenery. Doesn't much matter where (as long as you're out of the central belt built up areas).

But mainly, just keep in mind that no matter where in Scotland you go or what you do, you'll have a great time. It is really hard to go wrong when touring Scotland, as there is so much that is beautiful and/or interesting. And the natives are friendly, too.

Bon Voyage! Effrick -- This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it