Road trip to Scotland over Christmas

[xksismybestletter]

We were planning a road trip to Scotland in the summer but it didn't go ahead and kids and we were gutted. We were going to stay in our caravan.

We are thinking about going for a week at Xmas, which will include Xmas day.

Two main elements the the decision

• will we miss our home Xmas too much
• will it be fun travelling around in the cold winter days and can we make Xmas special?

Kids are primary age. I'm veering between being massively excited and thinking it would be mad.

Family wise, I'm a bit of off with my family at the moment and I tend to find Xmas laden with expectation from them, and DH family are easy about everything but aging fast. My darling dad died this year so a change is welcome in that regard.

I live in Perthshire. OP, you could have a fab city break in Edinburgh, with the lights, Christmas markets etc, but bear in mind that almost everything will be shut on Christmas Day itself, as a Bank Holiday.
There is loads for kids to do, such as Dynamic Earth, ghost walks, the zoo, the castle, Mary King’s Close, pantomimes, etc.
Most years, the really bad snow doesn’t come until January, but it can start in late November, even as far south as Edinburgh.
Further north, the police shut the roads with snow gates when it’s too dangerous to drive due to ice/blizzards/drifts. I certainly wouldn’t recommend you planning anything north of Perth in December.

Just in case you’re still considering it I thought I’d comment again with my reasons:

1 literally nothing is open on Xmas day
2 many things will also be closed for the surrounding days
3 Nicola S likely to put covid rules in place over Xmas/Ny
4 weather - cold, damp, windy and wet
5 daylight - hardly any of it, even during day time you will often get no sunlight that time of year, it is bleak.
6 no scenery to see that time of year (due to darkness and cloud)
7 you probably won’t be able to visit the islands - often ferries are cancelled short notice due to weather, and the island businesses will be more or less shut down for the entire time anyway. If the ferries are running pack plenty of puke bags. Plus you might be unwelcome if you do get a ticket as there has been so many ferry disruptions with covid that many have the view that locals should be given priority on the ferries (tickets were like gold dust for a while). If you do get there I have no idea how you’d entertain kids with everything closed tho
8 expense - accommodation will be rarer and pricey that time of year

Agree with others that a short break (3 nights) in Edinburgh before or after Xmas would be great. But not over Xmas day, and not going to other places.

Agree with the PP who suggested a cottage or similar.
Maybe an appointment in Edinburgh city centre? Plenty of restaurants etc open on Christmas day but will cost ££££

Another Scottish person chiming in with the chorus of "Nooooo! Don't do it!".
You'd be fine with a city break in Edinburgh/Glasgow and exploring a few places in the Central Belt/Fife. But the Highlands and Islands will be much nicer in any season other than winter!

Would be approx £1000 for an appointment in Edinburgh over the week of Christmas (on booking.com)

We used to go away in the caravan at Christmas as kids, to Scotland, in the snow! Fabulous!

Another Scottish person saying don’t do it! I live in Edinburgh which is fab in the run up to Christmas (providing the snows don’t come or it’s sleeting and raining horizontally) but I wouldn’t do a road trip with kids at this time of year for all the reasons already given.

I would do it but:

I'd do a city break. Most places are open most days in December in edin/Glasgow and they'll be warm and brightly lit.

There's no way I'd do Christmas in a hotel room unless it was a huge 5 star luxury type thing. You'll be piled on top of each other and not really have anywhere to go. I actually would either take the caravan or go for an apartment/airBnb - that way you can lay out presents, play games without disturbing other people, wear your jammies all day, etc.

Expect everything to be shut on Christmas Day and to close early on Christmas Eve, but in Edinburgh everything else will be open - we have a whole Christmas festival.

It will be expensive. And it does get dark at 3pm. But if you're prepared to deal with all that and find yourselves a cosy flat, it will be brilliant.

Thanks for all your comments, it sounds like it another time. Ilwe will look at a flight to Europe instead.

I'm surprised about so many people suggesting the kids would be bored and everything closed. I'm not really sure what you mean? Hotels and shoes will be open presumably (shops closed on bh), and we would book accommodation in advance. I expect we would occasionally eat in a restaurant but we would also DIY a lot.

In terms of attractions they weren't really on the list. We are not into big overpriced entertainment, just want to see the world.
Santa is not a massive part of our life but he comes wherever we are normally - eh at Grandma's etc.

That is the point of the road trip. The simple life.

Kids are were really excited at the idea.

If you can afford to book a Christmas dinner package at a nice hotel then go for it but if you're on a budget, you'll enjoy Scotland much better in the nicer weather. Edinburgh is definitely worth a visit in December but avoid the Highlands and Islands for all the reasons already listed.

Kids are were really excited at the idea
Just go for it then op. Even if things go wrong, sometimes they give the best memories!

I think a city break like babdoc says would be nice. Edinburgh zoo is open on Christmas day and I've been then and enjoyed it with children.

Or hiring a lodge in kinloch rannoch or somewhere like that rather than driving around to lots of places - cosy up by the fire and play board games sort-of trip.

The weather isn't usually blizzardy until late January, from my recollection.

I usually go on a walk on Christmas day and I dont remember particularly bad weather any of the years I've done that.

Edinburgh is wonderful at Christmas time so a city break could be lovely - but the days will be short and it could be cold. For a road trip I would definitely wait.

With all the heavy rain and localised flooding in the last few days, I would say it's definitely not the time of year for it. I saw what looked like a fatal crash happen on the other side of the motorway while I was making an essential journey by car on Wednesday night after all the trains were cancelled, and in daylight in the middle of Glasgow saw lots of minor accidents due to heavy rain yesterday.

And I say that as someone who has chosen to live here for the last 25 years, people aren't being unwelcoming, they just want you to get the best from your visit. If you can hole up in a luxury hotel in Glasgow or Edinburgh for a few days, great, but a road trip or anything involving public transport at this time of year may not go to plan. Even pre-Covid the organisation I worked for had a pause on work trips to field locations across Scotland from Nov-Feb due to inclement weather and colleague safety.

I definitely think there are better times to visit . The days are short and even the stunning scenery can be miserable when it’s cold , wet and rainy. I have been in Syke when it was raining so hard you couldn’t see a hand in front of your face,
However. I did spent Christmas in Aviemore one year . It’s on the East Coast and so much more likely to be dry and cold. The snow up there can be great. There is some lovely scenery and you can go up the Cairngorm and also feed wild reindeer. The hotel we stayed at was visited by Santa with his sleigh pulled by real reindeer. ( this was many years ago now though)
There are lots of things to do nearby, and if it snows it will be very Christmassy.
[[https://www.britanniahotels.com/hotels/coylumbridge-hotel-aviemore]]
www.landmarkpark.co.uk/

It's not really that people are focusing on attractions, it's just that if the weather is miserable, it's likely your trip would be as well. If you're not used to it (and tbh even if you are), days of sodden skies, lowering cloud, cold wind etc don't make for fun days walking in the Highlands, going on a ferry etc.

We're currently on day 4 of pouring rain. The ground is sodden, the roads are awash, our wide and beautiful views are limited due to cloud down to about 200 feet. And it's only October. It's not cold yet, so add temperatures 10-15 degrees below where we are now, and tbh I can't see anyone finding that makes a good holiday.

If you were here during one of the weather windows with blue skies and crisp mornings, then perfectly understandable to want to come to Scotland in winter, but those kind of conditions are getting rarer as weather patterns change and our weather is just getting wetter.

We go to the Highlands every New Year. We love it but we go out for a few hours in the day, home by 3pm then settled in the lodge/cottage whatever we have booked with a big fire.
The kids love it, it's very low key. We have a massive family Christmas so we like to get away after that to relax.
We try to go somewhere that has a ceilidh on Hogmanay so that's our night out.
It's very dark. After 3pm/3.30pm theres literally no way you could have a woodland walk or drive around to look at the view.
The weather the last few years hasn't been that bad so the weather wouldn't put me off but its potentially a long way to come to look at the dark!

Depends where you go? Book in advance for things you really want like Christmas dinner then wing it with the rest. You could stay somewhere like creiff hydro or as someone else said Kinloch rannoch lodges are lovely and the scenery is beautiful however the weather will be a factor hopefully not snow but edinburgh too could be a lovely visit or stirling, Perth or inverness - the A9 can be horrible if the weather is bad mind you and can close if it’s bad. I’m from the highlands and have family in the northern islands so have had some lovely Christmases snuggled up warm whilst it snows or rains outside. Walks on the beach with the dogs too to walk off Christmas dinner I do miss being up there as I get older.

However. I did spent Christmas in Aviemore one year . It’s on the East Coast and so much more likely to be dry and cold

Aviemore isn’t on the coast

I mean I wouldn’t road trip but I think it would be easier to base yourself somewhere nice and stay for a few days, as driving can be miserable at that time of year and you only get proper daylight for a few hours (I mean I’ve not seen the sun for days at the minute and I’m east coast). City breaks or somewhere nice where you can travel to wander if the weather does happen to be nicer will be decent.

I’m all for the simple life and I’ll happily holiday in Scotland but a road trip wouldn’t be my first choice as you will be driving either in darkness or using precious hours of light for driving. A base where you can holiday from would totally work though.

@SirChenjins

However. I did spent Christmas in Aviemore one year . It’s on the East Coast and so much more likely to be dry and cold

Aviemore isn’t on the coast

Bad wording. I know it’s not on the coast . I just tend to divide Scotland into East and West - and describe this as East coast and West Coast. Posted without thinking . And maybe Aviemore is a bit more in the centre - but I still think of it as East . I know what I mean but you are right- sounds daft

@soupmaker

How are you going to do Santa? I'm assuming your kids still believe. Frankly unless you're doing 5 star luxury with indoor pool I'd not even consider it. And I live here. It'll be cold, wet and dark with nothing apart from walks to do.

This.

Save the trip for next May/ June or September.

@xksismybestletter Perhaps we are misunderstanding you, as you said attractions aren’t your thing, what sort of things did you have in mind to fill a week and we might then be better able to help you with planning?

Forest holidays have cabins in Scotland. We have stayed in a few in England and love them. They’re set in beautiful scenic locations, self catering with fully functioning kitchens, bathrooms and ensuite. Log burner and private hot tub. They’re not cheap, but lovely.

Cookfood.net do ready made Christmas meals you can Chuck in the oven or microwave (we buy theirs when we go away to reduce any cooking).

You can even get an online shop delivered, depending on where abouts you are. I believe that the lodges come with decorated Christmas trees over the festive period!

I think your idea is fab!