To wonder why Scotland isn’t more popular as a holiday destination

[N0rdicStar]

Just been watching that hidden Scotland programme. I promise you I don’t work for the tourist board.

I lived there as a forces child for a few years and was born there previously. Loved it but my mother hated it and refused to ever go back so we never did. Know nobody else who has ever holidayed there but oh my goodness it’s beautiful and seems to have everything- history, beaches, mountains, wildlife.....

Why do we all flock to Cornwall and the Lake District?

Is it the weather? Can’t just be the distance as the above are long distances for many.

On the back of that can you give me the best bits.

Pickle, The Borders and D&G are beautiful and so much quieter 5han the Highlands. Portpatrick on a sunny summer’s day - you could be in Cornwall. Kirkcudbright is very pretty - an artist’s colony almost. Eskdalemuir is fantastic, especially when you spot the Buddhist temple!

East coast, in the Borders - Eyemouth has seals in th3 harbour and excellent fish and chips . Coldstream beach and St Abb’s Head for the bird life and walking. Floors Castle at Kelso, a proper stately home, and Hermitage Castle further west which proper gives me the shivers looming through the mist.

I live in Southern Scotland and it is beautiful (and peaceful).

I also work in hospitality and can confirm we get millions of visitors from all over the world. The North Coast 500 has been so successful it’s a blessing and a curse. The Bealach na Ba can be like the M25 on occasion. But, get off the main route and you can still drive/walk for miles and see more deer than people.

I live just outside the Trossachs national park and the suggestion that Scotland is lacking in tourism made me laugh out loud.

Midges: in the west of Scotland, June-August, yes. In the east, no. My last camping trip was in Aberdeenshire in August and we didn't see a single midge all week. If you want to go west, come in May - the midges are only just emerging then and they don't bite straight away. They also can't hack a strong breeze and there are plenty of those on the west coast.

I've also lived here for years with an English accent and have only ever had a funny attitude over it while engaged in political activism, which I think would be a very niche holiday activity.

We have had several winter/spring breaks near Loch Goilhead over the past few years. Lodge with no wifi or phone.
The air is amazing, my 16 year old loves it, watches the seals, walks on the shore and gets tearful when she leaves.

We went a few years ago to the Highlands. No midges, weather was fine, but I won't go back because if the ticks. Both DD and I found ticks when we got home and it's a high risk Lyme area. This was NOT well publicised or we'd have been keeping a close eye out for them whilst there. As it was we had an anxious few months waiting to see if we had Lyme disease.

Isn't popular? Wow try holidaying anywhere in Scotland in the summer months, it's heaving with tourists. Even the beautiful remote western highlands is really popular now due to the NC500. The impact of tourism on Skye is huge, it just can't cope in high season, it doesn't have the infrastructure. Not so long ago people were being stopped going over the Skye bridge and only allowed onward journey if they had accommodation booked.

We usually have a week somewhere in Scotland in March and October just to avoid the tourists and even then it can still be busy. We had spectacular weather in the Hebrides at the end of October, likewise in Skye in March. We have travelled extensively but nothing can beat the beauty of our own country, for us anyway.

One thing I will say is, it can be bloody expensive depending on what type of accommodation you like.

We live in Scotland and holiday here in the summer (I like a wee warm up at Easter)
We used to live in London and drive up to holiday and still regularly drive down to visit family. It's a day of driving with one or two stops but I suppose it's maybe a state of mind? Certainly no further than driving from London to Brittany.

I think for a lot of people there's a weather issue. It's not as warm as se England, it's always windier (completely still days are unusual) and August is not our best month. Yes, you read that right, the weather in August is markedly worse than in May, June and July. It's much rainier and the damp keeps the midges happy! So, if you fancy it try June or July (Scottish schools get their holidays in July and go back during August).

We've never found people to be unfriendly on the basis of Englishness and we've been living and/or holidaying in Scotland for 20 years. I think people generally take you as they find you.

The Bealach na Ba can be like the M25 on occasion.

I wouldn't even consider driving it in the summer for that reason! The last twice we drove it, it had tons of snow but the road is kept really clear.

I've lived in Scotland all my life and never had a problem with midges apart from once when camping near a lake. They can easily be avoided!
It's a very dated view to say all Scottish hate English people There are quite a lot of English people living where I do and and no one bats an eye. I also (and I know I'm bias) must disagree that the Scotts are unfriendly (esp when you compare to somewhere like London), most of us are very talkative and friendly and have a great sense of humour, esp in Glasgow (and I'm from Edinburgh)!

can any Scottish mums netters please recommend places to go/stay in Scotland that aren't a crazy long journey from London?

Somewhere like Castle Douglas might suit. It's in Dumfries and Galloway - north on the M6, cross the border, hook a left and along the coast. It's a "food town" with lots of independent producers, good beaches on the Solway coast, dark sky area with lots of stars on a clear night, Threave Castle is lovely.

However depending where you are in London, you're looking at a 5 hour 30 minutes-ish drive to the border.

Ticks are a worry for me as I walk a lot.
I carry a removal device and get checked over the same day. If they're removed quickly and safely there's minimal risk of catching Lyme disease.
It should be more publicized imo - when I first saw one I thought it was a weird spider.

We live in Scotland and my husband works in London most weeks. I don’t understand how it can be so far to travel in the other direction that people can’t do it once a year.

Is it because it’s uphill? Or do people from London find it hard to breath here because of the lack of air pollution ?

Scotland is stunning - in the right weather... plus midges... plus the sea is way too cold just to run into it and splash around. Having said that we have 2 weeks there on the NC 500 road trip route this year.

What is it like as a winter autumn destination too? Bad weather doesn’t put me off but I’d like to be able to get to my holiday destination.Ds has been nagging re skiing which is out of our bracket. I used to go ice skating in Aviemore. Would a couple of days skiing be affordable/ doable?

Glencoe and glen etive are beyond beautiful.

I would love to go but we don't drive. Maybe when i am old I can do one of those coach trip thingys

Skiing isn;t guarnteed either. There was something on the news this week saying that our relatively mild winter has devastated ski areas - only something like 22 days of skiing so far. Aviemore would be a great choice though as there are lots of other things to do if you get there and find no snow.

I live in the highlands and have never been bitten by midges
Its bloody cold though!

As elsewhere in the UK, quality/cost of some of the accommodation and food, and weather. Plus distance.

Last time I checked Scotland was full of tourists. We go every few years - the downsides are the weather and the midges (big downsides if you're camping). Lots of upsides too though.

Super we get ticks all the time in the SW when hiking. As u say just get in the habit of checking, really easy to pull out.

Glencoe and glen etive are beyond beautiful.

Not any longer if the proposed hydro schemes are being build.

Some of the loveliest weather can be in October and all the leaves have changed - it's gorgeous.
We live quite far north and the roads are mostly passable. DP is surprised by how much more the gritter lorry covers here.
2017-18's winter resulted in a snow day, but DP in Yorkshire was stuck in her car for hours on the same day so it might have been quite bad in most of the UK.

From London there are numerous, closer weekend/holiday options, in UK and mainland Europe. Perhaps not as beautiful (IMO) as parts of Scotland, but much quicker to get to and don’t require as much time off work.

To those saying it’s too far - why not fly (to Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee? Edinburgh) and hire a car? I live in Aberdeenshire and have driven to the Lake District but have flown fly when we’ve gone to Bristol and London.

I recommend Aberdeenshire and Moray - lots of castles and history, the whisky trail and the Moray coastline has beautiful beaches with no midges. Findhorn is one of my favourite places. That area has a microclimate so it is often a lot milder than elsewhere in Scotland.

I live in NI, and most people in my school went to Scotland if they had a holiday at all.