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.

Because it's colder than the south.

And "far" is a relative term. I've never been to Cornwall because it's ridiculously far away (for me) but go to Scotland most years and yes, the Lakes most weekends.

Whereas we live very near the south coast, and go to Cornwall loads because it's practically local. Even better, we don't have to go anywhere near the hell on earth that is the M25.

We've never been to Scotland, because it would take the best part of 2 days to get there and we don't fancy spending 4 days of our holiday schlepping up and down motorways in our elderly motor home.

HoppingPavlova I live in London. There’s no need to drive for 7 hours to get anywhere, I don’t even need to own a car. I do but the maximum I drive most days is 20 minutes. What with stopping for lunch, dinner, nappy changes, leg stretches, it would take forever and there are closer, warmer options for us, like Europe.

Well, I am very very glad that Scotland ‘ isn’t popular as a holiday destination’ because it means it’s lovely and quiet when I go. I would stop going if it ever got as popular as Devon or Cornwall.

I don't think I've ever been bitten by a midge in Borders Scotland. Lovely scenery and access to Glasgow, Edinburgh and places of historical interest
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attractions-g186502-Activities-Scottish_Borders_Scotland.html
Scotland isn't a 'place', it's hundreds of places.
I regularly whizz up and down the A1. It's 7 hours from the outskirts of London to the south of Scotland. For me it goes past in a flash but not so great if you've got weans fighting in the back seat.

Tbh, I’m surprised at how popular our area is with tourists. It’s so expensive to get here. It is a very, very popular destination though, and I love watching the tourists enjoying themselves, and love it when they’ve stopped in a huddle and they’re all gaping at something and taking photos and I think ‘what on earth are they looking at?!’ and then I realise they’ve spotted something which I’ve walked past every day for 15 years and never noticed or appreciated before. Tourists are a lovely eye opener :)

I don't understand it taking 2 days to get to Scotland that makes no sense especially when motorhomes are involved

Brits can drive for hours on end, they just don’t usually have to, and hence will normally choose closer alternatives. If I wanted to drive for ten hours to go on holiday I’d probably go to one of the quieter bits of Brittany.

The weather. Plus I live in Dorset so it's one hell of a trek

Whole day to drive there, and then again back, and that’s with no sleep breaks. With work etc many people don’t have confidence they can safely drive the full distance without an overnight break.

It's the weather. I live here and I haven't seen a lot of our country. Well certainly not the beautiful parts lol.

I'd love to go to the islands. Barra looks absolutely beautiful, the beaches don't look too dissimilar to there Caribbean! However you can't guarantee the weather. It's quite expensive and hotels for summer need to be booked in advance.

I'm not willing to risk a wet week for the same price as a sun holiday abroad. So that's my reasoning.

Parents moved to Dumfries and Galloway. I’m in the south east.

It’s not even that’s it far it’s that’s the roads are hard work. M40 always a crash, M6 massive stretches of roadworks. And then you get to Scotland ( making good time is 5 1/2 hours) where you join the hideous A79. It goes west all the way to Ireland so get endless lorries heading for the ferries, tractors and slow tourists on what’s largely single lane. It’s the last 60 miles that takes nearly 2 hours.

And then to get anywhere you have to go back on that stupid road because all the towns are spaced miles and miles apart on A79 Kirkcudbright is nice but it’s very small town. Castle Dogulas is just a town with shops.

Summer as far as I can tell is a June and July. By August it’s getting ready for winter again. Shocking rain and wind for the local Agricultural show most years.

I quite like the gardens you look round Logan Botanical, much cheaper than down Southand interesting plants. Parking is often easier and cheaper if not free - unlike Cornwall. But sorry it’s not my idea of a holiday.

Just stop over night loopy

Mrsjayy that’s potentially an extra £200 in a £100pn place there and back. Plus extra days annual leave from work. If it’s a half term break you’d encroach on your time in Scotland

All of this adds up to serious effort. You’d need a real desire to go to make such an effort. And that’s not there when there are other easier (sunnier) options.

Midges
Rain
Most hospitality establishments are between mediocre and dreadful
Most hospitality establishments are expensive
Public transport is poor
Outside of Glasgow and Edinburgh there is bugger all culture

loopytiles said they had a campervan though not that im ordering them to travel 100s of miles I just didn't understand 2 days to get toScotland

Anyone been there to ski? Would you recommend?

Oh I didn’t see that. I would probably take 2 days as well though, to break it up. Maybe stop off in York and combine the trip. I have little ones and I just think such a long journey is a bit unfair.

I live in Scotland, but when my DC were younger and we wanted to get to the ferry ports to France, we would just drive overnight and share the driving. It just took a bit of planning and organisation, but the kids would be asleep in the back and we would take turns to drive and snooze. We could catch up on sleep for a couple of hours when we arrived. Fairly painless.

just didn't understand 2 days to get toScotland
Depends where they're going from and to. Takes me 2 days to travel to South of England as need to break it up because of the distance and time.

Even for people with a campervan or caravan, a full day of travel each end of a holiday, or two days with overnight stop offs, is a lot, and accommodation of any kind is expensive.

Depends where from and to, obviously. As DC we used to visit the highlands, Perthshire and Aberdeenshire, from central England. Bloomin’ miles and took ages!

I tend to take an overnight break when travelling to Scotland from the South East, just because it's an awful lot of driving in one day otherwise. We've found some lovely B&Bs on the way up in our time.

Scotland is a very popular tourist destination.
The weather is worse than in the SW of England though. I'd say our best months (west central) are May and June - by August it's usually quite wet.
Midges are a problem in certain areas.