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UK travel

Welcome to our UK travel forum where you can get advice on everything from holidays to exotic destinations, to tips on London travel.

Original poster

Scotland west coast

16 replies

gingerbreadmam · 10/01/2018 09:26

Hi

Dp and I are trying to decide where to go for our summer hol. We have a little sausage dog who goes everywhere with us so are looking for a dig friendly holiday.

We usually like to go for nice pub grub, a few drinks and also like to do tourist attractions and a spot of shopping.

Although we don't mind walking it's we are not looking for a walking holiday as we prefer to relax.

As I say, our dog goes everywhere with us so we need the places we are going to go to be dog friendly such as pubs / places to eat and if there are any tourist attractions which are dog friendly - even better!

Is there anywhere in West coast Scotland you would recommend based on the above? We are open to anywhere in the UK tbh as long as it has plenty for us to do and not too far (we are North East).

Any recommendations would be great. Thanks.

OP posts:
Original poster
gingerbreadmam · 10/01/2018 09:37

**dog friendly not dig Grin

OP posts:
shakeyourcaboose · 10/01/2018 09:45

Ayrshire has some lovely places!

Original poster
gingerbreadmam · 10/01/2018 10:03

That's a great starting point. Thank you.

Oh I meant to ask - a lot of people mention midgies when you talk about Scotland in summer. Is it a particular time?

OP posts:
heron98 · 10/01/2018 11:54

We went to the west coast in May last year. There were no midgies and amazingly it was sunny and warm every day.

Original poster
gingerbreadmam · 10/01/2018 12:04

Oh lovely. Thanks Heron. Do you mind me asking where you went?

OP posts:
bakingdemon · 10/01/2018 12:08

The West Coast is gorgeous for walking. If you want shopping/food I'd say start in Glasgow for a couple of days. Loch Lomond is gorgeous and there's lots of good food around Loch Fyne. Then go up to the islands - Mull is lovely. You probably need a car as it's hard to get around the islands without one.

sleepyhead · 10/01/2018 12:09

Ayrshire sounds ideal for you - Culzean Castle and the surrounding area are lovely and you can get a ferry over to Arran from Ardrossan.

Dumfries and Galloway also worth looking at. We stayed in a cottage near Castle Douglas a couple of years ago which was a good base for visiting local castles etc and also coastal towns such as Kirkudbright. Port Patrick further down is very pretty.

(Midges not a problem in Ayrshire, and I don't think D&G either - was too early when we went though.)

Original poster
gingerbreadmam · 10/01/2018 14:17

Thank you everyone. I will have a look into them tonight when I have time. Did have a quick look at Ayrshire at lunch and it does look lovely.

The last few years we have been to Llandudno and Skegness. loved Llandudno but fancy somewhere different. Skegness is not really for me but very dig friendly and do enjoys it.

We also love York but go there quite often.

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Increasinglymiddleaged · 10/01/2018 14:24

I think you do need to be prepared for the west coast being generally very rural and there isn't that much to do in most places other than walk. Relaxing can also be difficult as the weather can be much the same in the summer as the winter. I've been when it's been awesome, but there are mists that settle, it tends to rain a lot.

For places with slightly more going on I'd look at Oban, there are lots of trips to islands etc and also the Isle of Skye.

I don't mean to put you off, I love it but then I love walking in remote places. It is absolutely beautiful. I haven't been to Ayrshire although I have been to the Isle of Arran, that is lovely for a couple of days. Perhaps there is a bit more going on there :)

ClaudiaNaughton · 10/01/2018 14:31

Airdeny chalets in Taynuilt might be a possibility for you. They have some dog friendly chalets and it’s near Oban.

Original poster
gingerbreadmam · 10/01/2018 14:33

Oh really? Yes we would be looking for a bit more than just walking tbh. Although we have a dog he's not great at long distances anyway with him only being small.

If it was up to me I would want a holiday like abroad but not abroad. I know you can get things like that in Cornwall and the likes but it is a really long way to travel from where we are.

The holiday I enjoyed the most with dp prior to dog was malgrat de mar with lots of beach bars, a nice stroll into the old town or santa Susanna and a lovely evening craft market. The sun probably helped too!

OP posts:
Increasinglymiddleaged · 10/01/2018 14:58

I think most people who holiday in this area and don't walk miles tend to move around a bit from place to place in order to get variety of eating out etc. There are also places that aren't strictly coastal but may feel like it because of the lochs. So loch lomond has loads of boats etc and isn't that far north of Glasgow so is a bit more happening :)

Rayl · 10/01/2018 14:58

What about Edinburgh OP? (I know it’s not west coast) but it’s easily accessible from anywhere and there are loads of dog friendly places, even restaurants.

Great walking too with Arthur’s seat etc.

I lived in Ayrshire for years and found it has gone downhill in terms of shops/ nice pubs etc. It can be quite boring.

Original poster
gingerbreadmam · 10/01/2018 15:22

We do love Edinburgh and tend to go at Christmas. Never thought of it for summer but definitely worth considering.

Never been to Glasgow so looking that way is also worth while too. Thanks for all the ideas.

OP posts:
GinGarden · 06/02/2018 23:44

Kintyre Peninsular - Mull of Kintyre, totally unspoilt with loads to do, fab restaurants, local seafood, island visits, whisky, walking and relaxing. Point Sands, Tayinloan is dog friendly as is the Argyll Arms at Bellochantuy

BlueChampagne · 15/02/2018 13:31

Mull might be worth looking at.

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