Edinburgh and...?

[WartOrNot]

Thinking about maybe exploring Scotland this July. Definitely want to visit Edinburgh, and then go on to...where?

We have up to 10 days for our trip. Not sure we want to spend two of those days driving up from the South (and would we even need a car in Edinburgh?) so would probably fly or sleeper train, and rent a car if we needed one.

We like history and local culture, hillwalking (dh is hardcore, I'm unfit), steam trains and other engineering, the sea, quirky things. Pretty eclectic, really.

Any suggestions of places to go in Edinburgh or further afield? Things to do or see, places to stay, transport to use?

Arran, you can climb Goatfell. Auchrannie is lovely to stay and there is often deals on Itison. Loch Lomond is another good option if you like hill walking - lots of munros, depending on budget Cameron House or Duck Bay (great food) are good places to stay.

North Berwick if you want beaches for little kids.

St Andrews if you don't mind golf.

St Andrews and Crail. Visit the Secret Bunker. Train /car to Oban and get on Mull ferry. Bus then takes you to the wee ferry for iona. Or take care and stay at Fionnphort and visit the gorgeous beaches there. Iona is my fav place, peaceful, abbey, standing stones, walks, beaches, excellent food., but make sure you have somewhere to stay, otherwise can do a day trip but its a long day.

We had a wonderful holiday in Scotland with our three kids when the eldest was 14 and the youngest 10. We stayed in Edinburgh first - rented a flat. so much historical stuff, just walking about, atlas obscura, the castle, Holyrood House. We did a trip to the Royal Yacht Britannia and a day trip to Lindisfarne too - stopping at the site of the battle of Flodden Field (I think) and a few other castles.

Then we drove to Oban and took a ferry to Mull and stayed in a B&B that was in a Victorian "castle" my kids were beside themselves at the castle. From there we took a day trip/ferry to Iona. Then we went to Fort William self catering place. Went hillwalking on Ben Nevis and took a day trip to Lough Ness and Culloden.

Edited to add we took the "Harry Potter" steam train too.

There is so much more I would have loved to have done in Scotland.

It was one of our favourite holidays ever.

Train to Aviemore, think sleeper still leaves from Aviemore to London. Strathspey steam railway, they used to do tours of the engine sheds pre-covid. Very interesting! Hills, plenty of outdoor pursuits for all abilities.

Remember that oasis are playing and also the military tattoo is on so book early. Dont bother with the slkeeper train, you'll miss all the scenery, get the day train from kings Cross. From edinburgh get the Inverness train, stop off in the cairngorm national park then maybe visit Skye or Oban for a few days.

Parking in the centre is expensive. Public transport is quite cheap though.

If you can, drive along Glencoe - it’s stunning.

If you like walking make sure you walk up and around Arthur’s Seat. Fabulous views over all of Edinburgh and ice cream van usually parked halfway up road to revive kids. Have a search - numerous other posts on great things for kids around Edinburgh.

Your second centre could be St Andrew’s. Glorious beaches, university town so lovely old buildings, squares etc, great restaurants etc. Good park - I can’t remember the name - just outside of town.

Or stay in Edinburgh throughout and do day trips by train. Eg to Linlithgow - Linlithgow Palace , Stirling - Wallace Monument, Stirling Castle and lovely walks, North Berwick - perfect compact little seaside town, Glasgow - great shopping or museums - Kelvingrove art gallery and museum- stunning - see Dali’s ‘Christ of St John of the Cross’ , Museum at uni for mummies, Botanic Gardens, Transport Museum , all West End. All accessible by frequent trains from Edinburgh.

Some of these places I have heard of, and some I haven't! This is wonderful, thanks. Lots of ideas to research.

Fortunately the Tattoo and Oasis are both in August.

No young dc. Some of our adult dc will probably come with us.

Train scenery is nice enough, but two days of it is not worth the loss of holiday time. The view from the Hogwarts train is an entirely different issue!

Arthur’s seat - passing on good tip from local last time - hotel or b& b on long road - think called Craigmillar Park on south side Edinburgh on way to shopping centre called Cameron Toll - good guesthouses etc and major bus route. Then access Arthur’s Seat by walking up side of Commonwealth Pool and turning right.

Train journeys I’ve suggested for day trips from Edinburgh all very short - longest is Glasgow at 50 mins.

East Neuk of Fife, St Andrews. Perth, Dundee, Culross. Some nice walking with good views from East and West Lomond, Falkland Palace, the lively villages of the East Neuk - Crail, Elie, Pittenweem, Anstruther, St Monans. Some nice farm shop type places. St Andrews for the history, Dundee for the V&A, Broughty, Perth and Scone.

Are you driving? If so do a loop and enjoy the scenery and amazing food.

From Edinburgh head up the coast to Fife (St Andrews, Crail, fish and chips at , or go up through Perthshire. Braemar / Ballater and Balmoral. Drive the Cock Bridge / Tomintoul route to Inverness and see Culloden, Inverness is quite fun for a night out with some ceilidh bars and a couple of good restaurants. You could carry on further north, or drive down past Loch Ness and either go further West to Applecross/Plockton or Skye, or head south for Fort William, Glencoe, Oban or Loch Fyne. Head home past Loch Lomond, back on the Motorway south at Glasgow. Eat game, seafood, drink local beers, whisky and gin. I think most places 2 nights is enough to get a taste of it. You can then always plan return trips :).

edited - just seen you are flying. You can see a lot by public transport but it’s time consuming if you want to go further afield. You can see loads driving - hiring a car from Edinburgh on your last day there to save the hassle of parking in the city is a good idea if you fancy a bit of a road trip!

From Edinburgh I would visit Fife. Lovely villages and lots of restaurants.

If you missed out Fife you could drive from Edinburgh to Glasgow and then up the West Coast . You do drive past Loch Lomond but imo it’s not worth stopping there. Go on and either go via Glen Coe to Skye or over to Oban and Mull.
In Skye head North where you can visit the Quirang, the Faerie pools etc.
If you go to Mull, then a visit to Iona is a must. A trip to Fingals cave is also very worthwhile .

Ryanair from Bournemouth is a very cheap way to fly to Edinburgh if you are anywhere near there.

Regarding the steam train, tickets sell out very quickly. However, there is a nice walk to the viaduct where you watch it go past.

Definitely don't bother with a car in Edinburgh. I suggest for your other stop you hire a car and spend a few days in Aberfeldy. Multiple beautiful walks that are not terribly challenging, Crannog Centre, a taste of the Highlands without all the travel. If you don't hire a car it will be tricky getting off the beaten track, possible, but a bit tricky.

A car is more trouble than it's worth in Edinburgh unless you stay outside the centre and use the buses or tram for sightseeing (buses are great and £2 fares to anywhere within the city).
Aviemore would be an option if you came on the train, it's got a decent little town centre and a good bus service by highland standards. There's also a little steam railway.

Royal Yacht at Leith
The Falkirk Wheel
The Kelpies
Stirling Castle
Mull and Iona (look at Calmac ferries for crossings).