Scotland in 7-9 days prior to cruise?

Gosh I need some advice! We plan on arriving to London 7 days early so we can travel up to Scotland. So what's the best way of doing that? Heathrow or Gatwick? What train transportation up to Scotland? Our ultimate destination is the Duart Castle, on the Isle of Mull. Then from there, I'd enjoy YOUR suggestions. We spent a month backpacking through Italy in April, so using AirBnb in enchanting locations is instrumental.

Looking forward to your advice and suggestions!

Jesse & Brenda

There are very good train services to Scotland including the overnight Caledonian Express.

The expert on train travel in the UK (and other parts of the world) is The Man in Seat 61 http://seat61.com/

Might waant to get a guide book, Rick Steve's does a good job.

First thing, I'd consider flying directly into Edinburgh. If you're flying out of DFW you may be able to get a one stop FinnAir connection for less than $700 one way (connections thru LHR).

We are spending several days in Scotland and England before a cruise in Sept. We are arriving in Edinburgh on 22 August and catching the last showing of the Tattoo on the 23rd. On the 25th we are renting a car (pretty inexpensive in UK compared to most US locations) and driving clockwise around Scotland.

1. 3 nights in Benderloch (just outside of Oban)in a Self-Catering cottage; where a day trip to Mull and Iona are very doable AND recommended by Rick Steves in his 2014 edition of Great Britain
   
2. 2 nights in Inverness at a B&B
   
3. 3 Nights in Freuchie (between St. Andrews and Kinross) in a self-catering cottage
   
4. Then on to England's Lake District and the rest of our trip.
   

I second and third the recommendation of Rick Steves' Great Britain and these web sites

http://www.visitscotland.com/en-us/travel/around-scotland/driving

This site also has tools to help plan your travel if you're using public transport (busses or trains)

If you are going to drive in Scotland

http://www.rac.co.uk/route-planner/mileage-calculator

is invaluable in helping estimate travel time.

We connected with our lodging through either AnB, VRBO or links to accommodations on the visitiscotland site. Rick Steves book goes into great detail about taking the ferry from Oban to Mull and Iona.

Hope all this helps.

Greg

Gosh I need some advice! We plan on arriving to London 7 days early so we can travel up to Scotland. So what's the best way of doing that? Heathrow or Gatwick? What train transportation up to Scotland? Our ultimate destination is the Duart Castle, on the Isle of Mull. Then from there, I'd enjoy YOUR suggestions. We spent a month backpacking through Italy in April, so using AirBnb in enchanting locations is instrumental.

Looking forward to your advice and suggestions!

 

Jesse & Brenda

Gosh this is really hard as there is so much to think about.

Well first of all, although it would take longer, I'd travel up to Scotland by rail and my preferred route would be London to Edinburgh which gets really beautiful as you get further North. From Heathrow it is slightly quicker to get into Central London but from Gatwick there's also a fast train to London Victoria.

I know you're aiming for Mull but is there any place you've got in mind to visit en-route as there are endless possibilities in Scotland and I'm not familiar with the locations of AirBnB properties. The problem will be that some locations are not accessible by public transport so are you hiring a car in Scotland> The answer will make a big difference so if you can answer that, I'll try and help!

We plan on arriving to London 7 days early so we can travel up to Scotland. So what's the best way of doing that? Heathrow or Gatwick?

• Look into the trans-Atlantic flights that go directly to Scottish airports, bypassing London altogether in this direction.
• If none of those work for you, then connect straight to another flight from London to Scotland. This will be much more efficient than faffing about dragging your luggage into central London and then getting a train.
• Heathrow is better than Gatwick for London-Scotland flights in these circumstances.

The train only makes sense if you're starting your journey to Scotland in central London rather than at a London airport.

You're going to want to get yourself to Glasgow and then to Oban. Getting to Mull will be by ferry, so you'll have to find out how to get to the castle.

I once hiked across Mull from the ferry to Iona, although we did get a couple of rides on the way. What fun that was! I think now I'd want a car, presumably you could rent on in Oban.

Don't miss Iona, it's magic. And the Western Highlands or the Hebrides then beckons, doesn't it?

Don't forget Loch Ness, if you come here at the end of your trip you could fly back down to London Gatwick directly from Inverness :)

After visiting Mull a journey from Oban through Glencoe would be amazing en route to fort William - Fort Augustus - Loch Ness

Gosh I need some advice! We plan on arriving to London 7 days early so we can travel up to Scotland. So what's the best way of doing that? Heathrow or Gatwick? What train transportation up to Scotland? Our ultimate destination is the Duart Castle, on the Isle of Mull. Then from there, I'd enjoy YOUR suggestions. We spent a month backpacking through Italy in April, so using AirBnb in enchanting locations is instrumental.

Looking forward to your advice and suggestions!

 

Jesse & Brenda

We will be doing a similar trip in mid September. Taking the train to Edinburgh and then picking up a rental. After a few days around Edinburgh we are heading to Loch Lomand then onto Isle of Skye returning to London by train. We used tripadvisor to find bed and breakfasts along the way. Enjoy