Scotland: BritRail ?s
Beverly Day
I am planning that we will take the BritRail sleeper from London to either
Edinburgh or Inverness. Then, four days tramping about, then back on the
sleeper (from where???) to London. Now, my questions....
I have heard mixed reviews about whether it is better to make Inverness
or Edinburgh one's "homebase". Any advice? I want to see some of the
real Highlands, would like to get to the Isle of Skye, would like to
take the train to Mailaigg, and possibly, also, stay on Skye one night.
Should I forget Edinburgh? Or go there first, instead of Inverness? If
I go to Edinburgh, should I go straight to Skye from there? Has anyone
taken the train (or a sleeper...I hear they have one...) from Edinburgh to
Inverness?
Any and all advice would be appreciated!
Bev Day
Jeff Cook
Beverly Day <b...@zuni.litc.lockheed.com> wrote:
>real Highlands, would like to get to the Isle of Skye, would like to
>take the train to Mailaigg, and possibly, also, stay on Skye one night.
>Should I forget Edinburgh? Or go there first, instead of Inverness? If
>I go to Edinburgh, should I go straight to Skye from there? Has anyone
>taken the train (or a sleeper...I hear they have one...) from Edinburgh to
>Inverness?
I've done some of that. I took the overnight from London to Edinburgh
(slept through the entire thing), and stayed in Edinburgh 2 days. The
castle is definitely worth it. Very impressive and dripping in juicy
history...so is the entire town! I blundered in during the big
festival (didn't even know about it), so I stayed in a dorm room at the
University of Edinburgh (nice hill with view of town, but I didn't climb
it!). Take a tour of the town ( I think it's by bus or walking).
I then took a train to Glasgow (30-40 minutes from what I remember), and
bounced around there for 2 days. I swear that place felt like Chicago to
me. I didn't have time to really look for the cool stuff, so what poured
over me was just am urban jumble. I know there's good stuff there, but it
took more work to find it than I had time.
BUT...
the long train from Glasgow to Mallaig/Isle of Skye was the most
beautiful and magical journey I've ever been on. Gorgeous! And all along
the way, the train would stop at another tiny junction...a few hikers would
get out and disappear into the mountains...and we'd continue chugging our
way up toward the north country again.
Mallaig is a small fishing village that's much like you might imagine (I
went in 1990). I decided to do a little exploring first, and I missed the
last ferry to Skye. So I grabbed the last room in town (literally), and
continued bumming around Mallaig until sunset...misty views of Rhum, Eigg,
Skye were very enticing from across the channel (the 'Sound of Sleat')
and it was just what I needed to float me off to sleep.
Skye. Oh yes. Get a car. Or make that, get THE car. Quick. You must have
one. I got the last car in Broadford (just as it began to rain), which is
the first stop on the bus from the ferry landing. The larger town is Portree,
which I was confident had more wheels if I needed them, but I didn't. Once in
the car, I high-tailed it as far north as I could...Dunvegan, up the west side.
Sweet castle up there (and heartbreaking stuff along the way, too). It
was closed, but I was able to walk the grounds alone before they locked up.
Watched the misty weather blow in from the ocean, over the castle and away.
Tide came in around my ankles before I realized I'd been daydreaming for
far too long. I wasn't prepared to find seals in the water.
I. Loved. It.
When I someday float away into the ether, I want my last stop to be
the Isle of Skye.
Have a great time.
Jeff Cook
Scotty
In article <3i313i$n...@butch.lmsc.lockheed.com>, Beverly Day (b...@zuni.litc.lockheed.com) writes:
>My daughter (age 3 and a half) and I will be traveling to Scotland in May.
>I am planning that we will take the BritRail sleeper from London to either
>
>I have heard mixed reviews about whether it is better to make Inverness
>or Edinburgh one's "homebase". Any advice? I want to see some of the
>real Highlands, would like to get to the Isle of Skye, would like to
>take the train to Mailaigg, and possibly, also, stay on Skye one night.
>Should I forget Edinburgh? Or go there first, instead of Inverness? If
>I go to Edinburgh, should I go straight to Skye from there? Has anyone
>taken the train (or a sleeper...I hear they have one...) from Edinburgh to
>Inverness?
>
>Any and all advice would be appreciated!
=========================================================================================
Inverness is a very nice town, but cannot be compared in any way to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is the Scottish capital and at the heart of the transport system, so
any destination within UK is easily reached from here. Also most tours start
from Edinburgh. Inverness, Loch Ness, Loch Lomond, Mull of Kintyre, St. Andrews
all are easy one day tours from Edinburgh.
However there is so much to do in Edinburgh that you could easily take up the
whole of your time here. From the museum of childhood, to Greyfriars Bobby for
the kids, National portrait gallery, Scottish museum National library, most
major stage plays for adults. and the scenery is fantastic with a huge play
area right under the castle in the heart of the city.
Perhaps one of Edinburghs greatest assets is
Lairg Hotel,
11, Coates Gardens,
Edinburgh EH12 5LG
Scotland
FAX 1031 346 2167)
A bed and breakfast establishment right in the city. Undoubtedly the best
little hotel I have ever owned!!!
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>Bev Day
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