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Thursday, June 05, 2008
Rail Tours Scotland
Stobart are now offering a number of rail tours in Scotland and departing from Scotland over the summer months. It could be a very different type of break or day trip if your holiday happens to coincide with one of their tours. They also have a great looking Father's Day lunch rail tour, though sadly it's departing London, not Edinburgh. Maybe next year.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Things to do in Pitlochry
Monday, April 28, 2008
Cottages in Achiltiebuie
Why a post about cottages in Achiltiebuie? erm, just testing something. ;-)
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Things to do in Scotland
New pages added to the main site:
- things to do in aberdeen
- things to do in dundee
- things to do in oban
- things to do in glencoe
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Will Ye' No Come Back Again (Tae Edinburgh)?
It appears, maybe you will. As reported in Travel Weekly, a 2007 survey of visitors to Edinburgh reports that the majority of visitors to Edinburgh say they will come back again within 2 years. Maybe we can encourage them to come and see more of Scotland too.
Labels: edinburgh, scotland, tourism
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Spellcheck anyone?
Clearly writing about Scotland sends your ability to spell down the cludgie:
http://white.visitscotland.com/poll/diamond-geezers.aspx
Paolo Butini (?), ruby(?) and dancing sesation(?) Kenny Logan.
Having said that, Butini might just have to be the new name for the Paisley singer. :-)
http://white.visitscotland.com/poll/diamond-geezers.aspx
Paolo Butini (?), ruby(?) and dancing sesation(?) Kenny Logan.
Having said that, Butini might just have to be the new name for the Paisley singer. :-)
Salmon Fishing Season Opens in Scotland
Yesterday saw the start of the 2008 salmon fishing season in Scotland. With a quaich full of whisky being poured into the River Tay (Scotland's longest river) at Kenmore, the season got underway.
All the talk though seems to be about the new conservation measures that are being put in place to preserve Salmon stocks.
Scottish salmon anglers are being encouraged to return their first catch of the day to the river and only take one fish home from any subsequent catches they make. Of course many of Scotland's salmon fishermen already return all the fish they catch, but for those who don't then this may help preserve a few more fish and make for more fish in the rivers in future.
All the talk though seems to be about the new conservation measures that are being put in place to preserve Salmon stocks.
Scottish salmon anglers are being encouraged to return their first catch of the day to the river and only take one fish home from any subsequent catches they make. Of course many of Scotland's salmon fishermen already return all the fish they catch, but for those who don't then this may help preserve a few more fish and make for more fish in the rivers in future.
Labels: fishing, salmon, scotland
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Climbing the Munros When Visiting Scotland
The Vancouver Sun has a good article here about starting out climbing Scotland's mountains on a visit to the Highlands. Worth a read if you're considering a bit of hillwalking when you come to Scotland on holiday.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Treasured Places in Scotland
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland have released the results of a public survey to find the top treasured places in Scotland. They now have 10 monuments and structures that battle it out to find Scotland's most treasured place. Some predictable places have made it into the list like Skara Brae and Rosslyn Chapel, but also, strangely Cumbernauld Town Centre. I can only imagine this has been down to some strong local campaigning on Cumbernauld's part. To me the most iconic image and structure in Scotland is the Forth Bridge, but despite my vote it hasn't made it into the top 10.
http://www.treasuredplaces.org.uk
And in particular, check out this picture:
http://www.treasuredplaces.org.uk
And in particular, check out this picture:
Friday, July 20, 2007
Summer Weather in Scotland
It's cold, grey and damp here in Scotland, and it's the middle of July. The summer has been disappointing in terms of both temperature and sunshine. It's a shame, when the sun shines it transforms Scotland into a different country. Not this year though. The Open Championship at Carnoustie looks like it's being played in Autumn rather than the height of summer. So if you are coming to Scotland soon, bring a raincoat, a sweater and a sense of humour.
Still, it could be worse, as our friends in Northern England know all too well.
Still, it could be worse, as our friends in Northern England know all too well.
Labels: weather
Friday, July 06, 2007
Pentland Hills Visitor Centre
Plans have been unveiled for a new visitor centre as a gateway to the Pentland Hills Regional Park south of Edinburgh. The plan is to get more people into the park and exploring the hills there which, in my view, is never a bad thing.
Weather Looking OK for T In The Park
Sadly, I'm not off to Scotland's biggest outdoors music festival this weekend, but for those who are, the weather is looking favourable. Sunny spells, but not that warm. Still, as long as the rain stays off it should be a good weekend for all those music fans lucky enough to get tickets.
Balado is a fantastic spot for a music festival like this. Much of the site is on what seems to be an old airfield, so it's flat, well drained and when you're on the concrete, not muddy at all. Access is fantastic with roads coming in from all directions and a motorway junction just a couple of miles away. The organisers also put on a superb bus service from the cities so that you can leave the car at home.
It's a strange feeling when you're there though. You're surrounded by the Perthshire countryside, all hills and great views, then you bring your gaze down again and you're in the middle of 40000 people enjoying the biggest names in the music industry.
Balado is a fantastic spot for a music festival like this. Much of the site is on what seems to be an old airfield, so it's flat, well drained and when you're on the concrete, not muddy at all. Access is fantastic with roads coming in from all directions and a motorway junction just a couple of miles away. The organisers also put on a superb bus service from the cities so that you can leave the car at home.
It's a strange feeling when you're there though. You're surrounded by the Perthshire countryside, all hills and great views, then you bring your gaze down again and you're in the middle of 40000 people enjoying the biggest names in the music industry.
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Highland Wildlife Park
There's me mentioning Kincraig yesterday, and today they are all over the news because of their new Japanese snow monkeys. Allthough nice to see these exotic animals, it is a shame that the park is shifting from showing animals that have lived in Scotland at some point in history to showing any animals from mountainous or cold areas. I think it'll loose it's appeal of being purely Scottish animals (even though most of the actual animals originate in other countries) and will become more of a general zoo like countless others. On the other hand it might be great for the area and bring in lots more visitors.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Scottish Wildcats Almost Extinct
The Scotsman today reports on the state of the Scottish Wildcat. It's really sad to be living through the demise of that secretive creature. I've only ever seen them in captivity in places like Kincraig Wildlife Park, and they really are a species that should not just quietly die out. The wildcat is our largest predatory mammal on land and to hear that there may be as few as 400 left in the country is disasterous. I do hope someone comes up with a way to built the population again. It would be great if they were to become an official symbol of Scotland, like the bald eagle is to the USA. If this were the case more people might take the plight of the Scottish Wildcat seriously.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Bonny Strathspey
Just back from a holiday in lovely Strathspey. It's one of the best holidays I've had in years so I expect I'll be writing a few bits and pieces about that area over the next couple of weeks. In summary we hired a cottage in Nethybridge and spent most of the week alternating between paid entrance attractions and free woodland walks and outdoors stuff. If you're looking for a family holiday location in Scotland then Strathspey has to be pretty high on your list.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Dulnain Bridge Getting Back On The Map
There's an interesting article in the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald about the fight by the residents of Dulnain Bridge to get their village back on the maps. It seems that more and more, Dulnain Bridge is just not shown on maps.
It wasn't always the way though. The bestselling author of the 1920's and 30's, Maurice Walsh used Dulnain Bridge as the location for the start of one of his books. Can't remember which book it was, but the area was well described in the start of the book. (One of the main characters was swept away in the river whilst fishing and the hero had to go and rescue them if I remember right).
I've spent a week or two on holiday there and it really is a glorious location.
Good luck to the residents with their fight.
It wasn't always the way though. The bestselling author of the 1920's and 30's, Maurice Walsh used Dulnain Bridge as the location for the start of one of his books. Can't remember which book it was, but the area was well described in the start of the book. (One of the main characters was swept away in the river whilst fishing and the hero had to go and rescue them if I remember right).
I've spent a week or two on holiday there and it really is a glorious location.
Good luck to the residents with their fight.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Our Dynamic Earth Edinburgh Review
This strange tent-like structure next door to the parliament in Edinburgh houses a novel tourist attraction in the city. Our Dynamic Earth is a journey through some of the history of the Earth. It is well geared towards kids and the exhibits are interactive and fun. The meat of the attraction feels like it is all below ground. The start takes you down a lift (time machine) taking you back in time to the start of the universe. You are then led sequentially through different rooms, all with some kind of interactivity and multimedia aspect. It's great fun for kids and feels like a real adventure. Pretty good for adults too. The tour finishes in an interactive dome shaped cinema where you lie back and take part in a "future of the earth" debate whilst being spun around beneath the screen. The whole thing takes between 1 and 2 hours to go round.
Good Points: Excellent, informative exhibition. Well priced and well stocked cafe.
Bad points: Once in the exhibits, toilets and escape routes aren't readily available, and given that you are probably going to be there with kids, these things are necessary. Make sure to go before you start. Also, once you finish the tour you are dumped straight into the gift shop. That's a little too commercial for me. I'd prefer to have the choice whether I take my kids into a shop.
Overall, well worth the entrance fee.
Good Points: Excellent, informative exhibition. Well priced and well stocked cafe.
Bad points: Once in the exhibits, toilets and escape routes aren't readily available, and given that you are probably going to be there with kids, these things are necessary. Make sure to go before you start. Also, once you finish the tour you are dumped straight into the gift shop. That's a little too commercial for me. I'd prefer to have the choice whether I take my kids into a shop.
Overall, well worth the entrance fee.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Shetland Visitor Attractions
The Shetland Times today has an article on how visitor numbers to Shetland increased by 3% last year. The main attractions cover a wide variety of interests, including bird reserves, archaeological sites, galleries and visitor centres. Great news for this northern archipelago.
Stuff to do in Dunkeld
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Scotland's Top Tourist Attractions
Following on from the previous post, the Scotsman has a breakdown of visitor numbers in Scotland's top tourist attractions. The report states visitor numbers are up overall by around 6% which is greatly encouraging despite the poor exchange rate visitors from the US are getting at the moment. Nice to see the Falkirk Wheel doubling it's visitors. Visitors have nothing but praise for the attraction.
This blog is a guide to our holidays in Scotland website and also contains info for visitors to Scotland including Scottish hotels, holiday accommodation, things to do and places to go in Scotland.
Previous Posts
- Rail Tours Scotland
- Things to do in Pitlochry
- Cottages in Achiltiebuie
- Things to do in Scotland
- Will Ye' No Come Back Again (Tae Edinburgh)?
- Spellcheck anyone?
- Salmon Fishing Season Opens in Scotland
- Climbing the Munros When Visiting Scotland
- Treasured Places in Scotland
- Summer Weather in Scotland
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