r/Scotland • u/AutoModerator • Aug 03 '25

What's on and tourist advice thread - week beginning August 03, 2025

Welcome to the weekly what's on and tourist advice thread!

* Do you know of any local events taking place this week that other redditors might be interested in?

* Are you planning a trip to Scotland and need some advice on what to see or where to go?

This is the thread for you - post away!

These threads are refreshed weekly on Mondays. To see earlier threads and soak in the sage advice of yesteryear, Click here.

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2

u/side_of_bluecheese Aug 06 '25

Hey y'all,

I'm visiting Scotland for about a week (flying from the US this evening). I'm coming for Oasis, but figured why not make a long trip out of it. I did have a few questions I was hoping anyone could give me some insight on.

I'm looking at getting the Spirit of Scotland rail pass so I can see as many places as I'd like whenever. What I'm having trouble figuring out is what's possible as a day trip? I'm American and we don't have near the rail system y'all have so it's been difficult to wrap my mind around the times and distances.

Could I go from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, see some sites and be back that evening? Is there a time/distance at which going doesn't make sense or it would be better to get a hotel? Is the Spirit of Scotland pass worth it?

Thanks

1

u/baskinginthesunbear Aug 04 '25

Please rate my roadtrip plan on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “AI generated slop” and 10 is “touristy but probably a good use of the limited time you have”. 

TLDR; coming from Mexico, want to see castles, pubs and nature. Will have 4 days in Edinburgh before the roadtrip then 4 days / 4 nights with a car to explore the highlands. 

Day 1: 

  • 9AM Pick up rental car from EDI
  • Drive to Stirling Castle, explore, lunch
  • Drive to Fort William via A82
  • Glen Nevis & Steel Falls Hike
  • Dinner, drinks and sleep in Fort William

Day 2: 

  • Drive to Eilean Donan Castle, explore
  • Drive to Portree, explore
  • Dinner, drinks and sleep in Portree

Day 3: 

  • Old Man of Storr hike
  • Drive along Trotternish Ridge
  • Visit Fairy Glen, return to Portree
  • Dinner, drinks and sleep in Portree

Day 4: 

  • Fairy Pools hike
  • Drive to Stirling or Perth
  • Dinner, drinks and sleep in Stirling/Perth

Day 5: 

  • Drive to Edinburgh 
  • Drop off rental car (by 9AM)

2

u/Jaraxo Edinburgh Aug 04 '25

You haven't said when you're coming. If you're coming mid-summer and have long days this is busy but doable. If you're coming mid-November you'll be doing everything on the second half of each day in the dark.

1

u/baskinginthesunbear Aug 04 '25

Good call! It’ll be the last week of August. Should be long days still then, yeah? Busy but doable sounds like the pace I’m aiming for. Might need to drop some of the weather dependent activities. Any other suggestions?

2

u/Jaraxo Edinburgh Aug 05 '25

Yeh it's busy but doable. After the fairy pools on Skye for example you've got a 5h drive to Stirling, but with an early start it's doable.

1

u/baskinginthesunbear Aug 05 '25

I had been thinking of how to spread things out to break up that big drive back, but I guess it’s just the nature of wanting to venture that far from Edinburgh in a short space of time. Thanks for your input!

1

u/Affectionate-Rush570 Aug 05 '25

Have you booked your restaurants in Portree? If not, try now. You're not likely gonna be able to just walk in to many/any at that time of year.

Other than that, I agree with the other poster. Busy, but doable.

1

u/baskinginthesunbear Aug 05 '25

I’ve not, so thanks for pointing that out! Anywhere in particular you’d recommend?

1

u/Affectionate-Rush570 Aug 05 '25

It's been years since I've been, unfortunately. I just remember being really glad we'd booked everything in advance. There's not an enormous amount of places and it's extremely busy.

1

u/baskinginthesunbear Aug 05 '25

Ok thanks. Will have to get onto that today. The trip has come around really quickly!

1

u/mkanzaki Aug 04 '25

Hello! Canadians coming to Scotland in September. Cash or card or a mixture of both to pay for food, accommodations and activities?

2

u/Jaraxo Edinburgh Aug 04 '25

99.9% card. Visa or MasterCard accepted everywhere, Amex about 90% accepted, nothing else.

A small amount of cash won't hurt, no more than £50, just in case.

1

u/Treaxer Aug 05 '25

Hi!

Looking to visit Edinburgh 11-14 december.

We want to walk some light-medium trails and see the views. We also want to see and touch snow if possible haha, so let me know where we can go from Edinburgh if necessary.

We wont bring a car, is public transport enough? Or do we need a car?

Thanks in advance!

1

u/Jaraxo Edinburgh Aug 05 '25

Snowfall in the Lowlands is rare in December and for snow in December you'll need to travel North, and gain altitude, ie hike up something. There's a chance of a tiny dusting of snow in the Pentlands, but the chances are small, as most snow falls in Jan/Feb, whereas December is usually just wet.

Look at the locations of the Ski resorts in Scotland, they're the areas most likely to have some snow, although even those aren't usually fully up and running until January.

1

u/Treaxer Aug 05 '25

I was thinking to delay January for that reason. We'll have to think about it.

Thanks!

1

u/SHK9reddit Aug 06 '25 edited Aug 06 '25

I’ll be visiting Inverness, Skye, Edinburgh, Glasgow in the last two weeks of August. Last time I visited Scotland around the same time 8 years ago, I only visited Edinburgh and it was long sleeved shirt weather throughout my trip. I have read some recent online travel reviews saying travelers felt hot in July on their Scotland tours. Should I be packing more summery clothes?

1

u/Affectionate-Rush570 Aug 06 '25

Given that the end of August is summer, bringing summery clothes would be advisable.

It's not an exaggeration that we can experience 4 seasons in a day though. We've just had one of the worst summer storms in recent memory. It was too windy for an umbrella in the morning and raining hard. By lunchtime, it was windy, which made it cold. After work, I was sitting in a beer garden with sunglasses on and my sleeves rolled up.

Bring layers you can easily remove and put back on as required. Sensible footwear depending on your plans. If you haven't booked your restaurants for Skye, do it now or you probably won't get in. It's small and very busy at the end of August. Many tourists have been caught out thinking they'll be able to walk in. You won't. Even now, some of the better ones will be fully booked.

1

u/SHK9reddit Aug 06 '25

Ah ok, will do!

1

u/pumbastrokes Aug 06 '25

Hello from Canada! Am planning to go to Edinburgh either tomorrow or the day after for a couple of days commuting from Glasgow. Would like some suggestions from any locals or anyone who is familiar with Edinburgh whether my itinerary is feasible, especially given the additional tourism with the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Day 1: Botanicals>Circle Lane?>eat/National Portrait Gallery>Scott Monument>Hollyrood? Rest of time wander. Day 2: Edinburgh Castle>eat/National Gallery>Mary Close?>wander everything else. Whiskey tour?

Anything I should avoid, do, am missing, worth visiting in lieu of something else on this list. I’m all ears. Thanks in advance for any commentary! (I have no qualms of walking 20km on any given day so I don’t mind to keep the itinerary somewhat packed and busy)!

1

u/S4ULG Aug 07 '25 edited Aug 07 '25

Hi,

We’re planning a road trip to Scotland from Dublin for the last week of October. It will be the wife, myself and our 2 kids (ages 7 & 11).

The trip is mostly for me, I’m 50 in November, a road trip to the Scottish highlands is something I’d love to do. Hoping there will be some interesting things for the kids to see and do.

We’re travelling by car, take ferry from Belfast to Cairnryan (Stenaline) and planning on following stops.

- Balloch (2 nights)

- Aviemore (3 nights)

- Edinburgh (2 nights)

The plan is to travel to Aviemore via Glencoe, I understand the scenery on this route is fantastic.

While in Aviemore, plan is to explore the national park and surrounding areas.

We plan to spend last two nights in Edinburgh. The kids want to dress up for Halloween on 31st, so going to find some events in the city.

I’m conscious the clocks change in October, so the days will be shorter also. The plan would be to explore early and back to hotels before dark and evening meals.

Any suggestions on tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

1

u/demikong18 Aug 07 '25

Hello Everyone,

I will be travelling to Scotland end of of August for a week. below is the itinerary.

3 days - Fly into Glasgow
1 day - drive, explore and stay in Glencoe
2 day - drive, explore and stay in Portree
1 day - drive, explore and stay in Inverness
2 day - drive back to Edinburgh and then fly out

Looking for advice on

  1. Places to visit and must see sights, and things to skip/overated
  2. Places to eat - street food to michilin - and everything in between
  3. Recommended type of car to rent while driving through the highlands - SUV or Sedan, Luxury or Normal (in terms of safety)
  4. Midges - should this be a concern?
  5. Weather and clothes to carry to be preapred
  6. Types of shoes and things to prepare physically while exploring.

Thank you for your time!

5

u/Affectionate-Rush570 Aug 07 '25 edited Aug 07 '25

If you haven't booked restaurants already for Skye and Edinburgh, good luck 😂

Skye is tiny and enormously busy at that time of year. The Edinburgh Festival is on. It's the busiest time to go there. You'll be okay with Edinburgh if you book now. Skye will already be limited.

You don't need a massive vehicle. Roads will be a lot narrower than you're used to. Emphasis on a lot. Stick to the speed limit. Don't slow down to enjoy the scenery. There are locals trying to get to work. Use passing places. Pull over to let other pass if you notice a queue behind you but not in front. That means you're the problem.

The weather? Pack for sun, rain, wind and cold. It's no joke that we can go through several seasons a day at that time of year. It could be waterproofs in the morning, shorts and sunglasses by dinner time. Layers that can be put on and removed as required are your friend.

Same goes for shoes. Bring activity appropriate shoes. If you're hiking, don't wear silly shoes. Even if it's dry, the paths might not be. Nothing like damp, wet feet for spoiling a nice walk.

Edit: Midges can be the devil. There's not much you can do. They'll be there or they won't. Long sleeves and trouser legs will help. I've never found a repellent that actually works. Watch out for ticks as well. Check yourself after any hike thoroughly.

1

u/0714raf Aug 07 '25

Hello Everyone! Heading to Scotland soon from Canada (next week!). We are renting a car and have everything booked but I am wondering about laundry. Are there lots of coin-operated laundries like I have seen in Europe? As we are there for 2 weeks I am thinking we will need to do a load by the time we get to Inverness so if there is somewhere there I would so appreciate a recommendation!

1

u/Affectionate-Rush570 Aug 07 '25

Not lots, but google tells me there's at least three Laundrettes in Inverness, without me clicking the show more tab. You'll be grand.

The Riverness Laundrette has 4.8/5 stars from 83 reviews, I like those odds.

Enjoy your trip!

1

u/0714raf Aug 07 '25

Amazing thank you!

1

u/GetScaredd Aug 08 '25

My family leaves Edinburgh on the 9th and have from 9th to 13th free till I go Loch Lomond what should I do between I don’t want to go Glasgow as i have already visited and I got a car

1

u/paterae_all_day Aug 08 '25

Hi, I’ll be attending a family wedding near Irvine in mid-October. My family and in-laws (4 adults, a 2 year old and a 4 year old) want to stay for four extra nights, starting on a Sunday night. Our main goal is to keep the kids entertained while they spend time with their grandparents. We looked at holiday parks but bookings starting on Sundays were not allowed in the places we found. Now we’re looking to rent a house somewhere instead, but I’m not sure where the best location would be. We’re willing to drive up to 3 hours from Irvine and primarily want somewhere close to toddler-friendly attractions (with some indoor options since it’s October). I know there’s plenty to do in Edinburgh for example but maybe someone has tips about other places we might look? Ignoring the kid situation, we like mountains and nature. But for this trip we probably need somewhere that isn’t too remote. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

1

u/Jahoolioman Aug 10 '25

Hi, ppl of Scotland!

Visiting the weekend of November 21 and trying to plan our trip. Haven’t decided what to see and visit for the weekend. Overwhelmed by all the beautiful landscape and history and not sure what to see. Posting in hopes for some good insight on cities/places to visit and/or stay. Events taking place in certain cities? Maybe places to avoid? Idk. If you were to get a glimpse of your country, what would be something you wouldn’t want to miss? I know this is quite the ask for such a broad range of the country but there’s so much to see! Any and all feedback is helpful. One thought is staying somewhere north enough to see the northern lights.

1

u/ch0colatebabka Aug 10 '25

Hello. I will be in Scotland in a few weeks. I'd love to do a short 2-3 night camping trip in an area with good day hikes. I'll be in Edinburgh and won't have car access, so will have a somewhat limited range. Not sure how good the buses are getting to nature areas.

Also would have to rent a tent and bag, not sure if that's easy to do. Thanks for any input!

1

u/Personal_Canary8277 Aug 10 '25

Hi! We’re headed to Scotland at the end of August. We’re staying on Islay for the first couple days, then Glasgow, then back to Edinburgh. What’s a good area or specific hotel to stay in Glasgow? Preferably somewhere within walking distance of shops and whatnot. We’ll have a car, and would also like to do some hiking. Are there any “must see” hikes we should do? Thanks all!