Scotland and Ireland

[UrsaMajor]

On behalf of a friend, I have a tourist question for those familiar with Scotland and Ireland.

I just received an e-mail that includes the following . . .

"Also, I am thinking of taking a holiday in May of next year and am debating whether to spend the week in Scotland or Ireland. Would be going solo (that means no driving, just train and bus) to see rustic nature, castles, seacoast and some birds. Originally, the big draw of Scotland was the Edinburgh Tattoo, until I found out that it is a once-a-year event in August. Going to Scotland and NOT hearing bagpipes does not appeal, but the other big bagpipe events seem to be in August also. Do you have any insights or personal preferences for Scotland or Ireland given the interests I described?"

This request is from a female friend old enough to have grown children, who does not normally drive a car - thus the remark about using a bus or the train system. She uses a superzoom digital camera to travel light while still having a reasonable chance at bird photos.

I would appreciate any comments or suggestions that I could pass along to her regarding the options in Scotland or Ireland that might meet her personal travel goals next May. (FWIW, she is constrained to a one-week trip in May, so alternative dates are not an option.)

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[David Kilpatrick]

A lot bagpipe massed-band events are planned for either August (because bands travel from round the world to the Tattoo) or late Jan/early Feb (Celtic Connections, and Burns Night). You are also likely to hear pipes around November 11th (Armistice Day parades) and 30th (St Andrews Day), Christmas and New Year.

Throughout June and July (with some in late May, very few in the first week of August) Scottish towns hold their Civic Week, Common Riding, Riding of the Marches or similar festivals. During this period in the Borders there is a festival every week within reach of almost anywhere you choose to stay, less so in the Highlands are there are fewer towns. These festivals nearly always involve the local pipe bands.

In Edinburgh, the pipes play daily at the Castle anyway, and the Castle Bar is the haunt of the pipe band members. It would be very difficult indeed to visit Edinburgh at any time of year and not hear the pipes.

Scotland vs Ireland is very difficult. Neither can be 'seen' in a week, and both have public transport which will get you there but not always in a straight line - and roads which do the same, often requiring you to hug the coast because there's no route between two cities crossing straight over mountain country. Scotland is slightly better in this respect but still the only way to get from A to B may be via C. Therefore you need time.

Also, some of the best places to see are not always the easiest to reach. Fortunately Cork has an airport well served by low cost flights and you could easily spend a few days in West Cork (one of the most attractive parts of Ireland for tourists) then fly to Edinburgh. If I only had a week, that would be my choice, three days in and around Cork and three days in and around Edinburgh. The obvious alternative is to do Dublin and Edinburgh the same way.

If you are driving, car rental presents a problem as it can cost a great deal to drop off in Scotland a car hired in Ireland, or vice-versa. By public transport, Dublin to Belfast, ferry crossing Larne to Stranraer, bus to Glasgow, train or bus to Edinburgh - that's perfectly easy to do. Or in the reverse direction.

David

[pakodominguez]

I don't think I want to drive in countries where people drive in "the wrong side" of the road! I heard so many accidents from Brits crossing to the continent... I don't want to reproduce the same thing in the UK. I still remember the time I went to London and almost got hit by cars, like twice a day....

[pakodominguez]

BTW, David: thanks for the information. as I told you before, My great Grand Father, from my mother's mother side, was kinda Scottish -My grandma said he was a McGregor "from London" -I wan to go to Scotland anyway... probably next year ("the boss" want us to go to Buenos Aires next year, we'll have to negotiate that)

Regards

[Birma]

I don't think I want to drive in countries where people drive in "the wrong side" of the road! I heard so many accidents from Brits crossing to the continent... I don't want to reproduce the same thing in the UK. I still remember the time I went to London and almost got hit by cars, like twice a day....

I agree about having to be careful as a pedestrian - it takes me several days to adjust. I find I look the "normal" way when crossing the road subconsciously which gets you into real trouble when in place that uses a different road system.

Back to Tom's query. I can echo David's suggestions for Cork (or Dublin) to cover Eire and Edinburgh for Scotland. I also agree that you can probably hear bagpipes all year round in Edinburgh . Being a 'neighbour', even if not a native, I have always had the car available when in Scotland, but there are many organised coach tours available that cover a lot of ground in a short time, so these may well be worth looking in to. They would probably provide some company for someone who doesn't like travelling totally alone. Edinburgh and Glasgow are both fun cities to visit, but for me Scotland is about getting away from it all, but I think this would be difficult to do in a short time using public transport.

I like May as a time to visit Scotland as the days are long, it is often drier than August (but that can still mean a lot of rain ), there are not too many midges (mainly affects the Highland regions), and there are plenty of wild flowers in bloom.

[UrsaMajor]

Scotland vs Ireland is very difficult. Neither can be 'seen' in a week, and both have public transport which will get you there but not always in a straight line - and roads which do the same, often requiring you to hug the coast because there's no route between two cities crossing straight over mountain country. Scotland is slightly better in this respect but still the only way to get from A to B may be via C. Therefore you need time.

As a clarification, my friend has no illusions about being able to see "everything" in any one country in a week, let alone both countries. What she was looking for was suggestions on how to use the limited time she has, to be able to maximize how much she can see of the types of things in which she is most interested - "rustic nature, castles, seacoast and some birds".

Thanks for the suggestions that you and others have made. I've sent her a link to this thread so she can see your comments at first hand.

With best wishes,
- Tom -