I’m contemplating a week in Scotland in June. I’m looking for suggestions
of routes and interesting places to stop off over night. We’ve already done
Euston - Ft William sleeper
Ft William - Mallaig
Kyle - Aviemore via Inverness
Highland Chieftain back home from Aviemore.

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
> I’m contemplating a week in Scotland in June. I’m looking for suggestions
> of routes and interesting places to stop off over night. We’ve already done
> Euston - Ft William sleeper
> Ft William - Mallaig
> Kyle - Aviemore via Inverness
> Highland Chieftain back home from Aviemore.

If you're feeling flush:

https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/scotland/belmond-royal-scotsman/

Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I’m contemplating a week in Scotland in June. I’m looking for suggestions
>> of routes and interesting places to stop off over night. We’ve already done
>> Euston - Ft William sleeper
>> Ft William - Mallaig
>> Kyle - Aviemore via Inverness
>> Highland Chieftain back home from Aviemore.
>
> If you're feeling flush:
>
> https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/scotland/belmond-royal-scotsman/
>
>

Not that flush! Though we are booked on a Tornado fine dining trip from
Glasgow to Aberdeen in September - assuming Tornado is functioning. It’s
never been the same since I drove it a decade ago :)

Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
> I’m contemplating a week in Scotland in June. I’m looking for suggestions
> of routes and interesting places to stop off over night. We’ve already done
> Euston - Ft William sleeper
> Ft William - Mallaig
> Kyle - Aviemore via Inverness
> Highland Chieftain back home from Aviemore.

Glasgow to Ft William or Oban in the daylight.
Edinburgh to Dundee or Perth - Dundee has some nice attractions like the
V&A.
Inverness and the Far North line
Edinburgh to North Berwick or Dunbar, either of which might be good for a
night if you like small seaside towns
Clyde services from Glasgow:
- Largs (for Great Cumbrae?)
- Wemyss Bay (for Rothesay?)
- Ardrossan for Arran (Ardrossan isn’t somewhere I’d stay for any length
of time)
Stirling from anywhere - lovely station and nice city

I’m sure there are plenty more

Sam

--
The entity formerly known as Sam.Wilson@ed.ac.uk
Spit the dummy to reply

On 31/12/2023 13:35, Tweed wrote:
> I’m contemplating a week in Scotland in June. I’m looking for suggestions
> of routes and interesting places to stop off over night. We’ve already done
> Euston - Ft William sleeper
> Ft William - Mallaig
> Kyle - Aviemore via Inverness
> Highland Chieftain back home from Aviemore.
>

For overnight stops - although there is less choice, it is generally
cheaper to avoid Edinburgh or Glasgow, and choose somewhere smaller -
plenty to choose from, e.g. Stirling, Perth, Ayr, Largs, Berwick,
Inverness, etc.

Routes: Ayr to Stranraer; scenic in parts, a bit "bleak" elsewhere.

Edinburgh to Inverness, possibly one way via Aberdeen & Elgin, return
via Perth.
Inverness - Wick and back. - again a bit "bleak" in parts. Best done
with 2 nights stay in Inverness area.

Waverley Route.

Glasgow to Largs & Gourock;

Glasgow to Helensburgh, continuing towards Fort William and/or Oban in
daylight if time permits.

In message <umsjlh$1rfn6$1@dont-email.me>, at 20:41:20 on Sun, 31 Dec
2023, Bevan Price <bevanprice666@gmail.com> remarked:

>For overnight stops - although there is less choice, it is generally
>cheaper to avoid Edinburgh or Glasgow, and choose somewhere smaller -
>plenty to choose from, e.g. Stirling, Perth, Ayr, Largs, Berwick,
>Inverness, etc.

That's the opposite of what we found this summer, there being far more
competition in the cities.
--
Roland Perry

On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 07:26:59 +0000, Roland Perry <roland@perry.uk>
wrote:

>In message <umsjlh$1rfn6$1@dont-email.me>, at 20:41:20 on Sun, 31 Dec
>2023, Bevan Price <bevanprice666@gmail.com> remarked:
>
>>For overnight stops - although there is less choice, it is generally
>>cheaper to avoid Edinburgh or Glasgow, and choose somewhere smaller -
>>plenty to choose from, e.g. Stirling, Perth, Ayr, Largs, Berwick,
>>Inverness, etc.
>
>That's the opposite of what we found this summer, there being far more
>competition in the cities.

I always seem to end up sleeping in Glasgow, which is a city I find I
like. And the hotel prices always seem reasonable.

On 31/12/2023 18:09, Tweed wrote:
> Recliner <recliner.usenet@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Tweed <usenet.tweed@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I’m contemplating a week in Scotland in June. I’m looking for suggestions
>>> of routes and interesting places to stop off over night. We’ve already done
>>> Euston - Ft William sleeper
>>> Ft William - Mallaig
>>> Kyle - Aviemore via Inverness
>>> Highland Chieftain back home from Aviemore.
>>
>> If you're feeling flush:
>>
>> https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/scotland/belmond-royal-scotsman/
>>
>>
>
> Not that flush! Though we are booked on a Tornado fine dining trip from
> Glasgow to Aberdeen in September - assuming Tornado is functioning. It’s
> never been the same since I drove it a decade ago :)
>
That all sounds good, though as others have suggested I'd definitely get
down the Clyde coast to Gourock and/or Wemyss Bay, taking the ferry to
Dunoon or Rothesay respectively.

And again, as has been mentioned, don't forget the far north line. The
Flow Country is.... different, and well worth seeing.

Let me know when you're doing the Tornado trip, and I'll give you a wave
as you pass the north end of the Tay Bridge. (You'll not cross the
bridge - steam is not allowed on it now - but you'll pass very near it.)

In message <pq35pih6k68o38udqjq4hq92jl2upm00s9@4ax.com>, at 10:10:51 on
Mon, 1 Jan 2024, Ken <ken@birchanger.com> remarked:
>On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 07:26:59 +0000, Roland Perry <roland@perry.uk>
>wrote:
>
>>In message <umsjlh$1rfn6$1@dont-email.me>, at 20:41:20 on Sun, 31 Dec
>>2023, Bevan Price <bevanprice666@gmail.com> remarked:
>>
>>>For overnight stops - although there is less choice, it is generally
>>>cheaper to avoid Edinburgh or Glasgow, and choose somewhere smaller -
>>>plenty to choose from, e.g. Stirling, Perth, Ayr, Largs, Berwick,
>>>Inverness, etc.
>>
>>That's the opposite of what we found this summer, there being far more
>>competition in the cities.
>
>I always seem to end up sleeping in Glasgow, which is a city I find I
>like. And the hotel prices always seem reasonable.

We ended up in the Leonardo (ex-Jurys) adjacent to Glasgow Central
station. I'm pretty sure it was the cheapest, certainly beating the
Travelodge in Fort William [1].

These days it's difficult to know whether to include AirBNBs in this
sort of price comparison. We stayed in one of those in Inverness and it
certainly had the best appointed accommodation (separate bedrooms and a
kitchen/lounge so I could log on in the morning without disturbing
anyone).

4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we
paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a
surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents
in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding
to spend the following week touring).
--
Roland Perry

On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:
> We ended up in the Leonardo (ex-Jurys) adjacent to Glasgow Central station. I'm pretty sure it was the cheapest, certainly beating the Travelodge in Fort William [1].
>
> These days it's difficult to know whether to include AirBNBs in this sort of price comparison. We stayed in one of those in Inverness and it certainly had the best appointed accommodation (separate bedrooms and a kitchen/lounge so I could log on in the morning without disturbing anyone).
>
> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding to spend the following week touring).

When we visited Glasgow about 18 months ago we stayed in the Grasshoppers Hotel which is at the top of an office block directly above the eastern side of Glasgow Central station. I see that Tripadvisor now has a couple of bad reviews among the good ones, but our experience was good: friendly staff and an adequate clean room with everything we needed. Plus a good free breakfast in the morning. Given that our room was directly above the station canopy, there was surprisingly little noise.

If you want a day-trip from Glasgow, I recommend what we did one day when our plans for doing something rather different suddenly fell through. We got day return tickets from Glasgow Central to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, not expensive given that the fare includes the ferry from Wemyss Bay. The line isn't all that special but there are some good views of the Clyde along the way. But Wemyss Bay is a very attractive station in its own right. If it's the sort of thing you like, from Rothesay you can get a bus to/from Mount Stuart, a rather good stately home and garden.

--
Clive Page

Clive Page <usenet@page2.eu> wrote:
> On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:
>> We ended up in the Leonardo (ex-Jurys) adjacent to Glasgow Central
>> station. I'm pretty sure it was the cheapest, certainly beating the
>> Travelodge in Fort William [1].
>>
>> These days it's difficult to know whether to include AirBNBs in this
>> sort of price comparison. We stayed in one of those in Inverness and it
>> certainly had the best appointed accommodation (separate bedrooms and a
>> kitchen/lounge so I could log on in the morning without disturbing anyone).
>>
>> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we
>> paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a
>> surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents
>> in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding
>> to spend the following week touring).
>
> When we visited Glasgow about 18 months ago we stayed in the Grasshoppers
> Hotel which is at the top of an office block directly above the eastern
> side of Glasgow Central station. I see that Tripadvisor now has a couple
> of bad reviews among the good ones, but our experience was good: friendly
> staff and an adequate clean room with everything we needed. Plus a good
> free breakfast in the morning. Given that our room was directly above
> the station canopy, there was surprisingly little noise.
>
> If you want a day-trip from Glasgow, I recommend what we did one day when
> our plans for doing something rather different suddenly fell through. We
> got day return tickets from Glasgow Central to Rothesay on the Isle of
> Bute, not expensive given that the fare includes the ferry from Wemyss
> Bay. The line isn't all that special but there are some good views of
> the Clyde along the way. But Wemyss Bay is a very attractive station in
> its own right. If it's the sort of thing you like, from Rothesay you can
> get a bus to/from Mount Stuart, a rather good stately home and garden.

Yes, I’d give a vote for Mount Stuart as well.

Sam

--
The entity formerly known as Sam.Wilson@ed.ac.uk
Spit the dummy to reply

On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 17:10:26 +0000, Clive Page <usenet@page2.eu> wrote:

>On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:
>> We ended up in the Leonardo (ex-Jurys) adjacent to Glasgow Central station. I'm pretty sure it was the cheapest, certainly beating the Travelodge in Fort William [1].
>>
>> These days it's difficult to know whether to include AirBNBs in this sort of price comparison. We stayed in one of those in Inverness and it certainly had the best appointed accommodation (separate bedrooms and a kitchen/lounge so I could log on in the morning without disturbing anyone).
>>
>> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding to spend the following week touring).
>
>When we visited Glasgow about 18 months ago we stayed in the Grasshoppers Hotel which is at the top of an office block directly above the eastern side of Glasgow Central station. I see that Tripadvisor now has a couple of bad reviews among the good ones, but our experience was good: friendly staff and an adequate clean room with everything we needed. Plus a good free breakfast in the morning. Given that our room was directly above the station canopy, there was surprisingly little noise.

Any online review, no matter the subject, can -- or even should -- be
regarded with healthy scepticism. [Immediate Trip Advisor alert.]

If one is dealing with *known brands*, the quality is likely to be
close to prior experience.

On the hotel front, my mid-'23 visit to Newcastle with a stay at the
Holiday Inn Express Central couldn't be faulted... and full-English
self-service brekkie was exceptional.

Still, free? Don't kid yerself... it wuz in the tariff.

On 01/01/2024 10:13, John Armstrong wrote:
> That all sounds good, though as others have suggested I'd definitely get
> down the Clyde coast to Gourock and/or Wemyss Bay, taking the ferry to
> Dunoon or Rothesay respectively.

You need some wheels but CalMac used to have a ticket for a round trip
using five(?) ferries.

On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:
>
> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we
> paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a
> surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents
> in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding
> to spend the following week touring).

The prices vary so much depending on demand that it can be difficult to
compare.

On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:
>
> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we
> paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a
> surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents
> in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding
> to spend the following week touring).

The charges vary so much depending on demand that it can be difficult to
compare.

On 02/01/2024 10:10, JMB99 wrote:
> On 01/01/2024 10:13, John Armstrong wrote:
>> That all sounds good, though as others have suggested I'd definitely
>> get down the Clyde coast to Gourock and/or Wemyss Bay, taking the
>> ferry to Dunoon or Rothesay respectively.
>
> You need some wheels but CalMac used to have a ticket for a round trip
> using five(?) ferries.

They still do, but you need to make your own way across each island, and
I doubt there's a regular bus service.
<https://www.calmac.co.uk/things-to-do/island-hopping-adventures/five-ferries-island-hopping-adventure>

On 02/01/2024 01:28, Nobody wrote:
> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 17:10:26 +0000, Clive Page <usenet@page2.eu> wrote:
>
>> On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:
>>> We ended up in the Leonardo (ex-Jurys) adjacent to Glasgow Central station. I'm pretty sure it was the cheapest, certainly beating the Travelodge in Fort William [1].
>>>
>>> These days it's difficult to know whether to include AirBNBs in this sort of price comparison. We stayed in one of those in Inverness and it certainly had the best appointed accommodation (separate bedrooms and a kitchen/lounge so I could log on in the morning without disturbing anyone).
>>>
>>> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding to spend the following week touring).
>>
>> When we visited Glasgow about 18 months ago we stayed in the Grasshoppers Hotel which is at the top of an office block directly above the eastern side of Glasgow Central station. I see that Tripadvisor now has a couple of bad reviews among the good ones, but our experience was good: friendly staff and an adequate clean room with everything we needed. Plus a good free breakfast in the morning. Given that our room was directly above the station canopy, there was surprisingly little noise.
>
> Any online review, no matter the subject, can -- or even should -- be
> regarded with healthy scepticism. [Immediate Trip Advisor alert.]
>
> If one is dealing with *known brands*, the quality is likely to be
> close to prior experience.

Hotels often change owners, and I'm never sure which level of quality
to expect when last year's Hilton gets a new Premier Inn facade.

> On the hotel front, my mid-'23 visit to Newcastle with a stay at the
> Holiday Inn Express Central couldn't be faulted... and full-English
> self-service brekkie was exceptional.
>
> Still, free? Don't kid yerself... it wuz in the tariff.
>

On 02/01/2024 13:25, Certes wrote:
> They still do, but you need to make your own way across each island, and
> I doubt there's a regular bus service.

That is why I wrote that you need wheels.

On 02/01/2024 13:28, Certes wrote:
> Any online review, no matter the subject, can -- or even should -- be
> regarded with healthy scepticism.  [Immediate Trip Advisor alert.]

I used to occasionally look at TripAdvisor when it was just a reviewing
site. But they are now just another hotel booking website, wanting the
commission on your booking.

On Tue, 2 Jan 2024 13:28:19 +0000, Certes <Certes@example.org> wrote:

>On 02/01/2024 01:28, Nobody wrote:
>> On Mon, 1 Jan 2024 17:10:26 +0000, Clive Page <usenet@page2.eu> wrote:
>>
>>> On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:
>>>> We ended up in the Leonardo (ex-Jurys) adjacent to Glasgow Central station. I'm pretty sure it was the cheapest, certainly beating the Travelodge in Fort William [1].
>>>>
>>>> These days it's difficult to know whether to include AirBNBs in this sort of price comparison. We stayed in one of those in Inverness and it certainly had the best appointed accommodation (separate bedrooms and a kitchen/lounge so I could log on in the morning without disturbing anyone).
>>>>
>>>> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48, but we paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have been a surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the accents in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival deciding to spend the following week touring).
>>>
>>> When we visited Glasgow about 18 months ago we stayed in the Grasshoppers Hotel which is at the top of an office block directly above the eastern side of Glasgow Central station. I see that Tripadvisor now has a couple of bad reviews among the good ones, but our experience was good: friendly staff and an adequate clean room
with everything we needed. Plus a good free breakfast in the morning. Given that our room was directly above the station canopy, there was surprisingly little noise.
>>
>> Any online review, no matter the subject, can -- or even should -- be
>> regarded with healthy scepticism. [Immediate Trip Advisor alert.]
>>
>> If one is dealing with *known brands*, the quality is likely to be
>> close to prior experience.
>
>Hotels often change owners, and I'm never sure which level of quality
>to expect when last year's Hilton gets a new Premier Inn facade.

There are three main companies involved with most chain hotels:

1. The owner of the physical property, which leases it to the operator. This is a property company, and you probably
won't see its name anywhere.

2. The operator. This is the company that employs the staff, runs the kitchens, etc. You probably won't see its name,
either.

3. The chain. This is a branding company that these days owns few or no hotels, and also runs few or none of them. It
sets the standards associated with the brand, runs the booking system, the loyalty programme, etc. It probably owns
multiple brands at different levels, some of which you may never have heard of. For example, IHG has 20 (did you know
that Holiday Inn, Regent and InterContinental are all IHG brands?) and Marriott has more than 30, including Sheraton,
Courtyard, Renaissance, Westin, Ritz-Carlton and, of course, the eponymous Marriott. But it owns few or none of the
physical properties.

In message <un12sd$2n7fo$2@dont-email.me>, at 13:25:34 on Tue, 2 Jan
2024, Certes <Certes@example.org> remarked:
>On 02/01/2024 10:10, JMB99 wrote:
>> On 01/01/2024 10:13, John Armstrong wrote:
>>> That all sounds good, though as others have suggested I'd definitely
>>>get down the Clyde coast to Gourock and/or Wemyss Bay, taking the
>>>ferry to Dunoon or Rothesay respectively.
>> You need some wheels but CalMac used to have a ticket for a round
>>trip using five(?) ferries.
>
>They still do, but you need to make your own way across each island, and
>I doubt there's a regular bus service.

><https://www.calmac.co.uk/things-to-do/island-hopping-adventures/five-fe
>rries-island-hopping-adventure>

When we did this in the summer we were initially misled by over-excited
bloggers saying there was a bus from one end of Skye to the other. Turns
out: one per day.

So I went online and booked a taxi through an agency. About an hour
before we arrived at Kyle the agency emailed me (and given the
not-spottery in that part of the world a miracle it arrived) to say
"Sorry, we *are* the weakest link, goodbye; and we'll eventually give
you a refund".

So we went online and the first local cab company said "fully booked
today" but the second said "OK we can do this, but it'll be half an hour
before we can get there".

--
Roland Perry

In message <un131j$2n7fo$3@dont-email.me>, at 13:28:19 on Tue, 2 Jan
2024, Certes <Certes@example.org> remarked:

>> Any online review, no matter the subject, can -- or even should --
>>be regarded with healthy scepticism. [Immediate Trip Advisor alert.]
>>If one is dealing with *known brands*, the quality is likely to be
>>close to prior experience.
>
>Hotels often change owners, and I'm never sure which level of quality
>to expect when last year's Hilton gets a new Premier Inn facade.

The quality is often inherited from the hardware and staff they have.
Both much more difficult to change than the brand name.
--
Roland Perry

In message <un0nlh$2k26n$7@dont-email.me>, at 10:14:09 on Tue, 2 Jan
2024, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
>On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:

>> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48,
>>but we paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have
>>been a surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the
>>accents in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival
>>deciding to spend the following week touring).
>
>The prices vary so much depending on demand that it can be difficult to
>compare.

"!!! GO COMPARE !!!" it's actually quite easy, as long as you have
connectivity.
--
Roland Perry

In message <un0nmv$2k26n$8@dont-email.me>, at 10:14:55 on Tue, 2 Jan
2024, JMB99 <mb@nospam.net> remarked:
>On 01/01/2024 15:26, Roland Perry wrote:

>> 4* Leonardo currently showing as £53/night; 3* Travelodge at £48,
>>but we paid £175 - and that was the saver rate - (I think it may have
>>been a surge due to mainly American tourists visitors, judging by the
>>accents in the restaurants etc, having been at the Edinburgh Festival
>>deciding to spend the following week touring).
>
>The charges vary so much depending on demand that it can be difficult
>to compare.

Yes, I heard you the first time.
--
Roland Perry

On 03/01/2024 09:17, Roland Perry wrote:
>
> When we did this in the summer we were initially misled by over-excited
> bloggers saying there was a bus from one end of Skye to the other. Turns
> out: one per day.

The timetable is a bit confusing but there seem to be two or three a day
to Uig?