re: Scotland trip.

Sounds like a great time. Yeah every tour I’ve looked at on viator or get your guide seem to be missing one key spot that I feel like I don’t wanna miss. I know some of the stops I’ll be cool to just hope out and take some pic /hang for 15-20 mins. I realize I’ll have to not settle too long at any one place if I want to see it all. I wish I had another day for Isle of Skye but it is what it is. Private tours only cost a couple more hundred bucks vs the small group ones I’ve looked at so I’m debating between a private tour or just driving it myself.

Haven't been yet. But have had several friends go that time of year.

And to paraphrase what they'd told me previously:

If you’re heading to Scotland in the summer, just be aware of the midges — they’re mostly an issue on the west coast, the Highlands, and places like the Isle of Skye on still, cloudy days. The good news is that the cities and coastal areas you’ll be in — Edinburgh, St Andrews, Aberdeen, and even Inverness itself — don’t really have problems with them, and the golf courses stay breezy enough that players barely notice anything. If you do head into the Highlands or over to Skye, just bring a little Smidge spray and try to go when there’s at least a light wind. It’s totally manageable, just something worth knowing ahead of time.

Here’s a note I’ve had saved on my phone from our trip in 2024. We went for the Open. Spent a few days in Edinburgh then moved over to Glasgow. Kingsbarn is a beautiful course, highly recommend it.

Edinburgh restaurants

Old Town
-Arcade Haggis & Whiskey Bar (great pub food, whisky flights)
-Luckenbooths - inside Cheval Old Town chambers; we had Bfast here every day
-Worlds End Pub - had lunch here on Royal Mile (ok nothing special)

New Town
-Dishoom: Indian (great atmosphere, sat downstairs)
-Fishers In The City: seafood
-The Dome: drinks
-Bramble Bar (didn’t go here but travel agent recommended)
-Rose Street has a lot of pubs


Stockbridge
-Scran & Scallie: upscale pub food
-The Raeburn: we had drinks outside

To do:
-Edinburgh Castle- try to get morning tickets; less crowded
-Palace of Holyrood House - favorite
-Victoria Street (Diagon alley)
-Deans Village
-St Giles Cathedral
-Grassmarket in Old Town- lots of pubs and great view of castle at the end of the square
-day trip to Stirling Castle, Doune Castle - look into Explorer Pass if doing 2 or more castles
-Loch Lomand & Trossachs National Park
-day trip to St Andrews
-Deanston distillery warehouse experience - we did this after Stirling castle, in the area

quote:

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Aberdeen is the center of North Sea offshore making that region a bit more affluent than some. Maritime Museum is worth a visit.

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This

Restaurant rec in Aberdeen:

The Silver Darling (Link)

Arbroath & Dunnottar are between St Andrews & Aberdeen.

Dunnottar



Arbroath has a niche in legal history as to the rights of individual free men.
Nice site & museum.



St Andrews Cathedral is well worth visiting, if you get to Elgin, the old church ruins and museum there are also great.

Ditto Soccer, the cathedral is very cool

hey! mine is facing the other way.. Yours you can see St. Andrews Castle, or what's left of it.

I'm here now so I'll update as I go. Currently at Woodlands Glencoe. Definitely worth looking into: nice and relaxing after the chaos of Edinburgh. I'll say Edinburgh was probably the coolest large European city I've been to, but trying to fit everything in 4 days exhausted me and the break is nice