Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Community > Trip Reports
Reload this Page >

10 Day Road Trip To Scotland

10 Day Road Trip To Scotland

Old Sep 30, 2017, 9:03 am
  #31  
Original Poster
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland / Estonia
Programs: AY+ Platinum, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, HH Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 6,508
Originally Posted by jcm9000
Yay, I'm famous! Nice to meet the two of you as well. Shame about that hotel near the end of the trip, slate them on trip advisor! Thanks for the great report and superb pictures, canny beat a stand off on the road with a sheep.....
You indeed are! I did review the place already on booking.com and will do on tripadvisor.

I'm glad you liked the photos.

Originally Posted by Stez
Always nice to see people visiting my favourite part of the world where I spent much of my student years climbing, walking and driving all over looking at bits of rocks.

Photos rarely do it justice but you've taken some good ones that are exceptionally close.
Thanks for your compliment, it's nice to see that you folks like the pictures.

Originally Posted by steveuk
What a beautiful part of the country/world! Thank you for sharing. Sorry to hear about the dirty hotel :-(

Your photographs of food are making me hungry!
You're welcome. It's time to eat, then!

Originally Posted by T8191
Lovely report on your adventure, florens, and with some outstanding photographs. Sadly, my efforts with a pocket Lumix will never match that standard!

As for the whole trip ... far too North, far too cold, and far too cloudy for our taste

Glad you enjoyed the experience ^
Thanks T8191. We had temperatures between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius, so perfect for our taste.

We enjoyed it very much and will be back for sure!
florens is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2017, 3:21 pm
  #32  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 628
Great report and photos. We are heading up for a week in Ullapool soon, and your report was perfectly timed. Thanks again.
florens likes this.
halfcape is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2017, 3:43 am
  #33  
Original Poster
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland / Estonia
Programs: AY+ Platinum, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, HH Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 6,508
Originally Posted by halfcape
Great report and photos. We are heading up for a week in Ullapool soon, and your report was perfectly timed. Thanks again.
Thank you halfcape. I hope you will enjoy Ullapool. It is a lovely town. If you have time you might want to take the ferry to Stornoway. It runs once or twice daily and it takes about 3h IIRC.
florens is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2017, 6:29 am
  #34  
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: TLL
Programs: OZ Diamond, BA Gold, Bonvoy Ambassador, HH Gold
Posts: 4,402
Fantastic report! Driving the NC500 is a trip I'd love to take in the late spring, and your TR has made me even more excited about the possibility. Great photos - thanks for posting!
florens likes this.
dcmike is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2017, 6:50 am
  #35  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Four Seasons 5+ BadgeSPG 5+ Badge
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,486
I always found the vegan meals obove average on BA Club Europe
florens likes this.
offerendum is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2017, 11:33 am
  #36  
Original Poster
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland / Estonia
Programs: AY+ Platinum, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, HH Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 6,508
Originally Posted by dcmike
Fantastic report! Driving the NC500 is a trip I'd love to take in the late spring, and your TR has made me even more excited about the possibility. Great photos - thanks for posting!
Thank you!

Originally Posted by offerendum
I always found the vegan meals obove average on BA Club Europe
Indeed!
florens is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2017, 12:51 pm
  #37  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: JNB
Programs: Flying Blue, Miles and Smiles, Hhonors, ICHotels
Posts: 1,307
Thank you!!

The photos are truly inspirational and this is on my bucket list.
florens and rhivolution like this.
roadwarrier is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2017, 5:00 pm
  #38  
IHG Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Middle of Nowhere
Programs: Lowly BAEC Bronze, VS, IHG Platinum, HHonors Gold, Hotels.com Gold
Posts: 231
Wow! I followed some of your trip via Instagram, but this really fills out the detail. Looks wonderful! I'll have to plan something similar in soon. Some incredibly scenic drives in there.

Shame about the crap hotel, but it seems it was one blip in an otherwise fantastic trip.

Hope to see you both soon and thanks for the mention, my first taste of the GF lounge, as well as the inspiring trip report!
florens likes this.
rhivolution is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2017, 9:19 pm
  #39  
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Paris, France
Programs: Flying Blue Gold
Posts: 756
Great report. We did a pretty similar trip some years ago when I was studying in Edinburgh and Madame came to visit from Argentina. Your pictures are fantastic - you manage to catch the beauty of Scotland in spite of the Scottish weather
florens likes this.
Marambio is offline  
Old Oct 2, 2017, 12:16 am
  #40  
Original Poster
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland / Estonia
Programs: AY+ Platinum, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, HH Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 6,508
Originally Posted by roadwarrier
Thank you!!

The photos are truly inspirational and this is on my bucket list.
Thank you. I highly recommend visiting the Highlands!

Originally Posted by rhivolution
Wow! I followed some of your trip via Instagram, but this really fills out the detail. Looks wonderful! I'll have to plan something similar in soon. Some incredibly scenic drives in there.

Shame about the crap hotel, but it seems it was one blip in an otherwise fantastic trip.

Hope to see you both soon and thanks for the mention, my first taste of the GF lounge, as well as the inspiring trip report!
It was nice to meet you, and I am glad you liked this report. May our travel paths cross soon again!

Originally Posted by Marambio
Great report. We did a pretty similar trip some years ago when I was studying in Edinburgh and Madame came to visit from Argentina. Your pictures are fantastic - you manage to catch the beauty of Scotland in spite of the Scottish weather
Thank you!
florens is offline  
Old Oct 6, 2017, 8:25 am
  #41  
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,146
I knew by the thread title this would be a joy to read and I wasn't disappointed so well done!! ^

I've been away too long....I really need to go 'home'.
florens likes this.
HIDDY is offline  
Old Oct 6, 2017, 11:46 am
  #42  
Original Poster
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Switzerland / Estonia
Programs: AY+ Platinum, BAEC Silver, airbaltic VIP, HH Diamond, Radisson VIP, IHG Diamond Elite
Posts: 6,508
Originally Posted by HIDDY
I knew by the thread title this would be a joy to read and I wasn't disappointed so well done!! ^

I've been away too long....I really need to go 'home'.
Thanks HIDDY, I am glad you liked it!

I want to thank everyone for the positive feedbacks so far. The next trip report will be in November, stay tuned.
florens is offline  
Old Oct 10, 2017, 9:07 am
  #43  
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Sandy, Utah
Posts: 1
Great trip report and it brought back memories of our 10 day driving trip in Scotland in 2013. We went towards the end of September to try and get away from tourists but of course then you might get lots of rain as we did. But what a beautiful, unspoiled country, so different from driving in the US. Although my husband was freaked out by the narrow roads and driving on the "other" side plus random sheep crossing. And I had to laugh when you said your average speed on one day trip was 35 mph - so true! Tip on Portree - if you want the absolute best, freshest fish and chips, there's a little hole in the wall shop down at the docks. We ate there after taking a scenic boat trip. I still dream about those fish and chips. I see you didn't go on the whiskey trail! That's one of the things I really loved and got a taste for single malt peated Scotch, especially from Islay. But of course it can be dangerous to one's energy level when tasting during the day.

Since I sprained my ankle while mountain biking in the Highlands, I do want to go back and not have to hobble around. Such a beautiful, wild place seems made for outdoor activities as long as you have your rain gear handy.

Thanks for all the photos. You really did capture the country and its wildness.
florens likes this.
Sequim is offline  
Old Oct 10, 2017, 9:41 am
  #44  
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: MSN
Programs: AA, BAEC Gold
Posts: 3,906
Thanks for a great trip report. It has been a very long time since we did a similar trip and your photographs were a splendid reminder. Three of my memories are: climbing a hill by the road along the north shore to get a better view of some warships that were close in only to find ourselves right above some concealed tanks - we were in middle of a NATO exercise; staying at the Inchnadamph Hotel and having oatmeal crusted trout for breakfast - it is a fishing hotel and guest have to surrender their catch to the kitchen; being caught in a July blizzard on Ben Nevis.
florens likes this.
MADPhil is offline  
Old Oct 10, 2017, 3:45 pm
  #45  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Montreux CH
Programs: FB Platinum, M&M FTL, BA Blue
Posts: 11,510
You have touched on my youth with this trip report. I spent much of my life in Caithness, in Dunnet near Dunnet Head. I used to regularly wander down onto the expanse of Dunnet Beach. I went to school in Wick, which was a dire place back then. At lunchtimes I used to go down to the castle of old Wick. The cliffs and slate rock formations made amazing patterns. The sea was scary, especially in the Caithness wind.

I know most of the places you went to. The Boat Hotel is a well known black hole for the traveller, it's a real hark back to Scottish hotels of the 1970s. Hotels were to be avoided, B&Bs were the way to go.

I am very scathing of this North Coast 500 rubbish, it smacks of a stupidity invented south of the border. The way to do it is to follow the old, existing road numbers, such as the A836, and improvise detours to see what you want to see, which is what you did. I like following road numbers in Scotland, some of them are truly epic (A85, A87, A939).

Check out Banffshire and Aberdeenshire sometime. That whole east coast area is full of understated beauty and the tourists hardly go there. The towns, with houses made of granite stone, have changed little since the days of my grandparents.
florens likes this.
Concerto is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.