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We were in Scotland a year ago. Edinburgh and Skye. We spent about 4 days in Edinburgh, then 4 days on Skye, I think. We rented a manual transmission car for the entire stay. I would not recommend going to both Ireland and Scotland unless you can take a very long vacation.
Driving in Scotland is definitely scary - the roads are very narrow, most of them are single lane in each direction with no shoulder, and there are lots of roundabouts. Also, driving manual, even if you are proficient in it, makes things more challenging. If you're going to drive there, I suggest that you look at driving school videos online which teach roundabouts to UK drivers - the camera view is the driver view, so watching it over and over definitely helped us. One of us would drive, and the other would watch like a hawk, and say, "Keep left, keep left!"
I recommend getting Fodors or Frommer's guidebooks from the library and reading them. Also use tripadvisor for planning.
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Wish I would have studied more history BEFORE going to Ireland. (History overload)
Appreciated the app "Maps.me" "Historical Sites / places of interest NOT on travel guides"
In Ireland... stay with registered B&B, same price as Air B&B, but regulated / safe.
Scotland had plenty of excellent private Guest homes ($free to $20 / night worldwide)
I preferred Scotland for views and relationships. Ireland for quirky personalities / crazy people (there for all kinds of reasons, but usually 'heritage', or so they think)
better (in my mind and experience) was Wales.
All are very nice. weather in the north... brrrr and wet (June is best (so I hear, so we did).) Spent ~ 1 month in each.
Follow the hints above - limit your range... don't try to see everything. (I like to concentrate on certain areas and get to know the locals. )
I'm going in June. Would love to hear your advice re: what to skip, not to miss, where you went wrong or right while there. TIA!
It will be very difficult to understand Scots when they are presumably speaking English and even worse when they are drinking. See the video below (warning contains profanity).
Seriously, if you do visit Scotland I recommend some time in Edinburgh at the Castle and many other attractions nearby. Also, even if you're not a fan it's very interesting to visit a Scotch whisky distillery.
Wow! Love your answers. Thank you all for taking the time to respond.
To those asking for parameters, that omission was intentional. I didn't want to limit or influence responses. I honestly just wanted to hear what you wish you'd known before going, as well as your favorites.
We often stumble upon experiences while traveling that turn out to be trip highlights. I was hoping to discover those types of things via your experiences, too.
I'll be reading up on the history, StealthRabbit, planning for VAT, turkeydance, avoiding the rush-around trap, and everything else recommended here.
One could spend a couple of days in Galway & then a couple of days on the Aran Islands. Then I would drive down to Kerry/Cork & settle in & explore thoroughly 1 or perhaps 2 of the "Rings": Dingle, Iveragh, Beara, Sheep's Head and Mizen. That's what I would recommend after countless trips. Dingle is perhaps the liveliest with a number of pubs with music but it will also be the most crowded in June, not only a factor in getting BnB's perhaps, but also with more traffic on the narrow winding roads, especially now with the Star Wars tie-in on Skellig Michael.
One of the loveliest parts of the world for me not only for the scenery but also the locals you may meet if you wander away from the tour bus routes.
If you are at all connected with any organization or strong interest that has chapters in Scotland or Ireland, such as a church, car club, knitting society, sport, whatever, try to connect with them beforehand, and go to a service or meeting of that organization while you are there. Or if your work gives you a connection, try to set up a meeting just to see how they do it there. For instance, if you're a dentist here, try to contact the local dental board well ahead of time, and ask if you can get a tour of a local private or public dental clinic near where you're staying. You'll meet people, maybe learn something, maybe bring some knowledge.
We're Jewish, and we knew that we were going to be there during Sukkot, (Feast of Tabernacles, the "harvest hut" festival), a 7 day holiday that usually falls sometime between late September to mid October. I researched and contacted the local synagogue in Edinburgh, arranged for us to attend services and join them for the holiday meal in their sukkah. It was a great experience. We met very interesting congregants, got to have deep and informative conversations with them, got to see what a traditional Modern Orthodox synagogue was like in Europe - architecture, customs, etc, which were somewhat different from ours in the USA. Really was a highlight of our trip. So let the local church know you're coming, go to church services, and talk to people. You might even get invited home for Sunday dinner.
Traveling is about seeing sights, but it's just as much about meeting people in new places, and finding out how much you have in common, and how different you are, and what their views and customs are. Going into pubs can work, but if you're not a big drinker, and are interested in meeting people who do things other than drinking in pubs with their spare time, you've got to try to match up with people with whom you share interests, either professional or avocational (hobbies).
Wish I had known how cold Edinburgh would be in December, and how fast my space heater would gobble up shillings.
Wow, feeding shillings to the heater in my room in the UK... now that brings back a long lost memory!
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