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Scotland in October
pittypat
Member ✭
Hi I am hoping to come back to Scotland in mid September to late October. I am planning on going to Lewis/Harris, Skye and Orkney plus whatever else I can fit in. I will be by myself and driving a hire car. What I need to know is do the castles etc. close down in October?
1
Comments
Some of the historic sites are seasonal and will close Oct to April but many of the ruined ones are unmanned and can be accessed all year. Most of Scotland's historic sites are in the care of either the Historic Environment Agency Scotland or the National Trust for Scotland, although some are in private care. I'd maybe try to work out what you want to see then check the websites for Historic Scotland and NTS to see if the properties are ones that close seasonally.
I'm not long back from an out of season visit to Orkney and was able to access everything I wanted to see.
If you're looking for Orkney ideas I write a Scottish travel blog and have just finished writing an Orkney blog trilogy which covers lots of historic and non-historiccal sites. http://theweewhitedug.com/ you'll also find a blog dedicated to Harris & Lewis on my website (under Scotland, Outer Hebrides). Hope this helps.
As a general rule most seasonal places close down at the end of October so you should be all right - of course checking them individually will ensure that you are not disappointed!!
One of the things I'd really like to see while in Scotland are the Kelpie sculptures, also very interested in ancient Scotland. Orkney and the Shetlands are on my bucket list.
This is my first trip out of the USA, I'm counting on it being the trip of a lifetime.