Visiting Scotland in April - Traditions, Festivals, etc

DMcLean · February 16

My mom passed away last year and we are bringing her home to Glasgow to be buried in the family lair. I want to celebrate her life, our heritage, and bring my grown sons to see more of their heritage and history. We have 10 days in Scotland, starting in Edinburgh for 3 days, then the remaining 7 in Glasgow. Looking to take day trips.... any suggestions?

spoots · February 16

Hmm...

Is there anywhere you'd particularly like to see?

DMcLean · February 16

We are going to lochs, cathedrals, Ben Nevis, Saltcoats, etc. Wondering if there is anything planned anywhere for the 698th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath??

spoots · February 17

DMcLean said:

We are going to lochs, cathedrals, Ben Nevis, Saltcoats, etc. Wondering if there is anything planned anywhere for the 698th anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath??

I don't know of anything celebrating Arbroath right now.

Hmm.

A day to see the sights of Edinburgh - castle, Royal Mile, St Giles Cathedral, galleries/museums - is a must. You might want to stretch it to two...perhaps @Horizons has an idea of which to do?

For day three, a rail journey over The Forth Bridge is a good idea - why not take the train from Edinburgh to Leuchars on the third day? You'll travel over the bridge. Then, at Leuchars, get the bus to St Andrews, a lovely wee town with history. There's a ruined cathedral among other things - and a beach too. You can spend more time in St Andrews if you like, or you have other options. You could explore the fishing villages of the 'East Neuk' of Fife by bus - such as Crail and Anstruther - or head to Dunfermline where there's an abbey and palace to visit.

When you're in Glasgow, you're well placed to visit Loch Lomond (take the train from Queen Street to Balloch, a town at the southern tip of the loch), Saltcoats (the train goes from Glasgow Central), or even the isles of Arran or Bute! You'll obviously want to spend some days in Glasgow itself.

Ben Nevis is difficult to do in a day trip from Glasgow, though it may well be possible.

Some more ideas:
-travel into the Scottish Borders by rail from Edinburgh, and explore the ruined abbeys at Melrose and Jedburgh
-visit the Palace of Linlithgow
-visit North Berwick, Dirleton Castle and Tantallon Castle

Do you intend to travel by public transport?

Horizons · February 17

@DMcLean a lot of my daytrip recommendations have been recorded in this other thread. @spoots has actually recorded almost all my recommendations himself

Going to Arbroath + Stonehaven is slightly closer from Edinburgh than from Glasgow. Dean's village and Stockbridge is an offbeat recommendation that is a favourite with locals especially during Sunday market. Royal Botanical Gardens and its greenhouse is also a personal favourite in Edinburgh, especially to see the Cherry Blossoms in spring.

spoots · February 17

@Horizons is certainly right about Arbroath & Stonehaven - you can visit Dunnottar Castle while you're in the area. April is a good month for seeing the seabirds at Fowlsheugh.

Stockbridge's New Town has some really nice architecture, and the Royal Botanic Gardens are probably a good bet - I've never been there myself. Dean Village is a good suggestion - it's like a little fairytale oasis of unique buildings hidden away only five minutes from Princes Street.

Anyway @Horizons, I think we make a good team!

Horizons · February 17

@spoots Aye

FullStopNextChapter · February 19

New Lanark Visitor Centre is not too far from Glasgow and is brilliant for a day out. You can read all about it over on my blog. Lovely walks along the river up to the falls of Clyde too.
It has a great cafe but you can also get excellent food in the bar of the hotel on site too.

I have recently worked with a tour guide who is based in Glasgow and she does personal itineraries in and around Glasgow, but also across the whole of Scotland.

Howdy, Stranger!

Visiting Scotland in April - Traditions, Festivals, etc

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Quick Links

Visiting Scotland in April - Traditions, Festivals, etc

Comments