Scotland: Budget Travel Guide

The bible tells us that Scotland has 163 islands that are more than 100 acres in size. The bible, in this case, is Hamish Haswell-Smith’s remarkable book The Scottish Islands. Of those 163 islands, about half are populated by humans (and rather more than half are populated by sheep). About four dozen Scottish islands are » Read more

Aberdeen is an appealing city, sturdy and solid. In part, this observation is architectural. The city’s predominant building material is granite, something that gives central Aberdeen an attractive if austere uniformity. Aberdeen is also the center of Scotland’s oil industry—even the whole continent. The city uses the tagline “Energy capital of Europe.” As you might » Read more

“Yes, we’ve been all over Scotland,” said the couple we met on the fast train from Edinburgh down to London. They told how, during two full weeks in the country, they had been to Loch Lomond, Royal Deeside, Balmoral and elsewhere. They had even ventured west to Glenfinnan (where Bonnie Price Charlie and Harry Potter » Read more

Glasgow and Edinburgh are both very fine cities to be sure, but they are not the Highlands. Most visitors to Scotland want to smell the tang of heather and feel a Highland breeze and you’ll certainly not do that in Princes Street in Edinburgh. Here are some suggestions for day trips into the Scottish hills. » Read more