any tips for hols in scotland in July/aug?

froggy27_2

Hi ther. My brother and family have decided to have their summer hols in Scotland, end of july. They live in France and they've never been. They are asking me to help them with the holidays.... so have you got any tips please? they will be driving and intends to visit as much as possible. My nephews are 13 and 9 so a bit of sightseeing, walking and seeing the beauty of scotland but also some fun... Can you recommend some Theme parks maybe? They are also talking to stop at a nice holiday village ie caravan but with activities with kids and a pool.for few days... Any recommendations on that too? If you have good websites for B&Bs on the way, please pass them on....
Thanks a lot for your help I do (and so will they) appreciate.

JanetG

Hi

There's a thread about seeing wildlife in Scotland on the Scotland board. I found it really useful when I went up last year to see the Moray Firth dolphins:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=164&highlight=inverness

There's the Landmark Forest Theme Park at Carrbridge, a few miles north of Aviemore, which is good fun:

http://www.landmark-centre.co.uk/

Janet

Becles

This campsite is fabulous:
http://www.glen-nevis.co.uk/

I hired a static caravan there a couple of years ago. It's right at the foot of Ben Nevis and within 15-20 mins walk of Fort William town centre. Although you feel miles away from anywhere on the site, you're still close for facilities in the town. The caravan was spotlessly clean, and staff were all lovely and friendly. There was a tea tray waiting for us on arrival, which I thought was a nice touch. The onsite restaurant is fabulous and we had a lovely meal in there.

Days out included going up Anoch Mar (next to Ben Nevis) in a cable car, and we had a good wander round the mountain tops. You can watch the people mountain bike back down the mountain - rather them than me!

We did the Fort William to Mallaig steam train line, which has fabulous scenery and is recently famous for being where Harry Potter films were filmed!

We had a day on the Isle of Mull as my youngest was Balamory crackers, so he was thrilled to see the coloured houses in Tobermory where it's filmed.

A day in Oban where we visited the Seal Sanctury where they look after poorly seals then release them to the wild (big awwww factor!). They also do the same with otters, and have a decent aquarium. We also did a castle nearby which was brilliant but I forget the name of it now. It was well furnished with lots of history and my boys enjoyed it.

Lastly we visited the Isle of Seil and did a seafari. They have the rigid life raft boats, and you whizz across the sea at up to 40mph, so it's quite exhilirating. The wildlife off the cost is amazing. They stop the boat frequently when animals are spotted. We saw seals and porpoises which my boys loved, but the best bit was when we stopped over a bait ball, which is lots of tiny fish like mackrel swimming just below the surface of the water. Various sea birds were darting down and picking the fish out of the water. and my boys loved being so close to nature.

Highly recommended place to visit, and I certainly would go back to the area and that campsite again.

tonyfaestoney

Bring Winter clothes :rotfl:

owtfornowt_2

where are they arriving in scotland? they flying into scotland and hiring a car?

reason why asking as dependent upon arrival would help shape travel plans.

beckes post could form a plan but would suggest coupling that with the following:

for anyone visiting scotland would STRONGLY recommend heading 'up north'. glasgow & edinburgh are nice cities, both very different but each with their own appeal however for the real beauty of scotland then onwards and upwards is the way to go.

loch lomond - lovely place and only a short drive from glasgow. various areas for camping or for caravans.

many small villages and beautiful scenery will make up your journey as you travel up to fort william and ben nevis.

after here head further north to the stunning location that is the isle of skye. plenty of accomodation in skye in the form of b&b's, however there is also camp sites and place for caravan

shown73

If you were only allowed to take one thing with you, my recommendation would be a good insect repellent! There were actually some threads on here a while back about some home-made bug busters which were supposed to be quite effective, one cream in particular. If only my memory wasn't so hopeless, but perhaps someone else can help???? Don't be put off by this, but be prepared, and don't spend a fortune on expensive sprays, etc., a bit of research will pay handsome dividends.

moonrakerz

shown73 wrote:

If you were only allowed to take one thing with you, my recommendation would be a good insect repellent!

The mozzies in Scotland don't bite, they use knives and forks !

Seriously, somewhere worth a visit are the gardens at Loch Ewe and the scenery all around there is magnificent and surprisingly the main roads are very good.

mummyyummy_2

the midge repellant you are looking for is avon skin so soft green spray version (woodland??) is best. You can get from avon, ebay and some corner shops/chemists sell it too and yes they do bite, esp in the damp weather x

Dumyat

Becles missed one of the highlights of fort william.....head north and do some Nessie spotting at Loch Ness

Edinburghlass_2

This may be the castle Becles visited, its certainly child friendly and you can even stay there.

Another not to be missed attraction near Oban is the Rare Breeds Park owned by the lovely David and Barbara Smith.

froggy27_2

Thanks so much. I am sending all your suggestions to my SIL and i'm sure she will include them in her itinerary.... Any ideas for good B&B they intend to go more Edinburgh/North Highlands etc...