Planning Scotland for Xmas 2017.

WantToBeSE

I'd love to spend a week over Xmas 2017 in a cottage in Scotland.
But i am on quite a tight budget.
It'll be for myself (adult) and 2 teenagers (17 and 13).

Getting from Cornwall to Scotland is expensive in itself. I don't want to drive, so the options are fly or train.

Train wise, there is a direct train from Plymouth to Aberdeen..but it takes almost 12 hours :eek: and costs almost £600 return..and that is the cheapest i can find :eek: So not really practical.

Or I can Fly from Exeter to Edinburgh for about £350 and it takes 2 hours. A better option.

But, if i fly into Edinburgh, i will also then have to hire a car to drive, because i dont want to stay in a city, i want to get to the countryside. Plus, does Edinburgh even get snow?

Ok, then onto places to stay..i am clueless. I've never been to Scotland before. I want somewhere with snow. That's a must. But i'd like to stay in a town or village, with a pub and some shops. If I'm landing at Edinburgh, are there small towns/villages nearby that fit that description?

I'm not a seasoned traveller by any means, and i know I've been a bit vague, but I'm open to suggestions, tips, constructive criticism etc.

comeandgo

Nowhere in Scotland is snow guaranteed at any time of the year but you get a greater chance if you go inland and to somewhere "high" like Aviemore. The problem you may have is the price, in winter and especially during the Christmas and New Year Aviemore is at peak prices due to the skiing at The Cairngorms.

WantToBeSE

comeandgo wrote: »

Nowhere in Scotland is snow guaranteed at any time of the year but you get a greater chance if you go inland and to somewhere "high" like Aviemore. The problem you may have is the price, in winter and especially during the Christmas and New Year Aviemore is at peak prices due to the skiing at The Cairngorms.

Thank you comeandgo, i wasn't aware of that, i thought most places in Scotland had snow in Winter.

pogofish

Braemar or Tomintoul are two of the Scottish towns most likely to have snow this time of year and both have all the sort of amenities you want and a range of accommodation.

I was in Braemar on Christmas Eve - helping to build a big snowman!

Cottages/cabins are popular at this time of year though, with many being booked on a regular basis for family get togethers, so the sooner you find somewhere the better.

WantToBeSE

pogofish wrote: »

Braemar or Tomintoul are two of the Scottish towns most likely to have snow this time of year and both have all the sort of amenities you want and a range of accommodation.

I was in Braemar on Christmas Eve - helping to build a big snowman!

Cottages/cabins are popular at this time of year though, with many being booked on a regular basis for family get togethers, so the sooner you find somewhere the better.

Thank you so much, I'll have a look at both of those areas.

WantToBeSE

pogofish, what are the roads like at that time of the year? I'm a pretty confident driver but not on thick ice/snow..but i presume the roads are gritted quite wel 'up north'?

googler

The main roads get gritted, but there's an immediate contradiction between wanting to be off the beaten path, in a small town or village, and wanting to have the luxury of easy access.

There's no guarantee of snow anywhere. Especially if Trumpdom recants on its global warming promises and starts chucking out tons of CO2 etc. As was said, the higher your elevation, the better your chances of it.

Edinburgh Airport is outwith the city. Seriously, you can determine the nearest towns and villages to it by reference to a map, and a quick google street view to look at their main streets. You don't need others to tell you this.

With teenagers, you may need to forewarn them that mobile coverage is not guaranteed, so you should ensure that any selected cottage promises broadband with WiFi.

macman

Why not fly to Aberdeen from Newquay? Change at Manchester, several flights a day with FlyBe.
I find it hard to believe that using Railcards and advance ticket purchase, you cannot find a train for under £600.
If you want to stay in the Highlands, then it's a bit of a slog from E'burgh or Glasgow.

WantToBeSE

googler wrote: »

The main roads get gritted, but there's an immediate contradiction between wanting to be off the beaten path, in a small town or village, and wanting to have the luxury of easy access.

There's no guarantee of snow anywhere. Especially if Trumpdom recants on its global warming promises and starts chucking out tons of CO2 etc. As was said, the higher your elevation, the better your chances of it.

Edinburgh Airport is outwith the city. Seriously, you can determine the nearest towns and villages to it by reference to a map, and a quick google street view to look at their main streets. You don't need others to tell you this.

With teenagers, you may need to forewarn them that mobile coverage is not guaranteed, so you should ensure that any selected cottage promises broadband with WiFi.

Yeah i realised that when i posted it tbh. Also, i've been Googling towns etc, but wanted any personal recommendations from people that have stayed in nice areas.

macman wrote: »

Why not fly to Aberdeen from Newquay? Change at Manchester, several flights a day with FlyBe.
I find it hard to believe that using Railcards and advance ticket purchase, you cannot find a train for under £600.
If you want to stay in the Highlands, then it's a bit of a slog from E'burgh or Glasgow.

The change at Manchester would not be doable, as my son has autism and finds flying incredibly stressful, so 2 flights is a definite no no.
The same with a 12 hour train journey.

I'm actually thinking maybe its worth just driving.If we started early in the morning, hopefully traffic wouldn't be too bad.
Then i could afford to spend more on accommodation.

Faith177

we stayed here a few new years ago http://kiltarlitylodges.co.uk/

It's not too far out but far enough if you know what I mean. You are near the village of Beauly which has a few small local shops for your basic needs or there are 2 HUGE tescos and an Asda in Inverness

Inverness is the nearest big city and has an airport that both easyjet and flybe use. Also has a big train station and you can get the train from London quite cheap if you book in advance

Just noticed you are now thinking of driving. It's not too bad a drive if you do it early hours or overnight it is mainly lorries on the road and they are good as gold tbh. The A9 which is the main road to Inverness is a bit of a pig as it is mainly single carriage but it has some amazing scenery.

Plus you would really need a car to get around once there otherwise you'd have the additional cost of hiring a car

pogofish

WantToBeSE wrote: »

pogofish, what are the roads like at that time of the year? I'm a pretty confident driver but not on thick ice/snow..but i presume the roads are gritted quite wel 'up north'?

They can be a bit dicy but if you take your time, slow down and drive carefully, you should be fine. I don't usually take any special precautions other than a spade in the boot and some extra warm stuff/few supplies when going-up from Aberdeen - but then again I am an old Deesider!

As of this morning, the snow gates were shut at Braemar on the A93 to Perth and the back road from Deeside to Donside over the Brig of Gairn (worth a visit in the snow) but the main road to Aberdeen was passable - it usually gets priority for clearing/gritting so its seldom closed for long.

Last years situation where one of the old bridges was knocked-out and the road washed away at Abergeldie Castle was the result of exceptionally bad weather and the community spirit up there saw that everyone stranded was looked after very well.

The Lecht Road from Corgarff to Tomintoul is however one of Scotland's worst roads for being blocked in winter.

Personally I'd prefer Braemar in the depths of winter - with the trees, hills around you its more sheltered and gets quite magical in the snow, plus there are lovely walks in the vicinity of the village that are good/easy in most conditions.. Tomintoul is higher and more exposed so when the weather closes-in, it can be pretty hard going - but the pubs are fine and warm!