Traveling to Scotland in May....Any suggestions?

adventure_al

New member
dr.jones1986 said:
A friend of mine who spent a semester studying in england wants to see it and didnt get around to it last time. I think where gonna spend like 4 days in london, train to edinburgh for a few days, than visit some of his friends In York, than back to London for a flight home.

Awright that doesn't seem so bad! Edinburgh and York will be the pick of the bunch. Both very nice cities with plenty to see and lots of history.

To be honest unless there is a specific reason he wants to visit Newcastle I'd give it a miss.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
adventure_al said:
Alot of the time the tartan you see on display (and in the gift shops etc) is associated with Scotland as a nation. For family tartans you often have to go to a kilt specialist.

Looks like you got a couple of picture postcard shots there stoo! (y)
Thanks, Al. With scenery like that, how could I not?:) Re: kilt specialists: One place I was in was a huge, multi-level kilt store/factory/museum right next to the castle and even they didn't have it!:mad:

adventure_al said:
I was just out last weekend actually with an american guy who had been travelling on his own. He got chatting to me and my friends so needless to say I got a few rounds (something I'm told you don't do in the US/canada!?)of whisky in and we all ended up having a blast. Crackin' night:D
Well, in my part of Canada, sometimes we buy rounds but it is not the norm. (Depends on the # of people.) I know loads of ex-pat Brits and one trait they have is to make 1 big tab/bill of every order and everyone splits it at the end of the night. Screw that!:whip:

P.S. Here's a really small & dark image of the Cameron Highlanders painting I was talking about. "The Storming of Tel-el-Kebir" by Alphonse de Neuville. (This isn't even the full painting.)

dhm380.jpg


dr.jones1986 said:
Im gonna be in Newcastle at the end of may for some time and i noticed its close proximity to Scotland...
Word of advice: If you're going to order a Newcastle Brown, DON'T ask for a "Newkie Brown"!:p Have a great time on your trip, 1986!
 
Last edited:

dr.jones1986

Active member
Stoo said:
Thanks, Al. With scenery like that, how could I not?:) Re: kilt specialists: One place I was in was a huge, multi-level kilt store/factory/museum right next to the castle and even they didn't have it!:mad:

Well, in my part of Canada, sometimes we buy rounds but it is not the norm. (Depends on the # of people.) I know loads of ex-pat Brits and one trait they have is to make 1 big tab/bill of every order and everyone splits it at the end of the night. Screw that!:whip:

P.S. Here's a really small & dark image of the Cameron Highlanders painting I was talking about. "The Storming of Tel-el-Kebir" by Alphonse de Neuville. (This isn't even the full painting.)

dhm380.jpg


Word of advice: If you're going to order a Newcastle Brown, DON'T ask for a "Newkie Brown"!:p Have a great time on your trip, 1986!

lol, i just wikipediaed (is that a word, cause it should be) that and no my "yank" stomach isnt strong enough for a dark ale like that, especially drank warm like many europeans like beer. I like a nice Corona...also enjoy German beer, Spaten is quite good.
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
I know a bunch of you have said that you have been to York, any recommendations on places to stay...I am on a budget so the less expensive the better.

I would like to have an Indyesque room( think his house in the movies with all the artifacts he has collected) and have several pieces from my travels, such as several nice Mayan pieces from my trips to Mexico. Any ideas of where good stores to look for that kind of stuff would be, i assume the British musuem would have some nice stuff...but is their gift store really expensive?
 

adventure_al

New member
Sorry can't remember the names of any specifically but there are lots of b+bs down there, so I'm sure you will pick up something which will be relatively inexpensive.

For your evening meals check out the 'Cross Keys'. Good brittish pub grub at a very affordable price. :hat:
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
adventure_al said:
Sorry can't remember the names of any specifically but there are lots of b+bs down there, so I'm sure you will pick up something which will be relatively inexpensive.

For your evening meals check out the 'Cross Keys'. Good brittish pub grub at a very affordable price. :hat:

ya i was thinking about a b+b, seem to be an affordable option. Ill keep that pub in mind as well, thanks for the tip.
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
I just got my train pass in the mail, 4 days cost me $224 including shipping to the US. I thought that was pretty good. So London, with a day trip to stonehenge, up to Edinburgh and than to York to finish it up. Should be a fun time. Anyone have any recommendations on fun things to do in York? Jorvik Viking center worth checking out? Where planning on taking a day trip to Leeds to visit the royal armory.
 

Indy99

New member
York is an AWESOME city with tons of history. I very much enjoyed Jorvik despite the "Disney" feel. You get on a train and it takes you through "time" including a recreated Viking village. What makes it especially cool is the buildings are constructed on the actual foundations of the original buildings, and the faces on the manequins were constructed using computer scans of actual skulls found on the site. So, you are looking at the "real" faces of people who populated the area!!

Also of note, they had a skeleton on hand and a forensic expert came out and described what they knew of the diet etc. based on the bone content and showed the marks of battle and such on the skeleton. As a guy who participates in armored combat, it was fascinating to see just how much punishment a warrior could actually take!

There are great museums there as well, and a section of the city where all the buildings are from around 13th - 14th century, if I remember correctly.

I stayed in a youth hostel there, that had a pub in the basement, and had a blast partying with people from 9 different countries! When we all retired back to the dorm, one of the fellows remarked - we shouldn't have to pay for this room; it's defective...it's spinning like crazy! :D

Oh, and Leeds is definately worth visiting if you're into armor and weapons. It's FIVE stories, packed to the gills, and they often have demonstrations and classes going on!
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
I just got back from the UK, had a great time. I went to London, York and Edinburgh and also took day trips to Salisbury and Leeds. The royal armoury in Leeds is awsome. Stonehenge was a bit underwelming. Pubs were all awsome, the last one i went to in York had Guy Fawkes house in the back of the place. Had some awsome Fish and Chips in London. People were nice and the wheather was great. We had almost no rain, which is amazing for the UK.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
dr.jones1986 said:
We had almost no rain, which is amazing for the UK.
What timing! My sister lives in Southampton and said the UK was getting dumped on all last week. You just missed it! I wonder how the Leeds armoury compares with the one at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris? York, Leeds (and Ireland) are places I still haven't visited but will one day. Did you pass by Leeds University? That's where The Who recorded their famous, live album, "Live at Leeds" in 1970.:)

Anyway, sounds like you had a fun time, dr.jones1986! Post some photos if you get the chance.
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
Stoo said:
What timing! My sister lives in Southampton and said the UK was getting dumped on all last week. You just missed it! I wonder how the Leeds armoury compares with the one at the Musée de l'Armée in Paris? York, Leeds (and Ireland) are places I still haven't visited but will one day. Did you pass by Leeds University? That's where The Who recorded their famous, live album, "Live at Leeds" in 1970.:)

Anyway, sounds like you had a fun time, dr.jones1986! Post some photos if you get the chance.


No i did not and my dad mentioned that when i got back...where both big classic rock guys. I did get a pic of me crossing Abbey road though, which was cool. As for the difference between the two armories, im guessing the one in Paris may spend a bit less time on the battle of Waterloo! I just noticed your pics from Egypt up...really cool...i love camels. Rode one once in the Bronx zoo haha. Id love to post some of my pics from my trip but idk how, if you could post instructions that would be great Stoo.
 
Last edited:

dr.jones1986

Active member
can anyone help me post pictures...i have some great photos of my trip to England/Scotland but i am having difficulty posting them. Any help would be great.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
dr.jones1986 said:
No i did not and my dad mentioned that when i got back...where both big classic rock guys. I did get a pic of me crossing Abbey road though, which was cool. As for the difference between the two armories, im guessing the one in Paris may spend a bit less time on the battle of Waterloo! I just noticed your pics from Egypt up...really cool...i love camels. Rode one once in the Bronx zoo haha. Id love to post some of my pics from my trip but idk how, if you could post instructions that would be great Stoo.
Firstly,you'll have to create an account at a free, photo-hosting site (ex. Photobucket or your own website) and upload your picutres there. Secondly, when writing a post, click on the square, yellow icon with the mountains. A small window will pop up and that is where you paste the link to the pic.

Tell your dad that he has good taste in music! Leeds is also the birthplace of Harold Oxley.:p Cool about Abbey Road. I could never find it! Can't comment on the Waterloo items in Paris because I went to the Musée de l'Armée twice in 2007 and both times the ENTIRE Napoleonic wing was closed for renovations!:mad:
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
Stoo said:
Firstly,you'll have to create an account at a free, photo-hosting site (ex. Photobucket or your own website) and upload your picutres there. Secondly, when writing a post, click on the square, yellow icon with the mountains. A small window will pop up and that is where you paste the link to the pic.

Tell your dad that he has good taste in music! Leeds is also the birthplace of Harold Oxley.:p Cool about Abbey Road. I could never find it! Can't comment on the Waterloo items in Paris because I went to the Musée de l'Armée twice in 2007 and both times the ENTIRE Napoleonic wing was closed for renovations!:mad:
ya there was some other tourists at abbey road taking pictures (Italians i think) but i was actually suprised how untouristy it felt, not beetles gift shops or anything. Actually a really nice part of town, some of the houses around there had ferraris in the driveway.

Will facebook work as a photo posting site?
 

adventure_al

New member
dr.jones1986 said:
I just got back from the UK, had a great time. I went to London, York and Edinburgh and also took day trips to Salisbury and Leeds. The royal armoury in Leeds is awsome. Stonehenge was a bit underwelming. Pubs were all awsome, the last one i went to in York had Guy Fawkes house in the back of the place. Had some awsome Fish and Chips in London. People were nice and the wheather was great. We had almost no rain, which is amazing for the UK.

What did you do in edinburgh?

did you check out the castle and the ghost tours!?
 

dr.jones1986

Active member
adventure_al said:
What did you do in edinburgh?

did you check out the castle and the ghost tours!?

We stayed at a hostel right by the castle/royal mile. We saw the castle which was awsome and had an American history connection, being as it was a POW camp during the American Revolution, I found that both shocking and interesting. We than walked the mile stopping at the Scottish Parliament, Supreme Court, Scottish Museum. We talked to the royal guards and Holyrood house, man are they cool. There were two of them off duty, and they were chatting with us and a couple Aussie women. They were kidding with there boys who were on duty, jokeing about them slacking off and not marching or standing properly. That was funny. We than hiked up that hill at the end of the mile which gave us a nice view of the ocean( my friend tried to walk to it the last time he was there but said the water is quiet a hike form the royal mile area)When we got back to Holyrood house we noticed they were having a royal banquet. It was really, with a bagpipe band and everything. I believe the other onlookers said that the banquet was for Lord Tyke...is that person familiar to you? We did not do any of the ghost tours. They have alot of them in US cities as well and I have never done one, though I would like to...just havent got around to it.

Overall I really enjoyed my time in Edinburgh and the Scots are awsome. We were trying to find a place to squeeze in between London and York, where we were meeting up with my friends former schoolmates he met while studying abroad in York. I was thinking Paris at first, but not only was that a more expensive option, most of the French tourists I met in London were obnxosious...most polls I have seen tends to have the French as the worst tourists, even though many of them think us yanks are the rude ones, go figure. Anyhow, I think I chose wisely by going to Edinburgh, it is a charming little city. It was so much cooler than London and even York, boy was it windy and cold. I was wearing shorts in York, but in Edinburgh I had to have jeans and long sleaves. I never realized how far north Scotland is, it was dark out until just after 11. Than I checked a globe and you guys are along the same latitudinal line as southern Alaska, so that explains why it is so light out in the summer. Must be dark as heck in the winter.
 
Top