cmac Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Our main holiday this year will be touring Scotland for 2 weeks, any helpful hints on where to go and what to see would be of great help. We live in the midlands and plan a stop in the lakes on route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Take midge repellent, waterproofs, wellies and a camera and just go enjoy The West coast is most spectacular and has most midges. The East coast is less scenic but has hardly any midges - usually. The Scottish Tourist Board will be happy to send you as much info as you can digest free of charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naittaw Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Keep west. Go Perth, Oban, and up the coast from there. How far you get depends on how long you want to spend in the one place. Alterntively go Perth, Inverness, Ullapool and north. Plenty sites available. Dont be put off by threat of midges (much over-rated). Long daylight, great scenery and as likely to get good warm sunny weather as anywhere else in the UK. Alf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 love your confidence Alf, ime midges only cease to be a problem if i. it's raining or ii. your companions are transmitting a more attractive pheromone than youcmac - if you don't want to drive too far you could do more exploring south and south west of Oban. Arran is reckoned to be Scotland in miniature, you could then check out the Kintyre peninsula, see Tarbet, Lochgilphead, Crinan Canal, Ben Cruachan, Crianlarich, Tyndrum, Loch Lomond, Glasgow [well I like it!] or just see here: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nippysweety Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 If you are a member of any off the clubs CC, C&CC or MCC worth checking as they might have a rally in Scotland at the time you are there. It is also possible they will be cheaper than a site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 The C&C Club site at Loch Lomond (Luss) is fabulous and right on the waters edge. And the trip up to Glen Coe is something else, with a nice pub at the bottom. But I agree with the others, that the west coast is much nicer. The east is not very pretty and can be very windy, with virtually nowhere to eat out well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hymer C 9. Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Hi. If you get to the Inverness area carry on to Rosmarkie there is a C.C.C. site within a short walk of where the Dolphins usually gather each day, while we were parked on our pitch most days we would see the dolphins swimming past the van and seals as well , there are a few nice little harbour villages linking up, (there is a non club site at Fortrose the the village before Rosemarkie) with equal access to the dolphins. Carol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Midges don't affect some lucky folks but for others they can make life a misery. Type 'midges scotland' or similar into google and about 200000 web sites will appear. You can then investigate and form your own opinions. Some repellents work for some and not others so if you take a selection of several different ones it will be easier than trying to avoid the little bu##ers the first time you stop on a dry wind free evening and in my view well worth the £20 or so you might spend. Don't let midges put you off going but do be aware of their ability to create itchy misery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Where to go depends a lot on your interests (he said, stating the obvious). We live on the west coast of the Isle of Skye and do most of our trips around this area. Our favourites at the moment are the Ardnamurchan peninsula, across the Corran ferry just south of Fort William. From there you can visit Mull via the Lochaline ferry (much cheaper and shorter than the one from Oban). Travelling further north up the west coast there is The Isle of Skye, the bridge is free now as well. Further north again, the area around Gairloch is worth a visit, I could go on and on..... There are a great many single track roads in the area but not a problem if you watch the road ahead as there are plenty of passing places. Also please keep a lookout behind you on single track roads and use passing places to let following vehicles overtake. As for the midges, they can be a problem although it's mainly on still mornings and evenings. They don't like strong sunlight or wind and so they usually dissappear when the breeze gets up later in the morning. As for repellants, one of the most popular around here is the Avon hand cream Oh So Soft I think it's called. Other than that Bog Myrtle is very good, crush a few leaves and rub that on you. Where ever you finally decide to go, have a great holliday Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 'Avon skin so soft woodland fresh moisturising dry oil body spray' is it's full title and it so good that even the army use it. Over the years we have found Avon Bronze sun lotion, coal tar soap, coal tar shampoo (keeps them off your head), oil of eucalyptos, oil of lavender and citronella oil all have some effect. And finally of course anything containing that everlasting favourite Diethyltoluamide (deet) if you can still get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 cmac, As a regular visitor to Scotland - and one who has flown gliders there for many years - I can tell you that where to go depends simply on the weather forecast. So you need to be flexible. The WEST COAST is fabulous if there is either sustained High Pressure over Scotland (fairly rare, even in June), or winds from the North Sea (NE round to SE winds). The East Coast and Grampians are the place to visit in westerly winds (anything from SW round to NW), since, unless they are extremely light breezes, they will bring all the moisture they have picked up from the Atlantic and dump it on western Scotland before the winds dry out passing over the mountains. There is no worse place to go sightseeing than a dreich (scots for cold, damp, foggy and windy - pronounced dreek) west coast. So be flexible, watch the forward 5 day forecast closely, and go back to visit the dreich places when they're less dreich! Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 One thing about Scotland in June, you do not need a torch, the sun just dips below the horizon and then comes up again. I found my wife there 55 years ago, and she was still OK in broad daylight."Roaming in the Gloaming" and all that stuff, Gloaming = twilight, which lasts for most of June. The thing I don't like about Scotish Midges is the thump when you land on the floor when they drag you out of bed to take you home to feed their young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxy Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 try going up the ayreshire coast I did it last year and was surprised how scenic it was. Continued over the clyde and meadered up the west coast and got as far as Skye. The midges will get you. As has been mentioned earlier Avon skin so soft is quite good at keeping them at bay. Buy it here tho the scots have cottened on and sell it at ridiculous prices. foxy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmac Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Thanks for all the replies We have decided to head west , we will do a bit of research but won't book anything as we plan to move when we please, concerning the midges, I do suffer from the little bleeders but combat this by sending the wife out first (lol) but if that doesn't work skin so soft usually does. We are mainly going for the scenery a bit of walking and the peace and quiet, how far we travel depends on how we feel about the place we are in and we won't know that till we're there. We will get in touch with the Scottish tourist board. Thanks once again for your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Many TIC's in Scotland also have loos, showers and a tap all of which helps make 'off site' camping that much easier. Beware of Inverarry. This town used to let you park for free including overnight but now, so I am told, you can't even park a van in the town car park during the day. Their loss not ours - plenty of other towns! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norma Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 One huge snag about 'Avon skin so soft woodland fresh moisturising dry oil body spray'. Avon seem to have stopped producing it... Unless you know different... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 That's a bit of a letdown Norma. I've just been on Avon's website and they still advertise a skin so soft moisturising spray so I've emailed them to ask if it has the same magic ingredients and I'll let you know what they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmac Posted January 31, 2007 Author Share Posted January 31, 2007 Hi Norma My wife informs me it is sold under a different name now but as it is in the motor home i will have to wait to find out what it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Avon advises that it is the 'aroma' or perfume that is the magic ingredient which discourages insects and in this case it is Citronella which can, of course, be found in may other preparations including candles. 'Woodland fresh' is now marketed as 'Skin so Soft - Soft and Fresh' and, so I am told, is more or less the same and should have the same effect although they do not market it as such and make no claims. You can buy it as well as several other 'soft and fresh' flavoured items like shampoo shower gel and body lotion online at www.avonshop.co.uk with a delivery charge, or via your local Avon rep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 peter - 2007-01-30 10:32 PM The east is not very pretty and can be very windy, with virtually nowhere to eat out well. We like the East coast, lots of little fishing villages, nice people, no midges, good sites - don't be put off by everyone raving about the west coast. A good route is to keep to the coast as much as possible, with excursions inland to choice spots - [eg osprey land] turn left when necessary then rightish and you can end up at the Rosemarkie site mentioned above - although it was a nice quiet basic site when we used to go - it looks to me as though the upgrade has spoiled it ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 I agree Twooks but the East coast is not as mountainous or scenic as the West coast which is what most people want. We always used to go up the East coast and down the West that way the East coast won't dissapoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel E Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 But, as I said earlier in this thread, you can make both coasts much more enjoyable by watching the weather forecasts and fitting in with the weather. Mull on a sunny October day in easterlies was magical. As was the north coast of Aberdeenshire later the same month in westerlies. If we'd reversed the time of the visits, we'd have had a totally miserable time of it! Mel E ==== Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Agreed Mel - the weather is almost everything up North. Above Inverness the country is narrow enough to easily be able to switch sides to suit the weather - and the wee midges. All this talk of Scotland is getting me all wanderlusty again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAC Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Check out the January 07 edition of the magazine there is a piece on Scotland under the heading "Highland of Dreams" Regards BAC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted February 1, 2007 Share Posted February 1, 2007 Just had an email back from Avon cosmetics who advise that the citronella content of new 'Skin so Soft, Soft and Fresh' is lower than the 'Woodland Fresh' product that it replaced. This means that it will probably be a bit less effective at combating the dreaded wee midgies - a task for which Avon say that it was never intended and is not sold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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