Saturday, May 30, 2015

Travel Info and Thank-yous - Blog 22

May 30, 2015

As reflect on the last month, I am so grateful for the careful planning that Kathy provided. She made such good choices on where to stay and what to see. We will relive the many good memories as we process through the 2,756 pictures taken.

As I began looking through some of the images, I remembered one that still makes me chuckle. The Scots think of everything! Traveling usually means changes in diet. You never eat like you would at home. The foods are richer and plentiful and your system has to adjust! There are times when that can mean higher gastronomic air pressure than usual. We found that the tourist friendly Scots allow for just such concerns. It was in St Andrews that we came upon a street with the tourist in mind. Look close at the picture below and the street sign just above the vender. The street name is Butts Wynd!

We thank all those who helped us plan our trip:
  1. We began with Rick Steve’s Snapshot Scotland, but he didn’t cover all the places we wanted to see.  We did use him for his walking tour of Edinburgh and colorful descriptions of other sites.  Also used his excellent Pocket London Guide and his Audio Europe app on our phones.
  2. We also had Lonely Planet’s Scotland.  They cover most of Scotland, but I found myself overwhelmed.  I still didn’t know how to plan our route and where were the best places to stay.
  3. I found Secret Scotland: www.secret-scotland.com as I was searching for best Scotland itinerary in 14 days.  This is just what I needed to tie the trip together.  They have several itineraries to choose from and give great detail with their directions.  We needed all the help we could get as it took all of our concentration to drive on the left side of the road and figure out what lane to be in as we entered the many roundabouts.  On their recommendation I combined the 10-day Castle Tour with the 4-9 days Scenic Flexi Tour.  They had wonderful recommendation for lodging that we used in Crathie (Royal Deeside), Inverness, Isle of Skye and Oban.  Best of all they are Scots with the inside scoop on their own country.
  4. There were not any guide books for Guernsey so I depended on their excellent website:  www.visitguernsey.com .  They had some handy walking tours with maps and downloadable podcasts.
  5. Our wonderful Bed and Breakfast hosts.  They helped us navigate their areas in so many ways and gave us wonderful breakfasts:

  • London:  Angela and Oliver near Victoria Station.  Booked through www.londonbb.com 
  • Edinburgh:  Colin and Trina at Priestville Guest House
  • Kilross, Loch Leven:  Liz and George at Kelson Lodge
  • Crathie, Royal Deeside:  Jan and Mark at Copper Beach Bed and Breakfast
  • Inverness:  Margaret at Glendoune Bed and Breakfast
  • Staffin, Isle of Skye:  Joanna at Bealach Uige Bed and Breakfast
  • Oban:  Jane at Sheep Fank Cottage, Kilmore
  • Balloch at Loch Lomond: Maggie and Kenny at Braeburn Cottage
  • Stirling:  Laura at Castlecroft Bed and Breakfast
We also thank each of you for taking the time to enjoy this trip with us. It enhances our experience each time we review a picture or compose a description. 

Tim and Kathy





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