This is only my opinion so feel free to ignore it. For a first trip, I'd recommend you move around Scotland and see more of the country. Trying to see very much from one spot will be difficult. However if your goal is to just relax in one spot, then a cottage/apartment is the way to go. There is just so much to see and do in Scotland that not seeing more on a first trip seems like a waste. You didn't say how long you were going there for. If you have 3 or 4 weeks, you can do a great deal of sightseeing by spending a week in different areas.DW and I are planning a trip to Scotland this fall. We would like to rent a cottage or apartment in small town and do some day hikes and day trip in the car we plan to rent. This will be our first trip to Scotland. Suggestions please.
BF
We've always filled out the Customs Form honestly (this is key) and have never been charged duty. A few agents have looked askance at me and reminded me I was over the limit, but that's it. YMMV.
As it gets later in the year, days become very short in Scotland. Your sightseeing has to get compressed. You can check typical weather for various cities on the internet. You can get sunrise and sunset times. I typically put them on my trip planning spread sheet.About the weather, don't just look at temperatures...the wind, if that's the season for it, can be brutal over there.
I'd advise that you get a car with a GPS (they call it "SatNav") or a smartphone (with a reasonable data plan for the UK) so you can drive home at night without worry. At Heathrow, the car was $15/day, unlimited mileage, and they wanted $10/day for the GPS! Although I didn't have a data plan, I could load a trip into my tablet to get directions, but it wouldn't correct the route. I decided not to pay for the GPS, but the car I got had one built-in! Got it for free (and glad I had it).
It's not hard to drive on the left. You are still sitting close to the center line. You need to realize that we typically guage our road position against the center line. Fight the urge to try to position yourself against the outer edge of the road.Thanks- forgot about the wind till I remembered what it was like at the top of Arthur's Seat!
Neither DH nor I have ever gotten up the nerve to drive in Europe of the UK. In the UK that "wrong" side of the road factor is scary. I'm wondering about renting a car in Kirkwall; there's a lot in the Orkneys that just can't be reached by public transportation and when we looked at the cost of a driver it was pretty prohibitive. I'm thinking Kirkwall would be a better place to try it rather than, say, Edinburgh!
Any experiences?
My biggest issue with driving was that I kept wanting to look up to my right for the rear view mirror, and it wasn't there. The only other issue was a couple towns that had some really narrow roads with high enough curbs to scrape the hub caps. I had no problem renting an automatic in Scotland, but had a manual in Ireland. Shifting with my left hand took some getting used to.As it gets later in the year, days become very short in Scotland. Your sightseeing has to get compressed. You can check typical weather for various cities on the internet. You can get sunrise and sunset times. I typically put them on my trip planning spread sheet.
I bought a Garmin with Europe city card. It works on the main roads and most of the smaller cards. It's definitely cheaper that getting a GPS with the car. The last time I was in the UK I didn't take the GPS but it was in the car anyway. I wasn't charged for it so no issue there. I didn't check to see if it was functional. I just plugged in the Garmin.
It's not hard to drive on the left. You are still sitting close to the center line. You need to realize that we typically guage our road position against the center line. Fight the urge to try to position yourself against the outer edge of the road.
Standard transmissions are common. For most Americans that's the bigger shock that the left side driving. Be sure to reserve an automatic if you don't want to learn to shift gears with the wrong hand. In Ireland automatics are almost non-existent.
Me too with the rear view mirror! But I had side mirrors that were natural to use.My biggest issue with driving was that I kept wanting to look up to my right for the rear view mirror, and it wasn't there. The only other issue was a couple towns that had some really narrow roads with high enough curbs to scrape the hub caps. I had no problem renting an automatic in Scotland, but had a manual in Ireland. Shifting with my left hand took some getting used to.
Neither DH nor I have ever gotten up the nerve to drive in Europe of the UK. In the UK that "wrong" side of the road factor is scary.
I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but since the OP is also talking about traveling in the fall:
how is weather in October compared to September? Depends on the area, I know, but I've been trying to book reward travel in Business Class and have finally been able to put an itinerary of 9/28-10/12 on hold, which is about a month later than we'd hoped. We'll be around Edinburgh and probably the Orkneys. How bad is early October compared to early September?