Scotland, August 2016

rmp

Hi, I am planning ... day dreaming ... about a spending a week in Scotland sometime in August 2016. (August is a good month to travel from North Carolina.) I hope to spend two or three days fly fishing for salmon and two or three days on a photo tour. The remaining days will just be a party -- I hope. I need a fishing guide (i.e. gillies) and a photo guide so I can maximize the fun and minimize idle or lost time.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

spraynpray

These are not suggestions you will be expecting, but I suggest you take the best midge repellent you can find because Scotland is midge central, and also, beware of the ticks. If you get a nice day, don't be tempted to wear shorts and walk through long grass and heather. You will get ticks and you will not enjoy removing them or Lymes disease if you get it. It is very much on the increase in the UK, but that fact is not being broadcast as effectively as it should be. Sorry about that, Scotland is fabulous, but those are the downsides.

Photography wise, do take advantage of the dark skies there for nightscapes.

You don't need a photo guide, just googlemap the areas you fancy and then you can see where they are on the map by hovering over them on the filmstrip.

rmp

Thanks spraynpray. every comment or warning helps.

rmp

I think I have a hotel: Hilton Dunkeld House, so I know where to stay. I think I have a music/bar: Taybank in Perthshire, so I know where to enjoy some local music. Any local NRF members that would care to join me for a pint should contact me.

I have stared a search for a fishing guide (i.e. gillies). I expect 2-3 days of guided fly-fishing (and photography of course.) More on this later.

I still need a photo-guide. Any NRF member in Scotland interested in being a photo-guide for a day or two in August should contact me. I know a photo-guide is not a "must have", but it should make my time more productive.

ExpensiveHobby

I might ramble a bit here, but I stayed in Edinburgh at the end of September this year and had a wonderful time. Weather was unusually nice for the time of year (normally starts getting cool/cold by then). Everything I did was "walking" distance from the Residence Inn by the University. Will you be using public transit or your own rental car? If you haven't driven in the UK before, it is quite an adjustment. Roads are narrow, speed limits are high (it doesn't mean you have to go that fast), and you might find yourself turning onto a road in the wrong lane if there is no other traffic.

In Edinburgh I visited Edinburgh Castle, High Street, Edinburgh Gin Distillery (tour was worth it), the National Museum of Scotland, and other random landmarks in town.

Be aware of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well, might influence airline/hotel availability.

spraynpray

@ExpensiveHobby: Your observations on driving over here are parallel to mine driving in the USA. You have such a huge country and are expected to drive so slowly! I get lots of people flashing me just for doing 90 on the freeway which is pretty average over here. :-)

ExpensiveHobby

You must be in mainland Europe, here in England I do not see people doing those speeds very often. I'll be visiting Germany over Christmas and figure my little Nissan Micra will just have to suck it up (it doesn't like going above 70 mph)... national speed limit is 80 mph right?

spraynpray

No, I'm in England (Kent). Speed limit is 70, everybody does 80 and those more pressed do 90. 100 will get you a ban so we keep below that.

rmp

I know my fishing guide will pick-me-up and drop-me-off at my hotel. I hope I can find a photo-guide that will also play driver. If I cannot find a photo-guide, then it will be a rent-a-car -- then -- LOOK OUT SCOTLAND. #-o

trimmer1

Be sure to visit Cairngorms.

rmp

Cairngorms is about 90 minutes north of where we will be staying and it is on our list for landscape photos.

rmp

The dates have changed, but I still need a photo-guide. My 12-year old grandson and I, will arrive in Scotland on June 9. We will be salmon-trout fishing until June 13. Then we have three days to tour and photograph. We would like to maximize our time and that means we need a photo-guide. Any NRF photographers in Scotland should send a message to me.

kanuck

Shame it couldn't be longer. That's quite the journey for only one week. Even 12 days would make a big difference especially when visiting such a magical place that most people would be lucky to ever see even once. You do what you can though with the time and money that you have I certainly understand that