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Re: [OM] (OT) The Road Ahead

Subject: Re: [OM] (OT) The Road Ahead
From: "Piers Hemy" <piers@xxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:20:38 -0000
Who? Me??

You have had some great suggestions so far, Bob - Lochinver, Sand, Raasay,
Campbeltown, Skye, Islay are all worthy of attention, and all on the west
coast. Huntly, Peterhead and thereabouts, while not on the west coast, are
also well worth considering (and I can vouch for your cousin-in-law's whisky
business, I remember a very pleasant afternoon there!) (but there is no 'e'
in Scotch whisky). 

But logistics are also well worth considering - how many weeks will you
have?  The most important single hint I can offer is that, because of the
geography, it is not feasible to explore much of the west coast by driving
along it - there are simply too many (very large) inlets. If you want to see
Lochinver, Sand, Raasay, Skye, Islay and points between, you will almost
certainly find yourself based in or around Inverness. Which is on the
Eastern side! Inverness is not called "the hub of the highlands" by chance.

I will assume that you can decide for yourself whether the cultural and
commercial attractions of Edinburgh and Glasgow are worth a look, how much
time to spend there. The issue is the scenic and historic bits elsewhere,
and how to get to them. Inverness is about four hours from Edinburgh (by
rail or road), and from Inverness you could get to any of Peterhead, Huntly,
Lochinver, Sand, Raasay and Skye in a day - you could even get there and
back, but without stopping for long. I hope that helps to orient you when
you look at a map, as you might otherwise jump to the wrong conclusions
based on straight-line distances. I think that speaks of one week being an
absolute minimum if you want to see anything much up here. But having said
that, almost anywhere up here *is* worth the trip, and if a week is all you
have, I can make some specific recommendations should you need them. I
suspect that with what you have already received, you won't ;-)

Another issue is how to get here - there are international airports in
Scotland at Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as Aberdeen, all with direct
flights from Heathrow, and Inverness with flights from Gatwick. If you want
to make the most of the time available, fly as far north as you can.
Aberdeen has the widest choice of flights, and would allow you to take in
Huntly and Peterhead on the way out to the west coast. If you can fly in
direct from US, you will save 2-3 days 'wasted' in London.

Visitscotland.com claims that you have the following direct flight choices:
New York to Edinburgh and Glasgow by United
Philadelphia to Glasgow by United and US Airways 
Toronto to Glasgow by  Air Transat, Canadian Affair
Toronto to Edinburgh by Air Canada Rouge (from July 2013)
 
Amsterdam is also a hub to use to get to Aberdeen or Inverness.

I wouldn't say there is much to choose between May and September as regards
weather, daylight or midges, I think it's safe to assume the weather cannot
be depended upon, but the midges can - although location can be a
significant determinant of the latter, and where we are - the midges aren't
(and there is cause:effect at play there). Assume that the west coast will
be blighted, the east coast not. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_midge
has a couple of useful links (but it's too soon in the year for them to be
live) but remember that it's just a nuisance. I assume I don't need to tell
you about the tick, which can be very much more serious
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease#United_Kingdom

Please feel free to ask for more specific stuff (offlist?) as plans develop.

Oh and the most important of all - great news about Ben!

Piers

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Whitmire [mailto:bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: 24 March 2013 15:51
To: Olympus Camera Discussion
Subject: Re: [OM] (OT) The Road Ahead

Thanks, Chris,

Already two place names. This is working. <g>

Waiting for Piers to weigh in.

--Bob


On Mar 24, 2013, at 7:36 AM, Chris Barker wrote:

> Sounds good, Bob.  I'm ready for a meet . . .
> 
> But I would plan a base in Scotland, somewhere picturesque is not always
that accessible, but it is fun driving around those roads.  We stayed in a
cabin on the edge of Lochinver a few years ago: we had one day of very high
winds (so we climbed the side of a mountain in 60kts!) and 10 days of great
weather.
> 
> Check the midge season, though.  Ask Piers if May is midge-free.
> 
> Chris
> 
> On 23 Mar 2013, at 19:21, Bob Whitmire <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
>> We're also thinking between just riding around and staying somewhere
different every night, or using the list to help us find two strategically
located holiday rentals to act as headquarters from which to venture forth
on day trips. The whole island thing is very appealing, too.
>> 
>> So, oh you of vast knowledge, is this enough information to elicit
advice, hints and suggestions? I should add that my cousin-in-law, who is
like a sister to my daughter-in-law, is married to a Scotsman, and they have
a whiskey business in Huntly. ( http://www.singlemaltsdirect.com ) It is
remotely possible that we may be able to spend some or all of our time
there, thus resulting in massive savings. An iffy proposition at best, but
not outside the realm of possibility. They spend most of their time in Los
Angeles, and so could be a perfect thing. (Also, I noticed on a map that
Huntly is not far from Peterhead, and I must say that Peterhead quickly
became a MUST VISIT on The Trip. One must have a photograph of one's self
standing beside the sign that says "Welcome to Peterhead".)
>> 
>> Of course, meetings  with list members would be high on my list as well.
Should we consider a gathering, with attendees throwing in to rent some
awesome location in the Highlands for a few days, with wives, SOs and other
companions included? Good weather: hike around, take pictures, drink, swap
lies. Bad weather: sit around, drink, swap lies. 

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