Scotland

Destinations in Scotland

Western Isles North Inverness Glasgow Edinburgh

Government

Whilst it is firmly part of Britain, Scotland is actually quite different in many aspects of its government. The legal system is separate for example, and the Scottish parliament now controls many domestic issues in the country such as healthcare and education. Because these differences are quite small, and do not generally affect visitors too much, you may not notice them while you are here. If you are quite familiar with England and Wales however it is best not to assume that everything you know will necessarily apply in Scotland as well

Culture and religious attitudes

Religion.

Scotland is traditionally more religious than the rest of the UK, with a large proportion of the population declaring themselves to be Catholic, Church of Scotland or Free Presbyterian. Football and schooling are often divided on sectarian lines as a result. You may see displays of religious pride (or more often religious intolerance), particularly on the west coast. Very occasionally this actually leads to violence, though this is almost always related to football, and is most easily avoided by not wearing team colours. Aside from this sectarianism, and certain Scottish islands which have strong views about alcohol and working on Sundays, religion seems to have very little effect on life in general in Scotland. Certainly it is more important to consider religious convictions in Spain or Poland than in Scotland.

National Pride.

Scotland has spent virtually its entire history in the shadow of Scotland. Almost inevitably as a smaller nation they have less success in sporting events, and in spite of recent moves to devolution political control still essentially rests with the English. Scottish people know this, but that does not mean that they are happy about it. It is not wise to suggest to Scottish people that Scotland is in any way inferior to England, or not a country in its own right.

Currency and money

As part of the UK, Scotland does not have its own currency. It does have its own banknotes however. These are issued by three different banks (Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Clydesdale Bank), and come in the same denominations as English banknotes, except that the Royal Bank also issues one pound notes. Beware, these notes are generally acceptable in other parts of the UK (although some shops and many pubs will refuse the larger denominations), but they are completely useless outside the country, as currency exchanges will almost never recognise anything other than English banknotes as sterling.

Language

English is the first language for virtually everybody in Scotland, although there are many words and phrases which are uniquely Scottish, and the accent can seem extremely thick to people used to hearing English or American accents. You should get by okay as long as you pronounce words clearly yourself and listen carefully. Most Scottish people are well aware that their accents can be difficult for English people and other foreigners to understand and will speak more clearly to accomodate.

Something like 40000 people, mostly on the islands, still have Gaelic as a first language. It is doubtful whether you will run into anybody even speaking the language however, let alone anybody who cannot speak English when they need to.

Shop opening

Shop opening is generally the same as the rest of the UK, except:

• Off-sales of alcohol (drinks bought from shops rather than in pubs and clubs) are not allowed after 10pm.
• Supermarkets are free to open for longer on a Sunday.
• In Edinburgh, all take-away food shops close by 3am when the clubs close

See also the night-life section for information on pub and club opening times.

Crime and punishment

Crime

The crime rate in Scotland is fairly similar to the rest of the UK. Scottish cities, and Glasgow in particular, have a reputation for random violence, particularly related to drunkeness and football. This is not particularly deserved. As usual you will be safer if you avoid walking home alone late at night, take taxis through unfamiliar areas and avoid making eye contact with anybody who looks particularly aggressive. Personal space can also be a slight issue for people from many countries - Scottish people do not appreciate being crowded into a very small space, or having to squeeze past people in corridors who could move out of the way. This is not too much of a problem but will occasionally provoke an aggressive response in the wrong place.

Basic laws

Drinking in public is banned in city centres in much of central Scotland. It is not banned in Edinburgh however, so have a tipple. Smoking is a different matter. A strict ban has been introduced throughout Scotland on smoking in all enclosed public places. This includes pubs, clubs, railway stations, and even bus shelters.

Arriving from the UK.

Scotland can be reached from the rest of the UK by many National Rail services. There are also economy and scheduled flights from throughout the UK to various airports in Scotland. Finally, National Express run a coach every day from London and intermediate destinations to Edinburgh.

Arriving from the rest of the world.

From the rest of the Europe and the world, scheduled and economy flights run to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Prestwick airports. Other airports such as Aberdeen and Inverness also have regular scheduled flights to a few destinations. Fly Globespan in particular are actually based in Scotland, and fly to various British and European destinations from Glasgow and Edinburgh airports.

For those wishing to avoid flying, ferries run from various Baltic sea and Scandinavian destinations to Aberdeen and the Shetlands. More realistically there is a daily (3 times/week in the off-season) ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Rossyth near Edinburgh run by Superfast Ferries. Finally, DFDS run nightly services from Amsterdam to Newcastle, with good train connections to Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland.

Further details can be found in the sections of the website dedicated to specific destinations in Scotland, and by using our route planner.

Getting around by public transport

Compared to most of the rest of the UK, public transport in Scotland is excellent.

Travelling by train.

For long distance routes all the major cities are connected to the National Rail network, with services running between them at regular intervals. Glasgow and Edinburgh are the hubs of this network. They themselves are connected by a service several times an hour. Services from both run regularly to Stirling, Dundee, Perth and Aberdeen. They also run to Inverness, where connections can be made to Thurso and Wick in the far north and to the island of Skye via Kyle of Lochalsh. Trains from Glasgow run along the West Highland line to Oban, Fort William and Mallaig for visits to the southern Highlands and Islands. Around the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas there are also many local trains to the surrounding towns and suburbs. Most of these services are run by First Scotrail, with a few fast trains being run by GNER and Virgin Trains.

Travelling by coach.

Citylink, and a few other operators also run a network of coaches connecting all the major cities and tourist destinations in Scotland. These are usually less regular than the trains, and with very few exceptions are slower. The fares are generally a little cheaper though, and if you book in advance through their website you can get very good deals indeed.

As Scotland is a great touring destination, several companies tours around the whole country, or just around the Highlands or Islands. A particular favourite amongst backpackers is the award-winning MacBackpackers tour, which runs regularly on a route around their hostels throughout Scotland.

Travelling by plane.

In theory you could save some time by flying within Scotland, especially if you are heading for far-flung destinations such as the Outer Hebrides or Shetland. In general however it is much cheaper and more interesting to get the train and ferry.

Travelling by ferry.

The Western Isles are connected to each other and to mainland Scotland by a substantial network of ferries. Most of these are run by Caledonian MacBrayne, a state-run company. If you are travelling much by CalMac ferry use either a Hopscotch pass, or a Freedom of Scotland rail pass which allows travel on the ferries as well. The only other ferries you are likely to use are those running from Aberbeen and Thurso to the Orkneys and Shetland. Details of these will be in the Orkney and Shetland sections.

Local services.

Most areas of Scotland are covered by at least a skeleton local bus and train service, with excellent integrated systems working in the conurbations. Details of these can be found in the sections of the website dedicated to specific destinations.

Getting around by car

Scotland has very few motorways, and those that do exist barely deserve the description. Many trunk routes such as the A9 to Inverness are simple two-lane roads, meaning that you can get stuck behind slow-moving traffic for long periods. Speed cameras are also fairly popular here, meaning that it is wise to stick to the limit. In addition, many measures are in place to make life difficult and expensive for motorists in cities such Edinburgh. This is all in addition to the high cost of fuel in the UK (see Getting around by car section in the UK guide) Put simply, driving a car in Scotland will not get you around quickly or cheaply.

If you are spending a significant amount of time in Scotland however, you might want to investigate areas which are not well-served by public transport, or to spend time in remote areas of the Highlands. In this case you will have no option but to use a car. There is nothing specifically different about driving in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, but it would be wise to bear in mind the advice given in the Highlands section about preparations in case of emergency.

Newspapers

Most of the UK newspapers publish a Scottish edition, similar to the paper elsewhere, but with a couple more stories about Scotland, and completely different sports section which actually covers Scottish football. In addition the Daily Record, Herald and Scotsman newspapers are published just in Scotland.

Hostels

There are plenty of hostels in the tourist centres of Scotland, such as Edinburgh and Inverness, and booking is not usually essential outside the summer peak. Many of these hostels are able to provide pretty good deals to people who want to stay for a few weeks at a time, and Edinburgh in particular is a popular place to do this. MacBackpackers in particular run a chain of reasonably good hostels in various tourist towns, and even run a tour bus which connects them.

Outside these centres there is the usual selection of hostels run by the SYHA, which is the local Hostelling International affiliate. There are also a fair number of out-of-the-way independently-run establishments. Smaller hostels which provide fairly basic facilities are often called bunkhouses in Scotland. These sound basic, but are often on a par with hostels in many other countries, and are ideal if you are touring around the Highlands. Actual listings of hostels are provided in the section for the relevant area

Hotels

Scottish cities have the same range of chain hotels as the rest of the UK. Operators such as Premier Travel Inn provide much the same service as they do everywhere else. The general standard of hotels however can be pretty awful, particularly with regard to cleanliness. If you're going to splash out, do it elsewhere.

While museums and art galleries do exist in Scotland, particularly in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and you could enjoy a month in the country without ever bothering to look at a blade of grass, the main attraction of the place is in the landscapes and scenery. The Highlands are famous for their miles of completely uninhabited moorland and lochs, but even central Edinburgh has the enormous Arthur's Seat and its surrounding parkland. Whether you choose look at it from the top of a hill, or from a pub or train window, the view in Scotland is endlessly stunning.