Scotland

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.