Weather

Remember what I said about July weather? Well, August weather is just the same: very unpredictable. You can be lucky and have absolutely lovely weather for your entire stay…or you might as well be unlucky and watch the rain go down…while you hoped you could spend time outside. While packing a t-shirt is not exactly required – the weather is never hot in Scotland – an umbrella sure is.

Sample temperatures

Aberdeen avg high 17C ; avg low 10C
Edinburgh avg high 18C; avg low 10C
Glasgow avg high 18C; avg low 11C
Inverness avg high 17C; avg low 11C

>>read more about Weather in Scotland

Flights and accommodation

August is the busiest month in Scotland because of two major events in Edinburgh: Festival Fringe and Military Tattoo. Add to this the fact that August is the month when most Europeans take their summer vacations, and you’ve got a busy , crowded and quite expensive time of the year on your hands. So, make sure to book the flights ahead of time (book one at least 4 to 8 weeks before departure, unless you plan to wait for a special sale). When it comes to accommodation, book the hotel room well ahead of time, especially if you plan to visit Edinburgh. If you think the prices are too high, you can always choose one of the hostels , but please note that these book up months in advance, as well, thanks to the famous festivals in Edinburgh.

Things to do

Two major events in Edinburgh take center stage in August: Festival Fringe (August 3-27, 2012*) and Military Tattoo (August 3-25, 2012)

Edinburgh Festival Fringe is world’s largest arts festival. It is particularly famous for showcasing experimental works, so if you are passionate about theatre, music and arts in general, this is the place to be.

Military Tattoo is a military parade taking place at Edinburgh Castle, as part of the Festival Fringe.

>>also read about the Free Things to do in Edinburgh

But , if the weather is nice, you should also plan to explore the outdoors. The Scottish Highlands should not be missed . The famous Loch Ness and the castles are waiting to be discovered by the visitors.

Or if you want to stay in a city but the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh is too much for you, then Glasgow is a lovely choice. Plus, it’s a paradise for those who plan to do some shopping during the vacation . Hit the outdoor markets and try the local food or head to one of the shopping centers. If you have a sweet tooth, you could visit the Tunnocks chocolate factory.

If you appreciate spirits, then why not indulge in a whisky tasting experience? You can follow the Whisky trail, but be careful not to drive after too much “tasting”.

>>read more about the Things to do in Scotland

Note:*the exact dates change from year to year, but the month remains the same.

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Weather

July falls during summer and lovely summer is the most unpredictable season in Scotland. You can have anything from lovely, sunny days to rainy days which can spoil your mood and vacation. But even when it’s sunny, don’t expect to be hot.

Sample temperatures

Aberdeen avg high 17C ; avg low 10C
Edinburgh avg high 18C; avg low 10C
Glasgow avg high 18C; avg low 11C
Inverness avg high 17C; avg low 11C

>>read more about Weather in Scotland

Flights and accommodation

Although the weather is unreliable, July does fall during summer, when most Europeans take their vacations. So, expect to find crowded sights and make sure you look for flights ahead of time (book one at least 4 to 8 weeks before departure, unless you plan to wait for a special sale). When it comes to accommodation, book the hotel room ahead of time. If you think the prices are high, you can always choose one of the hostels (most of them have private rooms, too).

Things to do

When traveling during such an unpredictable season, you have no choice but to always have a back up for the rainy days. And yes, an umbrella.

If the weather is nice, exploring the outdoors is a delight, so make sure to visit the Scottish Highlands . Rent a car and tour the scenic area at your own pace, for example. Nessie and Loch Ness are waiting for you and so are the superb castles located in the area. You can also plan to check out the island of Skye, as well.

Should rainy days mess with your outdoor plans, then head to the cities. Edinburgh with its superb castle and stunning architecture is a lovely place to visit. And you can always try the local “bizarre foods”: haggis anyone?

>>read more about the Free Things to do in Edinburgh

Glasgow is a shopper’s paradise. It has the best shopping outside London and, to everyone’s delight, you don’t need to break the bank to actually afford something. Hit the outdoor markets and try the local food or get some souvenirs for those back home. Or , if caught in a downpour, head to one of the shopping centers. If you have a sweet tooth, visit the Tunnocks chocolate factory, which is located closed to the city.

And let’s not forget about whisky … The Scotland’s national drink might appeal to many visitors. You can even follow a Whisky trail and taste the various flavors.

>>read more about the Things to do in Scotland

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Weather

The Scottish weather is very unpredictable and the forecast (whether you find it online, hear it on the radio or see it on TV) is unreliable. So planning the things to do far in advance is not exactly possible. One day it might be gorgeous but next day you could wake up to a downpour.

Spring is probably the best time to visit Scotland. By May, the weather settles down and you can actually enjoy some nice days to spend outdoors. Don’t expect high temperatures though. Even if the sun is shining, a long sleeve top is required.

Sample temperatures

Aberdeen avg high 12C ; avg low 5C
Edinburgh avg high 13C; avg low 6C
Glasgow avg high 15C; avg low 6C
Inverness avg high 13C; avg low 6C

>>read more about Weather in Scotland

Flights and hotels

Although not part of the high season, May is a very popular month to visit Scotland. So, make sure you look for flights ahead of time and book one at least 4 to 8 weeks before departure. Also, when it comes to accommodation, check out the hotels ahead of time and if the prices are a bit too high, you can always opt for one of the hostels .

Things to do

No trip to Scotland is complete without visiting Edinburgh …and tasting whisky …among plenty other things, of course. Whisky is the national drink and you can take the Whisky trail and taste different flavors of malts. If your taste buds don’t agree with drinks, then plan to visit Edinburgh and try the local “bizarre foods”… there are plenty, trust us! How about trying the mince ‘n’ tatties? It’s basically mince, potatoes and gravy…all mashed up.

Don’t forget your camera as you’ll have plenty of things to photograph and visit. If you have a thing for castles, then you’ll be in seventh heaven here.

>>read more about the Free Things to do in Edinburgh

Or maybe you want do some shopping. That’s when Glasgow gets your attention. It doesn’t matter how much you are willing to pay, the city has shopping options for any budget. And of course, you can always hit the outdoor markets. If you have a sweet tooth, visit the Tunnocks chocolate factory, which is based near Glasgow.

And since this is May and the weather is nice enough to allow for exploring the outdoors, you should plan to visit the Scottish Highlands . Rent a car and tour the scenic area at your own pace. You can pay Nessie a visit (yes, visit Loch Ness ) and check out the superb castles located in the area. And don’t leave Scotland without visiting the island of Skye.

>>read more about the Things to do in Scotland

Photo credit : Cristian Luguzan via Facebook

Inverness , the most northerly city in the British Isles , is the gateway into the Scottish Highlands.

Although both cities are served by airports, the short distance between them – 169 miles – does not requite a flight to get between Glasgow and Inverness. Sure, it’s possible to fly by way of Belfast or Manchester, but the fares and time spent traveling does not make flying a worth while option.

Quick summary

The difference between the bus and train fare is so small that it doesn’t really matter which means of transportation you choose between Glasgow and Inverness. And the travel times are about the same, as well.

Trains from Glasgow to Inverness

First Scot Rail operates daily trains, about every 2 hours, between Glasgow Queen Street and Inverness. The travel time is about 3h 15min and the cheapest standard single fare is £10.90. On the way back, the same fares and trains frequency apply.

>>read more about Train Travel in Scotland

Buses from Glasgow to Inverness

Megabus and CityLink operate buses on a daily basis between Glasgow and Inverness. There are 8 departures per day, with the first bus departing Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station at 8:30 a.m. and the last at 9:55 p.m. The travel time is between 3h 23 and 3h 40 min. The single fares are either £10.00 on Megaus and City Link or £20.00 on CityLink Gold. Tickets from both operators can be purchased from the Megabus’ website. On the way back, the same fares and bus frequency apply.

>>read more about Bus Travel in Scotland

Driving from Glasgow to Inverness

You can also rent a car and drive the 169 miles between Glasgow and Inverness. The drive on A9 takes about 3h 15 min, while on A82, although it’s a slightly shorter distance – 167 miles – it takes about 3 ½ h to drive between the two cities.

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Dundee is located on North East Scotland and is the seventh largest city in the country. Dundee is famous for being the home of jam made from the berries grown in the farms around the city.

Both cities are served by airports, but since they are located so close to one another – 58 miles – there isn’t any need to fly between them.

Quick summary

The cheapest way to get between Edinburgh and Dundee is by bus. Traveling by train can save about an hour in travel time but the fare is 4 times more expansive than the bus fare.

Trains from Edinburgh to Dundee

First Scot Rail operates trains daily, every half hour, between Edinburgh Waverly and Dundee. The travel time is between 1h 8 min and 1h 22 min. The cheapest standard single fare is £22.70. On the way back, the same fares and trains frequency apply.

>>read more about Train Travel in Scotland

Buses from Edinburgh to Dundee

Megabus and City Link operate daily buses, every half hour, between Edinburgh and Dundee. The fare is either £5.00 or £7.00, depending on the time of departure . The travel time is between 1h 40 min and 2h 23 min. You can purchase tickets from either company on the Megabus’ website.

>>read more about Bus Travel in Scotland

Driving from Edinburgh to Dundee

You can also rent a car and drive the 58 miles on M90 and A92. The drive time is about 1h 15 min.

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Inverness is the most northerly city in the British Isles. It is the gateway to the Scottish Highlands and one of the fastest growing cities in Europe.

Although both cities are served by airports, the short distance between them – 156 miles – does not require a flight to get around. Sure, you can fly, by way of Manchester or Birmingham, but the fares are high and the time spent traveling quite long.

Quick summary

The cheapest option is to travel on a bus operated by Megabus (£5.00* one way). The train takes about the same but the fare is double than the bus fare.

Trains from Edinburgh to Inverness

First Scot Rail operates daily trains, every hour, between Edinburgh Waverley and Inverness. The travel time is between 3h 10 min and 3h 50 min. Whether you choose a direct or a connecting train, the cheapest standard single fare is £10.90. The same fares apply on the way back and the train frequency is the same.

>>read more about Train Travel in Scotland

Buses from Edinburgh to Inverness

Megabus and City Link operate daily buses, every 1h 35 min, between Edinburgh and Inverness. The first bus departs Edinburgh at 8:25 a.m. and the last one at 9:45 p.m. The travel time is 3h 35 min to 4h 35 min. Single fare is either £5.00 or £10.00 depending on the time of departure. Tickets from both companies can be purchased on Megabus’ website.

>>read more about Bus Travel in Scotland

Driving from Edinburgh to Inverness

You can also rent a car and drive the 156 miles on A9 between Edinburgh and Inverness. The drive time is about 3 h.

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Note:*at the time the article was written

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Aberdeen , Scotland’s third largest city, is known for its old buildings and lovely parks. It also boasts a busy harbor and a beach.

Although both cities are served by airports, the short distance – 127 miles – between them doesn’t require a flight. Sure, you can fly but only via London, Birmingham or Manchester, which means high fares and a long time spent traveling.

Quick summary

The cheapest way to travel between the two cities is by buses operated by Megabus (£7.00* one way). Train tickets are slightly more expensive but you don’t save much in terms of time spent traveling.

Trains from Edinburgh to Aberdeen

First Scot Rail operates trains daily, every hour between Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The first train departs Edinburgh Waverley at 5:30 a.m. and the last one at 11:09 p.m. The travel time is between 2h 20 min and 2h 45 min. The cheapest standard single fare is £10.90.

>>read more about Train Travel in Scotland

Buses from Edinburgh to Aberdeen

Megabus operates daily buses, every hour, between Edinburgh and Aberdeen. The first bus departs Edinburgh at 8:25 a.m. and the last at 7:10 p.m. The travel time is between 3h 10min and 3 ½ h and the single fare is either £7.00 or £12.00, depending on the time of departure.

City Link also operates daily buses between the two cities. The travel time is 3h 10 min and the standard single fare is £27.30. The super single fare is £13.00. On their site they also list the Megabus and Parks of Hamilton departures but at City Link’s fares.

>>read more about Bus Travel in Scotland

Driving between Edinburgh and Aberdeen

You can also rent a car and drive the 127 miles between Edinburgh and Aberdeen on A90. The drive time is about 2h 40 min. A more scenic route is via A93 but takes about 3 hours.

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Note:* at the time the article was written

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Inverness is the most northerly city in the British Isles and is located in the heart of the Scottish Highlands. Aside from being the gateway into the scenic Scottish Highlands, it is also one of the fastest growing cities in Europe.

Although both cities are served by airports, the short distance – 104 miles – between them does not require traveling by plane. Of course, there aren’t any flights available (the only connections are via London).

Quick summary

The cheapest option for traveling between Aberdeen and Inverness is the bus, but the travel time is about 4 hours. To get from Aberdeen to Inverness (or the other way around) faster, you can take the train.

Trains from Aberdeen to Inverness

First Scot Rail operates daily trains between Aberdeen and Inverness. Train run about every two hours , between 6:14 a.m. and 9:55 p.m. The cheapest standard single fare is £8.20 and the travel time is 2h 10 min.

>>read more about Train Travel in Scotland

Buses from Aberdeen to Inverness

Stagecoachbus UK operates buses between Aberdeen and Inverness. Tickets and timetables are available on Megabus website, as well. There are seven departures per day from Aberdeen, between 8:50 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. The travel time is 3h 50 min and the single fare is £1.00.

>>read more about Bus Travel in Scotland

Driving from Aberdeen to Inverness

You can also rent a car and drive the 104 miles between Aberdeen and Inverness on A96. The drive time is about 2 ½ h.

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Aberdeen is Scotland’s third largest city and , among the foreign students, it’s known as one of the best British cities to get University education. But the city is also famous for its older buildings and the outstanding parks. And if you plan to escape the classes for a while, you can also head to the beach.

Although both cities are served by airports, due to the short distance (144 miles) between them, there is no need to fly. Of course, there are connecting flights via Birmingham or Manchester but single fares start at £59* in early spring and the flight time is close to 4 ½ h.

Quick summary

The cheapest option between the two cities is traveling by bus. The train takes about the same time but the price is about 6 times more expansive than the cheapest bust ticket.

Trains from Glasgow to Aberdeen

First Scot Rail operates trains daily between Glasgow Queen Street Station and Aberdeen. The trains runs about every hour and the travel time is 2 ½ h to 2 h 45 min. The cheapest standard single fare is £45.20.

>>read more about Train Travel in Scotland

Buses from Glasgow to Aberdeen

City Link and Megabus operate buses between Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station and Aberdeen’s Bus Station Union Square. There are departures between 7:10 a.m. and 2:40 p.m. Depending on the operator, the fares range from £7.00 one way on Megabus and £20.00 on CityLink Gold. The travel times also range between 2h 40 min and 3 h 5 min. On either websites you can purchase the tickets from both companies.

>>read more about Bus Travel in Scotland

Driving from Glasgow to Aberdeen

You can also rent a car and drive the 144 miles between Glasgow and Aberdeen. The drive time on A90 is about 3 hours.

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Note: *at the time the article was written

Photo credit: Cristian Luguzan via Facebook

London is one of the most beautiful and cosmopolite cities in the entire world. It is not only United Kingdom’s capital but also an important travel hub in Europe. Should you plan to visit the British Isles and you come from any other place than Europe, your first stop will most likely be London, before connecting to other British cities.

Quick summary

If you take into the account the money spent to travel from the airport to the city center, then the cheapest option is the bus. But it takes 12 hours. For less than £10 more, you can take the train and get between the two cities in about 7 hours. Or you can fly, especially if you can find a good deal into London Gatwick (which is closer to the city center than London Luton).

Flights from Aberdeen (airport code: ABZ) to London

Aberdeen-Dyce Airport (ABZ) is located about 7 miles from the city center and handles both domestic flights and some short-haul European flights. The nearest railway station in Dyce and is connected to be airport by bus.

Out of the 5 airports serving London, only 3 of them handle flights to/from Aberdeen:

• London Gatwick (LGW): it is London’s second busiest airport and handles many low cost carriers. It mostly handles flights to/from Europe and North America. The flights to/from Aberdeen are operated by EasyJet and Flybe.
• London Heathrow (LHR): it is Europe’s busiest airport and is not very used by low cost carriers. You can fly to Heathrow from nearly all European capitals, as well as from all over the world. The flights to/from Aberdeen are operated by bmi and British Airways.
• London Luton (LTN): is the fifth busiest airport in the UK and most flights arriving here are low cost flights from European cities. The flights to/from Aberdeen are operated by EasyJet.

Flying from Aberdeen to either London Gatwick or London Luton costs about the same (from £32 one way on EasyJet in early Spring 2012 to early Summer 2012) but since Luton is located further from London’s center, you’ll actually save some money on transfer. Slightly more expensive are the flights to London Gatwick operated by Flybe.

It’s a good idea to book the flights slightly in advance (4 to 8 weeks) but it doesn’t make sense to book 6 months in advance because many low cost carriers don’t list their fares so far in advance.

Read more about:
>>Cheap flights to Aberdeen
>>Cheap flights to London Heathrow
>>Cheap flights to London Gatwick
>>Cheap flights to London Luton

Trains from Aberdeen to London

Trains between Aberdeen and London are operated by:

• East Coast : they operate daily trains to London Kings Cross every 40 to 45 minutes. The travel time is between 7 h and 8 h. The super off peak single fare is £138.80.
• First Scot Rail : they operate daily trains to London Kings Cross several times a day. The travel time is 7 h and the cheapest standard single fare is £57.00.
• The Caledonian Sleeper: is the romantic way to get between Aberdeen and London. Trains depart London Euston Mondays to Thursdays at 9:15 p.m. On Fridays the train departs at 8:30 p.m. and on Sundays at 8:15 p.m. The travel time is about 10 hours and the normal single one way fare is £99.60. On the way back, catch the train from Aberdeen at 9:42 p.m. on all days of the week.

Buses from Aberdeen to London

National Express offers coaches between Aberdeen and London Victoria Station. The direct bus leaves Aberdeen at 7 p.m. daily and the travel time is 12 h 10 min. The single fare is £45. On the way back, catch the bus in London at 9 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. The single fare is £20.50. But do keep in mind that these fares change depending on when you do the search and the date of traveling.

Driving from Aberdeen to London

You can also rent a car and drive the 515 miles on M1 to London in about 9 ½ h. Make sure to plan stops along the way.

M1 takes you close to Edinburgh (you might want to explore the city a bit) , while M6 takes you close to Glasgow. The driving times are about the same.

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Photo credits: Aberdeen by Cristian Luguzan via Facebook ; London Luton by Cristina Puscas and may not be used without permission