This IS a Scottish castle and we have MANY AirBnBs

January 31, 2023 11:59 AM

Let's all just continue doing Scotland travel advice! We are visiting the country in October: spending a few days in Edinburgh, then riding a fancy train, then upon disembarking would like to stay out in a cottage or castle for a couple days to decompress. We do not want to rent a car so we are looking for lovely locations within an hour or two train/bus/ferry ride from Edinburgh.

We would like old world charm - castles, moors, all that. We are not golfing persons. Coast is good, but forests and hills are also good. We just want to get out of the city, walk in a garden or on a shingle, and relax for a couple nights before we head back home. We are consulting the usual travel sites and lists but I love hearing directly from our lovely hive mind. Please share your favorite places or ones you've heard are lovely! And/or general advice/resources for someone doing a thing like this. Thank you!

posted by BlackLeotardFront to Travel & Transportation around Scotland (10 answers total)

Are you looking for private homes? Or will shared accommodations work for you (ie a hotel that is in a castle)?
posted by greta simone at 12:14 PM on January 31, 2023

If you want suggestions for a town, then Stirling or St Andrews are both within an hour or two of Edinburgh and are very nice. My preference is Stirling but it depends on how much you want to see the sea.
posted by plonkee at 3:44 PM on January 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

The train from Edinburgh to Callander is less than 2 hours. Callander is small but has plenty of choice in hotels and restaurants and you have walkable access to rivers, lochs and waterfalls. Take waterproof trousers, you may not need them but they make all the difference if it decides to rain.
posted by Lanark at 4:27 PM on January 31, 2023 [1 favorite]

Inverlochy Castle just outside Fort William has rooms and a restaurant. The train is from Glasgow, just a short transport link from Edinburgh. UK's tallest mountain Ben Nevis is there, easy to reach Mallaig and Skye, etc etc
posted by Ardnamurchan at 4:47 PM on January 31, 2023

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. We would be fine with a private home or a shared accommodation. As long as it is cozy and old and can be got to fairly easily without our own car. Just polling the room for ones people have first- or second-hand recommendations for, to augment the usual Lonely Planet or whatever lists of top 25 cottages.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:52 PM on January 31, 2023

I should imagine getting responses from users named 'Lanark' or 'Ardnamurchan' rather implies familiarity with the establishments listed.
posted by Ardnamurchan at 8:36 AM on February 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

(i don't have an answer, but i just NEEDED to say i love your title hahaha. i read it in that dude's nasally voice.)
posted by misanthropicsarah at 9:12 AM on February 1, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for these answers, we are tentatively looking at St Andrews as it meets all our various requirements, but should anything come up I love the look of Callander and the others noted!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 3:22 PM on February 1, 2023

Some family members and I had a very pleasant stay in the historic Kinghorn Town Hall a few years ago. It's a short walking distance to the beach, and Kinghorn is a super easy train trip from Edinburgh (close enough to daytrip if you want to).
posted by yarntheory at 1:33 PM on February 2, 2023

The train from Edinburgh to Callander is actually 50% on a bus which is not ideal, but does get you there.
posted by Lanark at 3:17 PM on February 20, 2023