travel in scotland

Public Transport in Scotland

To plan any public transport journey in Scotland, try visiting www.travelinescotland.com. This site allows you to give it a starting point and a destination and it will work out all the differnet public transport links between the two points, and give you timetables, journey times, number of changes etc. This site really is gold dust for anyone planning to use public transport in Scotland.

Roads
Generally the easiest way to get around Scotland is by road. Roads are generally in good condition and they cover the entire country. Although there are fewer roads in the Highlands than elsewhere, every journey is a sightseeing trip in its own right.

We drive on the left hand side of the road - remember that.

We also have single track roads in rural parts of the country. These quiet thoroughfares have passing places spaced at regular intervals to let oncoming traffic by. The general rule of thumb is to think ahead and make sure that you stop at the most convenient passing place for both yourself and the car coming the other way. If you think ahead, no-one should have to reverse very often.

Car Hire
Car hire is available in all major towns and cities, and at all airports. All then main international car hire firms are present as well as smaller local companies. If you are going to the Highlands, make sure your hire rate includes sufficient mileage allowance for the distances you'll be travelling.

Buses
Generally buses are plentiful around Scotland, and can take you to most places almost as quick as any other transport. In more remote areas, frequency of service can be twice a day or less. Some areas can only be reached by Postbus (a service where you travel with the local postman) and some areas you still need to use a car to get to.

Other Vehicle Hire
Motorbikes and campervans can both be hired in Scotland, but there are only a few companies providing these services. Search Google to find them.

Taxis
Taxis are plentiful in almost all towns and should be able to quote for longer journeys before you book them. Ask locally for the best taxi number.

Rail
Scotrail is the main train company in Scotland, and runs almost all the trains apart from the intercity services to England and the Glasgow underground. Central Scotland is well provided with trains which run frequently and fairly reliably.

There are only two main lines running into the Highlands, one up the west coast from Glasgow to Fort William and on to Mallaig. The other from Edinburgh and Perth runs to Inverness then north to Thurso and Wick, or west to Kyle of Lochalsh.

Air
Many of the Islands are served by flights from Ediburgh, Glasgow or Inverness. Shorter flights are available between some islands instead of using the ferry.

There are some internal flights between Edinburgh/Glasgow and Inverness, but when you take into account check-in times and cost, it's almost always better to make this journey by land.

Sea
All the main west coast islands can be reached by ferry with the exception of Skye which now has a bridge over to it (you can still take a ferry to Skye from Mallaig if you really want to). Ferries run across the clyde to Arran and Dunoon as well. The main ferry ports are Oban, Mallaig, Uig and Ullapool.

Ferries to Orkney & Shetland run from Thurso (& John'o'Groats) or Aberdeen.