Travel in Scotland UK

Scottish Airports
If you are flying into Scotland from within the UK, from Europe or on an international flight there are a number of airports within Scotland. Ideally you will want to fly to an airport close to your cottage in Scotland. However you may not have a choice, although whichever Scottish airport you arrive at you will be able to rent a car and drive to your Scottish cottage within a day.

Newcastle (England) and Edinburgh are ideal for the Scottish borders and many flights fly into Edinburgh. The road network from Edinburgh means that you can go in any direction on main roads.

In the west of Scotland there are airports at Prestwick and Glasgow. Prestwick is great for Galloway cottages and self catering in Ayrshire, and Glasgow serves the west coast cottages in Argyll as well further afield. Dundee has an airport with flights from London city airport. Dundee Airport is good for Fife, Angus, Perthshire and is ideally located for St Andrews, home of golf.

Aberdeen airport is in the north east of Scotland and is located in Deeside. The Highlands are also accessible if you rent a car from Aberdeen Airport. Inverness Airport is the most northern airport and ideal for getting to the Highlands, the Great Glen, Sutherland and Loch Ness. Scotland also has many small airports for more remote areas, including the Hebridies.

Hire cars can be rented from all the Scottish airports and can also be delivered to a holiday cottage anywhere on mainland Scotland. This excellent Scottish rental car delivery service is offered by an online car hire operation, 5th Gear, motor vehicles can be rented throughout Scotland from railway stations, private houses, airports or car rental depots.

Ferry
There are several ferry ports in Scotland from where you can arrive and then drive to your holiday cottage. You could even leave your car at a secure car park at the departure port and cross as a foot passenger, renting a car in Scotland.

The main ferry ports in Scotland are;
Rosyth from Zeebrugge. Rosyth is in close proximity to Edinburgh and very well placed for the rest of Scotland.

Stranraer serving Belfast and Cairnryan serving Larne. These ports are in south west Scotland, south of Glasgow.

Troon to Belfast, a quick crossing from the famous golfing town south of Glasgow.

Scotland has numerous islands around its coast and most of them are connected by regular ferry services to the mainland and to each other. If you really want to get away from it all in glorious surroundings then a holiday cottage on one of the Scottish islands is ideal. Some of the ferry services include:

Ardrossan to Brodick (Arran), Lochranza (Arran) to Claonig), Gourock to Dunoon, Tarbert to Portavadie, Oban to Castlebay (Barra), Lochboisdale (South Uist), Craigure, Achacroish and Colonsay. Mallaig to Lochboisdale and Castlebay. Aberdeen to Lerwick (Shetland) and Stromness (Orkney). Uig to Tarbert and Lochmaddy (North Uist).

Caledonian MacBrayne operate the ferries to the Western Isles, including Mull, Lewis, Islay, Jura, Tiree, Coll and Skye. CalMac publish a comprehensive brochure listing the ferry timetables, special offers and day excursions.

Travelling to Scotland by car.
If you travel to Scotland from the south you either drive up the A1 on the east side or up the M6 on the west side.

The A1 follows the east coast through the Scottish Borders to Edinburgh.

The M6 turns into the M74 which goes past Dumfries and Galloway, through Lanarkshire up towards Glasgow. Glasgow and Edinburgh are linked by the M8 motorway and are only about 40 miles apart. Stirling is between the cities and to the north. If you are going to the north or north east then the A9 is the road to follow. It passes through Perth, through Dunkeld, past Aviemore and into Inverness and the Highlands. From Inverness the A9 finishes at Thurso.

From Perth the A90 goes to Dundee and St Andrews. Head north towards Aberdeen and Deeside. The road continues round to Inverness.

You can reach the West Coast and the Scottish islands from either Glasgow or from Stirling. There are many roads out to the west depending on your Scottish holiday cottage location.

Approximate travelling times between major towns and cities in Scotland are as follows:

Carlisle to Edinburgh 2hrs 5 mins
Carlisle to Glasgow 1hr 45 mins
Glasgow to Mallaig 3hrs 50 mins
Glasgow to Oban 2hrs 30 mins
Glasgow to Inverness 4hrs
Glasgow to Skye Bridge 4hrs 40 mins
Edinburgh to Perth 50 mins
Perth to Inverness 2hrs 30 mins
Perth to Pitlochry 40 mins
Perth to Aberdeen 1 hr 50 mins
Inverness to Fort William 1hr 50 mins
Inverness to Ullapool 1hr 25 mins
Inverness to Wick 2hrs 35 mins

Road reports and traffic information can assist in holiday planning, check road reports and driving conditions in Scotland before heading out on your journey in Scotland.