Visit Scotland Most overseas visitors to Scotland see the country as an addition to a general holiday to the U.K. With a number of international airlines now flying into the main cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and with fares cheaper than ever, a visit to Scotland to search a family tree has never been easier or more justified. To get the most out of your time, the genealogist must plan his journey in advance. If visiting libraries, always check opening times, as many do not open on weekends and public holidays. Please see below for tips and recommendations. GETTING THERE With genealogists coming from other parts of the UK, USA, Canada, NZ, Australia, South Africa and other countries, there are so many possibilities this could justify a website on it's own. So we'll keep it simple and offer some guidelines. 1/ Use your travel agent. You don't have to book with them, but they have a wealth of knowledge at their fingertips, so you may as well take advantage of it. 2/ To fly to the UK there are four types of airfares available to you: Low cost airlines offer great point-to-point airfares, and the best fares are available well in advance. Book at the last moment and your low cost airline may not have 'low cost' fares available. If you are unsure of who flies where, have a look at www.skyscanner.net. [ strongly recommended] This site offers low cost routes and their operators, alternative routes and will check for cheaper dates around your preferred date of travel. This site is used by a number of savvy travel agents. Low cost airlines tend to operate within the UK and to/from mainland Europe. Charter airlines also offer good point-to-point airfares, although their services tend to be seasonal as they are operated by tour operators. Once again any good travel agent can offer advice. We are not aware of one single website that can offer and compare charter flights. These flights tend to operate short-haul although a number of airlines are now operating across the Atlantic. Scheduled airlines can offer convenience by flying direct, but this can often result in higher fares (you pay for the convenience). Changing planes at an intermediate point is a way other airlines can compete (less convenient but can be cheaper). As an example, at time of writing , Continental Airlines had a non-stop service Newark-Glasgow for US$381.00 plus tax, but Icelandair, with a change in Reykjavik, had a return JFK fare to Glasgow for US$300 plus tax. Consolidation/nett fares are the 'cheap' airfares which travel agents sell. Websites like Expedia, Travelocity and Opodo also sell these fares, and if booked well in advance, can be the cheapest way of flying long-haul to the UK. If using these fares, check to see if the airline offers 'add-ons' which are discounted domestic fares for travel withing the UK. These are often cheaper than buying a separate domestic ticket. 3/ Compare prices and get booking. Don't assume charter or low cost airlines offer the cheapest fares. Compare these fares with scehduled direct and indirect airlines. The cheapest fares are those available well in advance. Scheduled airlines can accept bookings up to 11 months in advance. Low cost and charter fares usually require payment straight away whereas scheduled airlines often have more relaxed ticketing deadlines. GETTING AROUND - BY AIR There are dozens of domestic routes from UK points to Scotland. Some are operated by scheduled airlines like British Airways, BMI , ScotAirways and Eastern Airways. There are literally dozens of domestic routes into Scotland operated by low cost airlines. Visit www.skyscanner.net/ [strongly recommended] to see who flies where then check fares with the airlines directly on the web (Skyscanner is a web site used by savvy UK travel agents). The main operators are Flybe, Bmibaby , Ryanair. Easyjet, Air Berlin (Glasgow-Stanstead) and FlyWhoosh (Dundee-Birmingham & Belfast). Passenger flights operate into Glasgow, Prestwick, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Stornoway, Kirkwall (Orkney Is.) and Lerwick (Shetland Is.). Airports are generally serviced by taxi and bus services, and Prestwick has it's own railway station. Please note routes and operators are constantly changing. GETTING AROUND - BY CAR Cars drive on the left hand side of the road, and roads are relatively quieter than those in England. Motorway conditions radiate from Edinburgh and Glasgow, but in driving terms these roads don't last for more than an hour. Most main roads are A-category roads, and range from dual-carriageways to meandering two-lane routes, but are always in good condition. We wouldn't recommend using a car if staying within cities and their suburbs. Edinburgh City Council is trying to discourage cars into the city centre, and Glasgow's one-way system can even confuse the locals. Otherwise, driving in Scotland is a rewarding and wonderful experience. Like airfares, it pays to shop around if renting a car. Most of the larger car rental companies are represented. For example, at Glasgow Airport there is Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Europcar, Hertz, National and Thrifty. Many UK travel agents use a company called Holiday Autos [ strongly recommended] who offer discounted rates on UK car rental. It is worth comparing them with some of the above brand names. To give you an idea of driving distances and times between points in Scotland, use the travel planner at The AA website. GETTING AROUND - BY RAIL, COACH & FERRY Despite local criticism, public transport in Scotland is good, as long as you are patient. Rail is handy as most stations are located in town and city centres. Services are operated by First Scotrail and their site offers prices, timetables and maps. Coach services are operated nationally by National Express and Scottish CityLink. The largest regional operator is Stagecoach. Ferries along the west coast are operated by Caledonian Macbrayne, also affectionately known as Calmac. Ferry services to and from the Shetland and Orkney Islands are operated by Northlink Ferries. They operate services to/from Aberdeen and to/from Scrabster, near Wick. WHERE TO STAY Scotland has accommodation ranging from budget hostels to 5-star resorts. The country is also known for it's B+B's (bed & breakfast) which are usually private houses converted for guest use. Rooms usually have private facilities and are a great way to experience a little Scottish culture and the owners have a wealth of local information if you're on the hunt for your family tree. Scottish hotels and guest houses should have a star-rating, ranging from the 1-star very basic lodgings, to the 5-star deluxe grade properties. This system operates throughout Scotland, so you know what facilities to expect before checking location and availability. One website used widely by the UK travel industry is Superbreak. It is possible to check availability, costs and locations by map of hundreds of Scottish hotels through one source. [strongly recommended]. WHERE ARE YOU GOING? Plan where you're going by checking some excellent online maps. www.multimap.co.uk offers clear maps from a regional size, down to Ordnance Survey scale and smaller. The site at www.maporama.com will locate a place if you know the postcode or street address. The most likely place to visit for genealogists in Edinburgh is the National Archives of Scotland building. It is located on Princes Street which is the main commerical street in the heart of Edinburgh. It is an easy walk from Edinburgh Waverly railway station. In Glasgow, genealogists will probably want to visit The Michell Library, which has a copy of most Scottish cemetery inscriptions. The Mitchell is located on North Street which is about 15-20 minute walk from Central Station. Worth a visit is the local Council website where you are heading. They are a wealth of information. They have cemetery locations, library locations and opening times. Check the appropriate county link on the HappyHaggis county page and see the list of links under 'Government Sites'. HappyHaggis.co.uk ©