G is for GUIDEBOOKS
These are the guidebooks we have purchased or checked out from the library in anticipation of travel this summer. (Plus one coffee table photologue.)
The Frommer's that we had for our Alaska trip last fall served us extremely well. We hope our new collection will give us the same quality of guidance.
Our trip will center on a guided hiking tour of the Scottish Highlands, and that is all we have booked so far. We are on the trail of the area where my father-in-law grew up, was raised by his Aunt Maggie. This picture of him as a youth was taken over 100 years ago.
He immigrated to the US sometime after 1906 and before 1920. (We have a postcard sent to him in Ross and Cromarty after the San Francisco earthquake and the incorporation papers for his business in San Francisco dated in 1920.)
We're ready and willing to entertain any guidance from UK residents or other travelers as to what we absolutely must do or see while we are there. There's no way that we will have enough time for everything.
7 comments:
You are in for a treat in Scotland - a beautiful country. But since you love hiking I would recommend hiking along Hadrian's Wall. We have just taken a couple of pieces and the whole takes about a week according to people I have spoken to. Beautiful scenery, nice pubs and B & Bs, and magnificent museums and excavations.
PS Sorry about Seattle, but somehow... However, you got it right - almost. I "shot" the beast at our local aquarium with a double wire fence between us. It is deliberately out of focus, but you can glimpse it.
PPS I once attended a dinner at the aquarium in Seattle.
Can I sneek into your suitcase? I have always wanted to visit Scotland. You are going to have the trip of a lifetime. Lucky you...
How exciting! Sounds like a wonderful trip...
Sounds like some wonderful plans and adventures! I like the UK and Ireland because I can totally understand what is going on. Sorta.
my wife went to Scotland in 1999; she loved it.
Make time for Edinburgh. It is an amazing city. If you will be in Edinburgh in August, plan for the festival(s). Reserve your room in advance, then go with the flow when it comes to deciding which shows to see.
Carry rain gear, but nothing too heavy. The rain tends to pass quickly and you can usually wait it out under a tree.
Scotland is thick with midges (invisible biting flies). Buy a local bug repellent before heading out on your highland trek.
If I were taking another trip, I would spend a day or two on one of the smaller islands.
If you realize that a tour guide's stories have veered off into the fanciful when he tells you that a haggis is a breed of cattle that runs in circles because its left legs are longer than its right legs, or that homes in a rural area that you're passing through are fitted with three taps -- hot, cold, and porridge -- then you haven't been listening critically for awhile.
Carry a camera.
Come to Wales!
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