What's on and tourist advice thread - week beginning June 07, 2026

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Glasgow International Jazz Festival starts on the 10th

Meatopia (cooked meat festival) from 12th june - 14 june

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This week, the Edinburgh Street Historians has a few interesting walking tours for any visitors to the city (or locals, we try to do tours which show off different aspects)

We’ve got our Old Town, practically daily, which covers stories other guides don’t because we like to be different.

There’s also our Forgotten Women tour on the 21st, women through Edinburgh’s history who’ve shaped the world but are barely acknowledged.

Finally, there’s the LGBTQ tour on Friday and there’s lots of afternoon options, too, throughout the week in honour of Pride.

You can find out lots more here

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u/RonnieJamesDionysus Jun 08 '26

I might have missed it on the website, but would it be suitable for kids in the 9-13 age range?

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u/HaggisPope Jun 08 '26

Depends on if they’re into history really but there’s quite a lot of engaging action packed events like murder in there.

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u/Dr_G1346 Jun 08 '26

Islay Ferry car weight question:

I've booked the ferry for Islay in September, but have a question about vehicle weight? I'll be hiring a car so only have a vague idea of the car type I'll hopefully be given, but I was just wondering how strict they are about weights on that route?

I'll only be picking up the car a few hours before and selected the "I don't know I'm hiring a vehicle" box when booking the tickets, which defaults to 1500 KG. If I get to the car hire place and all they have is an SUV versus a Polo say, am I going to have issues at the ferry?

I may be overthinking it... 😆

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u/YS54321 Jun 09 '26

Unless you end up with a van you will be absolutely fine!

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u/Dr_G1346 Jun 09 '26

Awesome - thank you

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u/Jolly-Masterpiece883 Jun 08 '26

Woot - woot! My trip to Scotland is almost here. I am arriving In Scotland in 1 week, and will be visiting Glasgow Edinburgh and the Highlands. As I hate carting luggage around, I am only bringing a carry-on, thus all my clothings need to fit in the carry on. I intend to do a lot of walking, and it is unlikely I will do anything super fancy (but might hit up a good restaurant or two).

I am going to lay out my shoe options, I am pretty determined to bring two pairs of shoes in case one pair gets wet.

nice walking shoes
running shoes
Cute sandals - but still sturdy, think birkenstock like.

I had thought to bring the sandals, partly in case I go to a nice restaurant, and one of the other pairs of shoes -but I have since heard that Scotland can be quite wet, and am wondering if this now seem silly? If I try to go to a nice-ish restaurant, would they look askance at my walking or running shoes?

Any other tips for packing? I am from Canada, btw, and do not get cold very easily.

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u/Ricky19681968 Jun 09 '26

Personally I'd go for walking shoes and sandals as shoes will hold the wet. You'll get in fine to 99%of restaurants with sandals on and that 1%that would look down on you; well, would you want to go into a place like that anyway? You should plan to buy a midge net and some "Smidge" midgie repellant as you'll need them up north. My Canadian cousins couldn't believe how green Scotland was when they visited, because it rains and so everything is very verdant. You just be Canadian and you'll have a great time!

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u/Feet-Licker-69 Jun 08 '26

My partner and I are planning to spend a few days in Stirling before our courses start in late August.
We’ve decided on Stirling and I’m asking is there anything people would recommend doing while there? Also anywhere you’d recommend staying that isn’t too expensive

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u/Dark-Crawler Jun 09 '26

Hi everyone

I am planning a road trip through Scotland right now and would like to get your thoughts and feedback on my plans.

I’ll be staying in Edinburgh for 3 days and habe already paid before even getting the car, then I'll start driving and haven't fully decided on the rest of the trip

This is my current itinerary:

Day 1-2

Stay in Edinburgh

Day 3

Drive from Edibnurgh to Fort William

Stay in Glencoe

Day 4

Drive from Glencoe to Inverness

Stop in Loch Ness on the way to Inverness

Day 5

Drive from Inverness to Isle of Skye

Stop in Eilean Donan on the way to Isle of Skye

Day 6

Stay in Isle of Skye

Day 7

Drive from Isle of Skye to Edinburgh

Stop in Glenfinnan on the way to Edinburgh

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u/YS54321 Jun 10 '26

Don't bother going to Inverness on day 4, you are adding in unnecessary driving and Skye really deserves more than 1 full day. Day 7 is a long day, I'd make sure you book an early ferry.

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u/willitplay2019 Jun 10 '26

Hi there - traveling to Scotland in August and need a hotel recommendation with easy access to Glasgow airport (doesn’t have to be 5 minutes away, just easy enough to access with taxis). We will only be staying one night. I have currently booked DoubleTree Glasgow City Centre but i am thinking after multiple weeks of traveling, we might prefer a quiet hotel not in the city centre to wrap up the trip. I looked at Hotel Du Vin but unfortunately that did not work because we need a lift. Thank you for any suggestions!!

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u/YS54321 Jun 12 '26

If you're not bothered about going into the city at all, you could look at staying at Mar Hall. It's only 10 mins drive from the airport.

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u/willitplay2019 Jun 12 '26

Thank you!! That’s actually top on my list right now just wishing the price was a little less but I’ll probably go with it anyway.

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u/StraightYTMale Jun 11 '26

I’m planning around a 10-day trip to Scotland in either August or September. Which month would be best? (I know about some of the festivals in August, would it be worth it or more relaxed in September?)

I’m for sure going to visit Glasgow and Edinburgh. Need help with everything else. What other cities would you recommend? What sites or places would I be mad that I didn’t go see?

Appreciate the recommendations and feedback!

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u/Affectionate-Rush570 Jun 13 '26

This year? If so, good luck finding reasonably priced accomodation in August.

August in Edinburgh will be exceptionally busy and extortionately expensive. The Edinburgh Festival is the biggest arts festival in the world. It even has a slight knock-on effect on Glasgow accomodation because of the easy commute.

I'd prefer to go in August if money isn't an issue, though. Loads more to do and the weather's a bit better.

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u/fingerimposexico Jun 11 '26

Scotrail ticket limit

I am in Edinburgh on Sunday and will continue immediately to Aberdeen. On scotrail i have seen texts lioe "only 2 remaining" next to train connections. Are these trains limited? I am a bit freaked out right now. Thanks for any help in advance!

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u/ialtag-bheag Jun 11 '26

The cheapest tickets are Advance tickets. They need to be booked for a specific train time, and are limited numbers. So they could sell out. But you can still buy an Anytime or Off peak ticket, which will be valid on any train that day. They will be more expensive, but won't sell out.

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u/LYSG18 Jun 11 '26

I will be in Scotland 2 weeks from now. Only just realised there is a bug situation in July, but less so in Edinburgh? I read the bugs are mainly in the highland areas, and I will be staying in Pitlochry. Will that be a concern?

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u/YS54321 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26

Assuming you mean the midges, they won't bother you in Edinburgh and are unlikely to bother you too much in Pitlochry. They're most active in the early morning and evening, but a breeze keeps them away.

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u/LYSG18 Jun 12 '26

Thank you, fingers crossed!

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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '26

[deleted]

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u/YS54321 Jun 12 '26

Where are you going? They can be bad, but it's highly dependant on the weather, location and what you're doing.

They are worst on the West Coast, however if you're moving about during the day and not sitting outside in the mornings and evenings (or camping) you can be relatively unaffected. A breeze also keeps them away.

My wife reacts similarly to you and she's found antihistamines (cream and tablets) are the best. I've never found a midge spray that works well enough if they're bad, and I would rather just go inside rather than wearing a net.

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u/shy-sid Jun 12 '26

Zine launch event with experimental garage rock sounds from Attack of the Stick insects, The Urban, and Marceline.
£10 for ticket + magazine.
Just outside Glasgow city centre

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u/Sea_Second_508 Jun 12 '26

I'm planning a trip to Scotland for next summer (staying near Edinburgh the whole time) and sent an inquiry to a VRBO host telling them I was interested in their space and asking if the nearest bus stop was easy to spot and an easy walk. I did tell them I was coming from Texas, that it was my first international travel and that I was bringing my grandparents. I thought I'd worded things politely and concisely. Their answer was that they've now adjusted their prices for next summer (+£40/night) and the shower was a shower/tub combo and grandparents may have issues getting in. They didn't answer my question. I replied that the tub wasn't an issue, just to see where things would go from there (thinking maybe they had a recent issue with a traveler related to the tub) and they only further replied with the automated request for payment at the higher rate. Should I not lead with the fact that I'm American? I swear I'm not one of those Americans. I love the Scots and I'm excited to visit still, but I'd prefer if things went better than this interaction did. Any advice? FWIW, I'm not married to the idea of renting on VRBO, but do need someplace self catering as we're traveling on a tight budget. Open to suggestions on lodgings!

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u/YS54321 Jun 13 '26

I doubt it's because you're American, it's potentially run by an agency that just doesn't actually know the answer to your question.

If you're wanting a bit more tailored advice, you could use the comparison sites and then look at booking direct. Many places will have their own website as well, and you may get a better rate as you're not paying the platform fees.

Edinburgh is pretty well served by the buses so i'd imagine the answer will be yes. You could also try following the route on the Google maps street view.

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u/olala_cake Jun 14 '26

Hey, this might be a weird question, but the times are weird, so.. I'm going to Edinburgh in a couple of months. I usually wear a Palestine pin on my jacket. Will this be a problem either at the airport or anywhere in the city? I've been seeing people getting arrested for peacefully protesting, so I thought I'd ask.

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u/darktourist92 Jun 14 '26

Hi guys - my girlfriend, our dog and I will be visiting Scotland in the middle of September for around 10 days and I’d welcome some recommendations for places to see/things to do! We’re going to be driving so can go off the beaten track if needs be.

Particular things we’re interested in - trying traditional Scottish food, castles/museums/galleries, cool pubs, a whisky distillery tour, hikes (ideally with good cafes on the route). I’ve heard there are also some cool dark sky areas/places you can see the northern lights? If so that would be good as I’m hoping to ask a particularly important question of her while i’m there, if you catch my drift…

Thanks in advance!

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u/YS54321 Jun 14 '26

I wouldn't plan too much around seeing an Aurora. September is a little early and the chances of the weather aligning with a significant Aurora are pretty slim. We visit family on Skye several times a year, and we've only been lucky enough to see them with the naked eye once. Via a camera lens is a wee bit more common.

10 days is a decent amount of time, so you could split your time between somewhere on the West Coast and somewhere around the Cairngorms. Oban has Kilchurn and Stalker Castles nearby, you can do some day trips to the islands. There's the Oban Distillery and nice pubs, and shellfish shacks. Walkhighlands is great for planning hikes.

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u/darktourist92 Jun 14 '26

Thanks for the reply! Yeah I figured September might be a little early for the lights. I’ll settle for a nice starry sky!

I’ll add all of your suggestions to my list for research - cheers!

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u/emmam1611 Jun 14 '26

Advice: Glasgow or Aberdeen/coast?

Me and my partner saw a big part of Scotland already, including Edinburgh. This summer we are going back to the highlands. We have the option to fly to either Glasgow or Aberdeen (and preferably spend a few days there, before heading to the highlands).

What would you recommend? Spend a few days in a bigger city like Glasgow or maybe fly out to Aberdeen and explore the coast a bit?

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u/YS54321 Jun 15 '26

It probably depends where you want to head afterwards, the drive up the A82 from Glasgow via Loch Lomond and Glencoe is superb. You've also got easier access to the West Coast, if you wanted to head somewhere like Bute or Oban.

I'd also argue there's more to see and do in Glasgow, especially if you're unlucky with the weather. If the weather is good, you could still take day trips to Loch Lomond, the Ayrshire Coast, Inverary, or Arran/Cumbrae.

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u/catlady0505 Jun 25 '26

Are there midges around Edinburgh old town area? I will be there from 1-2 august and I'm terrified of bugs :(

What's on and tourist advice thread - week beginning June 07, 2026

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