Expert: Alun Hill MCIJ - 7/16/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
  My wife would like to go for a week to Scotland to see her ancestral home which is Whitburn not far from Edinborough.  We don't have a lot of money but know penny wise, pound foolish.  Can you give us some help in how to get there and what to do as best and economical as we can?

ANSWER: I'll be very happy to help, but need to know where you will be coming from, please?

Are you looking for details from your home town, or from London - or from Glasgow / Edinburgh - as Whitburn is between the last 2, please?

How long are you planning to stay in the area / how long in the rest of Scotland and do you want me to find local "cheap places" to stay.

Will you be driving or taking public transport, please?


Alun

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: We would travel from Pittsburgh, Pa.  we have only a week so it would be best to go directly to Scotland and focus on that area.  I hear that lodging and food are very expensive.  We have never been to the UK although my family is from Cork, Ireland but it would probably be too expensive to go there.

Answer
Ok - thanks for the update!

In terms of flights, clearly the sooner you book, the better.

For value hotels the best value are www.travelodge.co.uk and  www.premierinn.co.uk - both of these have spotlessly clean rooms for £29 per night, if you book in advance -  again, the earlier the better. I stay in both of these chains regularly, so you can be assured they are low cost - high quality!

You will probably fly into London's Heathrow airport - for there it is easy to get to London's Euston railway station, which will take you direct to Glasgow - again, booking in advance, you can each travel for as little as £12.50 each, each way, so £50 in total.

Remember that this is a beautiful 5 hour train ride almost the whole length of England - and the "last minute" fare is about £306 for each of you, round trip (a "return" in the UK) - with the cheaper tickets, you MUST travel on a specific train each way - with the dearer ones you can travel anytime - so you can see the value in pre-planning!

There are countless cheap places to eat in both Glasgow and Edinburgh - just go off any main street by a few yards and you'll find many cafes and restaurants filled with locals - and for a treat, I love the Buchanan Tea Rooms in Glasgow!

It is possible to visit Cork, by taking the ferry from Scotland to Northern Ireland and then a lengthy train journey - not impossible and I"d be happy to work out the details - just ask- but it would be time consuming and expansive. Perhaps you should see if you can fly into Dublin from your home, and back home from Glasgow? I've just checked with Expedia and it is certainly possible, sometimes with a change in Paris, France.

Let me know where I can help with more detail, please!

Alun Hill, MCIJ

http://www.alunhill.com