Expert: Emoor - 7/14/2011

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 can be more specific than this, but as a start, Whitburn is about a 40 minute drive from Edinburgh, but car rentals and gasoline (petrol) are very expensive.  You can take a bus from Edinburgh and stay in a Bed & Breakfast in Whitburn.

Get on line and contact a tourist information office in or near Whitburn. Ask them about available lodging and prices and pick something in your price range.  Ask them about bus travel and how to do it.

Also contact the parish church and let them know you want to look into your ancestry.  There may be a local museum and there may be family graves in the churchyard. (My own ancestral home is Chale in Isle of Wight, and I was able to find the grave of my seven-greats grandfather.)

If you go that far, take the time to see Edinburgh as well.  The internet will give you a lot of information about sightseeing in Edinburgh.

If you have problems or need more detailed instructions, let me know.

Ed