Condemned to Pints and Salmon

TRAVEL DIARY AND GUIDE TO SCOTLAND 2004

Written by Emiliano Marelli

Dedicated to my big cat "Pioggia"

PREVIOUS WRITINGS

· Approval and publication of the travel diary of Ireland: "INTER-AIR-RAIL 2003", written by Luciano Monti, about our adventure in the Celtic country · Writing of the guide to Ireland: "IRELAND GUIDE TRIPS AND TRICKS", which gathers prices, routes, advice and tips for your trip to Ireland at all costs · Writing of the travel diary of the 2001 trip to Georgia: "3 UNFORGETTABLE DAYS IN GEORGIA"

The writings can be viewed on our website and can be downloaded in PDF or HTML. PREFACE With prices rising after the long-awaited and much-praised arrival of the €uro, being able to afford a holiday is becoming more and more of a luxury. But we're Italian, we work hard for 8 months to pay taxes and a period of rest in our longed-for destination is truly deserved! Where? Well, that depends a bit on expectations and habits! The true relaxation of a holiday is a combination of many variables, a bit like the weather in Scotland.

Do you dream of Scotland? Good, here's a travel tale for you that, like a chameleon, turns into a guide for a holiday in Scotland at €80 a day, all included! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To Laura who "willingly" accompanied me on this adventure, to Hertz for handing us a Focus instead of a Fiesta, to Aurelio and Sara for keeping us company on that lovely evening in Rosemarkie, to Leandro for the extremely detailed diary-guide I brought along.... A greeting to all those who couldn't... take part in this lovely holiday! A tribute to my patience and to the work done here. 10 days of holiday and... - 408 revisions - 2640 minutes of work - €80 per day - 100 miles per day - 300 gr. of salmon per day - 5 pages of diary per day (with some illustrative photos) - 1500 words of diary per day - 8000 characters of diary per day

INDEX

TRIP ORGANISATION

TRANSPORT ACCOMMODATION EQUIPMENT ROUTE

9 August 2004 THE BLACK CAT

10 August 2004 THE BLACK CAT CITY: GLASGOW 11 August 2004 THE GAME OF THE GOOSE 12 August 2004 NESSIE vs DOLPHINS 0-6 13 August 2004 AURELIO AND SARA: LOOK WHO'S BACK! 14 August 2004 THE METROPOLIS OF TENTS 15 August 2004 BEAUTIFUL CITY AWAITS US 16 August 2004 WONDERFUL EDIMBURGH 17 August 2004 PIPER BOY COLLECTION 18 August 2004 THE SKY POINTS THE MAIN ROAD 19 August 2004 MANNERS... LEAVE WITH RYANAIR AND YOU'RE HOME

TRIP ORGANISATION

TRANSPORT

Scotland can be reached in various ways: * Train, but the journey takes too long and the cost is rather high * Your own car, with traffic stress over a route of km * Rented car, the same as the previous one, with the monetary weight of the rental! * Plane * Hitchhiking... dematerialisation... expulsion from one's State...

We chose the plane, a convenient means thanks to the short travel time and competitive fares, especially when talking about low-cost airlines. In February we booked with Ryanair the Milan Bergamo (Orio al Serio) - Glasgow Prestwick route at €86 return, airport taxes included!; due to various issues, in July we shortened the holiday from 15 to 10 days, ending up spending a total of €150 each. This route, like Stockholm too, was introduced from 2004.

Quite curious, in the GIFT catalogue on board, that the Ryanair model planes can cost almost as much as a flight....

Watch out for the load you carry on board (7kg) or in the hold (15kg)! On the way back we witnessed the worst "MISTAKE" in history: for an excess weight in the hold, the indomitable Italian couple ahead of us had to pay the equivalent of 11 kg in hard sterling; I'll leave the calculation to you... certainly more than the cost of the ticket! A couple of tips: - on the way out, check-in in Italy won't give you a hard time: genuine Italian kindness, chance or BUSINESS tactic? Watch out! You'll pay the consequences on the way back, in POUNDS! - Weigh your hold luggage at home: make sure it's within the required limit! I advise you to overload the hand luggage, distributing the items into removable bags: at check-in you'll present a fantastic 7kg piece of hand luggage!!.... And you'll "hide" the rest... on the trolley... in some corner of the airport... with the following passengers...

you decide!!

How to get around Scotland?

Use the Scottish Railways (it's not the most convenient method and not even the most economical: you always have the burden of the luggage (I know something about that from last year!), you're also at the mercy of other public transport, there are timetables and routes to respect and the seat isn't guaranteed!

Renting a car, on the other hand, has a low price and lets you reach any destination that's on the map and has a passable path... With Hertz, through the partnership with Ryanair, it offers good fares: for a class B car (a Ford Fiesta, to be clear) it charges €392 for 15 days and €249 for 10 days; the fares include unlimited kilometres, theft protection, taxes and various charges and an excess of £500 (about €750) in case of damage to the car. There are then a series of optional extras: removal of the excess at £11 a day, the option of a 2nd driver at £8 a day, refuelling at a favourable rate (instead of returning the car full... I'll tell you a trick later...), personal accident protection, supplements for delivering the car to places other than those agreed.

Before handing over the keys you'll be asked to check the car's damage, comparing it with that known and identified on the yellow form "pre-post rental damage report"; your task will be to check the car carefully and report any additional damage to the car park attendant.

Petrol (unleaded) costs between £0.80 and £0.85 a gallon. Compared with Italy? You work it out... by converting pounds and gallons...

The most convenient petrol stations are Safeway, then Esso, Q8 and finally Shell.

TAXI

We all know they're not the most economical means, but sometimes it's necessary to prefer this convenience. Here are the average prices if you find yourself a bit confused with local transport:

ACCOMMODATION

Scotland offers various overnight options: * Hotels, within reach of those with a high budget to spend * Campsites, with the possibility of staying in your own tent, in your own caravan or renting those available at the campsite * Guest Houses and Bed & Breakfasts (B&B) * Hostels

To save money we battled the bad weather and always slept at campsites! Camping, on average for 2 people, 1 tent and a car (the rented one!) ranges from £8 to £20, depending mainly on the location and on the category assigned by the Scottish Tourism Board; if you don't have a car it costs you 20-30% less. The other establishments, apart from hotels and some rented rooms, work on per-person prices; the prices are higher, even £30 more per person! Hotels are expensive, especially those belonging to the big global chains (Hilton, Sheraton,...)

EQUIPMENT

The equipment is a direct consequence of transport and accommodation: the former impose limits on the size and weight of the luggage, which, without your own means of transport, you have to cart around as an extension of your spine! Accommodation, on the other hand, changes the type and quantity of your luggage.

...continues on