Sharon's Patented Scottish Touring Advice

This is my patented advice for foreigners touring Scotland, based on my experiences living in Scotland in 1985-6 and 1989-1998 (and visiting in 1999 and 2006) with some additional info from Scottish native (and Edinburgh resident) Dominic Hunter and others. Most of it is useful to anyone visiting Scotland, but some is particularly aimed at those with medieval or renaissance interests.

Getting to Scotland

Which makes the most sense for your trip depends on what the the airlines are charging for the various options, what flights are available, and whether you are traveling anywhere else in the UK and/or Europe.

In terms of time, unless Scotland is just one stop on a longer tour of the UK or Europe, it is most efficient to fly into Scotland, whether direct or via London or Amsterdam. All other options will take up at least an extra day of travel both coming and going — unless flying, Scotland is a day's travel away from London.

I don't recommend flying into anywhere in Scotland other than Glasgow (or Prestwick), Aberdeen, or Edinburgh unless you intend to spend both the start and finish or your trip in that area. Otherwise you'll end up losing time to traveling back to the airport that you could have spent touring — airports anywhere else in Scotland besides the Central Belt (Glasgow-Edinburgh) and Aberdeen are very far away from anywhere else and connected to the rest of the world by slow roads (or, in the case of island airports, by no roads at all!)

When comparing prices for flying to a Scottish airport vs. flying into London and then traveling by car or train to Scotland, remembering to include both the cost of car or train in your price comparisons and the cost in time. If you do fly into London, check out flights into airports other than Heathrow, they are often cheaper.

It is a long day's drive from London to most parts of Scotland, and you are unlikely to be fit for it until the day after your arrival in London. (Flights from the USA tend to arrive in the morning after an overnight flight.) So the fly-drive option really adds two extra days of travel at the start and one extra to leave. I really don't recommend driving to Scotland unless you have places you'd like to visit in England on your way. Taking a train from London to your starting point in Scotland (and picking up a rental car once is Scotland) is a lot easier than driving and a day less time consuming than driving (only one extra day of travel coming and going).

Aberdeen and Glasgow are both fine places to fly into. I've never flown into Edinburgh, so I don't know specifically about it, but I expect is probably something between Glasgow (significant airport — probably like a second rank US airport, so not like Chicago but not all that different from San Jose, CA) and Aberdeen (little airport with a small number of gates and a tiny baggage claim area —and a significant amount of its traffic workers helicopter off to the oil rigs— but rather easy to negotiate because of its small size; for one thing, you can't get lost ;-).

So of these three (Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow), the convenience depends on where you are going after you land. If you'll mainly be in the North East, fly into Aberdeen. If you'll mainly be on the West Coast, either north or south, fly in Glasgow. Can't really think of a reason to fly into Edinburgh unless you're mainly planning to visit that city (Glasgow and Edinburgh are practically next door by US standards) or maybe the south east, since Glasgow will usually be cheaper than Edinburgh.

Try to plan your touring route so that you end up making a loop in your travels, starting and finishing near the airport, so as to lose the least amount of time just traveling to and from the airport.

Traveling Within Scotland

Rent a Car

Rent a car — it is the only way to go if you want to see more than the cities and aren't keen on major hiking with all your gear. For many of the specific places of interest outside the cities, especially in the Highlands, a car is the only way to get there. Even for people coming from countries that drive on the right side of the road, I still recommend a car as switching sides of the road isn't that difficult an adjustment. While it is possible to tour Scotland using trains, buses, and your feet, and while public transport might be a bit less expensive than renting a car, the cost in time is much greater: a trip to a castle or museum just outside a town with a train station that would take less than half a day if you had your own car might take a whole day on public transport and be very hard on the feet.

Price out the costs of renting a car from a rental agency in your home country (such as Avis , Hertz, etc.), and price costs from the UK side (go to the UK web sites of car rental agencies —e.g., Avis.co.uk, etc. — and see what prices they give in pounds). Of the UK car rental agencies, I've had good experiences with Arnold Clark (if you want to check out a non-US company). Car rental is significantly cheaper if you don't rent from the big companies like Hertz & Avis (at least, so it was a few years ago), but this may require more work on your part making arrangements. There are also differences in things like insurance — read all the fine print so you aren't surprised by added expenses. Check your own car insurance to see what is covered when driving rental cars abroad, and check with your credit card company whether using their card to pay for your car rental comes with automatic insurance, and whether this is sufficient to waive insurance (an added cost) with the rental car agency. Specifically indicate you will be renting a car in the UK.

When pricing the costs of driving, don't forget to take into account that gasoline ("petrol" in the UK) is considerably more expensive than in places like the US. I don't know specific current prices, but I expect you can find out searching the internet.

Note there are some additional terminology differences. While in the US we talk of a "rental car companies" and "renting a car", in the UK they tend to talk of "car hire companies" and "hiring a car".

I do recommend that you rent the smallest car that will fit you and your luggage comfortably — Scottish roads are much narrower than your average US road, and, on top of that, you will spend a fair amount of time dodging parked cars and so crossing over the median line. This, and driving on the wrong side of the road, is a lot more comfortable if you're not in a big wide car to start with. (And you'll use less gas -- see above.)

At the same time, be aware that a stick shift ("standard") is assumed unless you specifically ask for automatic. An automatic will cost more money, and tends to require renting a larger car. If you are comfortable driving stick shift, I didn't find it very difficult to switch sides driving one. But if you are not comfortable with a stick shift normally, then make sure you get the smallest automatic you can (again, that fits you and your luggage comfortably).

Unless...

If you have a set itinerary that includes only towns with rail stations, and if you know that everything you want to see is actually in those towns rather than in the countryside around it, then it can make a lot of sense to get a rail pass instead of renting a car. However, you are not going to see much of the Highlands (let alone Islands) or countryside this way. Few castles and such are actually in towns. But if your main interests are cities and towns and the sorts of things found in them (museums, theatres, etc.), then you don't need a car.

Travel Times

Where to Go & What To See

Get Out of the Cities

Do plan to spend some time in at least one city, but most of Scotland is rural and so not well served by trains, etc. (Mind you, most of the people live in the small portion of Scotland known as the "Central Belt" — the bit between Glasgow and Edinburgh.) Staying in the cities is like a foreigner visiting New York City and thinking that's what America is, or visiting Sydney and thinking that is Australia.

Castles and Abbeys

A castle I particularly recommend is Dunnotar Castle, just south of Stonehaven, 13 miles south of Aberdeen. It is a privately owned but very substantial ruin in a spectacular setting. Also Urquhart Castle, on the edge of Loch Ness, another ruin but substantial and truly an experience on a foggy day (makes you understand the Nessie stories — by the way, I don't recommend the Nessie exhibits, you're better off buying a book about it). Also, for a furnished castle, try Craigievar, to the west (and a bit southish) of Aberdeen. It is a Scottish National Trust property, I think, and one of the best preserved late 16th/early 17th century tower houses in Scotland. (It avoided being Victorianized!) However, because it was getting too much traffic, they have taken it off the lists and maps, so you'll have to call and ask for directions and times. You may have to wait to go in (they only let in so many people at a time) but it is worth it to see a tower house with the interior roughly the style it was before the Victorian era. And there is Spynie Castle near Elgin — this is another ruin but one that has been partially restored by Historic Scotland and is very impressive. I saw it before it was restored and they've really done an excellent job.

But then, there are hundreds and hundreds of cool castles — you really can't go wrong castle hunting.

Also, though it's not a castle, there is a particularly large and particularly fine carved stone (Pictish, maybe? Can't recall) in Forres (east of Inverness). It's in a huge glass case, which you can see from the main road. I highly recommend taking a peek. Also in Forres there is the 19th century Nelson's Tower which you can climb for a spectacular view of the north coast. And in Elgin itself there are the ruins of Elgin Cathedral.

Among my favorite places is Pluscarden Abbey, also near Elgin, which is a 12th century monastery that was in ruins but is being restored by the order of monks who re-established residence there a few decades ago. They are a Roman Catholic order and, unusually, say their Masses and Offices in Latin (with permission of the relevant RC authorities). On holy days they chant the mass, and the public are welcome at their services any day. I tell you there is really something about sitting in a 12th century Abbey listening and watching as robed monks sing the Mass in Latin in Gregorian chant!!! (And the grounds and surrounding countryside are spectacular, too.)

Dominic Hunter recommends that if you're into abbeys, there is one of especial note in the south; Inchcolm, on an island in the Firth of Forth —boat trips from South Queensferry on the south shore or Aberdour, on the north during the tourist season— ask Tourist Information in Edinburgh for details of sailing times, prices and how to get there.

Organizations to Join

If you want to visit lots of castles and such, look into joining Historic Scotland (which covers the government owned places — the ones that are not in current use tend to be ruins, but they do have some that are not only all in one piece but are still being used, such as Fort George and Edinburgh Castle) and/or the National Trust for Scotland (which is a private charity unconnected to the government, and tends to cover places that are all in one piece and furnished — sometimes even with the former owners ensconced in a wing or two). You can join either of them "at the door" of the first place of each you visit.

General Planning

Plan what you'd like to see, but don't plan too much — stay flexible and be prepared to drop items off the itinerary and/or add others. Don't try to pack too much in — take the time to enjoy what you visit and the trips between them.

Money & Such

Don't bother with travelers' checks — they're not necessary and the further off the main tourist path you get the less likely they are to be accepted. Make major purchases with a credit card, and otherwise use your ATM card to get cash from "the hole in the wall" as needed, just as if you were traveling at home. (ATM machines are officially called things like "cash point" or "cash machines", etc. — "ATM" isn't really heard in Scotland unless things have changed a lot since 1998). Nearly ten years ago, there were some banks my US ATM card worked at and some it did not, but even then I never had a problem finding some major bank in town where my US ATM card would work. I expect things are even easier now. [If you encounter a machine that doesn't like your pin number, and it is a 5 digit number, try entering only the first 4 numbers. All major airports have ATMs inside, so you can get cash shortly after you land as needed for taxis, etc.]

Both ATMs and credit cards get you a better rate of exchange (you get closer to the rate at which banks exchange large amounts of money with each other instead of the much less favorable exchange rate banks change individuals) and you won't have as much hassle as with other methods. Also, you don't have to commit yourself to a certain amount of money in advance and worry about changing the money back at the end of the trip — you can take out cash as you need it pretty much just as you would traveling in the US (with the same considerations, such as how much your home bank charges for such transactions, etc — it'll still be cheaper than exchanging money inside a bank). For a number of years that I lived in the UK, I functioned without any UK bank account — I got all my British money directly from my US account by using ATM machines. The only thing to be aware of using the ATM approach is to remember that the numbers you're seeing are pounds, not dollars! (Otherwise you can get a little confused about why the account balance is so much smaller than you expected on your return ;-)

Be aware that the major Scottish banks (Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Clydesdale) each print their own bank notes. (In UK terminology, a "note" is like a "bill" in the USA — rather than having "a twenty dollar bill", they have a "twenty pound note".) These are legal tender, good not only in Scotland but also in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Unfortunately, not every British merchant outside of Scotland is familiar with Scottish bank notes, and so the further south you go the increased likelihood you may encounter problems spending Scottish notes. (Note that the problem here isn't really snootiness or anti-Scottish feeling, but simple unfamiliarity. Most English merchants rarely see Scottish notes, and so they either don't realize they should accept them or else simply don't feel familiar enough with them to spot whether they are counterfeit or not. In fact, for a time while I was in Scotland there were certain merchants who refused to accept certain denominations of Scottish notes because there had been recent problems with counterfeit ones in circulation and they didn't want to get burned.) However, go into a bank and they should change them for English notes at no charge. If the bank also gives you grief, chew them out for their ignorance and then look for a branch of one of the Scottish banks, which can often be found in English cities and towns.

Maps and Listings

Accommodation

Off peak season you can often just drive up, providing you drive up at a reasonable hour — I'd say by dinner time.

Best Time of Year to Travel

Remember that it stays light very late in summer and gets dark very early in the winter. If you have a choice, I recommend going as much on the summer side of mid-March to mid-September as you can. Also, at the beginning of October, many of the tourist places shut down (staying shut until Easter). This is most noticeably true of National Trust for Scotland properties, as it is too expensive to heat the furnished castles in the Scottish winters. Places in the cities may stay open, however, and the ruined places also (they usually shut at dusk, though). Some places stay open but have altered schedules. Basically, don't go in off season if you can avoid it! It's cold, dark, and frustrating!

The absolute best time to go to Scotland is June. Not only is the light the best (the longest day being 21 June or thereabouts), but the weather is usually on the sunnier side and the tourist season is started enough for things to be happening but before the height of the tourist season (which is July and August when the schools and universities are out and the general European vacation season gets going).

Weather

Whatever time of year you go, prepare for variable weather, ranging from t-shirt & shorts weather down to freezing cold — think layers. Especially make sure you have a light, wind-breaking, water proof outer jacket (a shell or windbreaker) as sometimes all you need is protection from the wind/rain in order to be warm, and a heavy jacket would be too hot. A compact umbrella can be very useful, but be prepared for it to die horribly in a strong wind. (In other words, don't bring an heirloom umbrella, but rather one you would be willing to leave behind at the end of the trip ;-)

Smoking

When I first wrote this guide in 1999, I had to warn "lots of people in the UK smoke and there aren't the same laws regulating smoking in public places or even restaurants as there are in the USA. (Californians especially are going to notice a big difference! ...) To make it worse, a much higher percentage of British roll their own cigarettes (it's cheaper) and so the odors can be more pungent than with US cigarettes. ... If you are smoke sensitive, you may have a hard time eating in UK restaurants, especially pubs. ..."

Well, I'm happy to report that things have really changed. While it is still true that lots of people smoke (though less than before) and many still roll their own cigarettes, as of 26 March 2006, smoking is banned in all enclosed public spaces in Scotland, including restaurants and even pubs. Even Californians shouldn't have problems now! For more information, see the Scottish Executive's Clearing the Air web site.

Unfortunately, while the various relevant bodies are in the process of enacting similar legislation and regulations for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (though for some regions they may not be as comprehensive), these haven't yet come into force (as of August 2006). If all goes well, however, smoking should be banned in most or all public spaces in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland sometime in 2007.

Food

Try some haggis — it's really good stuff. (If you like sausages, you should enjoy haggis.) If you buy some in the shops, though, don't buy Baxter's canned haggis — it's horrible and is, as far as I can tell, more like hamburger hash than haggis. Buy the uncanned kind from a good butcher if you want to do it yourself. But better to find a restaurant that has it on the menu. For the full treatment, you're looking for haggis, tatties, and neeps (that is, mashed potatoes and mashed turnips).

If you go to a fish and chip shop they will have batter-dipped and deep-fat-fried haggis. This is really good, but won't really give you a good idea of what normal haggis is. Deep fat frying everything appears to be a modern tradition, not a medieval one, in Scotland. Oh, and deep fat frying the Mars bars —which are called Milky Way bars in the USA— is the sort of thing that happens at the corner chippy where you have to take it away to eat. More formal sit-down restaurants like Harry Ramsden's (a fish and chip restaurant chain that, if I recall correctly, started in England) are probably above the Mars bar thing. I never tried it myself, but I understand in many chippies you actually provide your own Mars bar, and there is also a regional element to where they'll do it but alas I can't recall where it started or where they're likely to look favorably on the request. However if you go to Glasgow they deep fat fry pizza at the chippies... (Glasgow is the heart attack capital of Europe.)

Dominic Hunter adds: A good chippy will do deep-fried fish, chicken, haggis, black pudding, white pudding (an oatmeal pudding), smoked sausage, sausage, hamburger (just the meat pattie, battered and fried), steak pie (sometimes deep-fried...), king rib (a sort of burger), chipsteak (also a sort of burger), pizza (battered and deep fried — be aware that some chippies also do 'proper' baked pizza, but if you ask for a pizza supper, you'll get half a frozen pizza, battered on one side and deep-fried) and sometimes side orders of onion rings, mushrooms, and curry sauce. Ordering: 'xxxx and chips' is usually referred to as a 'xxxx supper', if you don't want the chips —and these are not dainty french fries!— order a 'single xxxx'.

Very handy for lunches to take with you on day trips and hikes is Mark's and Spencer's. This venerable British institution is a department store that includes a grocery store inside, and said grocery store section ("food hall") has a wonderful sandwich and lunch salad section. The quality of food, including fruits and vegetables, at Mark's and Spencer's is better than in other grocery stores — you pay a little more, but it is worth it. (For example, if you buy a box of strawberries, every single one will be good and ripe in a box from Mark's and Spencer's, while in a box from Safeway's you'll have a certain percentage of greenish not so nice ones, even though both were obviously packaged by the same company. Basically, Marks and Sparks, as it is affectionately known, has a higher quality criteria & control, for which you pay a small premium in prices.) Anyway, these sandwiches are really lovely, and quite reasonably priced, even cheap, even if a little more than the same sort of thing from others stores, making for a cheap and easy —and delicious— lunch for travelers. (There were periods when I was living in Aberdeen when I lived on M&S sandwiches and salads for lunch and dinner both for weeks on end... And often when touristing I would buy a sandwich at M&S on my way out of town for the day's touring.)

Strategies

Think about basing yourself in a few places for extended periods of time and taking day trips from base. If you do this, make sure your bases are not all in cities! For example, I stayed with my parents a couple miles from Elgin —about 10 or 15 miles east of Inverness— for a week and from this base we had a good day trip range into the Highlands, over to Skye (though we only had time to eat lunch on Skye before returning because we had a 6:30 dinner deadline), along the north coast, Strathspey, etc. — even over to Aberdeen if we'd wanted to.

Alternatively, meander through Scotland stopping each night wherever your trip that day took you. I've done this too and it allows great freedom of movement. (Or do a little of each method.)

Whichever way, plan on going to at least two or three different regions — the Northeast, the central Highlands, the Western Isles, the far north, the Northern Isles (Shetland and Orkney), the Borders, Galloway, etc. There is huge variety in Scotland from region to region.

Things to See in Particular Places

Aberdeen

If you go to Aberdeen, Provost Skene's house is a 16th/17th century house decorated in the style of various periods and has a wonderful 3D model of 17th century Aberdeen based on the earliest map of the city — wonderful for getting at least a hint of what the late medieval burgh looked like. There is also an outstanding Maritime Museum — with exhibits ranging the gamut all the way to modern North Sea oil exploration (Aberdeen is an Oil town ;-). There is also the Tollbooth museum (with another 3D model that is larger but depicts a smaller section of the 17th century map —but it's got people in it ;-)— and the winter gardens. Oh, yes! Almost forgot (familiarity, you know ;-). Visit the Old Aberdeen section of town, where the King's College campus of Aberdeen University is. Places of note are King's College Chapel, St. Machar's Cathedral (with its medieval heraldic ceiling), and the Brig o' Balgownie (one of the oldest bridges in Scotland, built in the late 13th century).

Balmoral and Fort George

Balmoral is a 19th century castle — excellent if you're into 19th century stuff, useless if you just like medieval stuff. (However, the drive along the Dee is gorgeous.) For cool 18th century stuff, I highly recommend Fort George, built just after the Jacobite rebellion northwest of Inverness. This is still a working military barracks/fort, but you can wander around it and it has a good exhibit of barrack life over the centuries.

Edinburgh

You'll want to check out some (or possibly all!) of the National Museums of Scotland. They have a web site which will help you plan what you want to do. [Dominic Hunter adds: There's also the new Museum of Scotland to look at, next to the National Museum in Chambers Street, Edinburgh]

I also recommend, of course, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, the Royal Mile, and there is a museum somewhere on the Royal Mile called the Museum of Edinburgh — it is a social history of Edinburgh rather than an artifact style museum. Though I haven't visited myself, there are also supposed to be some old houses that are now preserved as museums. One is called "Knox's House" (but named for a different Knox than the famous one) and there might also be at least one other.

Dominic Hunter adds: there's also the new Scottish Parliament, if that interests you, and the new "Dynamic Earth" exhibition, close by Holyrood Palace.

Skye

If you go to Skye, be warned that the very expensive bridge toll is payable in both directions — I think the total round trip was something like 11 pounds when I went in 1998. (Though perhaps they have abolished or reduced it ... nah ;-) [not as of July 1999, says Dominic Hunter.] Skye, however, is well worth it. I'd give it more than a day.

Miscellaneous

Religion and Its Effects on Touring the West Highlands & Islands

Be warned that in the West Highlands and on most of the Western Isles, most people are very conservative flavours of Presbyterian and Presbyterian offshoots and so things tend to be well and truly shut on Sundays. (Some people frown on anyone doing any labor on Sundays, too — so no gardening, etc., where your neighbors can see!) The ferries to some islands do not run on Sundays. Restaurants and shops will be closed. (Heck, even in the rest of Scotland many shops are closed on Sundays, though these days mainly only the smaller ones — and grocery stores are all pretty much open 7 days a week.) Anyway, plan Sundays carefully in the West or Isles.

Walking/Hiking

If you enjoy hiking, called "hill walking" in the UK, Scotland is a great place for it, but be warned that despite their short stature, those are real mountains and you should go prepared. The taller ones do get sudden snow storms even in the summer on days that started out perfectly sunny and warm, and people die in those "hills" every year (most usually by being caught unprepared by bad weather and/or by falling off edges).

Whisky

Whisky Distillery tours — definitely do a couple. (I did and thoroughly enjoyed them even though I hate whisky.) I particularly recommend going on the tour of the distillery owned by Historic Scotland (or was it Scottish National Trust?) called, I believe, Dallas Dhu. (You'll not be surprised this is in the Elgin area ;-). This is no longer a working distillery but the self paced tour lets you climb in the nooks and crannies and really see what the details are. Then go tour a working commercial distillery, and you'll appreciate it all the more. Some places charge for tours, at others it's free. You can get maps that show you were they are and the times they're open from Tourist Info Offices. (Visit a Tourist Info Office in each region you visit — they have a wealth of info on local events and places to go.)

Language & Cultural Misunderstandings

There are some terms I advise avoiding (they are among the most common embarrassment points I've experienced or observed ;-):

Also, don't ask for "two" of anything by holding up two fingers — you're likely to accidentally flip someone off if you do! (Two fingers held up with the back of the hand facing out is the same as holding up your middle finger in the USA.)

Finally, I recommend generally avoid using any British exclamations and sexual activity terms you may have encountered (whether on TV, in movies, in person, whatever) until you notice whether the people you are with are using them in any particular context (e.g., "bloody", "bugger", "shag", etc.) — judging appropriate context and use of such terms can be difficult for a foreigner. In some circles a word might be considered as harmless as "darn", in others the same word may be considered somewhere around "damn" (e.g., common casual use by some folk and total avoidance by others), in yet others the same word may be right up there with the words many folk use ****s for rather than actually type out. A native will know and understand the attitudes towards a word, but a foreigner can have a hard time picking up the nuances and making an informed decision about use (and so end up being ruder than intended, etc.) The reason I urge such caution is that you don't want to accidentally misjudge your context and inadvertently offend someone who otherwise might have had a lovely chat with you, helped you with something, etc. or just generally leave a bad impression about rude, foul-mouthed Americans...

Get the Terminology Right (aka, Know Where You Are... and Aren't)

If you're reading this, you probably already know the difference between Scotland and England, but just in case:

Scotland is not part of England. Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are the four "nations" that make up the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". This is essentially the same idea as that California, New York, Maine, Florida, Iowa, and the other 45 states are the "states" that make up the "United States of America". (So Queen Elizabeth II is not "The Queen of England" —at least no more than George W. Bush is "The President of California"— she is "The Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".)

"United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" is, of course, a bit of a mouthful, and people don't tend to say the whole thing anymore than people tend to use "United States of America" every time. If you intend to refer to the whole "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", then I recommend using "the UK" —it's like saying "the USA" or "the US" rather than "United States of America"— or "the United Kingdom", which is like saying "the United States". You will also hear "Great Britain" or "Britain" used as well — it's like saying "America" rather than "United States of America" (using just part of the longer phrase). But, just like "America", it isn't as precise a term and occasionally some people can get picky about it. The usual spoken adjective for things of or related to the UK is "British", again, just as "American" is the adjective used for things of or related to the USA. ("UK", like "US", is also sometimes used as an adjective, as in "UK businessmen" and the like.)

But whatever you do, do not say "England" or "English" when you mean to talk about the UK and things British generally! Most Scots won't say anything to you about it, or treat you any differently, figuring that the poor foreigner can't help being ignorant, but it really irritates them and justly so. (The English, alas, are rather prone to not being able to tell the difference between England and the UK themselves — imagine if Californians said "California" whenever they meant "the USA"!) Of course, if you do really mean England and only England (not Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland), then of course say "England", and likewise if you mean Scotland specifically say Scotland...

Final Advice

Take some time to just drive leisurely along back roads and see the scenery. Doesn't much matter where (as long as you're out of the central belt built up areas).

But mainly, just keep in mind that no matter where in Scotland you go or what you do, you'll have a great time. It is really hard to go wrong when touring Scotland, as there is so much that is beautiful and/or interesting. And the natives are friendly, too.

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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	The United States of America
The UK	The USA or The US
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland (the 4 "nations" of the UK)	California, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, Oregon, etc. (the 50 "states" of the USA)
Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	George W. Bush, President of the United States of America
~~Elizabeth II, "Queen of England"~~	~~George W. Bush, "President of California"~~
the United Kingdom	the United States
Great Britain or Britain	America
British	American
UK (as adjective)	US (as adjective)