Basics - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 24

Getting there
There are numerous ways of getting to
the Scottish Highlands and Islands. For
most, the quickest and easiest way is by
plane. Inverness is an obvious gateway
for much of the region, but you'll get a
wider selection of flights to Scotland's
three main international airports -
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen - each
of which is only a short hop from most
areas of interest.
With most airlines nowadays, how much you
pay depends on how far in advance you book and
how much demand there is during that period -
generally speaking, the earlier you book, the
cheaper the prices. That said, it's worth looking out
for sales, which often start 10-12 weeks before the
departure date.
If you're coming from elsewhere in Britain,
from Ireland or even northwest Europe, you can
reach Scotland easily enough by train , bus or
ferry - it probably won't work out cheaper or
faster than flying, but it's undoubtedly better for
the environment.

around 11hr 30min); again, if you book in advance,
single overnight fares cost around £35, though most
return fares are more like £150.
The coach can be slower than the train but costs
less, with a London or Birmingham to Inverness
overnight return starting for as little as £36 return
(journey time 11hr 30min-13hr).

From Ireland

Travel from Ireland is quickest by plane, with airfares
from either Belfast or Dublin to Glasgow from as
little as €45 return. Try Aer Lingus ( W aerlingus.com)
and Ryanair ( W ryanair.com), both based in Ireland.
There are also good ferry links with Northern Ireland
and the combined coach and ferry fares are very
competitive: Belfast to Glasgow (via Cairnryan) is just
£56 return (journey time 6hr). P&O Ferries runs
several sea crossings daily from Larne to Cairnryan
(1hr) and Troon (2hr 15min) and Stena Line operates
several services daily from Belfast to Stranraer (2hr
10min; single passenger without car £28).

From the US and Canada
If you fly nonstop to Scotland from North America ,
you'll arrive in either Glasgow or Edinburgh. The
majority of cheap fares, however, route through
Amsterdam, London, Manchester, Dublin or Paris.
To reach any other Scottish airport, you'll definitely
need to go via London, Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Figure on six to seven hours' flight time nonstop
from the east coast to Glasgow, or seven hours to
London plus an extra hour and a quarter from
London to Glasgow or Edinburgh (not including
stopover time). Add three or four hours more for
travel from the west coast.
United ( W united.com) flies direct from Newark
Liberty International Airport in New York to Glasgow,
with return fares (including taxes) from around $850.
Air Canada ( W aircanada.com) has direct flights to
Edinburgh from Toronto. Return fares for nonstop
flights (including taxes) cost around $1000.

From England and Wales

If you're heading out to the Highlands and Islands
from England or Wales , flying is the quickest way
to travel. If your ultimate destination is Argyll, Loch
Lomond or the Hebrides, Glasgow is the natural
gateway; for Perthshire and the Cairngorms,
Edinburgh or Glasgow are good; for anywhere
further north, Inverness is the best hub. Airfares
are most competitive on popular routes such as
London or Birmingham to Edinburgh and Glasgow,
which can cost as little as £50 return (journey time
around 1hr). Once you add on the cost of transport
to the airport and flying with luggage (many
budget airlines charge for all but the smallest cabin
bags), the savings on the same journey overland
are often minimal - and then, of course, there's the
environmental impact to consider.
Flying with airlines such as British Airways ( W ba
.com), Ryanair ( W ryanair.com) and easyJet ( W easyjet
.com) may be quick, but coach and train fares can
be pretty competitive. If you book far enough in
advance, train fares can cost as little as £70 for a
London to Inverness return (journey time from 8hr).
A more flexible or last-minute fare will obviously cost
two or three times that amount. Another option is
the overnight Caledonian Sleeper run by ScotRail
from London Euston (daily; journey time to Inverness

From Australia and New Zealand

Flight time from Australia and New Zealand to
Scotland is at least 22 hours. There's a wide variety
of routes, with those touching down in Southeast
Asia the quickest and cheapest on average. To
reach Scotland, you usually have to change planes
either in London - the most popular choice - or
in another European gateway such as Paris or
Amsterdam. Given the length of the journey