Basics - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 41

HISTORIC SCOTLAND AND NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND
Many of Scotland's most treasured sights - from castles and country houses to islands,
gardens and tracts of protected landscape - come under the control of the privately run
National Trust for Scotland ( W nts.org.uk) or the state-run Historic Scotland ( W historic
-scotland.gov.uk); we've quoted “ NTS ” or “ HS ” respectively for each site reviewed in this guide.
Both organizations charge an admission fee for most places, and these can be quite high,
especially for the more grandiose NTS estates.
If you think you'll be visiting more than half a dozen NTS properties, or more than a
dozen HS ones, it's worth taking annual membership , which costs around £48 (HS) or £50
(NTS), and allows free admission to their properties. In addition, both the NTS and HS offer
short-term passes: the NTS has the Discovery Ticket , which costs between £25 for an
adult ticket lasting three days to £70 for a family ticket lasting fourteen days; and HS's
Explorer Pass , ranging from £29 for three days (out of five) to £76 for seven days (out of
fourteen) for a family.

Once obtained, youth/student ID cards soon
pay for themselves in savings. Full-time students are
eligible for the International Student Identity Card
or ISIC ( W isiccard.com), which costs around £12
and entitles the bearer to special air, rail and bus
fares, and discounts at museums, theatres and
other attractions. If you're not a student, but you're
25 or younger, you can get an International Youth
Travel Card or IYTC , which costs the same as the
ISIC and carries the same benefits.

Note that visa regulations are subject to frequent
changes, so it's always wise to contact the nearest
British embassy or high commission before you
travel. If you visit W ukvisas.gov.uk, you can
download the full range of application forms and
information leaflets and find out the contact details
of your nearest embassy or consulate. In addition,
an independent charity, the Immigration Advisory
Service or IAS ( W iasuk.org), offers free and confi-
dential advice to anyone applying for entry
clearance into the UK.
If you want to extend your visa , you should
contact the UK Border Agency ( W ukba.homeo ce
.gov.uk), before the expiry date given in your passport.

Electricity
The current in Scotland is the EU standard of
approximately 230v AC. All sockets are designed for
British three-pin plugs, which are totally different
from the rest of the EU. Adapters are widely avail-
able at airports and electronics stores.

Gay and lesbian travellers
While there's no gay scene as such out in the
Highlands and Islands, nearly three-quarters of
Scots have a positive opinion of gay and lesbian
people. In more remote areas, and in particular in
those areas where religious observance is high,
attitudes tend to be more conservative, and gay
and lesbian locals are extremely discreet about
their sexuality.

Emergencies
For police , fire and ambulance services phone
T 999.

Entry requirements

Citizens of all European countries - except Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro,
Serbia and all the former Soviet republics (other
than the Baltic states) - can enter Britain with just a
passport , for up to three months (and indefinitely
if you're from the EU). Americans, Canadians,
Australians and New Zealanders can stay for up to
six months, providing they have a return ticket and
adequate funds to cover their stay. Citizens of most
other countries require a visa , obtainable from
the British consulate or mission o ce in the country
of application.

Health

Pharmacists (known as chemists in Scotland) can
dispense only a limited range of drugs without a
doctor's prescription. Most pharmacies are open
standard shop hours, though there are also late-night
branches in large cities and at 24-hour supermarkets.
If your condition is serious enough, you can turn
up at the Accident and Emergency (A&E) depart-
ment of local hospitals for complaints that require
immediate attention. Obviously, if it's an absolute
emergency, you should ring for an ambulance