OT-Scotland Travel

[David_Tepper]

Bill C. -

Adam is correct. Connecting in Inverness for a train to Tain is a close as you can get to Dornoch by rail. From there you would need a taxi or would have to walk 2-3 blocks to the High Street in Tain to catch the bus to Dornoch.

As I mentioned earlier, you can also take a bus from Inverness to Dornoch. The train and bus stations in Inverness are close together.

DT 

p.s. Looks like there are now 6 trains a day from Inverness to Tain:

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/train-times/inverness-to-tain

[Ian Mackenzie]

Why not just hitch-hike from place to place...?...


The "R.O.I." on the rental car is a no-brainer when you factor in YOUR time and your total trip expense and your overall enjoyment.


"Travel days" as you cite basically trashes your stay in Scotland and relegates your ass to the whims of the railroad schedule.
Are you a college student...?...


Dragging clubs and luggage around from town to town and course to course really will limit your ability to be spontaneaoius and take that extra hour and go play Boat of Garten or slide up to Dornocj area and play Brora or show up at RDGC and get on late in the pm.


Save some dough and get a cheap car with bare minimum insurance and drive yourself around.


Then again, if you dont want to drive a stick on the left side of the road, i get that...waiting in train and bus stations wins.


Also consider you need transports out and into EDI.


I bet that, all-in, a car is really not that much more expensive after cabs, buses, trains and the travel inconvenince that travelling like John Candy can create...;-)

[Ben Sims]

This has been very informative. Thanks to all.


Best info is the fact that credit cards have rental insurance as a benefit. I had no idea. So my rental will be covered by my USAA credit card. So I rebooked and got an automatic economy car for about half of what I was going to pay. That sort of  makes it a no brainer to keep the car now.


I would’ve enjoyed the adventure via public transportation. But being flexible and potentially visiting friends at Cabot Highlands is more important.

[Ian Mackenzie]

This has been very informative. Thanks to all.


Best info is the fact that credit cards have rental insurance as a benefit. I had no idea. So my rental will be covered by my USAA credit card. So I rebooked and got an automatic economy car for about half of what I was going to pay. That sort of  makes it a no brainer to keep the car now.


I would’ve enjoyed the adventure via public transportation. But being flexible and potentially visiting friends at Cabot Highlands is more important.

Winner, Winner...Haggis Dinner...!!....

[David_Tepper]

Ben S. -

Since you now have a car I would encourage you to take an hour to drive over to Castle Stuart and have a look around. It is just a mile or two west of Inverness Airport and a mile or so off the A96 highway. Should not be more than a 20-25 minute drive from Nairn.

The view from the first tee up and down the Morary Firth is quite something, as is the view from the men's locker room. The chili in the dining room is pretty good too (or at least it used to be ). 

The construction of the Tom Doak designed 2nd course there should be well underway, although I don't know how much will be easy to see from the perimeter of the property.

DT   

[jeffwarne]

Are you solo with lots of time?

Ciao

Solo. Carry-on and golf bag. Travel days are travel days for the most part. I don’t have any tee times on those days.

Those "travel days"  now have the opportunity be your best days of the trip.
Soooo many gems to be had spontaneously, the Grampian Coast is now in play.

[Sean_A]

Are you solo with lots of time?

Ciao

Solo. Carry-on and golf bag. Travel days are travel days for the most part. I don’t have any tee times on those days.

Those "travel days"  now have the opportunity be your best days of the trip.
Soooo many gems to be had spontaneously, the Grampian Coast is now in play.

Ut oh, I fear a Jeff Sherman Warne death march is in Ben's future. 😎

Ciao

[Mark Pearce]

Are you solo with lots of time?

Ciao

Solo. Carry-on and golf bag. Travel days are travel days for the most part. I don’t have any tee times on those days.

Those "travel days"  now have the opportunity be your best days of the trip.
Soooo many gems to be had spontaneously, the Grampian Coast is now in play.

This.  So depressing to read opinions that suggest that time travelling round a foreign country is "trash time".  Public transport around the Highlands gives you a chance to see some spectacular scenery and towns that mere golf tourism doesn't.

[Niall C]

There's no doubt that having a car gives more freedom of movement and allows the potential to see a lot more, and not just golf. However, 4 or 5 hours in a car navigating unfamiliar roads, with different rules and driving on the opposite side of the road doesn't sound the most relaxing way to travel so there is a trade off and perhaps not quite the no-brainer some make out.


I was speaking to a pal recently about holidays and it occurred to me that in the last 20 odd years pretty well every trip I've taken has been golf related. As much as I love my golf I do wish I'd spent a bit more time on some of this trips soaking up what else the place had to offer away from the golf course. In fact in a few weeks time I'm changing job and intending to take a 2/3 week break before I start. I'm currently planning a trip to Spain, using Barcelona as a base and taking the train through to Madrid for a couple of days and perhaps Seville. For once I've no thoughts of taking clubs and quite looking forward to it.


Ben


Re Castle Stuart - as David says the clubhouse is lovely and if going that way worth a visit. However the last time I was there they had a friendly man at the entrance checking if you were golfing and if not then sorry, no entry. You may therefore want to drop Stuart McColm, the General Manager, a polite email beforehand or see if one of the Renaissance crew can tee it up for you (assuming you're not playing that is).


Niall



 

[David_Tepper]

"However the last time I was there they had a friendly man at the entrance checking if you were golfing and if not then sorry, no entry."

Niall -

I find this quite surprising. How long ago was this? Before or after the Cabot group acquired the property?

I am heading to the bonnie Highlands next week and will swing by to see if that is the current policy.

DT 

[Niall C]

David


I think that was 2021 or perhaps year before. Dodgy memory. It's also not exactly true that we weren't allowed into the clubhouse as they were happy for us to go into the pro shop to spend some money but we weren't allowed further. They were very polite about it but at the same time it did make us feel a bit like interlopers so going out to have a look at the course was a bit awkward.


Niall

[David_Tepper]

Niall -

That makes a little more sense. Your initial comment made it sound like you were not allowed on to the property at all, even to drive into the parking. I can understand why they would not want non-golfer out on the course.

DT

[Niall C]

David


There's no one to stop you when you drive in but someone at the front door to "meet and greet". Very polite and very friendly but a most definite "f*** off". I was with Tony Muldoon so that might explain it 


Niall

[Kalen Braley]

I suspect Niall makes a valid point.

In the US, we're used to driving on relatively safe and wide open divided highways to get where we want fairly quickly.  We can set the cruise control to 80 MPH, pop on your favorite tunes, and actually enjoy the scenery along the way.

I couldn't imagine creeping along for hours and hours thou on a narrow highway in the UK which from what I've heard in many cases barely qualifies as two lanes in each direction. That doesn't sound relaxing at all, perhaps when I was younger it would have been fun & sporting, but not at my age.

[Tony_Muldoon]

David


There's no one to stop you when you drive in but someone at the front door to "meet and greet". Very polite and very friendly but a most definite "f*** off". I was with Tony Muldoon so that might explain it 


Niall

Yeah but it was who I was with that really explains it!

[Tony_Muldoon]

Note there is confusion going on in this thread?


People are telling Ben to go to Castle Stuart, which is now called Cabot Highlands and he has plans to meet friends there.

[David_Tepper]

Tony  -

You are correct. Castle Stuart is now called Cabot Highlands. I wonder if the road signs have been changed to the new name yet.

I will find out a week from tomorrow.

DT   

[Ken Moum]

I suspect Niall makes a valid point.

In the US, we're used to driving on relatively safe and wide open divided highways to get where we want fairly quickly.  We can set the cruise control to 80 MPH, pop on your favorite tunes, and actually enjoy the scenery along the way.

I couldn't imagine creeping along for hours and hours thou on a narrow highway in the UK which from what I've heard in many cases barely qualifies as two lanes in each direction. That doesn't sound relaxing at all, perhaps when I was younger it would have been fun & sporting, but not at my age.

Kalen, my wife and I are making our fifth trip in Aug and Sept, and we'll be driving a little white van as we have the last two trips. For a two-month deal it only makes sense.


Gives us a place to store all our crap...we'll be getting bicycles of some kind as we don't even attempt to play every day.


Re. the driving,  we always say the screaming from the passenger seat usually stops by the second week.


One tip for dealing with being on the right side of the road is to check where you are in relation to the center line by looking in the driver's side mirror.

[Ben Sims]

Well, United graciously gave me a week’s notice that my flight from the east coast to EDI was cancelled and rebooked me Denver-Frankfurt-Edinburgh.


The Frankfurt connect is 1hr35min. Is that enough time to make the connect? And is there a decent chance I won’t get my clubs in EDI?


This was all so much easier when I had a C17 at my disposal.

[David_Tepper]

"People are telling Ben to go to Castle Stuart, which is now called Cabot Highlands and he has plans to meet friends there."

Tony M. -

As of Thursday afternoon, the road signs on the A96 highway and by Inverness Airport still identify the property as Castle Stuart.

Ben S. -

The odds are good you will make the connection in Frankfurt. The odds about your clubs making the connection are not quite as good.

DT

[Ben Sims]

"People are telling Ben to go to Castle Stuart, which is now called Cabot Highlands and he has plans to meet friends there."

Tony M. -

As of Thursday afternoon, the road signs on the A96 highway and by Inverness Airport still identify the property as Castle Stuart.

Ben S. -

The odds are good you will make the connection in Frankfurt. The odds about your clubs making the connection are not quite as good.

DT

This is the advice I was afraid of. United have me the ancillary option of flying direct to London and then I could take train up. Extra money and time but likely I would get clubs.

[David_Tepper]

Ben -

I was just in Dornoch for almost 4 weeks. I talked to a guy traveling from Vancouver, BC to Dornoch and a father/son traveling from JFK/NYC to Dornoch who had their clubs lost/delayed en route.

Another option is to send your clubs ahead via Shipsticks or a similar service. 

DT

[Mike Worth]

"People are telling Ben to go to Castle Stuart, which is now called Cabot Highlands and he has plans to meet friends there."

Tony M. -

As of Thursday afternoon, the road signs on the A96 highway and by Inverness Airport still identify the property as Castle Stuart.

Ben S. -

The odds are good you will make the connection in Frankfurt. The odds about your clubs making the connection are not quite as good.

DT

This is the advice I was afraid of. United have me the ancillary option of flying direct to London and then I could take train up. Extra money and time but likely I would get clubs.

I have to not agree with this advice. 90 minutes is plenty of time for your clubs to make the transfer.


I have a part-time roommate at my house in NJ, he was a friend from Afghanistan, and he’s gone on since then to become a First Officer for United (he’s using my NJ place as a crash pad, while he builds his net worth and pays off flight school loans.). He’s also a dual US/UK citizen

He’s flying back from somewhere in Europe today (I think Edinburgh actually), so I can’t speak with him directly. But previous conversations with him is that 90 mins is fine.  I ask him about this stuff all the time because I’m always concerned my clubs won’t make it.


The one thing he would say if he was in this thread is to avoid Heathrow at all costs.  The ground crews are insufficiently staffed. You would stand a chance of losing your clubs there or a lengthy delay with luggage if you fly into Heathrow.


In fact, my roommate, Alex has been flying the route from Newark to EDI a lot lately though he says he’s not senior enough to get on flight 36 which is the better flight


I think I’ve asked you this before do you have a military background? I also enjoy the certainty of seeing my golf clubs, palletized in the middle of a C-17 (or a KC – 135). Nothing beats the feeling of eyes on your luggage.


That said I have a horror story where our Air Force misplaced my bag in 2013 coming from Qatar to Bagram. They gave my bag “special” handling, which resulted in it being left in the middle of the cargo bay.  Had I not hitched a ride on the back of a forklift at 3 AM right after we landed, the bag would’ve gone onto Kyrgyzstan.

[Ben Sims]

"People are telling Ben to go to Castle Stuart, which is now called Cabot Highlands and he has plans to meet friends there."

Tony M. -

As of Thursday afternoon, the road signs on the A96 highway and by Inverness Airport still identify the property as Castle Stuart.

Ben S. -

The odds are good you will make the connection in Frankfurt. The odds about your clubs making the connection are not quite as good.

DT

This is the advice I was afraid of. United have me the ancillary option of flying direct to London and then I could take train up. Extra money and time but likely I would get clubs.

I have to not agree with this advice. 90 minutes is plenty of time for your clubs to make the transfer.


I have a part-time roommate at my house in NJ, he was a friend from Afghanistan, and he’s gone on since then to become a First Officer for United (he’s using my NJ place as a crash pad, while he builds his net worth and pays off flight school loans.). He’s also a dual US/UK citizen

He’s flying back from somewhere in Europe today (I think Edinburgh actually), so I can’t speak with him directly. But previous conversations with him is that 90 mins is fine.  I ask him about this stuff all the time because I’m always concerned my clubs won’t make it.


The one thing he would say if he was in this thread is to avoid Heathrow at all costs.  The ground crews are insufficiently staffed. You would stand a chance of losing your clubs there or a lengthy delay with luggage if you fly into Heathrow.


In fact, my roommate, Alex has been flying the route from Newark to EDI a lot lately though he says he’s not senior enough to get on flight 36 which is the better flight


I think I’ve asked you this before do you have a military background? I also enjoy the certainty of seeing my golf clubs, palletized in the middle of a C-17 (or a KC – 135). Nothing beats the feeling of eyes on your luggage.


That said I have a horror story where our Air Force misplaced my bag in 2013 coming from Qatar to Bagram. They gave my bag “special” handling, which resulted in it being left in the middle of the cargo bay.  Had I not hitched a ride on the back of a forklift at 3 AM right after we landed, the bag would’ve gone onto Kyrgyzstan.

Mike,


Yeah I flew C17s in the USAF for awhile. I’m now competing with United at work, but happy to use their service for travel when needed. In this particular case they boned me, but that’s not uncommon in the industry at the moment. We all aren’t so great post-Covid.


The 90 minute connect in Frankfurt scares me cause the rebooking is United to Frankfurt and Lufthansa to EDI. If the doubts don’t make it I’ll be begging the pro shop at Nairn for sticks on my first time there. Not something I want to do at all.


The guaranteed way for clubs at this juncture is either ship sticks or fly direct heathrow and grab my clubs and take the train.

[Daryl David]

Use ship sticks. Your clubs will will be waiting for you in Edinburgh and you will feel no stress even if you miss the connection.