Inverness Travel Forum

I am considering an Elderhostel trip titled "Land, Sea and Skye: Scottish Highlands and Lislands"

Have anyone done this trip? Experience with Elderhostel. The main place we will stay is Aigas Field Centre and House of Aigas.
I am traveling by myself & outside the US for the first time. Sinlge & 65. I want be able to walk and visit small villages and stay out of cities.

It looks like there are just a few small villages close to the Aigas Field Center (I just looked at the google map of the area), although the website for the Aigas Field Center seems pretty cool. Obviously Inverness is a city, but is still kind of quaint. We visited Ullapool, Gairloch, Portree, Dunvegan on Skye last summer on a trekking tour and we really enjoyed it. The Highlands are a great area to walk about. Karl

I have visited all of these places except Aigas and I loved all of it. I think it meets your requirement of staying out of cities. In Inverness you can take a very nice walk along the River Ness which has some beautiful old pedestrial bridges that cross to a couple of islands. Skye is out of this world.

The Scottish highlands and islands are absolutely beautiful and should not be missed. I haven't heard of Elderhostel but I've done a similar tour.

The islands especially are not like cities (mainly because they're so small that they're just tiny little towns. They are very friendly.

If you're doing a tour you're bound to meet some like-minded people to do it with as well so I wouldn't worry about travelling by yourself.

I don't think even Inverness would be what you think of as a city: it's really just a large-ish town. Elsewhere in the Highlands, and on Skye, you will find mainly small or small-ish villages.

Why not have a look at the map of the Aigas area (and elsewhere)? It wil give you an idea both of the countryside/walking potential and of the nearby settlements. www.streetmap.co.uk, put in 'aigas' and click 'GB place'. You'll get the Ordnance survey 1:25000 map of the area, which has lots of detail (contour lines, historical sites etc). You can move in 4 directions to look further as well as zoom in and out.

If the tour appeals then don't worry about travelling alone. You will meet like-minded people, if you wish to. I always travel alone, and enjoy my own company, but it's nice to have someone to talk to as well.

Thank you all for responding. First time on a Forum and you have been very helpful. I've tracked out the tour on a map and it looks like areas I would want to visit. Nice to have agreement. I have always preferred traveling alone, but decided this trip might go better with some help. I have never done a tour before. Am a little nervous about not having enough time to myself and the lack of being able to change the agenda whenever I want to. Maybe I'll be ready to go alone on the next one. Thanks again.

A useful resouce for you:
http://www.ramblers.org.uk/

Aigas is a beautiful location, with wonderful staff and wildlife walks on site. However, it is isolated and you will need transport to reach all places from there. It is best suited for nature and wildlife watching.

As a group booking, you will be with them, and it should be great. Expect to find it harder to find solitude.

However, if you would like to walk alone and meet new people at your accommodation each night, you can do it independently too.

As you wish to walk small villages, can I also suggest the region of Highland Perthshire and in particular the Cateran Trail:

http://www.pkct.org/index.asp?pg=113&cookies=True
http://www.perthshire.co.uk/index.asp?lm=291

This is a waymarked route in delightful scenery and linking small villages with good places to stay, well suited for older walkers (more gentle landscape than the higher regions of the Highlands). Much depends upon your fitness, walking style and sociability. And the weather :)

A point to clarify: The original "Youth Hostels Association", founded in the 1930's, is no longer really providing for the 'youth' (except for school groups and families). In tourist and city destinations 'student age' can be noticable but for many of the YHA and Scottish YHA hostels, the users are decidedly "old" or "elder". It is common to stay in a hostel (outside of certain holidays and school trip times) and find your fellow guests to all be over 50 years old and some a healthy 80 years!

In recent years Scotland has also seen a proliferation of Independent Hostels (ie not part of the YHA organisation and privately run) often run by ex-yha managers, doing their own thing. I have visited over 100 of these Scottish Hostels and can vouch for most. Some are quite exceptionally good.

So, as a 65 year old woman travelling alone, you do not need worry. You will not be alone, unless you choose to be. You will be safe.

www.syha.org.uk
www.hostel-scotland.co.uk

As an example of what you could enjoy, have a look at: http://www.lazyduck.co.uk/ ... fresh bread, quacking ducks, sighing trees, gentle and considerate owners, a wood burning stove and immaculate throughout.

The depopulation of Highland Scotland (ie Clearances) means villages are few and far between, making walking more about nature, wilderness and open scenery. There is thus a tendency to rely upon vehicle transport a lot, and there is less gentle strolling and exploring architecture, country pubs and local shops.

Also, the different land access laws in Scotland and land ownership, mean Scotland is quite unlike England (which has footpaths established all over the place, connecting villages, hopefully with traditional pubs!). To the first time visitor, Scotland can seem too bleak and devoid of human resources. To the rest of us, this is a blessing and it's main attraction!

I hope you have a wonderful time!!

I have never been to Scotland and infact I am planning a solo trip there myself this coming September. I have been on one Elderhostel trip and was very unhappy with it. They do not run their own trips, but contract out to tour companies. The problem was with the tour company not Elderhostel. That being said, the participants were fantastic and I probably will try Elderhostel again. They have a division called Roads Scholars. I went with them to Copper Canyon and had a wonderful time. Again, it was the tour operator who made the difference.

No computer access for a week. I am following up on all your suggestions and can see lots of areas to research. Thanks again. Yvette

Elderhostel is a good start for a neophite traveller going alone - have done a dozen or more and usually room with someone else - have made some good friends. The accomodations aren't fancy but comfortable and usually the educational part is very good.

That having been said I did this trip years ago and, while I love Scotland, I don't like Aigas. It is a Victorian castle but owned by a retired English lord who doesn't seem to much care for Scots (or Americans either). It is in the country and there are hikes and lots of nature watching - which makes you appreciate all the wildlife we have in the U.S. - some interesting sightseeing - Loch Ness - old burial mounds - etc. but not much in the way of towns, large or small. In short, Elderhostel is a good, reliable organization but this isn't their best trip. Haven't they got others to Scotland.