WE'RE GOING!

[winterbadger]

Of course, the *real* commitment was made March 9th, when my beatiful and accomplished love made our airline reservations.

But I got a special pleasure from the following message:

Dear Mr Jan Spoor,

We are delighted to confirm your reservation at The Stronlossit Inn in Inverness-shire. ...

[much detail excised]

I particularly like the notice that

Pets: Pets are not allowed in the Hotel, but can sleep overnight in owners vehicles, provided they are well behaved and do not cause annoyance to other guests.

This place is going to be lovely! And that's only one might of the week...

Comments

[blueinva.livejournal.com]

Flying into Prestwick, or Heathrow and then Inverness, or better still Heathrow and drive up? I know L is going to be *very* jealous when she sees this...

[winterbadger]

Flight from DC to Heathrow, then flight to Glasgow, then driving up the west coast as far as Skye. I figure I need at least two more trips, more likely four or five to feel I've seen Scotland properly (the north, the Hebridies, and the Orkneys; the east coast; the Borders; Galloway; and one more trip into the central Highlands, which I've driven through but not stayed in).

Of course, Nora wants to go to Ireland, I've not been to much of England beyond London, the Lake District, and odd bits of the South (Oxford, Cambridge, Warwick & Stratford, Guildford). And then there's that big mass of land on the other side of the Channel.

How is it, exactly, that one gets one's employer to keep paying one while one doesn't actually show up for work? We need to find a way to make that happen, I think. :-)

when?

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

a person I know didn't get a birthday prezzie because his sisses were thinking something for the trip would be nice. . .

Re: when?

[winterbadger]

:-)

We will be leaving on the 21st of May, arriving in Glasgow on the 22nd, spending the following week in Oban, Fort William, Skye, and Helensburgh, and returning home on the 29th.

Now, this evening I need to look at the renatal car rates I printed out this morning... Pity I never learned stick.

Re: when?

[vikingcat.livejournal.com]

Pity I never learned stick.

You'd be shifting with the wrong hand anyway.

Re: when?

[winterbadger]

Oooh! Good point.

Re: when?

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

We found in London that all that was easily available was automatic, anyway.

We had seen on the web a number of teeny cars that a friend suggested would be perhaps so small that we'd have trouble fitting the luggage. Then we found we coudl reserve from the US for the UK in American dollars; and with a AAA discount, we paid a reasonabel amount.

We wound up with an automatic Renault-- with of course the steering wheel "on the wrong side." I was fine, but my passenger thought i was maybe a bit too close to the curb as we drove through some of the towns in the Cotswolds. . .

Re: when?

[winterbadger]

Most of the quotes I got online were either for standard transmission only, for a mixture with stadard predominating, or did not specify, which make me uncomfortable about booking them. This may be the difference between London and Scotland.

Good point about the AAA, though; I should check and see if I can get a better rate through them. Thought he best price I've gotten so far was from a family-owned firm in Glasgow, which probably doesn't give AAA discounts :-).

Re: when?

[robbysmom.livejournal.com]

yes, the difference may be exzctly where US firms are in the UK, and they are in the capitol and maybe not in Glasgow. Still, I just looked and it depends on whether you're picking up at the airport. . .

see here, e.g.
www.carrentals.co.uk

[azbound.livejournal.com]

It's never too late to learn stick.

I'm not telling Mom - she'll be pea green with envy.

[winterbadger]

It's never too late to learn stick.

True, but I think "while navigating two-lane roads in a foreign country" is probably not the best time to do so. :-)

Your mom needen't be too envious--we're not staying at Babbity Bowser in Glasgow, and we won't be heading to Sandy Bell's in Edinburgh or Dougie MacLean's in Dunkeld. :-)