Scotland Holiday Travel Advice

SoundEng

SoundEng

SoundEng

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Joined
4 Mar 2008
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Location
Wandsworth
Hi all,

Me and a few mates (well 10 of us in total) have decided it would be good to go up to Scotland for some biking etc in the summer. We would be staying in a cottage (family friends) in Kinlochbervie (North West Scotland).

The issue we're having is how to get there. Basically came up with 3 options:

1. Get a sleeper train up to Inverness and then hire 2 cars and drive the rest of the way. However this is proving difficult as I can't find anywhere cheapish who will hire to an 18 year old. Does anyone know of a company who will?

2. Drive all the way up there in 2 of our cars. Issue with this is they are both very small cars (I have a renault clio) and fitting 5 people + luggage will be nigh on impossible. (Especially for a 12 hour journey!) Theres also the issue of the likelihood of my car surviving a ~700 mile journey... :p

3. Try to get temporary insurance on one of our parents cars (for me would be a 2.5l Subaru). Again this is proving difficult as I can't find anywhere who will give temporary insurance on a 2.5l car to an 18 year old!


So does anyone else have any other suggestions or ways that the above may be possible? At the moment its looking as if option 1 will be the easiest, its just trying to find the cheapest hire possible.

Thanks :)
 
I went to Inverness last year. I drove up from Devon, no big deal, just stayed overnight near Glasgow to break the journey up - it's worth taking a day to get from Glasgow to Inverness because the scenery is absolutely stunning and there is lots to stop for.
 
[TW]Fox;24428345 said:
I went to Inverness last year. I drove up from Devon, no big deal, just stayed overnight near Glasgow to break the journey up - it's worth taking a day to get from Glasgow to Inverness because the scenery is absolutely stunning and there is lots to stop for.
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That's what I want to do, and the drive is meant to be lovely for the scenery. The issue is that fitting 5 not exactly skinny guys into a renault clio + luggage and beer for a 12 hour journey isn't particularly easy. Which is why I was looking at hiring. But that's proving to be a problem due to my age
 
I went to Glasgow on spur of moment once but had to sleep under a bridge because I couldn't find a hotel room.


Not a very pleasurable evening.

Got sorted the next night though.
 
isonomicjedi said:
I went to Glasgow on spur of moment once but had to sleep under a bridge because I couldn't find a hotel room.


Not a very pleasurable evening.

Got sorted the next night though.
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not even a hostel?

op you will probably not get a rental car at your age if you do you will be paying a bomb in fees.

the 3rd option, check up on this because i may be wrong but i assume you have insurance on your own car so you should be insured to a degree on your dads car but check with YOUR insurance on that.

also Kinlochbervie? can you get any further north? after loch carron it gets a bit barren. yes its miles and miles of rolling mountain and heather but that's about it. for 10 18 year olds that doesn't sound appealing, unless its the peace and quiet you are after then say no more :D
 
Take out insurance on your dads car, cancel it after the trip, split the cost between the 10 of you (since everyone will benefit). Pay by DD obviously so it's installments. Stop over near Glasgow/Edinburgh for a night, personally I'd recommend somewhere out of town, even up near Stirling area as it's a better place to set off from. Realistically you'll have to compromise on losing either a day there and back for stop overs or traveling by other means. You can rent 9 seater buses and drive yourself, assuming one or two of you are old enough and have the right license. Costs a lot though and as usual - just short of the number of you going!
 
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Add yourself to parents insurance for the Subaru for a week? Surely much cheaper than trying to find insurance elsewhere for it?
 
opstrat said:
not even a hostel?

op you will probably not get a rental car at your age if you do you will be paying a bomb in fees.

the 3rd option, check up on this because i may be wrong but i assume you have insurance on your own car so you should be insured to a degree on your dads car but check with YOUR insurance on that.

also Kinlochbervie? can you get any further north? after loch carron it gets a bit barren. yes its miles and miles of rolling mountain and heather but that's about it. for 10 18 year olds that doesn't sound appealing, unless its the peace and quiet you are after then say no more :D
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bJN said:
Add yourself to parents insurance for the Subaru for a week? Surely much cheaper than trying to find insurance elsewhere for it?
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Yeah that's what I'm thinking is going to be easiest. We're on Admiral multicar so they might be able to do something. I've looked around online and nowhere will insure me on the subaru (probably because its a 2.5l engine) but I may get insured on my dads 1.8 Freelander.

Yeah, my mates friends own a cottage up there and they have a boat so we're all going up there for some waterskiing/biking/bbq on the beach if its sunny :D
 
PMKeates said:
Scotland holiday advice?

Don't go.
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Say the person from Tilbury ;-)

I've just come back from a weeks holiday in a log cabin just outside Perth - it was one of the best holidays I've had - beautiful party of the country - quite like to move there.

As far as driving in in your Clio and not thinking it'd do the 700 miles? Why wouldn't it? Don't you do more than 700 miles a year in it? Just make sure you've got decent break down recovery and you're set.
 
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