# Scotland next year



## Vacationsarefun

I am starting to consider a possible trip to Scotland next summer. Does anyone have experience with timeshares there? Which exchange company would be most likely to get something there?


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## geist1223

Are you restricted to summer travel? Last year we spent 2 weeks in April in Scotland. We had a great time. The first week we rented a self-catering cottage on a working farm about 10 miles north of Inverness. The second week we spent at Kilconquhar Estate and Country Club in Fife. We traded through RCI to get Kilconquhar. From Kilconquhar we traveled all over Fife, went to Sterling, and spent 2 days in Edinburgh.


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## jehb2

We got and RCI Exchange (via Hilton Grand Vacations Club) last Summer. We stayed in a 1 bdrm in McDonald Forest Hill and Spa near Stirling.  It was very pleasant.  We actually got several other exchanges before we accepted this one.  There was a lot of availability for us because our kids get out of school early June.  European kids don't get out til late June and kids in the Eastern & Western parts of the U.S. seem to get out mid-June.


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## Pompey Family

jehb2 said:


> European kids don't get out til late June and kids in the Eastern & Western parts of the U.S. seem to get out mid-June.



European school summer holidays (with few exceptions) start in July.


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## Krystyna

*Scotland*

You will have a hard time getting any summer months in the UK - especially in Scotland where I am from (now live in Ontario, Canada) as others have suggested if you can go in the spring e.g. May /June you have more of a chance.  In Fife I can highly recommend a self-catering cottage on the grounds of Cambo House Estates and only a few miles south of St Andrews - it's a very good place & good base if you can't get into the timeshare @ Kikconquhar  - I like the quality, fit and finish @ Cambo + they have a wonderful Walled Garden. The reviews are always good.    Krystyna/Richard    We have done a number of exchanges (thru RCI) to Scotland & England, you can email or p.m. me if u have further questions.


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## Laurie

RCI isn't bad for June availability, and we have successfully traded for Scotland through RCI in June. 

But availability for some resorts will generally be better farther out, if you can swing that - so if you set your sights on 2018 rather than 2017 now, you'll probably have more choices.  At least that's my experience.


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## beejaybeeohio

*Kilconquhar*

This is a large t/s complex in Fife and close to St. Andrew's & Edinburgh. The setting is lovely and when we were there over a decade ago, the resort offered daytrips further afield to places such as Loch Ness.  We were there in July and snagged a 3 bedroom online 2 years out.

It seems to me that RCI is either not getting many UK deposits or something else is going on.  I currently have an OGS in since February looking for October 2017 for several English, German and Italian resorts and nothing has matched.

We did get a trade last year into Sutton Hall in Thirsk via RCI, but couldn't get a match for another week on either side of that one, so used UKRE exchanging our IRL t/s for a week in the Lakes District.  DAE has been pretty useless for me when it comes to exchanging into the UK- very irksome to see all those resorts listed as "SOLD"!

I am starting to think that "extra vacations" may be the only way to get a t/s week thru RCI.  Costing it out can actually be a money saver when exchange fee and maintenance fees are factored into a trade vs. the "xv" charge.


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## falmouth3

Eleven years ago, we did an exchange with SFX for Duchally Country Estate-A Club La Costa Resort and Hotel.  It was about half way between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and that's what I requested.   We had a lovely 2 BR and I could pick any weekend in July and August for check in.  Certainly I'm not sure if they still have these kinds of options anymore.


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## Pompey Family

One thing to be aware of in Scotland during the summer are midges, particularly in the Highlands.

Nasty little things.


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## Jimster

*Scotland*



falmouth3 said:


> Eleven years ago, we did an exchange with SFX for Duchally Country Estate-A Club La Costa Resort and Hotel.  It was about half way between Edinburgh and Glasgow, and that's what I requested.   We had a lovely 2 BR and I could pick any weekend in July and August for check in.  Certainly I'm not sure if they still have these kinds of options anymore.



I have also stayed there and found it quite nice.


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## tedk

We have been going to Scotland every year for at least the last ten years, mostly during the summer school holidays. Most years we have got what has suited us by looking online, though the last couple of years we had to get RCI to start a search for us. They came through pretty quick, also we only stay in Gold Crown and at least 2 bedrooms.
Ted


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## scotlass

*Melfort Village*

We own at Melfort Village on the west coast and go every July (currently there now).  It is a great spot for visiting the outer islands, the scenery is stunning and we seldom suffer from the midges in this area.  The resort is well-run and always gets good reviews.  It is in both RCI and DAE.


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## Jwerking

tedk said:


> We have been going to Scotland every year for at least the last ten years, mostly during the summer school holidays. Most years we have got what has suited us by looking online, though the last couple of years we had to get RCI to start a search for us. They came through pretty quick, also we only stay in Gold Crown and at least 2 bedrooms.
> Ted



How far in advance do you start your RCI searches?

I too find a lot less RCI availability these days thru ongoing searches.  With the Vacation Getaways and TPUs, I think a lot of the inventory gets taken by folks willing to rent (sometimes cheaper - so why not) or combining TPUs for a fee to get what they want.


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## tedk

I start looking around the 20- 18 months out, but i do look everyday once i am ready to book something. As my wife works in a school we are tied to school holidays, but we always get what we want or happy to take. When i have asked RCI to start a search for us the amount we turn down till something comes up that we want. So don't despair you will find something there, patience.
Ted


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## Jwerking

tedk said:


> I start looking around the 20- 18 months out, but i do look everyday once i am ready to book something. As my wife works in a school we are tied to school holidays, but we always get what we want or happy to take. When i have asked RCI to start a search for us the amount we turn down till something comes up that we want. So don't despair you will find something there, patience.
> Ted



Kudos to you, Ted!  I use to be much more organized with my TS vacations when our kids were in school and would always search 2 yrs in advance and always got what we wanted.  Even got an exchange in Allen House in London one summer to match up with our Exchange to Royal Regency outside of Paris.  For sure,many  Europeans do deposit at the 2yr window and it is the best time to start searching.

But these days - I seldom even do ongoing searches and have not had much luck with them started at about the 12-15 month window for prime winter weeks.  We ended up booking Paniola Greens on the Big Island of Hawaii for 8 wks for Jan-Feb 2017 just because they were sitting online at RCI.  There are for sure better resorts on the Big Island but trying to get matches for many weeks via an ongoing search is difficult. 

My daughter just moved to Germany (around Frankfurt) to work for 3 yrs - so I am trying to plan some timeshare European trips.  But I guess I need to be searching for 2018 versus 2017 - may have more luck.


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## Laurie

There has been some evidence, at least in the recent past, that RCI holds out a majority of European deposits (not all though) for its European membership. 

There's also been some evidence in the past that when a deposit is first made, they'll keep it in the exchange pool for maybe 30 days, and then move it to rental only, if it's a lucrative prime week. 

Ongoing searches can be productive, but they don't always catch what you're waiting for. So it pays to do both, an ongoing search + check frequently yourself.


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## Elizabeth O.

My husband and I are going to the Open golf tournament at Carnoustie in 2018. We will probably stay at a hotel in St. Andrews. We have been to Scotland once before, staying at Moness. We rented a car at that time, but would prefer not to drive this time. We would like to extend our stay at a time share either before or after the tournament. Can anyone recommend a time share that would be reasonably close to St. Andrews and also within a taxi ride of a train station? We own Wyndham points and trade through RCI. Thank you!


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## dsmrp

beejaybeeohio said:


> ...
> 
> It seems to me that RCI is either not getting many UK deposits or something else is going on.  I currently have an OGS in since February looking for October 2017 for several English, German and Italian resorts and nothing has matched.
> 
> We did get a trade last year into Sutton Hall in Thirsk via RCI, but couldn't get a match for another week on either side of that one, so used UKRE exchanging our IRL t/s for a week in the Lakes District.  DAE has been pretty useless for me when it comes to exchanging into the UK- very irksome to see all those resorts listed as "SOLD"!
> 
> I am starting to think that "extra vacations" may be the only way to get a t/s week thru RCI.  Costing it out can actually be a money saver when exchange fee and maintenance fees are factored into a trade vs. the "xv" charge.



We've just decided on Sept/Oct 2017 for our first trip to England. I better get a get move on to put in an RCI OGS using my HGVC points, but not get my hopes up perhaps...  I think for first trip we should look around London and other parts of England, maybe Cornwall or Cotswalds etc.  DH even suggested Wales.  I'd appreciate any suggestions for places (hotels or TS) to stay in Wales.

Thanks!


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## Laurie

dsmrp said:


> We've just decided on Sept/Oct 2017 for our first trip to England. I better get a get move on to put in an RCI OGS using my HGVC points, but not get my hopes up perhaps...  I think for first trip we should look around London and other parts of England, maybe Cornwall or Cotswalds etc.  DH even suggested Wales.  I'd appreciate any suggestions for places (hotels or TS) to stay in Wales.



We loved Wales, Pembrokeshire coast - traded into St Davids Vacation Club, nothing super-fancy but fine and well-located in a town with lots within walking distance. We liked the area so much, we're going back - which we rarely do! (Exchanged into a different timeshare next time on the same coast.) Also liked Cornwall and there are many timeshares there, so chances are probably good.

Barnsdale in England gets good reviews and is within day-tripping of London and other cities and pretty towns, we also have that on our future itinerary.

I don't think you'll have difficulty getting something for October and maybe even September thru RCI, I would put my OGS in asap for the entire UK and see what turns up.


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## dsmrp

Laurie said:


> We loved Wales, Pembrokeshire coast - traded into St Davids Vacation Club, nothing super-fancy but fine and well-located in a town with lots within walking distance. We liked the area so much, we're going back - which we rarely do! (Exchanged into a different timeshare next time on the same coast.) Also liked Cornwall and there are many timeshares there, so chances are probably good.
> 
> Barnsdale in England gets good reviews and is within day-tripping of London and other cities and pretty towns, we also have that on our future itinerary.
> 
> I don't think you'll have difficulty getting something for October and maybe even September thru RCI, I would put my OGS in asap for the entire UK and see what turns up.



Thanks for the tips!
I'm going to put in my OGS tonite; unfortunately the RCI end of the HGVC portal was down when I wanted it yesterday.


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## Vacationsarefun

Thanks so much for all the information (I got busy with vacation plans for this year and didn't get around to check all the answers until today).

It seems that RCI would be the best bet (we do live in Europe so maybe that would increase our chances). We are stuck with school holidays unfortunately. I would prefer late August/early September for this trip (our vacations run from beginning of August to almost mid September). We do have another vacation around June that might work but it is only 2 weeks long so is harder to fit in.


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## bobpark56

*Cotswolds/Wales trip*



dsmrp said:


> We've just decided on Sept/Oct 2017 for our first trip to England. I better get a get move on to put in an RCI OGS using my HGVC points, but not get my hopes up perhaps...  I think for first trip we should look around London and other parts of England, maybe Cornwall or Cotswalds etc.  DH even suggested Wales.  I'd appreciate any suggestions for places (hotels or TS) to stay in Wales.
> 
> Thanks!



Our paths may cross. We too are planning a Cotswolds/Wales trip for 10 Sep - 10 Oct 2017, with a 5-night stop in Dublin on the way back. From what I have been tracking, flying via Aer Lingus seems to be the way for us to go, with Birmingham as our point of entry/exit. We already have a car rented (received a very nice 30-day discounted rate from Hertz), but have yet to start on B & B and Inn reservations. We are planning on using these, as one of our objectives is to sample as many English pubs as possible. Not sure yet whether a timeshare exchange fits into this or not. The only thing concerning us is whether we will be eating too many full English breakfasts!


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## Bill4728

Pompey Family said:


> One thing to be aware of in Scotland during the summer are midges, particularly in the Highlands.
> 
> Nasty little things.



Midges,  for those of you who like me didn't have a clue what they were before going to Scotland, are tiny insects which bite you either in the morning or evening. You generally can not see them or hear them but certainly do feel their bites.  The good thing is unlike mosquitoes they generally don't leave a welt.


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## falmouth3

If anyone wants a getaway in the Scottish or English countrysides, SFX has 3 listings in their Resort Escapes listings for the November time frames.  You don't need to be a paid member of SFX to rent these, but you will need to sign up as a free Gold Member.  They also have several Mexico *weeks* for $74-$99 but they are coming up really soon.


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## heathpack

I am currently at the very awesome Edinburgh Residences for the next week.  Then will move on to HGVC Craigandorrach Suites in Ballater, and then a few hotel days in Troon.  

Mine were both rentals, so no info from me on exchanging.  But other questions- fire away.


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## Pompey Family

heathpack said:


> I am currently at the very awesome Edinburgh Residences for the next week.  Then will move on to HGVC Craigandorrach Suites in Ballater, and then a few hotel days in Troon.
> 
> Mine were both rentals, so no info from me on exchanging.  But other questions- fire away.



If you're still in Edinburgh I can recommend a fantastic restaurant on George IV Bridge, The Outsider. Exceptional food and very reasonable prices, particularly the bin end wines. http://www.theoutsiderrestaurant.com/

It's a ten minute walk from the castle and about two minutes from the National Museum of Scotland.


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## tashamen

Pompey Family said:


> If you're still in Edinburgh I can recommend a fantastic restaurant on George IV Bridge, The Outsider. Exceptional food and very reasonable prices, particularly the bin end wines. http://www.theoutsiderrestaurant.com/



I'll add to that my 3 favorites when I stayed at Edinburgh Residence: Castle Terrace for a special occasion (we went there on the US Thanksgiving holiday since we were missing it at home).  Two others that had good food and reasonable set lunch or dinner menus: L'Escargot Blanc about a 5 minute walk, and Chez Jules a bit further, closer to the main tourist areas.


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## heathpack

Thanks for the restaurant recommendations!

The Outside Restaurant looks like a great deal for lunch and right near the Scottish National Museum which we're planning on visiting.

Chez Jules was right next door to where we ate breakfast today.  Menu looks awesome.  I love Duck a la Orange but no one makes it any more.  

We passed Le Escargot Blanc yesterday walking to dinner.  I liked the look of the wine bar, we'll have to hit that up before we depart.


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## heathpack

Enjoyed a visit to the wine bar at Le Escargot Blanc today

Round one:







Round two:






Round three got nixed by my spouse, lol:


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## WinniWoman

Vacationsarefun said:


> I am starting to consider a possible trip to Scotland next summer. Does anyone have experience with timeshares there? Which exchange company would be most likely to get something there?




We stayed in the Kilconquhar Castle Resort on the Isle of Fife in June a few years ago though a private rental from a TUG member and really enjoyed it. We flew from NY to Edinburgh, rented a car, and were on our merry way. I believe this resort is in RCI.

It was a comfortable cottage but not a royal crown by US standards which is to be expected. Electricity is expensive so you have breakers to deal with and have to pay electricity when you check out.

The grounds are lovely. We were able to visit Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Loch Lomond, and the Braveheart Castle in Sterling and the Roslyn Chapel and the Bunker and surrounding areas on the sea from there. A wonderful trip. Only there for 8 days total with the flying days included.

I will say it rained a lot and was chilly most times.


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## taterhed

We've been trying to plan a visit to Scotland with some distillery visits in the various regions.

 Anyone have a good suggestion for how one might get a party of 3-4 persons from a centrally-based timeshare (or two) to the distillery's and back home again?  I'm not thinking busses will work.

 Thanks in advance....lurking and reading.


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## GrayFal

Kilconquhar Castle Resort

I have a 4 bedroom exchange thru RCI confirmed last fall for October 2017 so subscribing to this thread.  Stayed at Edinburgh Residence in Fall 2015 and can't wait to go back. Thx for the restaurant recommendations. We will probably spend two nights in Edunburgh before checkin into to the Castle. Traveling with two other TUG friends. Looking forward to exploring the area.


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## WinniWoman

PS I don't know....didn't care for the food except the fish and chips. We didn't eat out that much. The exchange rate wasn't good when we went.

Don't  like whiskey so didn't go to distilleries.


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## tedk

We stayed in Aviemore in August and managed to visit seven distilleries. Half of those you would have needed a car. If you know where you are stopping i might be able to help. Aviemore is a good place to stay for getting to a number of distilleries, either by bus or train.
Ted


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## heathpack

taterhed said:


> We've been trying to plan a visit to Scotland with some distillery visits in the various regions.
> 
> Anyone have a good suggestion for how one might get a party of 3-4 persons from a centrally-based timeshare (or two) to the distillery's and back home again?  I'm not thinking busses will work.
> 
> Thanks in advance....lurking and reading.



We did a whisky tasting at the Scotch Whisky experience here in Edinburgh, it's on the Royal Mile right near the Edinburgh Castle.  You get a pretty good overview of the different types of whiskies from the various regions of Scotland & the best thing is that you can do it on foot.

We'll be staying relatively near the Speyside distilleries when we're at HGVC Craigandorrach but I'm not sure we'll spend much more time at whisky.  I'll let you know if the timeshare has any organized whisky tours.


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## GrayFal

That's a LOT of whiskey! Good thing you were walking not driving!


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## taterhed

tedk said:


> We stayed in Aviemore in August and managed to visit seven distilleries. Half of those you would have needed a car. If you know where you are stopping i might be able to help. Aviemore is a good place to stay for getting to a number of distilleries, either by bus or train.
> Ted





heathpack said:


> We did a whisky tasting at the Scotch Whisky experience here in Edinburgh, it's on the Royal Mile right near the Edinburgh Castle.  You get a pretty good overview of the different types of whiskies from the various regions of Scotland & the best thing is that you can do it on foot.
> 
> We'll be staying relatively near the Speyside distilleries when we're at HGVC Craigandorrach but I'm not sure we'll spend much more time at whisky.  I'll let you know if the timeshare has any organized whisky tours.



Thanks so very much.  
There are some major Dist. I'd like to hit in different regions, but there are so many, I can just visit what works for each trip. 
Look forward to reading.  Great to hear about the bus/train options!


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## elaine

planning for a few summer ahead. if anyone gets a 2BR in summer months, please post so I know what to anticipate. thanks, Elaine


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## zora

We will be in Edinburgh for a few days July 2017.  I had/have an OGS with II for the Edinburgh area but will be booking through homeaway.co.uk because I don't want to get stuck without accommodations.  Good luck on your search.
Can anyone recommend a private guide:  one day to loch ness/highlands and maybe a distillery.  
Thank you in advance.
Suzanne.


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## King86

Elizabeth O. said:


> My husband and I are going to the Open golf tournament at Carnoustie in 2018. We will probably stay at a hotel in St. Andrews. We have been to Scotland once before, staying at Moness. We rented a car at that time, but would prefer not to drive this time. We would like to extend our stay at a time share either before or after the tournament. Can anyone recommend a time share that would be reasonably close to St. Andrews and also within a taxi ride of a train station? We own Wyndham points and trade through RCI. Thank you!


 hi Elizabeth I live in Dundee the closest T/S to St Andrews I think is Kilconquhar although this is not a short ride from a train station and if you are using st Andrews if you haven't booked already book something quick the prices in and around St Andrews sky rocket for the open D


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