cheep weekend away?

[Stoi]

Looking for ideas for somewhere to go for a cheeky wee romantic weekend away. Ideally on the cheap side so looking for decent priced B&Bs. Would like to either hit Dunbar/N Berwick way, borders round Samye Ling/Kirkcudbright or West coast from Oban upto Skye maybe Appin or somewhere. Leaving from Glasgow and not too much driving ideally.

Have looked on the net and prices seem unreal; many in the region of at least £30 per night per person. That makes it £120 for a couple of nights in a B&B!! Is it just me or is that extortionate? :eek: Reckon there must be some decent priced places about especially in late September!

Suggestions? :)

[pogofish]

By September, a lot of B&B's will be shut for the winter but you shouldn't have too much problem finding somewhere with reduced rates. Off-season, larger hotels are sometimes best, especially if they do a rate without breakfast.

As far as the places you want to visit go, here are my opinions:

Dunbar/Berwick - You will probably want to kill yourself after an hour or two. With the exceptions of the Museum of Flight, a couple of good castles & some decent fishing, I can't fathom why anyone might want to holiday there. OK, the Lammermuirs are quite nice! Good greasy-spoon cafe just off the middle of the high-street in Dunbar, Edinburgh side. Saved my life on a number of occasions. :)

Samye Ling - Nice area with plenty of outdoor things, I thought you could stay at the monastery for next to nothing but it is quite remote & otherwise, your accomodation choices will be limited. Sometimes the off-season rates for weekends at Stobo Castle (big grand Spa-type place) can be good if you shop around.

Oban usually has an excellent choice of cheap off-season accomodation - I've been there in September regularly myself & the area up through Appin is lovely. You would have plenty of choices & even then, many places/activities are still open although they may be on short hours :)

If you want somewhere really cheap, some of the big hotels on the A82 as you head south from Fort William are extremely cheap for room-only but the place is unremmitingly boring otherwise & even then, you are a fair hike from what little it has to offer - See thread on what to do in Ft William!

[Stoi]

Cheers PogoFish

after consulting the missus looks like we will be off up Appin way, which was kind of my favourite anyway! Reckon just showing up on a Saturday afternoon and seeing what is available is a good or bad idea?

As for Dunbar/N Berwick area i thought there was lots of really nice, deserted beaches etc?

[ChocolateTeapot]

Lots of driving involved, but you can't beat Ullapool and a romantic fish tea, especially on the off-season. Helps if you can do 7 skimmers, of course.

B & B's can be ludricrously cheap in the off season, rooms with a big bathroom in a seperate roomy room and the half time chef asking you what time you want to get uo in the morning.

CT

[pogofish]

I've only ever booked when going there at high season, never in September/October, get there early enough to have a good look around & compare prices. Don't book through the tourist office as they will often only have the higher official guide rates. Most places will have the going rate advertised in the window.

Yes, there are some nice beaches in that area, but not all of them have a very attractive prospect - The main road goes right by a some & others are marred by things like large static caravan sites, nuclear power stations, lime kilns etc. Coldingham in nice & very interesting whilst the fringes of the John Muir Country park are nice enough. Hopefully, people who know the area better will chip-in some less well known ones? :) Avoid the big static/cabin sites on the inland side of the A1 near Dunbar. They aren't that cheap & can get pretty scary at weekends. :(

Appin is great IMO, lots of nice places, views & walks, personally I like it best at this time of year - the autumn colours are setting in & although days are shorter, the quality of light is fantastic. I'd say that though, I'm biased by family connections there :D Weather can also be more consistent & better in the early & late season.

[jacobs steel]

after consulting the missus looks like we will be off up Appin way, which was kind of my favourite anyway! Reckon just showing up on a Saturday afternoon and seeing what is available is a good or bad idea?

As pogo said, Appin is great this time of year, as is the surrounding area. You'll have no problems with accommodation either, just arrive and have a look around, plenty on offer. I'd also suggest that when you arrive you pick up a free copy of "What's On", tells you places to visit, what's happening when, etc. For example, on 24/09/05, the Scottish Opera presents MacBeth Verdi, at the Ballachulish village hall, or maybe have a go at the Mallaig triathlon on the same day. Or visit the ice factory in Kinlochleven for serious adrenalin rushes :p