 Poster: A snowHead
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Given the UK is the only place our children will be considered vaccinated and not being able to have a holiday for nearly 2 yrs due to having kids and needing to stick to school holidays where demand in UK outstrips supply, I am seriously contemplating a few days in Scotland before Christmas.
Any insights? I can get flights from Southampton to Edinburgh.
Where best to target skiing? I notice that all ski resorts look like they need to be driven to. I presume I can hire a car at Edinburgh airport?
This is not something I have ever researched.
Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hmm I thought I would see why prices were like for flights now as it was a numbers of weeks ago I had looked. £1800 for family of 4. 
Guess I shouldn’t be surprised probably went sky high as the changes came about in all the likely skiing destinations
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@NickyJ, it’s extremely unusual for the Scottish ski areas to be open before Xmas. Not to say it doesn’t happen (and things are starting to shape up nicely) but I wouldn’t plan a trip around it - it could all get washed away in a day.
Also, take the train! You could get a sleeper Euston-Glasgow/ Edinburgh or up in the highlands and then hire a car. Or a daytime train. Much more fun and avoids airport stress. Central London-Glasgow/ Edinburgh train is (just) faster than flying.
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I was just looking at the train and for the route with only one change and avoiding crossing London (by it was saying only 1st class tickets available at £318 one way…. I hadn’t got as far as looking at return leg. All other routes involve transferring across London. Don’t fancy a family of 4 traipsing across undergoing with skis, boots and bags!
What started me idly speculating was picking up the Glenshee piste map at the NEC ski show. When I checked they are scheduled to open on the weekend of 18th Dec
May only be a couple of runs but more than we get at Hemel or Snowtrax
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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My closest train station is Salisbury but Bournemouth and Southampton are within 30mile radius of us
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The short answer is you it is really not possible to plan a ski trip to Scotland in advance. The snow cover is simply too unpredictable. That said late season is often more reliable. If you decide to try it, the best advice is to base yourself (with a car) somewhere that gives reasonable access to the different ski areas so you can adapt to where conditions are best. Perth fits the bill quite well.
The best way to do it is last minute when you know there will be good snow cover, but I appreciate that is hard to manage with kids in tow.
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| zikomo wrote: |
The short answer is you it is really not possible to plan a ski trip to Scotland in advance. The snow cover is simply too unpredictable. That said late season is often more reliable. If you decide to try it, the best advice is to base yourself (with a car) somewhere that gives reasonable access to the different ski areas so you can adapt to where conditions are best. Perth fits the bill quite well.
The best way to do it is last minute when you know there will be good snow cover, but I appreciate that is hard to manage with kids in tow. |
Yep this is the thing. Tied to school holidays!
If we weren’t we would be more likely / able to get to alps anyway….
Thanks I will look at Perth.
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@NickyJ, As I am self employed, I can suit myself and generally decide on a good midweek day when the weather suits me and just head up from here for a day or so ...........but you wont have that luxury.
Even on a midweek when its a bluebird and the only people around are self emp, retired and school ski trips the queues for lift passes can be hefty.
What I would say is, if you are thinking about school holidays, treat it as a holiday where you might get some skiing as well.
I like Aviemore as an outdoors base for walking and cycling and stuff to do (although am no big fan of the ski area at Cairngorm).
Likewise, you could base yourself at Pitlochry for Glenshee, Fort William for Nevis.
For Glencoe there are many nice wild-ish spots nearby (but depends what amenities you may want) and everywhere there is beautiful.
Wouldnt bother too much with Lecht tbqhwy.
Although STN is far from these places, you could feasibly drive up in a day if you were treating it like a week away - that way you have all the gear you want and the flexibility to go to different areas.
Lots of ski hire places as well if that saved you space?
Scottish skiing can be less reliable as mentioned above - and in school holiday periods the uplift will be (ahem !) busy and challenging.
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You’re a bit further south than me, but having done the trip to Edinburgh dozens of times from Oxford by train, plane and car, I can honestly say that driving is by far my preferred method.
It takes about the same time, you have all your clobber with you in the boot and a car when you’re there.
We normally push all the way to Teebay services (THE BEST service station in the U.K.) before stopping, and the kills most of the journey.
We’re driving to the Trossachs this Christmas and will be doing exactly that. That puts us within an hour of Glencoe. We’ll have our boots and clothes in the car on the off chance there’s snow and a nice day.
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@Timmycb5, google maps is saying 8hrs 9mins from here to the suggested Perth. We couldn’t do that in my car (electric with 163mile range in paper) and have no roof box for Hubby’s car…. So kids will be in 2/3’s seat so that skis can be put in. Drives like that to Hemel cause a lot of upset!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hmm thinking about it might be worth hiring a car with centre fold down seat
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@NickyJ, How old are the kids? If I were you I would consider pulling them from school for a few days of midweek skiing when conditions are good. Accommodation will not be difficult to arrange at short notice at that time of year. Obviously it is a personal choice, and dependent on what academic stage they are at, but might be the best option.
As an aside my youngest (11) is away from school today for his second ski race of the season representing the school. If we get decent snow this year he will have at least 3 other days, hopefully more, doing the same on real snow. Clearly the school is happy as it is organised by them, and there is no doubt in my mind that the benefits far outweigh missing a few days of classes.
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@zikomo, 12 and 15. No way am I pulling them out of school, Ellie should be sitting her GCSEs in June. She has lost out in so much of her syllabus as it is due to app the school exclusions i won’t be adding to it. My 12 year old is autistic, dyslexic and has slow processing speed index etc. I won’t add to those difficulties as catching up it very difficult for her.
The GCSEs issue is why we are looking at earlier and hadn’t booked anything for Easter. We are booked for Feb half term but a good number in our party won’t have second vaccine in time due to when their children were able
To receive their first jab, the 12 week rule before second and needing time after to be considered “vaccinated”
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You know it makes sense.
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@NickyJ, What I'd suggest is pre booking accom with free cancellation then decide the day before wether it's worth it or not! It can be bitterly cold with the wind, we had a few days over New years many years ago and my wife said never again due to the wind chill, so also bare that in mind especially with your 12 year old.
As well as snow on the ground you also need the winds to allow the lifts to run, I tend to use this site in combination with a few others to get a feel for the forecast and how it's shaping up.
https://www.mwis.org.uk/forecasts/scottish
But for an 8/9 hour drive, you could get to the Alps and have a much better chance of snow, I guess nobody knows how the next few weeks will pan out from a Covid POV. I believe Germany and France still open for UK visitors?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@NickyJ, I understand, pulling the kids from school is not an option for you. We also have a 15 year old so feel the same about Easter skiing this year.
Sorry to say but I think you might struggle to make Scottish skiing work. Not least as Easter is often better than earlier in the year. It might be worth checking if your half-term dates in Feb are different from the Scottish dates. If they are, then look to do something last minute. If they are the same, and snow conditions are good, the place will be mobbed!
One glimmer of hope though, generally in a good snow season the ski areas become less busy the longer the conditions are good. IF we get an exceptional year it might be worth looking at a sneaky weekend. Maybe a few days over Easter as a break/refresh for your GCSE student?
Sorry to not offer more positivity. We are lucky to live within relatively easy drive to both Glencoe and Glenshee, and even for us Scottish skiing is very hit and miss. When we do go we tend to get there before 8AM, breakfast there then first lifts then ski hard to about 1130 when the queues start to become irksome. To give you a sense of the queues, we will do three or four times the amount of skiing in those 3 hours than for the rest of the day. Full days are more likely and manageable later in the season.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@NickyJ, what @GreenDay, said. Treat it as a Highland holiday, and if you get some skiing, that's a bonus.
I think I'd be inclined to leave skis at home, making car packing easier, although I haven't seen what ski rentals in Scotland are like since the early 1980s!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@kitenski, both my girls by rules at the moment will need an antigen test every 24hrs to go on lifts, into restaurants etc.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks for the heads up on winds. I was just expecting it to be snow being limiting factor.
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| under a new name wrote: |
@NickyJ, what @GreenDay, said. Treat it as a Highland holiday, and if you get some skiing, that's a bonus.
I think I'd be inclined to leave skis at home, making car packing easier, although I haven't seen what ski rentals in Scotland are like since the early 1980s!! |
That's what I'm doing. I'm lucky enough to be going somewhere with a pool, tennis courts and a games room, so plenty to keep the kids occupied. If we ski one day, great. If not, never mind.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'd echo all the above. If you've only done foreign skiing in resort then you will need a bit of an expectation realignment to get the best out of it ! Look, it's wonderful and I feel privileged to be close enough to ski midweek and work there weekends in high season. Weather, snow cover and busyness will be the challenge esp. in school holidays. If overseas travel is limited then I would genuinely expect the centres to have to limit numbers. When the snow is in and the weather is settled it is fantastic fun. Would i travel up from S England - possibly if I was properly needy but would as others have said treat it as a holiday poss with some skiing.
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I was thinking of this as a few days holiday with some skiing as realistically we could end up with a choice of Scotland or Hemel
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dont forget kids really love distillery tours 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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These are all lovely things to do, but not so much in February! It can be tough with the weather here, especially when there are several days of dark, wet weather. I don't think I would recommend taking a 12 and 15 year old on a "highland" holiday in Feb for that reason. And it takes a long time to get between the attractions you list here.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wait until spring! : March & April a much better bet for Scottish snow & weather.
FWIW : Target audience for Scottish skiing is the 5-10 million people who live within day / weekend trippable distance.
These are the folk who can load car up on Friday night and score an opportunistic weekend.
On a good day Scottish skiing can be as good as anywhere.
Modern web-cams & weather forecasts make timing a trip easier than ever : but only *if* you live north of Newcastle and are flexible.
The concept of using Scotland as substitute for package holiday to the alps doesn't really work.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Haggis_Trap, we haven’t done a package holiday for years due to being tied to school holidays. Again school holidays dictate very limited options and April is out due to lead up to exams.
Feb may still happen. All booked….
However idea of a few days in Scotland really appeals especially with the odds not exactly being in our favour for Feb going ahead.
As I said I am not comparing it to a week in the alps but instead a few days in Hemel
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| Haggis_Trap wrote: |
| Wait until spring! : The concept of using Scotland as substitute for package holiday to the alps doesn't really work. |
100% correct. Skiing in Scotland is not remotely anything like the Alps. If you come with this expectation, you will be disappointed. Bluebird days are few and far between, but when they arrive it can be awesome (and very busy). The weather is usually cold and windy with high humidity and a lot of cloud cover/low viz. There is no sitting on the terrace of a mountain restaurant with your ski jacket off enjoying a leisurely lunch in the sun, you go to the mountain "restaurants" to warm up. The pistes are fenced off here for a reason - to catch the snow as it's nearly always windy. Champagne powder it is not. Strangely addictive though - think of skiing in Scotland as a challenge.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@NickyJ, I suggest you check out accommodation prices before you go any further as a lot of hotels/property owners put their prices up due to people people holidaying at home, this was during the summer so may be better for winter. I wont add to what others have said other than Aviemore or maybe Fort William would be good places to stay as there will be a lot more activities there if no skiing, the Lecht is often the first to open but its quite remote and I'm not sure where you would stay. All areas have their own websites and are normally on Facebook and maybe twitter with up to date information. I hope all the negativity doesn't put you off Scotland completely.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| larry1950 wrote: |
| the Lecht is often the first to open but its quite remote and I'm not sure where you would stay. |
The nearest town to the Lecht is Tomintoul, there are a couple of hotels and a number of B&Bs. The Lecht needs less snow to open as it is just on grass.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you stay one hours drive from Snowfactor in Glasgow you have a back up option in case of bad weather (assuming you hire a car).
That puts you in a 1 hour radius from Glasgow airport. Crianlarich might be an option, as it would allow you access to Glencoe, Nevis range, and maybe Glenshee at a push.
If you go for the Trossachs national park (where I am) as suggested earlier you have Glenshee as a further option. (make your accomodation close to the Dunblane motorway for Perth. In an extreme driving day you may even try for Cairngorms in a day trip. (I have done it in a day, but would not recommend it unless the snow conditions and road conditions were very good)
So from where I am you can get to Glencoe in an hour (assuming low traffic) where there is a free dryslope (no lift pulls) at the base before you get a lift. You can also get to Snowfactor in an hour. (assuming no traffic jams in Glasgow)
Glenshee is a bit longer, maybe an hour and a half. Nevis Range is also another 1/2 hour from Glencoe.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Bigtipper, where abouts in the Trossachs are you? We're staying at Loch Achray again. This will be the 4th time there. Absolutely love it.
Never been there during winter though. Are snow socks for the car advisable?
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| Quote: |
| Modern web-cams & weather forecasts make timing a trip easier than ever : but only *if* you live north of Newcastle and are flexible |
We're 40 miles south of Newcastle and still regard it as easy enough to do. Especially so if staying night 1 around Perth (3.5hrs drive). Then an early start next day for the first ski day - approx. 1 hour to Glenshee; or about 2 hrs to Glencoe, Nevis Range and Cairngorm.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Timmycb5, Tigh Mor was renovated and converted to a part of the Holiday Property bond properties. The roads around that area can be problematic if there is heavy snow and cold weather due to their remoteness.
Generally, you will not need snow socks in the Trossachs. Maybe when you get to ski resorts, but rarely have I seen snow socks or snow chains in use in Scotland.
I am not far from Loch Achray, close enough for a short cycle ride.
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@Bigtipper, yes, it's Tigh Mor we're staying in. It is very remote indeed, and no phone signal last time we went!
If the weather is looking sketchy before we go I might treat myself to a set of sock just in case.
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@Timmycb5, good plan. If the conditions are great for skiing in Scotland, there is a higher probability of poor road conditions.
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Did a long weekend staying in Tomintoul in October. It's very close to Lecht ski area but boy that's bleak territory, and yes I am a Scot! All be it a West coast softie. We had a lovely time,finally visiting son's adopted reindeer from Cairngorm herd, visited the Highland wildlife park and some activities at Rothiemurchus centre. Remarkably got 4 dry days but can't say I am tempted to ski up there. Glad we didn't leave it any later than Oct. Tomintoul was lovely. Stayed in a slightly off beat but fantastic B&B
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You could head to Glasgow as a base for day 1. <2 HR from Glencoe (if you don't know the road) but there is lots to do that are free like transport museum, science centre, Kelvingrove gallery etc. I can advise on location or things to do and places to eat etc. PM me. Then if there is skiing, you can decide if you want to move further north. If not wait in Glasgow and have a coue of days at Snowfactor.
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| Bigtipper wrote: |
| If the conditions are great for skiing in Scotland, there is a higher probability of poor road conditions. |
We used to live in Pitlochry and then Blair Atholl. Could easily do a day in Glenshee or Cairngorm.
The mantra was always "If the roads are open then the skiing is crap; if the the skiing is good then the roads will be shut".
It was never quite that bad. But certainly could be a hairy drive when ski conditions were good.
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