 Poster: A snowHead
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Still looking at ways to enjoy more than a single week of skiing next season. I have my proper ski holiday booked (La Thuile March 2010) but I know I'll want more. It's not something I've ever managed before due to cost and time off work restrictions, but I'm already half way towards saving the money for the La Thuile trip plus I've bought new ski boots, and all this on a reduced income! Ditching the social life has had a positive effect on my bank balance!
So I have two possibilities to consider. If I manage to save £2k (unlikely but I'm trying) I should be able to afford the EOSB on top of my La Thuile holiday subject to being able to get the week off work in April (again tricky but might be possible). My other consideration is a long weekend in Scotland which would probably have to be January, or possibly very early February.
I don't know anything about skiing in Scotland so I'm looking for all suggestions really. Which resort is best? How best to get there (I'd prefer to fly or train, long car journey doesn't appeal much)? Accommodation for a solo traveller? Equipment hire? The big issue I have is that I'd have to book the time off work well before Christmas. I guess this means that if the time comes and there's no snow, I'll just have a few days off work doing not much at home. Or would I have to book the flight and hotel ahead and just take the chance that there may not be any snow and I may have a weekend in Scotland enjoying the scenery?
The other burning question is cost. Is it significantly cheaper to have a long weekend in Scotland? I realise there are TOs that specialise in weekend trips to the Alps but they don't ever seem to be much cheaper than the week long trips to me, not to mention mostly flying from Gatwick (no thanks!).
Any advice gratefully received. A gal can dream eh?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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queen bodecia, use the search function, this has been discussed plenty of times! in fact I think there may even be a thread with exactly the same title....
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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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There will be plenty of people along in a minute more knowlegedable than I, however:
Don't book more than 48 hours in advance, and take your own gear.
I can recommend the Bank Street lodge for accomodation in Fort William, if that's where you end up staying.
I've only been the once, at a micro sH bash last year, and it was TERRIFIC.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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kitenski, I struggle a bit with the search function. It brings up pages and pages of 'mentions' and would take ages to sort through to find what I want. I realise this might be a case of operator error. 
paulio, I don't have my own gear and I would have to book the time off work at least a month in advance, but obviously I could leave booking the actual trip until the last minute. However, how miffed would I be if I'd booked the time off work for there to be no snow that weekend but plentiful snow thereafter? I guess that's a chance you take with Scotland.
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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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queen bodecia, Booking time off in advance to ski in Scotland - ooooooohhhhh not quite sure if that would work. Some of my best days skiing have been in Scotland but then again so have some of my worse. You really need to take advantage of consitions at short notice.
Personally I think Glenshee is the best but probably suffers from lack of snow more than Nevis Range or Cairngorm (nothing scientific to back this up but only from checking the skiscotland snow conditions regularly). Nevis Range is good as is Cairngorm and bothe offer wide ranging accomodation fairly close by.
I've only skied Cairngorm twice and couldn't really explore properly beacause of visisbility/conditions. I've been Nevis Range 7/8 times and have (believe it or not) been pretty lucky with the weather.
Nevis Range and Cairngorm reachable by train although never done so myself as within 2.5 hours by car for me.
Lift passes are probably comparable in price to the Alps but eating out probably a little cheaper but probably not as good if I'm being brutally honest.
I think you would have a great time skiing in Scotland given the right conditions.
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boabski, booking time off work at short notice isn't possible, I would need to give at least a month's notice. I can see this will be the big drawback.
However, just been looking at Scottish resort piste maps on the internet and there's far more skiing there than I thought.
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queen bodecia, I'm not sure I would want to go up there without a car, it is a pretty easy drive.
From Manchester I could set off after work on Friday and be at any of the resorts just after midnight, dunno how much further it is for you.
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You don't have to use a tour company to have a long weekend in Europe. I've done them to LDA, ADH, Foppolo (Italy) and Font Romeu (French Pyrenees) Needn't cost too much.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Cairngorm and Nevis would be the easiest without a car I think as they both have a train station fairly close and I know there are buses to the slopes from Aviemore. Timewise I would recommend early March if you can, January or February can be dodgy and usually late season is nice although not this year or 2007 but I think the first week of March is about as much of a sure bet as you can make. It also depends on how much you want to ski. We were at Glencoe for the last weekend mid April ( Easter I think) and there was really only 1 run open but I still had a great day skiing on the lovely soft spring snow in the sunshine, we went to Cairngorm on the Monday so got 2 good days out of the weekend with very little snow. I would recommend taking the piste gradings with a pinch of salt as well as thye are a little more interesting than in Europe, narrow, rocky, off-camber etc. so don't discount blue runs as being too easy if you normally ski reds.
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The piste maps can be a little misleading as pistes are often closed due to weather/snow conditions. For example, the bottom runs on the Glencoe map are known as the access runs and can rarely be ski'd from what I can tell.
Conditions change very quickly so a late decision is ideal BUT you CAN book in advance and just take what ever is on offer...I did a day at Cairngorm where there was a small burn (stream) running down one of the pistes and a couple of others were shut due to lack of cover.
The people are great - my girlfriend dropped her mobile phone somewhere at glencoe and someone picked it up - recognised her face from the screen saver, pocketed the phone and eventually stopped us and came over to give it back.
The lifts are crap to be honest - surface lifts take ages compared to high speed chairlifts but...we have small mountains and a small budget.
Im sure you would have a great time. If you love skiing, you will love it. Much better than an indoor slope fix
now....back to work for me 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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By Alpine standards the areas are very small and probably wouldn't sustain interest for a week unless you visited several of them, but a long weekend should be fun unless there is no snow or the weather is really bad (very high winds can close lifts and have been known to knock over skiers!!)
Generally I would only suggest going at short notice when conditions are good. Bad conditions can be practically no snow at all. March is usually the best month when the snow has built up a bit, but April the season before last was the best conditions for years.
Nevis is my favourite and has its most exciting skiing in a back bowl plus very good off-piste, and is more open (the East coast resorts the runs are mostly penned by snow fences to trap the snow - due to frequent high winds). There is a thread on the April 08 skiing when several of us went up (mainly to Nevis) on here (it gets going with pictures end of page 1) or see my Nevis resort report. Cairngorm/Aviemore on the East side is the other big one (by Scottish standards) and also has off piste. In both cases you would not be advised to look out the off-piste without guidance from someone who knows the area - there are cliffs around. Glencoe is smaller but full of character (though not much off piste) and is fairly close to Nevis (there are probably buses from Fort William too, but wait for a local on that).
Last time I skied Nevis, based in Fort William, my solo B&B (in a double room) cost me £25 per night - or you can spend nearly twice that on a really special place such as The Lime Tree, which has a Michelin Listed Restaurant.
Ski-hire at the foot of the Nevis Access Lift or possibly better quality from from Nevisport (Fort William, North end of pedestrian High St - ie near 2nd roundabout). Can be a queue for ski hire on good snow weekends so watch out - go early. There is a train station at Fort William and I am told there are a few buses from Fort William to the slopes - you would have to google for details or ring the tourist office (or Nevisport which posts up weather forecasts).
Or you could take an Easyjet flight to Glasgow and hire a car.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Fri 19-06-09 11:53; edited 3 times in total
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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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Hi, I`ve had some great skiing in Scotland. I think the name of the game is to be able to go at really short notice (which I know does not help you), if you have to book a month in advance time off work.
The weather can change from day to day it may be great midweek, perfect wall to wall blue sky and no wind, but by the weekend blowing a gale or whiteout conditions. Sometimes the decision to open the lifts is left until the actual morning after the ski patrol assessment. I`ve skied on a Saturday with good conditions, but then the lifts have been closed on Sunday due to high winds.
As I said I go at short notice and take my car, but a budget airline http://www.flybe.com/ flies from Manchester to Inverness Friday returns Monday, there is a direct train from Inverness to Aviemore. There are ski buses from Aviemore up to the skiing area of Cairngorm. You can hire skis and boots at the three places I`ve been to, Cairngorm, Nevis Range and Glencoe.
I stay at the youth hostel in Aviemore when skiing at Cairngorm which is walking distance to the shops etc. There is also a very good motel with adjoining Italian restaurant, there is also a very good restaurant called the Skiando.
With this one month's notice required to get time off from work I would get a cheap flight out to Geneva (not February half term) where there is loads of good skiing between one to two hours away. Snowheads will tell you all the best places to ski and stay.
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How much notice would you have to give to leave at 3pm on a Friday afternoon? If the snow is good, then there are a number of people from "down south" who are likely to head up for a weekend - have a look here and on winterhighland for car shares (other person could drive if that's what puts you off). 2 days skiing, and back very late on Sunday night = no time off work.
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You know it makes sense.
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Elizabeth B, nice idea but I wouldn't be able to leave work at 3pm on a Friday unless I booked the afternoon off in advance. This is all looking trickier than I'd imagined. I wouldn't be able to do March as I've got a week off mid-March to go to La Thuile. It would have to be at least a month away from those dates and obviously I can't do February any time around half-term. That's why I was thinking January, not sure when Easter is next year but I won't be able to have time off work then.
I'd take my/a car if there was someone to share petrol costs with but if I go alone I'm pretty sure a flight then bus would be cheaper. According to RAC website, Nevis range is 8 hours drive and 380 miles each way. I think Cairngorms or Glenshee would be further. I wouldn't want to drive that alone without a stopover, which adds to cost.
Have to admit, a second Alps holiday is looking more feasible if budget allows...
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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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ms. bodecia.
Do it.
It'll be great. 8 hours in a car isn't that bad, even alone. Get some tunes on.
Sig. other and I did that mini bash thing that roga organised last year, and despite it being about 9km of piste, in poor weather, for a short weekend, we talk about it ALL THE TIME.
c.f. holidays to Alpine mega-areas for a week in beautiful sunshine which we can barely remember.
It really is special. I think it requires a slightly different attitude from 'normal' Alpine skiing. It's more wild; untamed. More like off-pisting. Certainly not 'comfortable cruising'. Maybe it is sometimes I guess, but not when I was there. It was rough. I loved it.
Scenery every bit as stunning as the Alps. Plus you get haggis and a pint of ale, rather than greasy tartiflette and some weak gassy lager.
There's still the language barrier though. Brush up on your swearing.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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queen bodecia, Given your employer's approach seems to be little short of slavery have you never considered the possibility of developing a little sudden powder sickness (Lat Skiius Streptognarium) on a Friday say?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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queen bodecia, What do you do? It seems very difficult for you to get the time off. You can get a sleeper train I believe from London, or fly - if there was a flight to Inverness on Friday evening and one back on sunday - that would work for you (skiing Aviemore) You can have a nice time if there's no snow - but it's not skiing! I lived and worked in Aviemore for 7 years and had some truly great skiing - but also some desparate days/weeks/months! Easter weekend? A bit more time if you get the bank holiday. Certainly in Aviemore there are probably far more hotel beds than people to fill them most of the time.
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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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8-10 hour drive?  I can see some people will endur anything to get some turns in.
Isn't that long enough time to fly to Europe, including ground transfer?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Get a cheap flight to Geneva on the friday (if you can take the whole day off you could ski a full afternoon in somewhere like Chamonix) and return on the late Easyjet flights, which allow you a full day skiing on the Sunday - leaving the resort at about 6pm.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Thu 18-06-09 21:29; edited 1 time in total
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abc, yes! It is a 2 hour drive but got snowed in on the way 
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Great lots of ideas here. I guess what I need to do is book the long weekend off work in advance and save up enough money so that the week before, depending on conditions I can go to either Scotland or Europe. The only problem might be that last minute flights aren't always that cheap. It would certainly take longer to drive to Scotland than fly to the Alps. But as someone above mentioned, Scotland is one of those things I need to try at least once.
Incidentally I'm a graphic designer. It's definitely not slavery, just one of those industries that's very deadine-focussed and workloads have to be planned well in advance. Following redundancies we're rather thin on staff now too, so time off involves careful negotiation with the rest of the design team to ensure no two people are off at the same time. If someone is off sick, it's utter chaos and long hours for everyone else. But such is the nature of the business. I'm sure there are many other similar industries.
Ryanair fly from East Midlands to Inverness it seems. Hmmm...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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queen bodecia, i reckon we pull sickies when the weather looks good and road trip it in my mums jimny 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The bad bits of Scotch skiing:
1. Cr*p customer service;
2. Cr*p food;
3. Foreign language;
4. Gash lifts;
5. Limited piste mileage;
6. Highly unpredictable weather;
7. Windy;
8. Highly unpredictable snow.
The good bits:
1. Worldclass scenery;
2. Interesting wildlife;
3. Suprisingly steep skiing available.
Scotchland will never compete with the Alps. But, for a long weekend in a beautiful part of the world, it is definitely worth a tick in the box. If you're a proper skier, the good bits will just about outweigh the bad bits.
Go in Mar or Apr, when it warms up.
Aviemore has the best snow.
Nevis has the best offpiste.
Glencoe has the best steeps.
Do it. Enjoy.
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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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all you need to know about scotland:
| Whitegold wrote: |
We flew lastminute into Glasgow and skied Nevis Range on Sat and Glencoe on Sun.
Couldn't resist the white webcams and yellow-sun forecast.
Two sweet bluebird days.
Both resorts were white from the top almost to the bottom. The last 100'ish meters at both stations are green.
The lifts suck. At both resorts they are are old, slow and disjointed. Lots of walking needed.
The piste-maintenance was gash. Both stations kept the lift uptracks white, but it looked like they couldn't be bothered to scrape a bit of snow over the green bits at the bottom of the actual pistes. That meant more walking. And Glencoe hadn't even bothered bashing the slopes overnight. The runs were lumpy and icy where the previous day's slush had refrozen. It made Glencoe look amateurish.
Having said that, it was still a great coupla days. Beautiful scenery and clear views for miles.
Skied the backbowls at NR. Still some pockets of wet-but-skiable pow. The entry-points off the cornices above the Braveheart chair are surprisingly steep and enjoyable. I am surprised that NR does not market the hell out them, to attract custom.
Glencoe is smaller but overall steeper. Some cool lines under the single-chairlift in between the rocks. And a short, narrow, near-vertical stretch in between the rocks about two-thirds of the way down Flypaper.
Would I recommend Scotland skiing to anyone from outside Scotland or from near-Europe?
Yes, if you are lucky enough to get blue skies, moderate winds and whiteish slopes, as we did  |
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| Whitegold wrote: |
The good bits:
1. Worldclass scenery;
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Just want to quote this, as I think for many it's a surprising point. This is spot on. After I went I was trying to explain it to my family and when I said "as breathtaking as the Alps, maybe even better in a way" they looked at me like I was stupid. But they haven't actually been, and I have.
And abc, you're missing the point! ROAD TRIP! With skiing at the end of it. In one of the prettiest places on Earth!
~13 hours each way for me last time. About 12 hours total slope time. Worth it.
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You know it makes sense.
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Well I can't go in March or April, as explained above. It would probably have to January or not at all. I'm also not an off-piste or steeps type of skier, purely a recreational piste bimbler. However, having said all that, I still really fancy Scotland. I'm not even sure why.
Watch this space 
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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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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| I'm not an off-piste or steeps type of skier, purely a recreational piste bimbler. |
Ditto. It's not 'extreme', unless you really want it to be, just a bit rough and unkempt.
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Poster: A snowHead
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queen bodecia, what you have to understand about paulio is he lives on the South Coast and is totally bonkers - read all of his comments with that in mind 
Seriously though I think everyone has given a very fair run down of the pros and cons.
I go up a number of times a season but generally plan at the last minute, the exceptions being trips around Easter which is usually as sure a bet as you can get for Scottish skiing.
Aviemore is a good location if you have transport, from there you can pretty easily get to Nevis Range, Glencoe and The Lecht in addition to having Cairngorm on your doorstep. It's also the closest we have to a proper ski resort in the UK and there you'll be able to pick up hire equipment from shops in addition to the stuff they have on the mountain. Last time I was in Fort William I recall one of the party having problems finding off-hill hire and as I recall both Nevisport and Ellis Brighams there had stopped their hire operation and actually sent all their hire stuff to Nevis Range.
Now my saying this may shock some but if I was planning months ahead and I could get flights locally I'd play it safe and go for a trip to the Alps (Mountainsun for example do some great weekend prices), there you can guarantee snow and plenty of skiing - if I had a few trips under my belt I might risk it though.
However, if I could manage to work a degree of flexibility into the equation I'd risk it because IMHO the crack is absolutely superb, the people are friendly and great fun and there's nothing IMHO to beat the buzz you get from actually skiing in a UK resort. Scottish skiing is rough and ready, pistes are invariably not what you'd call a piste abroad, they're semi-off piste, the lifts are often creaking but boy if you get a good day it's as good, sometimes better, than anywhere else. As others have said as well the scenery is simply stunning, I've stood at the top of Cairngorm and been able to see mountains on both coasts (east and west) of the country; I've had similar views at Nevis Range too but there you have the awesomeness of the north-west Highlands stretching out to the north as well, as well as Skye to the West - simply stunning and you almost won't believe you're in the UK! The views are different to the Alps but personally if I was told I had to choose one or the other I'd go for the Highlands, the sheer variation in what you see, from high snowcapped peaks, to fjord like sea lochs is up there with the best in the world IMHO (mind you I've never been to the Himalayas! ).
Oh and IMHO if you go the right places I think the food can actually be as good, sometimes better (e.g. seafood straight out of the sea at the Crannog in Fort William) than much of the stuff you'll find in the French Alps.
BTW, I reckon I can do Bristol to Aviemore in around 8 hours using the west coast route, for some reason up the east it seems to take hours longer, so don't discount driving especially if you can work out a car/drive share.
Right I've now got myself all fed up LOL, 'coz I was hoping to get up this weekend but was stopped at the last minute - was hoping to do the annual mid-summers climb and ski at Cairngorm tomorrow (yup, if you're prepared to hike there are still snowfields up there right now and they give more vertical than you'll get in any snowdome!) - oh well, next year perhaps! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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think bigger - move up here, it's brilliant - I ski at least 30 days per year (and that's before any holidays from work apart from the odd sneaky long weekend!)
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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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^ that's my plan barry
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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You could do a weekend on CairnGorm Mountain without time off using the ScotRail Sleepers (depends exactly where you are in Derbyshire and when you start work I suppose) and this also applies to some degree to Nevis Range, but the bus service to CairnGorm is more frequent, hourly all day and more frequent morning and end of the day, with the first bus up CairnGorm for the day departing between 10 and 25mins after the Sleeper arrives in Aviemore (check nearer the time for exact details!).
If you use the sleeper to get to Nevis Range it might be worth staying in Spean Bridge and getting off the Sleeper there and getting a taxi to Nevis, you would be at the bottom station at Nevis before the train gets to to Fort William (it's about 2 hours longer to Fort William than Aviemore).
CairnGorm is slightly less of a weather risk as it takes much higher winds to force a complete shutdown, the flip side though is that Nevis Range has a gondola from sea level basically and thus isn't affected by weather problems on the roads.
A possible itinerary to CairnGorm:
Depart Fri Evening:
Derby (D) 20.40hrs (East Midland Trains)
Crewe (A) 22.00hrs
Crewe (D) 23.54hrs (ScotRail)
Aviemore (A) 07.40hrs
First bus from Aviemore to CairnGorm gets you up the mountain for around 8.30 with normal lift opening time 9am, time to get hire or breakfast in the Daylodge Bar.
On the Sunday departing from Aviemore:
Aviemore (D) 21.08hrs (ScotRail)
Crewe (A) 05.37hrs
Crewe (D) 06.07hrs (East Midland Trains)
Derby (A) 07.25hrs
Every 3 months Scotrail release batches of bargain berths when the next quarters tickets go on sale, it can be possible to pick up singles on the Sleeper from £20 pounds one way if you get in early and are prepared to gamble on the weather. Plenty of things to keep you occupied in Strathspey regardless of weather and snow conditions, ultimately the weekend is what you want to make of it.
Some hotels (Cairngorm Hotel, right opposite the station) are quite helpful in letting skiers drop of luggage on arrival day in the morning and leave it in the morning on departure day to pick up when the lifts close. Check that out with the accommodation, also the Aviemore Highland Resort will pick people up from the station, so it is possible to arrive and do this before the first bus up the hill.
Finally if you do decide to go for it, put a shout out here to local snowheads or on Winterhighland, you might well be able to meet up with some people who if the weather doesn't play ball at CairnGorm maybe able to offer transport to another area. Can be huge differences within the Cairngorms, let alone coast to coast.
Do it. You haven't skied until you've skied in Scotland!
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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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roga, oi!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sorry, shouldn't have mentioned you lived on the South Coast
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queen bodecia
Can you do us a mime so we can play Snowhead's first ever "What's My Line?
Clues so far:
One month's notice for time off......unable to leave early on a Friday.......Er, are you something to do with the slave trade 
Joking aside 1. It sounds like bad news - makes me appreciate the flexibility of my employer.
Joking aside 2. As a few on here have said, use of a car would be best - especially if you are set on a particular weekend - as some areas can be closed due to bad weather, while others are open. It would be a blow if you were stuck in say Aviemore with Cairngorm stormbound - with Nevis Range or Glencoe open....
A feasible alternative with no time off on a weekend, is for you to drive to Stansted or Luton, having booked any one of the number of cheap flights to the Alps. We have done it loads of times, as follows:
1. Fri night - stay overnight near Stansted (no need for you to do this, we are 230 miles from the airport.....)
2. Sat am - early flight to Geneva, hire a car and ski within an hour of the airport (Chamonix, Les Gets, Les Carroz, Morzine, Combloux etc etc) -or 20 mins away if you ski the Jura mountains (excellent - and more extensive than Scotland!). Or fly to Turin & ski within an hour at Sauze D'Oulx or Pila (via gondola link from Aosta).
3. Sunday - Ski all day. Late flight home then bed even later.
4. Arrive at work feeling like you've had an extra ski week - and amaze workmates (who have spent the weekend shopping at Ikea or B&Q!) with tales of your adventure .
Now, back onto Scotland:
| Quote: |
TBH if it has to be January, then you could find that Scotland isn't that good - the season doesn't often start properly until mid-Jan anyway
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There is usually somewhere in Scotland skiing from December to late April, often into May. Last winter the season started in October, which is unusual but not unheard of. The Lecht - which is grassy and doesn't need a big base - is small but miles better than an indoor slope. I had a fantastic day there on 1st November last winter. Don't discount it.
Have a look at the monthly photos and snow reports from seasons past on Winterhighland - that will give you a good idea of typical conditions month by month.
Failing all this, have a look at the tiny ski areas of the County Durham and Cumbria Pennines - Weardale Ski Club and Yad Moss - which (with proper drag lifts and piste bashers!!) are good enough for a snow fix. Both are just about do-able for a day trip for you. Last winter was epic, with 30 or 40 days skiing - I got 9 days in.
http://www.yadmoss.co.uk/index.htm
http://www.skiweardale.co.uk/
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The 6th of December at Glenshee last season was pretty impressive. Great snow cover and some stashes of powder to be had!
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Thanks again everyone. I'm still liking the idea of Scotland and with the overnight train idea it might be possible in March or April if there's no snow in Jan. My week in the Alps is in March and already booked so cannot be moved. I guess I'll book the time off in January anyway and see what happens with the conditions. Judging by the pic above, I may just get lucky.
Oh and for everyone that says I work in some sort of slave trade, I really don't. It's just a job very dependent on deadlines. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there with similar restrictions. It could be worse, I could be a teacher and only get time off during school holidays when it's too expensive to go anywhere.
Obviously all this depends on how much money I save...
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