Before You Book

PREPARING TO GO TO SCOTLAND

 

CAPITAL

Edinburgh

LANGUAGE

The official language of Scotland is English

ELECTRICITY

230 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs with three square pins are standard

PASSPORT & VISA

A valid passport is required by all nationals. All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour. Please ensure that passport/s are valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the intended date of return and contain between 2-6 blank “Visa” pages. You should have at least two free pages in your passport. Please access the Travel & Visa Requirements Section on the top of this page for the latest visa entry requirements for the country/ies you are visiting. Passports are required; in addition, travelers are also advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is the sole responsibility of the traveler.

Currency information:

Pound (GBP; symbol £) = 100 pence. Notes are in denominations of £50, £20, £10, and £5. Coins are in denominations of £2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 pence.

Credit cards:

American Express, MasterCard and Visa are all widely accepted.

ATM:

Cash can be obtained from a multitude of ATMs available across the country.

Banking hours:

Mon-Fri 0930-1630 (There may be some variations in closing times). Some banks are open Saturday morning, some all-day Saturday.

Best time to visit:

There is never a bad time to visit the United Kingdom, but for the most reliable weather come during the summer months (June – August) when the days are long and warm. Temperatures can nudge 30°C (86 ºF), sometimes higher, but the threat of rain is ever present – pack waterproofs as well as the sunscreen. The southeast of England is generally sunnier and warmer than the rest of the United Kingdom, but resorts along the coast get crowded during the summer.

The United Kingdom is arguably at its most beautiful during the autumn months (September – November) when rural landscapes take on brown, red and pink hues as the leaves lost their pigment. Scotland and of the north of England bear the brunt of winter (November-March), but snow occasionally blankets much of the United Kingdom bringing with it travel chaos. The Mercury has been known to dip to -10°C (14ºF), but those kinds of temperatures are rare.

Required clothing:

Waterproofing throughout the year. Warm clothing is always advisable and is essential for any visits to upland areas.

Weather & Climate:

In Scotland, the climate is oceanic, that is, very cool, damp, rainy, and windy most of the year.
Glasgow: (approx)

The United Kingdom’s famous red phone boxes can be found in most towns and cities, as well as other more modern phone booths. Some boxes take coins, other phone cards or credit cards.

Mobile phone:

Roaming agreements exist with a broad range of international mobile phone carriers, and coverage is good.

Internet:

Internet is readily available, and internet cafés exist in nearly every town. Most hotels, restaurants and public buildings offer Wi-Fi.

Post:

Stamps are available from post offices and many shops and stores.  Post boxes are red. First class internal mail normally reaches its destination the day after posting (except in remote area of Scotland), and most second-class mail the day after that International postal connection is good.

Post office hours:

Mon-Fri 0900-1730; Sat 0900-1230, although some post offices are open much longer hours.

Media:

With regards to television and radio, the BBC is a taxpayer-fund network, whist ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are commercial networks.

Dominated by about 10 major newspaper, UK Circulation, figures are amongst the highest in the world. The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer and the Times. Scotland’s main national newspapers include The Scotsman, The Herald, and the tabloid Daily Records, with regional papers The Press and Journal and The Courier.

Food and Drink:

Levels of hygiene are of a high standard in Scotland, so travelers should only take precautions that they would do in any other developed country. There’s no more danger of being served contaminated or undercooked food in Scotland than anywhere else. A statutory, independent, science-based body, the Food Safety Authority, is tasked “to take all reasonable steps to ensure that food produced, distributed or marketed in the State meets the highest standards of food safety and hygiene reasonably available.” The only real problems posed by the local food and drink are mild stomach complaints resulting from overindulgence! As in any other country, junk food and fast food isn’t hard to come by.

Tap water is generally safe to drink, although stories in recent years have suggested that in some areas the levels of fluoride might be risky, particularly to bottle-fed babies. Bottled water is readily available.

Scotland Specialties:

• Porridge: A traditional Scottish breakfast made from locally grown oats and either milk or water
• Haggis: Chopped oatmeal and offal, traditionally cooked in the stomach of a sheep, and served with neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes).
• Cullen Skink: A thick soup of smoked haddock.
• Smoked salmon: Usually served in slices
• Partan bree: Crab broth with rice and cream
• Arbroath smokies: Smoked haddock
• Stornoway black pudding: A savoury pudding made from pig’s blood
• cranachan: whipped cream, whisky, honey, raspberries, and oatmeal
• Tunnock’s Teacakes: soft marshallow on a biscuit base coated in milk

Things to know:

Table service and self-service are both common. 'Tea' is often almost a full meal with sandwiches and cakes. Pubs, of which Scotland has plenty, are sometimes called 'lounges' or 'bars', and there is often a worded sign outside the premises rather than the traditional painted boards found in the UK.

Regional drinks:

• Whiskey: Scotland’s most famous export’ you really shouldn’t leave without sampling a few drams
• Irn-Bru: A sweet fizzy drink that’s bright orange in colour

Tipping:

The customary tip in Scotland is 10-15%. Many hotels and restaurants add this in the form of a service charge indicated on the menu or bill. It is not customary to tip in bars unless you have table service.

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES

As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance. Your home country health plan may only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance; however, they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased. Most insurance companies do have exclusions in their coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions are not insurable.