Scotland: University Housing and Hostelling

From a crowds and hotel pricing perspective, August has got to be one of the worst times to come to Edinburgh.  

From an activities and weather perspective, August may be one of the best times to come to Edinburgh.  They have multiple festivals going on at once: film festival, arts (dance, music) festival, military tattoo performance near the castle, and fringe stand-up comedy festival.

It was so crowded that some sidewalks had two lines, one going in each direction.  I rarely travel in the summer expressly to avoid crowds, and I was surprised by how crowded it was in late summer since school had already begun in many countries.  I had also discovered after having booked my flight that hotel prices were sky high!

Here's where I stayed and what I liked about these places:

1) University of Edinburgh Summer Stays

It's quite ingenious- build a welcome center, hire students to work reception 24/7, and open up unused dorms during the summer to tourists.  One wonders why other universities don't do this!

I can't say the price was cheap, but I can say it was cheaper than the exorbitant August hotel prices.  The best part of the deal was it included all you can eat breakfast.  You might think, why do I want to eat dorm food?  Well, I personally thought it was the best dorm food I've ever had, and I've eaten at a couple universities.  They had plenty of healthy options and also had unique Scottish breakfast items so that you don't have to go searching for a restaurant to try Scottish food.

Although they did not advertise this at reception, the key card allowed entry into the pantry (kitchen) on my floor which meant access to a common fridge, dining furniture, cupboards, etc.  I also saw signs for laundry rooms but did not try using them.

2) Hostelling Scotland

I can't say enough positive things about my experience with Hostelling Scotland.  Each hostel had private room options with en-suite bathroom.  The staff allowed luggage storage which ranged from a locked room to middle of the lobby area kind of set-up, so don't store any valuables.  My favorite part was the milieu.  For example, the Glasgow hostel had a historic wood carved staircase inside the Victorian building.  Going down this staircase, one could smell the wood and imagine living in this Victorian house.  The exterior of the Stirling hotel was very 1500s.  It's next to the Old Jail, and from the window I could see an ivy-covered wall, stone turrets of the old jail, and dilapidated headstones from the old cemetery.  The hostel used to be Erskine church, so I wonder if they razed over some burial sites to pave the lot and so forth.  It's a bit creepy but also very rustic and unique.

One downside to staying in rustic accommodations is there is no lift (aka elevator) in a couple of the hostels, so be physically prepared for many flights of stairs!  Pack lightly.

Scotland via rail, bus, and walking

 Scotrail is timely, affordable, and efficient.  I took it throughout the Lowlands.  I did not get any pass and paid a la carte.  Here are my tips:

Humans can save you money

Tickets are available from machines, but I discovered that humans can get you the best deal.  For example, unsolicited by me, the agent at the Stirling station kindly split the ticket to and from Dundee so that I would save 10 pounds a person!  With split tickets, you have to insert the first leg (cities A to B) upon entry and second leg (cities B to C) upon exit, but I was told I did not have to disembark the train at all when it arrived at Perth (city B).

Edinburgh Ride a Card 

I got the week-long Ride a Card.  You can get it in advance and activate it whenever you'd like afterwards by tapping it onto the bus or metro station.  For metro, you need to tap on and off at the stations.  For the bus, the tapping point is near the driver and different from the contactless payment tapping area. 

The Ride a Card is a great deal compared to other day or week passes that I've bought in other places.  It includes the journey to the airport on the Lothian Bus Air Link 100 (tall dark blue buses) or via the tram.  It includes the Lothian buses and trams.  Depending on where you are lodging, either one may be a feasible option for traveling back to Edinburgh airport.  For the journey from the airport, it was not possible to use the Ride a Card since they don't sell it on the bus.  You can pay for a one-way ticket online while you wait or with exact fare (no change) with the driver.  The Air Link 100 can be found right as you exit the airport on the right near the Edinburgh sign.

Beware that the bright orange Airport Express buses are *not* run by Lothian and are not included in the Ride a Card.  Hence there are 3 options for getting to/from the airport, and only two are covered by the Ride a Card.  Make sure when using Google that you are looking at times for the correct type of transit option and make sure you stand at the right stop!

Where do you get one?  

They're sold at the Lothian bus travel center.  I used the one at Waverley Bridge which is walking distance from where the Air Link bus drops you off when arriving in Edinburgh.  Caveat- they are closed Sundays.  Check their hours and plan accordingly.  Each card has the person's name and photo, which is unlike all other cities that I've visited, so make sure each member of your party is in the line when you buy the cards.

Dundee Day Tripper

A day ticket can be purchased from the bus driver.  The sign at the stop said 5 pounds a person, but the ticket receipt was a bit less than that (though I paid 5 pounds and there is no change).  

Glasgow on foot

Because I stayed near Kelvingrove Park, I was able to walk to and from the university museums and Kelvingrove Park museums.  I was also able to walk to and from the train station to the hostel.  I saw some buses and had researched their transit app but did not use it at all so cannot speak to it.

Stirling on foot

The tourist part of the city is extremely walkable.  I only saw tour buses around.  I stayed on St. John St. which is walkable to the castle and Smith Gallery and Museum.