[revwardoc]

MD,

My wife and I took a motorcoach trip through Northern England and Scotland. It was a 10 day trip through American airlines where, for some odd reason, we had to fly from Boston to JFK, then to Manchester, England. The bus was very comfortable and the driver/guide seemed to well versed in the history of the countries. I had no problems with the hotels except that there was no air conditioning and it was the hottest summer in 114 years!

What I didn't like was not being able to stop, when I liked, to see things. For example, on Skye there was an old castle (open to the public) I wanted to explore but we had that damned timetable to keep. A couple of places where we did stop were very touristy and I preferred to get out and meet the people, which we could only really do after supper (over many pints and "wee drams" of scotch).

If we go back, I'll rent a car so I can do things at my leisure but, for a first time trip, I think I'd again go with the tour package. At least you'll have someone who knows the local laws and customs and can speak the language if a problem arises. And if you don't think that not important in Glasgow, try talking to those locals! You can cut their accents with a knife!