Useful Links for Planning your Holiday in Scotland

Below are a few websites you may find useful when planning your holiday in Scotland.

http://www.baa.co.uk/BAAHome.htm - British Airports Authority - Information about the UK's major airports.
http://www.easyjet.com/ - basic, low cost, flights within UK
http://www.ryanair.com/ - This budget flight company operates from Prestwick Airport (22 miles) 35 km south west of Glasgow. Although described as 'Glasgow' be aware, if renting a car, that this is not the same as Glasgow International Airport which is 8 miles to the west of the city.
http://www.easyvalue.com/ - Impartial comparisons for online shopping, including best-value flights on any given day.

http://www.alamo.com/ - Alamo Rent A Car
http://www.avis.co.uk/ - Avis Rent A Car
http://www.hertz.co.uk/ - Hertz Rent A Car
http://www.nationalcar-europe.com/ - National Car Rental
http://www.easyrentacar.com/ incredibly cheap car rental, currently operating only out of Glasgow Airport.
http://www.budget-uk.com/ - with depots at most airports
http://www.holidayautos.co.uk/ - makes hiring a car a doddle. Breathtaking choice, simplicity and good value.
http://www.leisurecars.com/ - also offer discount hire from Edinburgh and Glasgow airports.
City car hire firm: www.capital-carhire.co.uk operate from Edinburgh itself, very close to HAYMARKET Train Station and offer competitive rates with good customer care. Everything from family cars to limousines and chauffered minibuses. For limos and minibuses visit http://www.xlimo.co.uk/

Ferry Crossing Tickets Online - Great deals on ferry tickets throughout Europe including Eurotunnel crossings, cross channel, Irish sea. All ports available including Folkstone, Calais, Hull, Dover, Dublin, Douglas & Holyhead.
Fully Inclusive Car Hire - Fully inclusive car rental and hire worldwide.
Holiday parking near uk airport - Find a secure car park at all major UK airports. Easy online booking with instant online airport parking documents.
Online Airport Hotel Accommodation in the UK - Airport hotels at all major UK airports including Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester. Instant online accommodation confirmation and hotel directions.
VIP Lounges at Major UK Airports - Airport executive VIP lounges at all major UK airports including Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester. Instant online confirmation and lounge directions.
Short Breaks in Europe and USA - Short break holidays with hotel accommodation throughout the UK, Europe and North America. Also London theatre break short stay holidays and special offers.

www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/fooddrink.html This article from Edinburgh University gives a good overview of the culinary delights you can expect in Scotland. It links to other food and drink sites.
For an Aladdin's cave of traditional food, wine, cheese and exciting products visit http://www.valvonacrolla.co.uk/. Their fabulous shop is at 19 Elm Row, Leith Walk, Edinburgh and their VinCaffe nearby.
http://www.scottishhaggis.co.uk/ Enjoy the sound of bagpipes whilst you read about that great chieftain o'the puddin' race. This award winning website from haggis makers McKean's of Scotland includes information on how to cook haggis and Rabbie Burns' "Address to a Haggis"
Famous Grouse Movie For a bit of fun, play this! And perhaps sample some Famous Grouse tipple!
http://www.whiskyweb.com/ Discover more about our national drink http://www.mrshamilton.com/ Another Mrs. Hamilton! Just 10 minutes' down the road from us you can purchase tender succulent lamb bred from another farm on the Pentlands. Bring it "home" to Crosswoodhill to cook. We can supply the mint to go with it...
And to ensure you get the freshest and finest of produce, visit http://www.scottishfarmersmarkets.co.uk/ to discover what's on sale and when.

http://www.taste-of-scotland.com/ - Where to eat in style in Scotland. Describes select establishments, some within easy driving distance of Crosswoodhill.
www.edinburghguide.com/society/food/index.htm - This online Edinburgh Guide offers various listings of Edinburgh pubs and restaurants for all tastes and budgets.
http://www.edinburghrestaurants.co.uk/ - the website for the Edinburgh Restaurateurs Association. These are excellent, exclusive eating places but not for those on a low budget.
www.list.co.uk/restaurants/index.php offers a more comprehensive and cosmopolitan selection to suit every palate and budget

Green Tourism Business Scheme: source eco-friendly fellow members / accommodation providers elsewhere in the UK www.green-business.co.uk
Currency Conversion - Exchange Rates - http://finance.yahoo.com/m5
Insurance for Your Holiday - http://www.tpstravelinsurance.com For UK guests booking our accommodation and wishing to insure against cancellation, we recommend Travellers Protection Services Ltd.

Hop-on / hop-off buses which depart from a central location every 10 to 15 minutes and take about an hour to do the complete tour, but much longer when you jump off at the attractions you want to visit. Tickets are valid all day and include discounts to attractions. No prior booking required. http://www.lothianbuses.co.uk/
Click here as your through route to the Edinburgh Guide Friday buses. And click here for the Glasgow ones.

www.timberbush-tours.co.uk - This 4 STAR Edinburgh company runs 1, 2, or 3 day guided tours in luxury mini-coaches to the Highlands and/or the hallowed hame o' golf.
http://www.stga.co.uk/ - These Blue Badge Guides can give visitors a memorable, entertaining experience of Scotland in a total of 19 languages.
http://www.celtictrails.co.uk/ - offers unique half and whole day personalised tours from Edinburgh to sites of prehistoric, Celtic and mediaeval interest, including Rosslyn chapel.
If we cannot accommodate your wanted dates, you may want to think about taking a tour of the Highlands and then coming on down to stay with us at Crosswoodhill, hiring a car. Particularly recommended are Rabbies Trail Burners and Haggis Adventures, both of which have won numerous prestigious awards, and run tours of various lengths, specially geared to small groups. http://www.rabbies.com/index.asp http://www.haggisadventures.com/Tours

Historic Scotland which owns Edinburgh and Stirling Castle, as well as many other historic castles and abbeys, have a special Scottish Explorer ticket valid for 7-14 days. Good value. http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
The National Trust for Scotland has many beautiful castles and historic houses in its care and their Trust Touring Pass is excellent value for money www.nts.org.uk/

http://www.radar.org.uk/ This site has a wealth of information for disabled people in the UK
http://www.arjo.com/ - For hoists on the move. One call to Arjo Hire can solve handling problems for a disabled guest. From Arjo's homepage, click on 'others' and select 'UK', then 'Hire' or phone 01452 506050.
For wheelchair hire whilst at Crosswoodhill, try http://www.med-ecosse.co.uk/ or contact the local West Lothian branch of the Red Cross via e-mail: brcswl217@hotmail.com

www.scotsancestry.co.uk a dedicated family researcher can help bring your ancestors to life
http://www.scotsgenealogy.com/ - Scottish Genealogy Society
http://www.scottish-roots.co.uk/ - Scottish Roots Ancestral Research Service.
http://www.ancestralscotland.com/
www.ar-turas.co.uk - Ar-turas specialises in providing cultural, social and historical contexts to bring the family tree to life.
www.samanthagodley.co.uk/ Unlock Your Family's History

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/ - UK Street Maps Online
www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/scotland.html - Whisky Map of Scotland
http://www.multimap.com/ - UK Multimaps
Good directions to Crosswoodhill. Type in EH55 8LP as a destination.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/ - Order your hiking maps in advance

www.aqua3.com - Europe's No. 1 publisher of all weatherproof leisure maps, publishing over 3000 titles including Ordnance Survey, IGN, Kompass and more...

For route planning: use www.rac.co.uk/routeplanner

http://www.edinburghfestivals.co.uk/ - Information on Edinburgh's Festivals
http://www.edfringe.com/ - Edinburgh Festival Fringe (August)
http://www.eif.co.uk/ - Edinburgh International Festival (August - September)
http://www.edintattoo.co.uk/ - Edinburgh Military Tattoo (August)
http://www.eft.co.uk/ All year round drama, ballet and opera in Edinburgh
www.edinburghshogmanay.com - Edinburgh is of course the place to bring in the New Year!
http://www.list.co.uk/ is the most comprehensive entertainment and events listing site, covering both Edinburgh and Glasgow

Living close by is a talented artist who has achieved global fame with her flower paintings. View http://www.jennietuffs.co.uk/ before you visit! Cards, prints, posters and glorious originals available locally.

http://www.scottishgolf.com/ and http://www.uk-golf-guide.com/ are on the ball! Check out our local golf course at Harburn.
http://www.fishing-uk-scotland.com/ allows you to go fishing for information.
http://www.phicelandics.co.uk/ offers a smooth ride when it comes to information on icelandic pony trekking on the pentland hills.
http://www.adventurescotland.com/ lets you discover more about the largest indoor rock-climbing centre in Europe, just 15 miles from us. + lots of other exciting sporting opportunities. Fancy stepping off a 30m high building on a skyride over a huge natural arena? This is the place to go. Impressive

See Scotland as you've never seen it before! Here are 2 suggestions, happening less than an hour's drive away from Crosswoodhill. Not cheap but exhilarating.....

Tempted to pamper yourself whilst staying at Crosswoodhill? Discover what's on offer at our local health and beauty shop, Elysian Fields Beauty Therapy

We are proud and passionate about Scottish Tourism and support the new Pride and Passion for Scotland movement sweeping Scotland. This aims to inspire and motivate more Scots to become the Visitor's Champion, contributing to an exceptionally good experience you will be proud to tell people about when you get home.

We encourage our guests to complete Feedback forms in the cottages and then submit them to www.WarmestWelcomes.com for independent evaluation. You can see the results for all of our cottages at the foot of the Orlege Page. It is thanks to guests' suggestions that our cottages get better and better....

We also now encourage our guests to feed back to TripAdvisor where you can read independent travellers' opinions about holiday accommodation. Click on this link to add your comment or see how we did. Type in Crosswoodhill in the Search Space to bring up reviews, but if you are kind enough to add one, to help others discover us, please state the full name Crosswoodhill Farm Holiday Cottages near Edinburgh.

Two other sites highlighting customer care that you may enjoy are: http://www.extramilescotland.co.uk/index.asp is all about situations where the service exceeded expectations. You can contribute or just peruse. Or add us after your stay if you feel we qualify!

www.TheRealVisitorsBook.co.uk: along the same lines but restricted to self-catering accommodation UK wide. If you would like to read a Crosswoodhill review by a previous guest, you'll find a couple here.

For those who yearn to be beside the Scottish seaside these lovely 4 Star cottages in Argyll offer the perfect retreat. http://www.craobhcottages.co.uk/
Escape to the Edge, to the ideal romantic Hebridean 5 STAR retreat for two. Matched by a stunning island location, click on http://www.stay-hebrides.com/ for a preview of these irresistable turf-roofed, luxury cottages on Harris, close to glorious deserted beaches.
Wonderful for families, this group of luxury cottages near St. Andrews, Fife is much more than just a place to stay. It offers lots to do on site. http://www.pitmilly.co.uk/
For a different kind of holiday, in a striking setting near Loch Lomond, within a quiet private estate of chalets and lodges, consider http://www.sandwood-lodge.co.uk/
Combining a trip to Scotland with visiting Ireland? Have a look at http://www.rathmullancottages.com/ - for quality cottages and caring owners in Donegal, Ireland.

VisitScotland Star Grading System for Accommodation, Attractions, etc.
Click here to find out more about choosing your accommodation with care.