* I am planning a trip to Ayrshire area , ( train from London) to Glasgow and (by car) Arran > Scotland and N. Ireland, mainly around Ballycastle, maybe Londonderry and am > looking for info on places to stay, distances between Belfast and > Ballycastle and Londonderry. > I am taking the ferry at Troon to Belfast and need info on the Troon area > and the distance from Prestwick to Troon etc. We will be renting a car, and > coming from Canada, we will be driving on the other side. I would appreciate > and tips, and info on the above. > > Thanks, > Heather

Heather, This may no longer be the case - but if you are renting a car on the UK mainland one of the conditions of hire might prevent you from taking it to Ireland - or there might be a hefty insurance surcharge. My Australian friends overcame the problem by garaging the car at the ferry terminal, and hiring a second car in Ireland. I do not know if there were any cross-border problems in Ireland with the car, but it would be worth checking. You will be horrified at the cost of petrol - sorry, gas! - in the UK. Blame the politicians. In Eire it may well be much cheaper; perhaps someone else will enlighten us. Places to stay - providing they are not closed (off-season) try the local tourist offices who maintain lists of accommodation. There are several publications available; the Farm Holiday Guide used to be good ( I haven't used it for some years) - don't be mislead by the title, it lists many private B&B's. Roughly, from a roadmap Belfast - Ballycastle, 60 miles on the A2 coast road Ballycastle - Londonderry, 56 miles on the A2-A37-A2 coast road. Prestwick - Troon, right next door a couple of miles or so. (Assuming Prestwick, Scotland, not Prestwick Northumberland!) >coming from Canada, we will be driving on the other side I used to drive on continental Europe. The first time I found worrying, but soon got used to it. However, after a couple of months away, I found it strange at first to drive on the left! If you are a fairly experienced driver you should have no worries, but, obviously, avoid large towns. In comparison to the rest of the UK mainland, I am more relaxed driving in Scotland; some years ago we did the Belfast - Ballycastle trip and the ride was quite relaxing and picturesque. Have a good trip! Pat(rick) R. L. Dunbar Organiser, Dunbar Family Society (UK) Member - Guild of One-Name Studies, Aberdeen & N.E. Scotland FHS, Scottish Genealogy Society mailto:dunbar@one-name.org http://www.dunbarfamilysociety.org.uk (for family history information) http://www.debbiedunbar.net (for equestrian art) -----Original Message----- From: Heather Longland [mailto:h.longland@sympatico.ca] Sent: 05 February 2003 04:32 To: SCOTLAND-GENWEB-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [ScotlandGenWeb] planning a trip * I am planning a trip to Ayrshire area , ( train from London) to Glasgow and (by car) Arran > Scotland and N. Ireland, mainly around Ballycastle, maybe Londonderry and am > looking for info on places to stay, distances between Belfast and > Ballycastle and Londonderry. > I am taking the ferry at Troon to Belfast and need info on the Troon area > and the distance from Prestwick to Troon etc. We will be renting a car, and > coming from Canada, we will be driving on the other side. I would appreciate > and tips, and info on the above. > > Thanks, > Heather

Hi Heather.....I too am planning a trip to the UK and wanted tips for accommodation....I got onto www.google.com and keyed in the places that I wanted to visit. I was given several B&B's to choose from....give it a try....you'll be surprised....if you want to be specific...try keying in "bed & breakfast - Ayrshire" or any other 'town'...Good luck....Bonnie, Perth, West Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: "Heather Longland" <h.longland@sympatico.ca> To: <SCOTLAND-GENWEB-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 05, 2003 12:31 PM Subject: [ScotlandGenWeb] planning a trip > * > I am planning a trip to Ayrshire area , ( train from London) to Glasgow and (by car) Arran > > Scotland and N. Ireland, mainly around Ballycastle, maybe Londonderry and > am > > looking for info on places to stay, distances between Belfast and > > Ballycastle and Londonderry. > > I am taking the ferry at Troon to Belfast and need info on the Troon area > > and the distance from Prestwick to Troon etc. We will be renting a car, > and > > coming from Canada, we will be driving on the other side. I would > appreciate > > and tips, and info on the above. > > > > Thanks, > > > > > Heather >