what do i do with an american?

[u/hollowruby]

i'm having an american visitor stay with me around february, and i'm wondering how we can fill our week. my guest will be hiring a car, and he enjoys driving, so we don't mind longish journeys.

ideas so far:

- evening walk up balgay hill/observatory

- 3am clarkies trip (you haven't visited dundee properly without this)

- day in st andrews

bonus: he is a photographer, and loves nature. where are some pretty places i can take him to take photos?

[u/aka_rosebud]

Glamis Castle

[u/Equal_Technology_245 → u/aka_rosebud]

I was going to suggest this too - a lovely spot

[u/Individual_Coffee628]

Dunkeld is 45 mins away and so beautiful. Brilliant opportunity for photos. Hermitage there too.

[u/cardinalb → u/Individual_Coffee628]

Queens View just up the road too.

[u/Complete_Pilot3381]

don’t walk them too much, make sure they have plenty of water & teach them the quiet command!

[u/Adventurous_Habit784]

- They don't have a lot of Dunnottar Castles in America, I can tell you that. The place is a like a dream for folks who tote around cameras.

- The Fisherman's in Broughty Ferry has a tight little traditional music night on Thursdays. The pubs in the 'States are a grim simulacrum of an actual pub, and your friend might enjoy seeing a real one, especially one so small and quirky.

- Fuck yes, Clarkies.

[u/spacewood]

Tentsmuir Forest Crail & Anstruther Elie Lunnan Bay

There’s an abundance of beautiful spots really close by

[u/WASDCCXU → u/spacewood]

Yeah you’d want to take the coastal route from Kingsbarns down through Crail, Cellardyke, Anstruther, Pittenweem, St Monans, Elie/Earlsferry and end in Lower Largo. Don’t forget to go to the harbours in Crail, Anstruther and Pittenweem as you can easily drive through the villages on the upper roads without taking the time to go to the sea side. Be warned the roads are extremely narrow.

In addition to this, I’d recommend going to the Arbroath Cliffs, and then you could easily drive to the lower cairngorms places like Pitlochry, Blair Atholl, and if he does like driving I think nipping across to see the Three Sisters in Glencoe is a must (just as much as a 3am Clarkies)

[u/Tay74 → u/WASDCCXU]

Adding to this, montrose basin is lovely if he likes waterfowl and shore birds at all, in February you still have over 10k geese, plus a whole array of different birds visible across the mudflats. Sunset can be pretty spectacular from there as well

[u/socialee123 → u/Tay74]

Railway at Bridge of Dun is excellent for photos too. I parked at the old pier and was just trying to get some bird photos around the basin when I ended up there.

[u/Slobberchops_]

Do the coastal path from Crail to Anstruther

[u/butoh-godzilla]

If your going to st andrews take him to the secret bunker, as a photographer and an American, im sure he'll love the coldwar aesthetic and historical journey

[u/Bloody_kneelers]

If you're alright with a longer drive go up through Glenshee, it's a gorgeous drive, there might be skiing at that time and if not you can always take them through to braemar. Other direction you've got the secret bunker in fife, there's the Lindores Abbey in fife too if they want a distillery tour or the museums in Perth with the stone of destiny too

[u/cardinalb → u/Bloody_kneelers]

Slight caveat to Glenshee. Had some US visitors and they couldn't handle the roads here being so twisty and the journey times to places.

Hermitage and Dunkeld/Birnam with the Macbeth connections is good and easy roads.

[u/Bloody_kneelers → u/cardinalb]

Fair point, I forget that they're not used to small narrow roads. But the Hermitage and Dunkeld are good shouts, Blair Atholl would be shut in Feb sadly, but they might be open at the Crannog Centre on Loch Tay, it'd be bloody nippy but it's a nice place.

[u/cardinalb → u/Bloody_kneelers]

Fortingall yew as well although its also a bit twisty but the nonsense Pontius Pilot birth story is interesting.

[u/Alert_Willow_9215 → u/Bloody_kneelers]

The roads flipped me out, but I also thought they were awesome (so long as I’m not driving). Some parts of the US have roads like that, but it’s not common

[u/HighlandSeeds]

The drive to Glenshee/braemar for photography! And nice walks for sure.

[u/shiftyhowe]

Broughty Ferry is a good shout, especially if are there as the sun is going down over the river, the castle and the old fishing cottages is look great,

[u/RedPandaFlynn]

Aviemore/Blair Atholl are a must and not far at all for a day trip

[u/MiddleAgedDread123]

a day in St Andrews, a day trip to Edinburgh, Dunnottar castle & stonehaven, Pitlochry / Blair Athol & The Hermitage at Dunkeld if the weather is decent.

[u/inkypi]

The last time my american friends were over they really enjoyed the Scottish Deer Centre - one of the things on their list was to see highland cows. And with it being a pay as you please for entry it's a solid afternoon out.

[u/itisme_cc]

7 arches, Edsel woods or glen doll? A deep fried mars bar with Jackie’s vanilla ice cream as a pudding.

[u/chatiere]

Depending on whether your visitor is interested in whisky, you could continue up the A9 from Dunkeld and the Hermitage to visit the distilleries at Aberfeldy or Dalwhinnie.  Dalwhinnie is really photogenic, and surrounded by mountains.

Trip to Perth to see the Stone of Destiny and Scone Palace?   And I’d second the Queens View and Loch Tummel beyond it as good shouts for landscape photography.

[u/Kevinho00]

Kirriemuir. Beautiful little town and romantic setting.

[u/ThePhunkSoulBrother]

I did the Dundee cooking academy recently and it was the best thing I’ve done in my 30 years living here. It is pricey and sold out for months, so may be a non starter but if it’s possible I’d definitely recommend.

[u/slim_breadsticks843]

As a Dundonian living in the states, I would want a fudge donut from F&D

[u/-PEW-CLANSMAN]

Take him on a tour of all the petrol stations and the prices. Then take them to the airport

[u/Adventurous_Habit784 → u/-PEW-CLANSMAN]

No matter how many petrol stations you took an American to, unless you explained it to them with some care it's unlikely they would understand how much higher fuel prices are over here, as it's priced in pence per liter rather than the dollars per gallon they are used to (currently £0.929ppl in the US, fwiw).

[u/-PEW-CLANSMAN → u/Adventurous_Habit784]

Then just take them to the airport. The rest isnt important

[u/Typical-Classic9802]

Bring him to Arbroath Abbey where the Declaration of Arbroath is and there is also a beautiful graveyard with gravestones going back hundreds of years and you can tell them about how the stone of destiny ended up there in 1951, after being stolen from Westminster Abbey. There’s the Bellrock restaurant you can take them to for brilliant fish and chips.
There’s the lighthouse museum too, plus the Arbroath cliffs.

[u/TraditionalMatch7882]

Take him down trottic ponds. There's a ten pound carp there that loads of people have seen but no ones ever caught

[u/Adventurous_Habit784 → u/[deleted]]

Treason against whom ... the British Crown?