Our budget break in Scotland from 5 - 10 May 2012 was based on cheap rooms bought in the Travelodge UK December 2011 sale. I paid £59 for 5 nights accommodation, one night in TraveldogeDufermline, two in both Travelodge Inverness & Travelodge Perth Broxden Junction. You can save on travel if you snap up hotel deals whenever you spot them. While Travelodge is unlikely to offer a memorable experience, you get a comfortable place to sleep with your own bathroom. I managed to get a decent mobile broadband signal with my T Mobile USB modem during our trip. Although Travelodge offer free WiFi in their Bar Cafes, none of the Travelodges at which we stayed had Bar Cafes.
Caledonian Canal Locks at Fort Augustus in the Scottish Highlands
We decided to come home a day early, on Thursday 9 May, as heavy rain was forecast for the following day. We’d been very fortunate as the weather was much drier and brighter than forecast and we didn’t want to end the trip on a soggy note. It turned out to be a wise decision, as it rained non-stop all day on the 10 May.
Cost of Budget Break in Scotland
Accommodation - £59 It was £19 for the first night in Travelodge Dunfermline, Travelodge Inverness cost £10 a night for two nights and Travelodge Perth Broxden Junction was £10 a night for 2 nights, so a grand total of £59 for 5 night accommodation (room only) for two people.
Transport – Fuel £60 We travelled in our Skoda Fabia diesel supermini which returns 67 average miles per gallon. We covered just under 650 miles, so that cost £60 for fuel.
Food – Meals £74 - We took quite a bit of food with us; things like longlife milk, cereal, sandwiches, tinned tuna, cheese scones and fruit for breakfasts in our room and picnics. As we’d be spending money on food at home anyway, I haven’t included this in the cost. Having a flask saves a lot on drinks and means you can pick the most scenic spots for a tea or coffee. We had lunch in Edinburgh on the first day which cost £24, a dinner at Jimmy Chung’s Chinese Buffet in Inverness costing £21 and afternoon tea in Hettie’s Tearoom in Perth, which cost £9 with Groupon voucher. If we’d stayed for the last night, I reckon we’d have spent another £20 on a meal and some food shopping.
Total Spend – £193
Photos from the Budget Break in Scotland
Click here to see all the photos on Flickr.
Love UK
Soon after I booked the flights for our Santander trip, I started searching for a hotel. My initial booking was with Expedia. Although I had to pay the full amount immediately, this was fully refundable until one week before our arrival. This gave me the opportunity to keep my eyes open for a better deal, with the security that I had accommodation arranged.
