Rugby Trip?

[Dai Perk]

Hey, friends,

So, my lovely wife has decided she is taking us to Scotland for my 50th birthday. I still have plenty of time to plan, but I'm already getting excited. I'd like to make rugby a part of the trip, so I'm looking for recommendations...

Should I try to catch Edinburgh, or Glasgow? Unless they just happened to play Friday/Saturday, it'd be impossible to go to both, yes? Which city has the best atmosphere and tradition, rugby-wise? Anything I should be sure to see or do while I'm there?

Thanks, any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated!

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Ok
You could get too both.

Glasgow has the better match day atmosphere but Edinburgh is the nicer city by far and if I was too pick what to do .
Edinburgh to Glasgow is a quick train ride apart (like 45-1hour) and are every 15 or so mins, so both cities are very much doable.

Depending on time you could prob catch a game Friday, Saturday and Sunday depending on Newcastle fixtures and how long you plan to stay.


Avoid Bathgate I stayed there before, and it's not really a place where you would have a nice time (Unless you call catching a SDI in a pub/hotel car park a good time but enough about my biography and I recovered anyway and am young soooo whatever) but it is a cheap in-between.

 

[bushytop]

Obviously I have no idea what time of year your birthday actually is but if you could catch a nome international match at Murrayfield while you're over I'm sure you'd love it. I've never been but of my mates and family members who have done 6 Nations away days, Edinburgh is their favourite trip.

 

[Amiga500]

Obviously I have no idea what time of year your birthday actually is but if you could catch a nome international match at Murrayfield while you're over I'm sure you'd love it. I've never been but of my mates and family members who have done 6 Nations away days, Edinburgh is their favourite trip.

+1 to that.

Check the fixtures around your dates - you don't wanna be there on a weekend when they're both playing away from home for instance! I'd move the holiday to a time away from your birthday if it meant good fixtures.


edit: Just checked
Scotland vs. England on Sat 8th Feb - would be hard to get tickets for this one.
Scotland vs. France on Sun 8th March - more realistic maybe.

Unfortunately, the ideal weekend would have been 21st-23rd Feb if Scotland had been playing Italy at home. You could have seen Edinburgh vs. Connacht the Friday night and Glasgow vs. Dragons on Sat night with the international in between. Might still be an option for you if you wanted to watch the 6N game in a packed pub.

 

[big ginger 8]

Agree Edinburgh is a lovely city. Had a great match experience in Glasgow for the Pro 14 final but would strongly recommend not going into the city centre the same night as a Celtic or Rangers match.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Embra is a lovely place yeah. I can't comment on Glasgow, I was there and I had a great time but I can't stress how gee eyed I was.

 

[Dai Perk]

Great stuff, y'all - looking at fixtures, I'm thinking Autumn Internationals might be better than 6N, just so I could avoid sitting outside in February... on the other hand, the games aren't as big of a deal, so...

 

[Leinster Fan]

If you're only going to one city, definitely make it Edinburgh, whatever about the rugby you'll have a much nicer holiday. Obviously you can't go to both at the same time, but if they are playing Sat/Sun at home going to both is very doable, they're not massively very apart.

If it is the right time of year, Six Nations games are the best.

 

[ajwffc]

Edinburgh to Glasgow is less than an hour away from each other by train(via Falkirk High, ) so if you stay in the Falkirk/Stirling area you are no more than 30min away from each of them. Rugby wise Edinburgh is easier to get tickets for.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Glad to see some neutrals confirming that Edinburgh > Glasgow (unless you want a wild night or city centre shopping, where Glasgow has a big edge).

As above, Glasgow at present will have a better atmosphere for a Pro14 match, as Murrayfield is pretty cavernous when 5% full. Edinburgh should be playing in their new mini-Murrayfield stadium from next August though, which should improve things greatly (although generally the Edinburgh rugby public are not known for being vocal).

While Murrayfield is easy to get to from the city centre, I'm told the same cant be said for Glasgow's stadium at Scotstoun (unless you had a car). Getting to Scotstoun if you based yourself in Edinburgh would be a bit of a pain.

If it was an international you aimed for then obviously Edinburgh for Murrayfield and also for the rugby tradition (Edinburgh and the Borders to the south of Edinburgh are the main heartlands for the sport by some distance, although I'd be lying if I said youd notice it outside of game days).

As an outside rugby consideration, the annual 7s tournament in Melrose in April is worth a look. Usually has a couple of international clubs against the borders finest and the wee village and nearby river and abbey are very bonnie. Easy train from Edinburgh, but then a bit of a step from the station to the village (the locals perhaps too posh to want a railway line in their village!).

https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/melrose-rugby-reveals-its-sevens-20/20-vision

For non-rugby stuff it is mainly history in Edinburgh and scenery in the Highlands (although I'm partial to the borders myself). Depends what sort of things you and your good lady would want to do, if youd want to drive, how many days you have and if you love the outdoors, even if the weather doesn't behave so much (east coast a lot drier, worth saying!)

Avoid Bathgate I stayed there before, and it's not really a place where you would have a nice time (Unless you call catching a SDI in a pub/hotel car park a good time but enough about my biography and I recovered anyway and am young soooo whatever) but it is a cheap in-between.

Pretty much everywhere between Glasgow and Edinburgh should be avoided, (except Linlithgow). Hope you sampled Bathgate's fabled Room at the Top! "...we arent in Kansas anymore"

 

[The Seeker]

Hey, friends,

So, my lovely wife has decided she is taking us to Scotland for my 50th birthday. I still have plenty of time to plan, but I'm already getting excited. I'd like to make rugby a part of the trip, so I'm looking for recommendations...

Should I try to catch Edinburgh, or Glasgow? Unless they just happened to play Friday/Saturday, it'd be impossible to go to both, yes? Which city has the best atmosphere and tradition, rugby-wise? Anything I should be sure to see or do while I'm there?

Thanks, any and all recommendations are greatly appreciated!

I went to Scotland to do the family roots thing and had a great time. I went to both Glasgow and Edinburgh (the train trip between the two cities isn't very long) and I enjoyed both cities equally. They're different in their own respects, so I suggest you see both. I didn't get to see any rugby there but I'm a architecture buff and the old and new buildings in both cities are awesome. *The Big 5-0...early Happy Birthday wishes to you. Have fun Dave!

Note: If you fly on Icelandair you can get a free stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland.

 

[Dai Perk]

As an outside rugby consideration, the annual 7s tournament in Melrose in April is worth a look. Usually has a couple of international clubs against the borders finest and the wee village and nearby river and abbey are very bonnie. Easy train from Edinburgh, but then a bit of a step from the station to the village (the locals perhaps too posh to want a railway line in their village!).

https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/melrose-rugby-reveals-its-sevens-20/20-vision

Very interesting, and thanks for all the insight! It does look like it will be April of 2021, so it seems I'll have numerous domestic rugby options...

Hope you sampled Bathgate's fabled Room at the Top! "...we arent in Kansas anymore"

I haven't any idea what this means, can you explain?

Edinburgh should be playing in their new mini-Murrayfield stadium from next August though, which should improve things greatly (although generally the Edinburgh rugby public are not known for being vocal)

Yeah, watching some Pro14 games this past weekend, there are a LOT of empty seats, even for really good matchups. Looks pretty grim sometimes.

I went to Scotland to do the family roots thing and had a great time

That's the original idea, but I'm trying to plan how much roots stuff and how much sight-seeing and rugby stuff, ya know? The family roots path would take me all the way to North Uist, and I fear the extra travel to get to the islands will eat up too much time... Anyway, again, thanks for the advice, it's fun to even think about it!

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Sorry DD, I was just having a laugh to myself about some unappealing nightspots in the town of Bathgate. Not one for your itinerary!

 

[The Seeker]

Very interesting, and thanks for all the insight! It does look like it will be April of 2021, so it seems I'll have numerous domestic rugby options...

I haven't any idea what this means, can you explain?

Yeah, watching some Pro14 games this past weekend, there are a LOT of empty seats, even for really good matchups. Looks pretty grim sometimes.

That's the original idea, but I'm trying to plan how much roots stuff and how much sight-seeing and rugby stuff, ya know? The family roots path would take me all the way to North Uist, and I fear the extra travel to get to the islands will eat up too much time... Anyway, again, thanks for the advice, it's fun to even think about it!

If you're looking to buy family tartan items like kilts, scarfs, blankets, etc. there's several shops that specialize in them right across from the downtown Glasgow train station. I didn't buy a kilt but I did get a wool scarf for my sister and a blanket for myself. I'm sure you'll find shops like these in most Scottish cities, but in Glasgow access to them is very easy.