Where is it safe to travel solo?

Travelling Solo in Scotland

Scotland is known for being rugged and beautiful. It is also widely known for tartan, whisky, and shortbread. But it is worth visiting and is it safe to do so as a solo traveller?

Scotland is a small country with most of the population living in the central belt, in or near the largest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. As soon as you travel to the Borders, Highlands or Islands it becomes much quieter and sparsely populated.

Many travellers, especially young people, will be travelling around Europe and will often only spend a couple of days in Edinburgh. This is a great thing to do and it will give you a flavour of Scotland. You will see Edinburgh Castle and the beautiful old buildings, and the hills beyond. Edinburgh is the capital city but it is also quite a small city on a global scale. Travellers will feel safe here, even women by themselves. It is not perfect but it is safe to walk around by yourself, even at night. Unlike other European cities, it is not known for pickpockets, and tourists can wander the city enjoying the sites without any hassle. If you are a woman travelling alone, you should still feel safe as long as you take normal travel precautions. We would suggest sticking to busy tourist areas and maybe joining a walking tour. When you are out and about you will see local women walking around by themselves quite comfortably.

Glasgow is a little bigger than Edinburgh and has a totally different vibe, however, it is just as safe as Edinburgh. Glasgow people will even claim that they are much friendlier than their neighbours in Edinburgh. We suggest you spend some days in both cities and make up your own mind. It is only around 40 minutes by bus or train between the 2 cities.

The other great benefit of travelling to Scotland in the spring and summer months is that it will be daylight until late evening. The locals make the most of this too as winter days are short, so you will see them out in local parks, taking part in sport and meeting up until late at night. Having all the locals out makes it safer for tourists as you aren't walking around desolated streets.

If you time it well, you may find yourself in the midst of one of our great festivals. The Fringe is a comedy festival in Edinburgh in August and both cities host outdoor music in the summer months.

Scottish Highlands

Scotland's scenery changes quite dramatically very quickly from the green-field lowlands in the south of Scotland to the craggy, impressive mountains in the north. The coast is a mixture of cliff faces and stunning sandy beaches. If travelling to Scotland, and you don't have time to tour the whole country then we suggest at least taking a day trip from Edinburgh. There are many great tours to choose from that travel as far as Loch Ness and back in just one day.

You can, of course, take public transport to visit the North of Scotland but it will mean you miss some of the best, remote spots. There is also the option to hire a car which leaves you the freedom to travel where you want, when you want. The only downside is that you will have to drive on the left, sometimes on single track roads so you may miss the best views.

From a safety aspect, you will find touring the remote parts of Scotland to be very safe, even for a solo traveller. However, there are many great companies that offer multi-day tours of Scotland that will mean not only will you be safe in a crowd but you will also get to meet other tourists. Companies like The Hairy Coo operate from Edinburgh and offer coach tours that are for small groups of liked-minded people. Their tours are for people who are looking for a tour that is fun, entertaining and exciting, but also tells you a little about Scotland's history and folklore.

The Hairy Coo has found that their tours, especially the 3-day Tour of Scotland, is very popular with solo travellers. Women have travelled from around the world to take this tour and the feedback they have provided is that they feel safe, they love the people they meet, and the groups aren't too big so that the tour still feels personal.

Ultimately, like anywhere in the world, if you are travelling solo, then you do need to take care. Scotland is most definitely one of the safest countries in Europe to travel around. You will find the people are friendly and want to help you and show you their beautiful country. So, what's stopping you? Book your Scotland tour today!

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