Rampant Scotland Directory! The Rampant Scotland Directory is full of information on its various pages but here are specific sources for facts and figures and information about many aspects of Scotland - from the weather to population and advice for travellers.
Other areas and aspects in the Rampant Scotland site of interest to the virtual tourist include:
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If you are looking for weather data such as average rainfall, temperature and sunshine the UK Meteorological Office has gathered these together for the UK, including 13 locations in Scotland. The site also provides daily weather forecasts too. If you want to work out your own forecasts (or see what the historical picture has been) the Dundee Satellite Receiving Station has a database and current and historical satellite views of Europe and the North Atlantic. Westminster's Scottish arm, headed by the Scottish Secretary, a member of the UK Cabinet. Their pages provide pages on the responsibilities of department (significantly reduced as a aresult of devolution to the Scottish Parliament. Interestingly, there is a large section on the Devolution Settlement itself Of more general interest the General Register Office of Scotland not only provides more up to date statistics about births, marriages, divorce and deaths and Census Records but also the most frequently used Forenames in Scotland from 1900 to 2000.
General Register Office of Scotland provides a breakdown of the most recent census in Scotland (2011) Via clickable maps you can get detailed census results for each county - see Maps by County. In addition, Censuses from 1801 to 1931 are available on the Histpop - The Online Historical Population Reports. If you just want a list of poulation for towns and cities in Scotland there is a table on Wikipedia. The same resource has a table with Scotland's Population every ten years from 1801 and other demographic information. The Census Dissemination Unit (CDU) provides free access and support to the UK Census Aggregate Statistics, Experian Mosaic Public Sector data, postcode lookup data and other derived data. It holds data from the 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001 census returns. Scottish Social Statistics has a well presented set of statistics on all aspects of life in Scotland - Population, Households, population by age groups, school qualifications, unemployment, weekly earnings, Social Security benefit, housebreaking, Land area, popular forenames for newborns etc. |
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The Scottish Business Information Service ( SCOTBIS )is part of the National Library of Scotland providing a national business information service to the Scottish community and beyond. It holds an extensive range of resources, with a particular emphasis on company and market information. Users can access the business resources in person in the General Reading Room of the Library's George IV Bridge building or by e-mail.
The Royal Bank's Economic Reports provides a UK Monthly Economic Update, UK Quarterly Economic Update and Interest & Exchange Rate Forecast. There is also an Oil & Gas Index, Scottish Technology Industry Monitor, a Scottish Retail Sales Monitor and an Oil & Gas Service Industry Survey. Police Scotland was formally established on 1 April 2013 and is responsible for policing across Scotland and is the second largest force in the UK after the Metropolitan Police. There are no longer individual regional police forces in Scotland.
Contains a wealth of useful information for all court users, including members of the public. It includes a searchable database of opinions from the Scottish Supreme Courts, access to the full text of all judgments from the Court of Session and selected judgements from the High Court. There is also information about the role and operation of the courts in Scotland. British Telecom have made the UK telephone directory accessible online. And unlike their local directory enquiry service, access is free (up to a limited number of enquiries). To be able to use the system efficiently you need to have a surname and an initial and a geographic location, otherwise too many names, addresses and telephone numbers are provided. The same site allows a search by business name. This site provides help in finding the postal codes (equivalent of ZIP codes in the USA) which are used to identify postal addresses in the UK.
Not by Dr Johnston's travelling companion but by - a dog! The illustrated pages provide lots of helpful advice on planning your trip, flying in, accommodation, shops, banks, currency and opening times. Not the sort of information you would expect a canine to want to know but useful nevertheless. The Scottish Tourist Board awards "5-Star" status to only a small percentage of their accredited attractions. Here are all these top-class establishments with links to their on-line locations. The Scottish Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux, and its member bureaux form Scotland’s largest independent advice network provide a free, independent, confidential and impartial service. Not just about Glasgow but also an FAQ on tourist information questions with quick-and-simple answers. Some of the subjects covered are:
Lengthy list of links to companies providing self drive and/or chauffeur driven car hire across Scotland. The American's guide to speaking Britishs. Anyone want a biscuit (sorry, cookie). While technically "God Save the Queen" is the national anthem of Scotland, a number of songs in recent years have vied for this title with "Flower of Scotland" often being used on sporting occasions. Other contenders include Scotland the Brave, Scots Wha Ha'e, Auld Lang Syne and Amazing Grace.
A large collection of sites providing assistance for anyone with disabilities.
Provide a very comprehensive index of places and postcodes. Thereafter it will display a detailed road map of the area, with your requested location right in the centre. An added benefit is that the requested location and map produces a unique URL which you can send to someone who will then get the same map. Search for cities (population 100,000 and up), rivers, counties, islands and bodies of water. Once found, there is general information and related links for history, tourist information etc. The Royal Automobile Club site includes a section where you can get the expert system to plan a route between two towns and produce a map and detailed route plan. The Gazetteer for Scotland is a geographical database, featuring details of towns, villages, bens and glens from the Scottish Borders to the Northern Isles. The site provides maps for the different regions of Scotland, and brief descriptions (often with an illustration) of the geography and history for many of the places included. Currently, the Gazetteer covers about 50 percent of the country, focusing on the larger regions, with more places being added regularly. If you want to find the location of a place name in Scotland then the Ordnance Survey Gazetteer has a search engine which will produce a map of the area. Ordnance Survey also provide a number of free outline maps (of UK, including Scotland) and you are allowed to use up to ten of their maps on your own Web site so long as you give an acknowledgement. Provides a point and click Map of the Highlands which leads to more detailed maps of a number of specific areas of the Highlands such as There is a small gazetteer of place names, from around the Moray Firth. Some of the places described include street plans, for example, Elgin, Buckie, Forres and Lossiemouth Large scale maps dated from between 1846 and 1899. You can locate a map by entering a place name, address or coordinate (OS Grid Reference) then click the Search button. Alternatively you can go to the County Gazetteer to select a place name. |
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Here are the routes and Web sites of the airlines serving Scotland. While the busiest routes are from Scotland to London, there is a growing number of direct international flights being provided by a range of airlines.
This is a group of ten airports throughout the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, providing vital social, business and welfare links to the people who live there. You can find out about flights, taxis, car hire, contact information and more for Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Inverness, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick Airports. Concentrates on information for travellers arriving at and departing from the airport serving Scotland's Capital with details on rail, coach, Airport Taxi and Transfer services as well as terminal information including flight arrivals and departures. British Airports Authority (BAA) have a slick set of pages covering Glasgow Airport and Edinburgh Airport as well as Aberdeen. There is information on how to get there, maps of the terminals, car parking information, airline contact numbers and public transport facilities, plus a section where you can check on flight arrival times. Prestwick Airport or, to give itits full title, Glasgow Prestwick International Airport is independently operated. Their site provides airport information for passengers and freight.
Make advance reservations for airport parking and airport hotels at Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Prestwick and all major UK airports.
Secure parking conveniently located close to the airport at up to 30% less than charges on site. Courtesy coaches operate every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day.
Scotrail provides most of the internal rail services in Scotland. The Web site has pages of travel information (including timetables and route maps), news, events, attractions and useful links.
Virgin Trains who operate the west-coast service from London to Scotland have their timetables on-line and can take reservations via the Web.
TransPennine Express runs regular passenger services in northern England, including services linking the west and east coasts across the Pennines. It also provides rail links for major cities such as Edinburgh , Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Hull, Leeds, York, Scarborough and Newcastle. It is one of the few UK train operating companies running 24 hours a day, including through New Year's Eve night. You can check train times and book tickets via their Web site.
There is a search facility for train times, using RailTrack's travel information facilities.
The TrainLine are associated with Virgin Trains but can provide travel information, timetables and travel bookings for all the railway companies.
Timetables for Scottish City Link Buses are also available.
If you fancy a trip on a ferry around the Western Isles then the timetables available on Caledonian MacBrayne are just the ticket!
Northlink Orkney and Shetland Ferries have overnight sailings from Aberdeen and several times a day from Scrabster near Thurso in Caithness to Stromness on Orkney.
If you want to travel from John O' Groats to Orkney then the timetables in the John O' Groat Ferries pages will be useful to you. Even further afield, Smyril Line visit the Faroë Islands, Iceland and the Shetlands.
The direct sea ferry route from Rosyth to Zeebrugge in Belgium is no longer operating but there is an alternative see crossing from Newcastle to Amsterdam via DFDS Seaways. The daily ferry service can be a convenient and cost effective way to travel to Europe from Scotland and allows you to take your car or caravan into Europe all year round without having to make the long drive south. Enjoy a choice of restaurants and live entertainment before arriving in Holland early the next morning.
This site provides the opportunity for visitors and residents alike to plan an integrated public transport journey within Scotland or from Scotland to main points in the UK using public transport - either rail, bus, coach, ferry, air and Glasgow Underground or any combination. On the journey planner page you can select which mode or modes you wish to travel by. When it is needed, full information on connections are given to make transfers as smooth as possible and fares information is also shown (where available).
Traffic Scotland provides a co-ordinated traffic management service for Scotland’s strategic road network. The site provides traffic information, future roadworks, and is to introduce Webcam views of a number of trunk roads.
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Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
