Practicalities

Scotland is well served with a variety of shops that sell everything you need for your stay. The main food stores in the UK are:

• Aldi
• Asda
• Lidl
• Morrisons
• Sainsbury's
• Tesco

The main clothes shops are usually in the city centre, and will suit a variety of budgets. There are also shopping centres in and around the main cities that can be reached by car or public transport:

• Shopping in Aberdeen
• Shopping in Edinburgh
• Shopping in Ayr

For more information please see the Visit Scotland website.

The UK is generally a safe place with low levels of crime. But whenever you travel to a new country, it is vital that you look after yourself.

We recommend that you visit the Police Scotland website for advice on how to keep safe or report a crime. You can find more information in the British Council safety booklet.

In an emergency, call 999 to contact the police, fire brigade or ambulance.

If you need to report a crime or an incident that is not an emergency, dial 101.

On Foot

Walking is normally easy and often the best way to get around and avoid traffic jams. Be aware that many of Scotland’s cities are hilly and in winter there can be ice and snow.

Public transport

Local bus services, express coaches, national rail services, ferries, Glasgow subway and Edinburgh trams together make up Scotland’s transport network. You can find information about all of these forms of transport on Traveline Scotland.

Cycling

Cycling is a cheap, healthy, efficient and environmentally-friendly mode of transport. You could either get a brand new bicycle from one of the many bike shops in Scotland, or get a second hand one from Gumtree or eBay.

Cycling Scotland is the national cycle training and engineering organisation for Scotland. Visit their website for events, news and services.