Scope rental in Scotland? (1 Viewer)

I am a birder from Ohio, USA. I am planning a trip to Scotland in the fall of 2017. I will be spending at least two days birding on my own, and the rest of the time squeezing in whatever bird watching I can while touring the Highlands with my family members. I am trying to travel as lightly as I can, and am debating whether or not to bring my Swaro spotting scope. I know that it is possible to rent optics while traveling in the US, but so far my Internet searches for similar rental services in the UK is coming up empty.

My birding plans are as follows: A visit to the Seabird Centre in North Berwick while the family explores Edinburgh; A stop at the Toille Red Kite site outside Dingwall; Walking around the Merkinch Local Nature Reserve during our stay in Inverness; and a full day out in the Cairngorms with a guide from Speyside Wildlife. Of course, any time spent on trains, buses or the car (while someone else is driving) will be spent birding, too.

Will a scope be useful for this sort of birding? Will I kick myself if I leave it behind? Is there any place in Edinburgh or Inverness where I could rent a spotting scope? I would appreciate any tips or pointers you can give me.

Good birding,
Kathi

Hi Kathi and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators.

I don't know of any places that hire out 'scopes. Sorry. Maybe someone else will come in with more information.

However, I'm pretty sure there'll be 'scopes you can use at the Seabird Centre . Speyside Wildlife will have equipment that you can use I would think (most do, but you could ask if they don't mention it). The other two places you could probably manage very well with just your favourite binoculars I'd think.

I hope this helps and you have a lovely time on your visit to this beautiful country.

You can get by in most places without a scope. However, if you want to see shorebirds then it's probably essential.
When you say "the fall", although I much prefer Autumn, when exactly do you mean?

David

Thank you both for your quick replies.
Our specific dates are not yet set, but we are looking at 8-10 days during the first two weeks of September. I have visited Scotland twice before, in August 1999 and in September of 2002. I did some birding during the second visit, but did not have a scope then. Shorebirds would be something I would be interested in seeing, which is one reason I am thinking about bringing a scope.

Good birding,
Kathi

Hi Kathi, you would be better with a scope at Merkinch for looking over the mud flats and the firth. Tollie you will be fine with Binos, the Speyside guide will have a scope. PM me when you get your Inverness dates.

Thank you, DMK. Our plans are firming up. We will be in Inverness from Sunday afternoon 3 September 2017 arriving by train, and staying through Thursday 7 September, leaving Friday morning the 8th by car. I plan to spend a full day birding the Cairngorms with Speyside Wildlife and at least a half day birding around Inverness on my own - I am hoping to hit both Merkinch LNP and the Longman outflow area.

If you're still planning on visiting Edinburgh, you might want to think about visiting Musselburgh which is just to the east of Edinburgh, easily accessible from it and is one of the best birding sites in Scotland. You would get good views of shorebirds there with binoculars from the concrete hides (blinds) at the scrapes at the east end of the site and lots of birds can be seen from the seawall.

Here are some more details on Musselburgh from the Scottish Ornithologists' Club:

http://www.the-soc.org.uk/birding-the-lothians/

Thank you for this tip. I will certainly look into that.