OK, mid 70s with 4 weeks to do Scotland and Wales to shoot landscapes and architecture. It might help a bit to tell us where you would be flying from/to and whether or not you are Scots/Welsh expats.
I was born in Glasgow and my wife was born in Caernarfon. We did a 4 weeks photo shoot around Scotland 8 years ago and a similar one around Wales two years ago. I have some snaps of these trips on
www.whitepixels.ca which might help you choose locations.
I would suggest:
1. 2 nights in Glasgow. The architecture is spectacular from the downtown Victorian work of Mackintosh, the Peoples Palace, George Square etc to the Squinty and Squiggly bridges (must see). It is a very walkable city but tourist buses are common in George Square. Do not walk along Sauchiehall St in the evening, the city still has a drunken lout problem.
2. Go North and do Glencoe, Eileann Donan, Plockton, Stalker, and this will take you up past the Green Welly to the edge of Rannoch Moor.
3. Skye is a must. The Cuillins from Elgol (take a boat across to Loch Coruisk if you are adventurous), the Quirang and the views are spectacular. Do not stay in the B&B at Dornie.
4. Cross to the East Coast. Give Inverness a miss as the only thing it has is the World’s worst road system. Likewise give Aberdeen a miss – a thoroughly miserable grey place. Go to Culloden if you are Scots.
5. Stonehaven is worth a stop for the magnificent Dunnottar Castle.
6. Stop at St. Andrews on the way to do the Royal & Ancient GC and the ruined abbey. The little fishing villages along the coast are also interesting.
7. 3 nights near Edinburgh. In the city do the Castle and down the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. Good architecture here contrasting the “new town” from the old ie compare Rose St with the Grassmarket. Try drinking one pint in every pub on Rose St and see how far you get! It is a difficult city to walk around because it is very hilly.
As it will be raining go to the National Museum across from Greyfriars Bobby.
Drop the wife off at Marks & Spencers.
8. From Edinburgh you can do day trips to do Bass Rock/Tantallon Castle and Jedburgh.
9. On your way down through England spend a day or two in the Lake District or in the Western parts of the Yorkshire Moors – Ingleton, Malham Cove etc
10. I think you will be too rushed if you did both North and South Wales so I would suggest 3 nights in Conwy and take day trips from there. Castle St and the Castle in Conwy are a must, as is Caernarfon and Beaumaris and the suspension bridge over the Menai Straits. If the weather is clear (unlikely) take the train up Snowdon. Drive through the Llanberis Pass. There is a classic night shot of Conwy Castle from Deganwy. There is ample medieval architecture in Conwy and Beaumaris.
11. Beddgelert is a must for the tourist shots. Also there is a classic shot in Blaenau Ffestiniog that takes in a rugby pitch, a chapel, and the backdrop of slate tailings – very Welsh. The Llechwedd cavern is worth a miss.
12. My view is that South East Wales is a mess of industrial towns with little to attract anybody who does not have some ancestral link there. Having said that Abergavenny has the Priory Church of St Mary with magnificent tombs from about 1200 AD and a 14th century Jesse Tree. Otherwise give Abergavenny a miss.
13. South West Wales is interesting and you can base yourself in Carmarthen and do day trips to St Davids, Laugharne, Tenby, and the Gower.
14. Overall comments: I would suggest booking in a hotel for a few days in each area. Those from a North American chain are best. Firstly B&Bs are definitely variable and quite restricting. And secondly moving every night is a pain.
Rent the smallest car you can. I rented a VW Golf diesel with automatic that goes like a rocket. It is small but on some roads in Wales I had the hedges on both sides of the road rubbing along the car body! In Wales the roads are very windy with stone walls or steep hedges on each side so take care. In Scotland it is different as there are few trees and the roads cross open moorland so visibility is very good.
In May it will probably be raining non stop. Prepare for it. We were astonishingly lucky with the weather on both trips and the problem in Wales was avoiding heat haze in the pics!
Food is bad. Service is bad to non-existent. Expect to eat in pubs, curry restaurants, or fish and chip takeouts. I had two spectacular meals in Carmarthen but also two horrible ones.
In Wales the road sign posts are large and clear but are always built behind large trees or bushes. They are also bilingual so the sign will say Abertawe when you want Swansea , of course they are the same place! Scottish road signs will often be in Gaelic and the names are utterly impossible to pronounce.
If you want any more info send me a PM.