Banks Opening Times
Banks usually open Monday to Friday, 9am-4/5pm (some open until later on Thursdays and a few open on Saturday mornings). You can usually withdraw cash on your credit or debit card from autotellers or ATMs (widely known as cash machines); you should contact your bank before you leave, to find out which Scottish banks you can use and how much you'll be charged for the service. Beware that cash machines can be few and far between in remote areas of the Highlands and Islands.

Changing Currency
In Scotland, banks usually give the best exchange rate for foreign currency, and many offer this service. It is also possible to change money in airports, larger rail stations, travel agents and some of the larger hotels (if you are a resident); there is usually a handling fee and commission. Most towns and cities have cash machines where you can obtain British currency using your cashcard or credit card. Some establishments may accept Euro traveller cheques.

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The British Money System

The basic unit of currency in Scotland, as in the rest of the UK, is the pound sterling (£), divided into 100 pence (p). The UK looks unlikely to change over to the euro, against which the pound remains very strong, less so against the dollar.
Coins come in denominations of 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2. Bank of England £5, £10, £20 and £50 banknotes are legal tender in Scotland, while Scottish banks issue their own bank notes in all denominations. These differ in design from English notes, but are of the same value and are accepted elsewhere in the UK. English notes are accepted in Scotland.

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Tipping

Who should I tip and how much?
There are no fixed rules for tipping in Scotland. Leave a tip of 10-15% of the bill total if you think you've had great service, but check first service has not already been included. It is not normal to leave tips in pubs, although bar staff are sometimes offered drinks, which they may accept in the form of money (the assumption being that they'll spend the tip on a drink for themselves after closing time). Taxi drivers, on the other hand, will expect tips on longer journeys: 10% is the norm. The other occasion when you'll be expected to tip is in upmarket hotels - for porters, bellboys and table waiters.

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Communications

Communications are pretty modern and reliable in Scotland, although out in the more remote parts of the country, and particularly in the Highlands and Islands, you?ll encounter difficulties: mobile phone coverage may well be patchy, though you?ll usually find a pay-phone within easy walking distance. Internet cafés exist in most major towns and cities, but are surprisingly thin on the ground in rural areas.
Post Most post offices In towns and cities are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5.30pm and Saturday 9am to 12.30 or 1pm. However, in small communities you?ll find sub-post offices operating out of a shop, shed, or even a private house. In remote regions, the post office will often keep extremely restricted hours, even if the shop in which the post office counter is located keeps longer hours.

Stamps can be bought at post-office counters, from vending machines outside, or from many newsagents and shops. Domestic UK postage costs 34p first-class, 24p second-class. Airmail letters are 48p to Europe, 54p worldwide. Postcard stamps cost 37p to Europe, 40p worldwide. For more information, contact the Royal Mail.

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Media

In general, the Scots dismiss the UK's so-called 'national media' as London-based and London-biased, and prefer to listen to Scottish radio programmes, read Scottish newspapers, and - albeit to a much lesser extent - watch Scottish TV. Local papers are also avidly consumed, with the weekly papers in places like Orkney and Shetland read by virtually the entire adult population.

The press

Many of Britain's national daily tabloid newspapers - from the reactionary Sun to the vaguely left-leaning Daily Mirror - appear in specific Scottish editions, although the 'quality' press, ranging between the right-wing Daily Telegraph and the left-of-centre Guardian, are justifiably seen in Scotland as being London papers.
The Scottish press centres on two serious dailies - The Scotsman, based in Edinburgh, and The Herald, published in Glasgow, both of them broadsheets offering good coverage of the current issues affecting Scotland, along with British and foreign news, sport, arts and lifestyle pages. Scotland's biggest-selling daily is the downmarket Daily Record, a tabloid from the same stable as the Daily Mirror.

Many national Sunday newspapers have a Scottish edition, although again Scotland has its own offerings: Scotland on Sunday, from the Scotsman stable, and the Sunday Herald, complementing its eponymous daily. Far more fun and widely read is the anachronistic Sunday Post, published by Dundee's mighty D.C. Thomson publishing group. It's a wholesome paper, uniquely Scottish, and has changed little since the 1950s, since which time its two long-running cartoon strips, Oor Wullie and The Broons, have acquired something of a cult status.

The provincial press
The provincial daily press is more widely read than its English counterpart, with the two biggest-selling regional titles being Aberdeen's famously parochial Press and Journal, widely read in the northeast, Orkney and Shetland, and the right-wing Dundee Courier, mostly sold in Perth, Angus, Tayside and Fife. The weekly Oban Times gives an insight into life in the Highlands and Islands, but is staid compared with the radical, campaigning weekly West Highland Free Press, printed on Skye; both carry articles in Gaelic as well as English. Further north, the lively Shetland Times and sedate Orcadian are essential weekly reads.

Magazines
Scottish monthlies include the Scottish Field, a lowbrow version of England's Tatler, covering the interests and pursuits of the landed gentry; and the widely read Scots Magazine, an old-fashioned middle-of-the-road publication which promotes family values and lots of good fresh air. For visitors to Glasgow and Edinburgh, the fortnightly listings magazine The List is a must, covering all events in both cities and featuring lively interviews and articles. Another useful publication is the lively Big Issue, a weekly magazine with a Scottish edition, which contains listings, features and a focus on homelessness, the 'issue' of the title; it?s only available from official street vendors, who are themselves homeless, and to whom a large proportion of the cover price goes.

International press
USA Today and the International Herald Tribune are the most widely available North American papers, though only the larger newsagents will stock them; you can also find Time and Newsweek in quality bookstores and newsagents.

TV and radio
TV
In Scotland there are five main TV channels: the state-owned BBC1 and BBC2, and the independent commercial channels, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5. The BBC continues to maintain its worldwide reputation for in-house quality productions, ranging from expensive costume dramas to intelligent documentaries, split between the avowedly mainstream BBC1 and the more rarefied fare of BBC2. BBC Scotland produces news programmes and a regular crop of local-interest lifestyle, current affairs, drama and comedy shows which slot into the schedules of both BBC channels. The commercial channel, ITV, is divided between three regional companies: the populist STV, received in most of southern Scotland and parts of the West Highlands; Grampian, based in Aberdeen; and Border, which transmits from Carlisle. These are complemented by the more eclectic and less mainstream Channel 4, and thoroughly downmarket Channel 5, which still can't be received in some parts of Scotland. A plethora of satellite and, in the cities, cable channels are also available; the dominant force is Sky, which offers, among other channels, blanket sports coverage that plays wall-to-wall in pubs the length of the country.

Radio
The BBC radio network broadcasts six main channels in Scotland, five of which are national stations originating largely from London: Radio 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Live. Only the award-winning BBC Radio Scotland offers a Scottish perspective on news, politics, arts, music, travel and sport, as well as providing a Gaelic network in the Highlands with local programmes in Shetland, Orkney and the Borders.

A web of local commercial radio stations covers the country, mostly mixing rock and pop music with news bulletins, but a few tiny community-based stations such as Britain's smallest radio station, Lochbroom FM in Ullapool - famed for its daily midge count - transmit documentaries and discussions on local issues. The most populated areas of Scotland also receive UK-wide commercial radio, which competes with the BBC: Classic FM lures listeners from Radio 3, Virgin Radio competes head to head with Radio 1, and Talk Sport takes on Radio 5 Live. Scottish radio stations include: BBC Radio Scotland 92-95FM, Clyde 1 102.5FM and Clyde 2 1152MW (Glasgow), Moray Firth 99.4FM & 1107MW (Inverness), Nevis Radio 96.6FM (Fort William), North Sound 96.9FM, 1035MW (Aberdeen), Radio Forth 97.3FM and Forth 2 1548MW (Edinburgh), Radio Tay 96.4 & 102.8FM (Dundee), 1161 & 1584MW, Scot FM 100.3 & 101.1FM (central belt) and SIBC 96.2FM (Shetland).

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Customs & Duty Free

Travelling Within the European Union
You do not have to pay any tax or duty in the UK on goods you have bought tax paid in other EU countries which are for your own use, and which have been transported to the UK by you. 'Own use' includes goods which are for your own consumption and gifts. You cannot bring back goods for payment, even payment in kind, or for re-sale. These goods would then be regarded as held for a commercial purpose.

If the Officer is satisfied the goods are being brought into the UK for a commercial purpose, and are not for own use, the goods, along with any vehicle used to transport them, will be liable to seizure and may not be returned. For serious offences you could also be liable to imprisonment, heavy fines or driving disqualification.

Travelling From Outside the European Union
You are entitled to an allowance of goods only if you travel with the goods and do not plan to sell them. Make sure that you don't bring anything into, or take anything out of, Scotland, that you shouldn't. Check the HM Customs list of prohibited and restricted goods, for example, drugs, weapons and live animals, if you are unsure.

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Crime and personal safety

For the most part the Scottish police are approachable and helpful to visitors. If you're lost in a major town, asking a police officer is generally the quickest way to get help; alternatively, you could ask a traffic warden, a much-maligned species of law enforcer responsible for parking restrictions and other vehicle-related matters. As with any country, Scotland's major towns and cities have their danger spots, but these tend to be inner-city housing estates where no tourist has any reason to roam. The chief urban risk is pickpocketing, so carry only as much money as you need, and keep all bags and pockets fastened. Out in the Highlands and Islands, crime levels are very low. Should you have anything stolen or be involved in some incident that requires reporting, go to the local police station; the 999 telephone number should only be used in dire emergencies.
Emergencies
To call out the police, fire service, ambulance and/or, in certain areas, mountain rescue or the coastguard, dial 999.

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Worship

In Scotland, people of many different religions, denominations and beliefs co-exist. The most widely practised faith in Scotland is Christianity, of which the most common denomination is Presbyterianism (represented by the Church of Scotland). Your nearest place of worship can be obtained from the appropriate contact point listed below:

Baptist Union of Scotland, 14 Aytoun Road, Glasgow, G41 5RT Tel: 0141 423 6169 E-mail: admin@scottishbaptist.org.uk
Catholic Church, 5 St Vincent Place, Glasgow G1 2DH Tel: 0141 221 1168 Fax: 0141 204 2458
Church of Scotland, 121 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 Tel: 0131 225 5722 Fax: 0131 220 3113
Edinburgh Buddhist Centre, 10 Viewforth, Edinburgh EH10 4JF Tel: 0131 228 3333
Glasgow Buddhist Centre, 329 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3HW Tel: 0141 333 0524
Hindu Mandir & Cultural Centre, Contact: Mr Lal Tel: 0131 667 6064
Jehovah's Witnesses, 10 Pennywell Road, Edinburgh EH4 Tel: 0131 343 3005
Jewish Synagogue & Community Centre, 4 Salisbury Road, Edinburgh EH16 5AB Tel: 0131 667 3144
Scottish Episcopal Church, General Senate Office, 21 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh EH12 5EE Tel: 0131 225 6357 Fax: 0131 346 7247
The Salvation Army, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 (UK). +44 (0)20 7367 4500 (overseas).
Sikh Temple, 1 Sheriff Brae, Edinburgh EH6 6ZZ Tel: 0131 553 7207 Contact: Ragbir Singh (Vice President) Mobile no: 0777 994848
UK Islamic Mission, 19 Carrington Street, Glasgow G4 9AJ Tel: 0141 331 1119 or 0141 333 9105

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Health and Insurance

Health
No vaccinations are required for entry to the UK. EU citizens are entitled to free medical treatment at National Health Service hospitals on production of an E111 form. Australia, New Zealand and several non-EU European countries have reciprocal health-care arrangements with the UK. Citizens of other countries will be charged for all medical services except those administered by Accident and Emergency (A&E) units at NHS hospitals. In other words, if you've just been hit by a car, you would not be charged if the injuries simply required stitching and setting in the emergency unit, but would were admission to a hospital ward be necessary. Health insurance is therefore extremely advisable for all non-EU nationals.
Pharmacists can dispense only a limited range of drugs without a doctor?s prescription. Most are open standard shop hours, though in large towns some may close as late as 10pm; local newspapers carry lists of late-opening pharmacies, or you can contact the local police for current details. Doctors' surgeries tend to be open from about 9am to noon and then for a couple of hours in the evening; outside surgery hours, you can turn up at the casualty department of the local hospital for complaints that require immediate attention - unless it's an emergency, in which case call for an ambulance on 999.

Insurance
Even though EU health care privileges apply in Scotland, you'd do well to take out an insurance policy before travelling to cover against theft, loss and illness or injury. Before paying for a new policy, however, it's worth checking whether you are already covered: some all-risks home insurance policies may cover your possessions when overseas, and many private medical schemes include cover when abroad. Students will often find that their student health coverage extends during the vacations and for one term beyond the date of last enrolment.

After exhausting the possibilities above, you?ll probably want to contact a specialist travel insurance company. A typical travel insurance policy usually provides cover for the loss of baggage, tickets and - up to a certain limit - cash or cheques, as well as cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most of them exclude so-called dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid: in Scotland this can mean scuba-diving, windsurfing and skiing. Many policies can be chopped and changed to exclude coverage you don't need: for example, sickness and accident benefits can often be excluded or included at will. If you do take medical coverage, ascertain whether benefits will be paid as treatment proceeds or only after return home, and whether there is a 24-hour medical emergency number. When securing baggage cover, make sure that the per-article limit - typically under £500 - will cover your most valuable possession. If you need to make a claim, you should keep receipts for medicines and medical treatment, and in the event you have anything stolen, you must obtain an official statement from the police.

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Driving

Scotland has an excellent road network with motorways and dual carriageway roads linking many of the main cities and towns. The primary road network extends over most of the country except for a few remote areas, where there are single track roads with passing places (this means that you have to draw in to let others pass or overtake). It is part of the pleasurable experience in getting away from traffic jams to drive on the quiet roads in Scotland. There are no tolls on the roads in Scotland but there are two bridges which have a toll charge - the Forth and Tay bridges.
Driving on the Left
Please remember that in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK, driving is always on the left-hand side of the road.

Driving Licence and Insurance
The holder of an overseas driving licence may, for a period of up to one year, drive a motor vehicle in Britain. Visitors bringing their own cars from overseas require green-card insurance and the car registration documents.

Drinking & Driving
You are strongly advised not to drink and drive. If caught and convicted, the criminal penalties can be severe.

Speed Limits
Unless otherwise signposted, speed limits on UK roads are

Motorway: 70 mph/ 112 kph
Dual Carriageway: 70 mph/ 112 kph
Single Carriageway: 60 mph/ 96 kph
Built-up areas: 30 mph/ 48 kph

Unmarked police cars patrol regularly and remote speed cameras are positioned on many roads.
Fuel
Many fuel stations throughout Scotland are open 24 hours a day and all provide unleaded petrol and diesel; a smaller number also provide LPG. In remote areas, distances between stations are greater and opening hours may be shorter. Fuel is priced and sold by the litre.

Seat Belts
It is compulsory to wear seat belts, both front and rear. Small children and babies must be restrained in a appropriate child seat or carrier. Child seats should be ordered when you book your car.

The Highway Code
The rules for driving in Britain can be found in The Highway Code, available from Her Majesty's Stationery Offices (i.e. government bookshops), other bookshops, newsagents and from motoring organisations such as the AA and the RAC

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Smoking

It is against the law to smoke in the majority of Scotland's indoor public places, including pubs, restaurants and cafes, most public buildings in Scotland, within airports and on most forms of public transport. The new regulations came into force on 26th March 2006 and are intended to create a healthier and fresher environment for residents and visitors to our beautiful country.

The law also affects accommodation establishments. All enclosed public areas of hotels, boarding houses, guest houses, inns and hostels such as bars, lounges, restaurants, reception and lobby areas, etc. are included in the smoke-free ruling and smoking is not permitted in these public areas. However, some establishments have designated dedicated bedrooms where smoking is allowed, and if these are required, you should contact the property directly to check if they offer this facility.

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