Scottishclover

We spent a week in Iceland at the end of July 2020 and don’t recall the midges being bad at all. Perhaps just once early evening when we were on a hike to the hot river in Hveragerdi and then another time at the Fontana Spa at Laugarvatn. Certainly nothing like here in Scotland where you can get bitten alive in 5 minutes by the wee pests. I find midges are worse near trees, water and after rain and to be fair we had a great week of weather when we were in Iceland. I took “Smidge” spray ( our go to) and we didn’t use it. While the nets stop you from being bitten, I find the midges just swarm around them. Agree that midges/flies are a total annoyance and they can really spoil a good walk.

We weren’t there on a cruise but Villefranche is a tender port. It is not a big place and everywhere is walkable from the harbour/pier, where the tenders would dock. It’s about 10 mins from Nice on the public bus.

Yes it would be feasible, depending on where you dock but would feel quite rushed. I think you might be clock watching all day. You need a couple of hours for the castle ( buy tickets beforehand to avoid the queues ) and then a hour or so to do the Royal Mile and take in the atmosphere. There is of course a lot more to Edinburgh than these two attractions. Be aware that there’s a a lot of roadworks just now in Edinburgh due to tram construction so traffic could be an issue. Also, Edinburgh has grown in popularity the last few years so please expect it to be very busy. St Andrews is about an hour and 15 mins away but depends on the traffic on “the bridge”. Things much better now that there is the new Queensferry Crossing. The three bridges over the Firth of Forth are an added bonus if you decide to go to St Andrews. St Andrews is not big and is nice for a stroll. An afternoon would do it to look at the Old Course, University, castle , beach etc. Lots of nice coffee shops and book shops if that’s your thing. Another tip is to check for important events at the university, graduations, freshers, start of term. This can really affect your enjoyment of the town as it will be overrun by students and their families. If you do go to St Andrews, there are some very pretty fishing villages in the vicinity such as Craig, which merit a look. Sorry but I can’t help you with a tour guide. I would look at all the usual sites for listings. Enjoy your trip.

We spent a week in Nice over Easter so here’s my views on that stop. Villefranche is really pretty with lots of waterfront cafes. It’s a stunning port. The must do, is the hilltop village of Eze. I cannot stress this enough, go there as early as possible. We were there at a quiet time and loved it but I did say to my husband that it would be horrible in the summer once all the cruise ship tours descend. The streets are so narrow, as you would expect from a medieval town. If you like to hike and fancy something different, you can walk around the Cap Ferat directly from Villefranche. It’s a flat coastal walk and you walk by fancy villas and end up in the lovely village of St Jean Cap Ferat. I did not care for Monaco - it’s full of ugly high rises and I have no interest in designer shops or yachts. However others may like it. Nice is a better choice. There’s an old town, the promenade, lots of big squares and it feels authentic. The public transport along the coast is so cheap, €1,50 a journey but the buses are crowded, especially the Monaco bus which is number 100 Nice to Menton. Menton is also lovely btw, just at the Italian border. Have a great trip.