Taking a school group to Scotland

How long is the trip?
This might be an important consideration

Far too vague.

Are they seeking history? Castles, battlefields, wonderful museums. Edinburgh.

Or strenuous outdoor activities in the wild? Icy waters, mountains, remote bothy camping in tough conditions.

Culture? Traditional music, song, stories ; The islands.

The Real Mary King’s Close and The Ghost Bus Tour would go down well, I imagine.

How long will their visit be?
Access to transport?

I have no idea about any of these details but I will be seeing him at the weekend so can ask.

He himself is an Outward Bound type, but from my husband's experiences taking school groups to Italy for 30 years I know there can be some really mollycoddled sorts in those groups. The stories he could tell! By and large, though, he always managed to instill an interest and enthusiasm in them and they walked up Vesuvius and all over Capri,Pompeii and Herculaneum without much complaining.

DS2 has the same talent, but teenagers these days aren't as easily motivated as they were even 10 years ago.

Like your husband, I've taken many a school trip abroad so can agree that there are certain differences with teenagers these days. And it's all to do with their phones!!

On the plus side, they will all be quiet on journeys, buried in their screens and ear pieces!
Also their mobile phones are great for directions, or if heaven forbid, they should accidentally on purpose get lost!

It might be a good idea to devise a quiz on their phones as they go along. At least that will involve them having to look up and take notice of the real surroundings every now and then!

One of the most successful things we did was contacting a school abroad beforehand and arranging a casual meet up with a questions and answers session.

I'm guessing Scotland has lots of opportunities for outdoor activities which they all usually enjoy.

Camera Obscura and National Museum may be of interest.

Don't forget that Edinburgh is significantly overwhelmed with tourists. Stay elsewhere and go on day trips to various other places of interest.
Boarding schools might be vacant in summers holidays. Check out Glenalmond, Strathallan etc

Glencoe and Glen Etive are breathtaking at any age. The visitor centre at Glencoe is fairly small but runs a decent potted history film and has a good reconstruction of a highland terf home typical of the 17th century.

Depending when they go, schools will be closed in July and some of August. Therefore meeting young Scottish people won't be straightforward. Edinburgh is very busy with tourists because there are lots to see and do. Visiting the Scottish parliament building would be interesting depending on their age and purpose in visiting.
It depends where they are staying, I suppose. Stirling University opens up for foreign parties to stay. Stirling is central so would be handy for a range of activities.

Stay in Stirling ,visit the castle it’s better than Edinburgh castle ,climb the Wallace monument ,see the Falkirk wheel ,it’s unique in the world and the Kelpies .Then see some of Edinburgh climb Arthur’s seat and Carlton hill walk the Royal mile get the tram to Leith to visit the Royal Yacht ,Queensferry for the 3 bridges there are all mannner of sights and experiences for all ages.That was what we did with my Canadian cousin and he had a great time

I had some French teenage schoolgirls staying with me. They were unrealistically romantic about Scottish history. My guess that what those children may need is a trip to the sights of the Highland Clearances, and also a trip to decayed fishing villages to introduce to them the history of Scottish industry

Glasgow will be quieter. The Burrell Collection, Rennie McIntosh, Transport museum. The Clyde and shipbuilding history, Kelvingrove Transport Museum and grounds. And so much more.

Hi, I live in central Scotland,slap bang in the middle. I was a secondary teacher. Edinburgh is a must,loads to see and do,Linlithgow Palace,Blackness CastleOutlander shot around there, SouthQueensferry 3 bridges spanning 3 separate centuries. All this within 20mins if Edinburgh. Also hidden bunker in Fife is interesting Falkland Palace,St Andrews. All within 1hr of Edinburgh. Hope this helps

A wander down the Royal Mile is a must, and a climb up to the views from the castle, at any age.
If in Summer, the beach at Portobello and Aberdour are wonderful

It's not possible to just 'wander down the Royal Mile' any more. You have to elbow and push your way through the crowds. Really. Give central Edinburgh a miss. Lots of other interesting and history places to visit in Scotland.

Avoid the time when the Edinburgh festival is taking place.

During university holidays, halls of residence are usually vacated and the rooms rented out at prices comparable to youth hostels. You do have to provide your own meals though, and there is not usually access to kitchen facilities.

Holyrood House cannot be visited, if the royal family is in residence. I do not know if or when King Charles will be there, his mother used to come in July.

A visit to Glasgow would be a good idea too. Fans of Harry Potter will be interested to know that St Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow and it is his mitre, crozier and a fish and a ring that feature in one of his miracles that can be seen on the city's coat of arms.

A trip to Loch Lomond is probably on the agenda, and the border towns of Melrose, Jedburgh etc. might be of interest too, or Ayrshire, birthplace of Rabbie Burns.

They'd probably quite like to see 'the obvious tourist attractions'.

Also, a visit to Greyfriar's Bobby might be of interest.

The obvious tourist attractions are almost impossible to visit due to the sheer weight of numbers of people who don't bother thinking about all the other interesting places to visit. Many have been listed above.

Edinburgh vaults which go under the city streets is a good tour for teenagers, quite a few companies do them. As someone else said, they could nip through to Glasgow for a day on the train, quick journey and lots to see and do in Glasgow.
Edinburgh castle is great to look around especially the dungeons.