I am planning on traveling to Ireland and Scotland this summer and I am really struggling on choosing places to go visit. Any suggestions from people who live and/or have been to these countries?

I'm Scottish and can think of lots of nice places to suggest in Scotland, but what kinds of things do you enjoy? Do you like cities, small towns or remote countryside? How are you going to travel around - hire a car or use public transport?

For starters I would suggest visiting Edinburgh, because it's a particularly pretty capital city and there's plenty to do and see in terms of museums, exhibitions, etc. It's compact enough to walk around the city centre and soak up the atmosphere and it's also easy to get out into the surrounding countryside. Edinburgh has a lot of green space, is next to the sea and is surrounded by 7 hills, so it's beautifully situated and you can get some lovely views by walking up one of the hills.

If you want to see really impressive scenery, I recommend heading for north west Scotland, which has mountains and lochs and some truly beautiful locations. There are various islands off the west and north coasts too, if you fancied a bit more of an adventure, and there are ferries to all of them and flights to some. Ferries are good value, especially if you travel as a foot passenger (www.calmac.co.uk).

As for Ireland, I've been to both Belfast and Dublin and both have much to recommend them. In fact, you can sometimes get really cheap flights from Edinburgh to Dublin. A friend of mine is going to Dublin next week and his return flights cost a total of £20, including taxes! You have to book in advance for that though, with Ryanair, but you do sometimes get good late deals if you're lucky on the day (www.ryanair.com).

Assuming you are from out of the UK - Come to ENGLAND, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Lancashire have the best places to visit ;-)

The Roslyn temple would be a must. Every or any Scotch Distilleries.

Ireland is great .. you'll get a welcome anywhere in Eire... Don't bother with Scotland though