Been a "lurker" on this site since TAR1 but decided to break out into the open! I was thinking about the route from Mexico to Scotland. Don't know the flight availability to Scotland back in August but if you were leaving from Mexico now you would have quite a few options:
Best choices to Scotland would take you from Cancun (about an hour ride from Tulum) to either London, Heathrow or to Manchester. Given that racers end each leg late in the afternoon or early evening, then I looked for flights in the morning. There are 3 choices to London: 9:50am - arriving 6:20am (local) on BA connecting through Miami; 1:50pm - arriving 9:00am on Continental through Newark; and 3:00pm - arriving 9:30am on AA through Miami. The only good choice to Manchester (closer to Scotland) is 1:50pm - arriving 8:10am on Continental through Newark. Once in the UK, there are 3 choices to get to the highlands: Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Heathrow to Edinburgh has the most options with 90 minute flights departing as early as 8:35am (but Edinburgh isn't really in the highlands - will take a couple of hours by car just to reach the edge of the highlands). The problem with Heathrow is that so many international flights go through there that clearing customs can be long and that domestic flights go through a different terminal than international flights so it can be stressful and confusing. There are fewer choices going from Heathrow to Glasgow (1 hour 20 minute flight - Glasgow on the southern edge of the highlands)or to Aberdeen (farther north),but still multiple flights to both. From Manchester there are more flights to Glasgow (1 hour 10 minute flight), followed by Aberdeen (1 1/2 hours) and only 1 convenient flight to Edinburgh (1 hour 10 minutes). The advantage is that Manchester is smaller and customs are easier. Once in Scotland, who konws where the producers will send them? August is a big month for Highland Games (given the clue that the racers have to do some of the events)and many towns/cities hold them. There is a large game in Dunoon (relatively close to Glasgow) but will they go farther north? Perth? John O'Groats (the northern tip of mainland Scotland)? What about the events? Caber toss? Toss the Hagis? Lots of options for travel and getting good luck on connections can earn separation from the pack!

• RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,railfan, 06:29 PM, 10-09-02
  • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,VA Slim, 07:36 PM, 10-09-02
  • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,Neobie, 05:11 AM, 10-10-02
• RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,SurvivorBlows, 11:45 PM, 10-09-02
  • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,raakesh, 01:35 PM, 10-15-02
    • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,Cole, 02:27 PM, 10-15-02
      • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,ELCinOhio, 02:58 PM, 10-15-02
      • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,rucksack, 10:05 PM, 10-15-02
        • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,VA Slim, 12:41 PM, 10-16-02
          • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,rucksack, 12:55 PM, 10-16-02
            • RE: Take the High Road to Scotland,Esbea, 03:51 PM, 10-16-02

Seems like I saw a spoiler somewhere that a team or teams has a connection problem. Perhaps this is a connection to an intra-UK flight, will be interesting to see how they play this. If the connection problem is in Newark or Miami, that could be a big deal...if at Heathrow or Manchester, maybe a lesser issue. Which teams are saavy enough travelers to figure the customs/time issue between Heathrow and Manchester?

The connections on this leg pose a real problem in a stressful situation - just because there are so MANY choices. When in Cancun, it may look like Manchester is the best choice because the plane arrives there earlier than some of the planes to Heathrow, but the options are fewer for travel onto Scotland. I also noticed a number of flights that have a stop between London and Scotland - Isle of Man, Belfast or even Amsterdam. This leg seems something like the leg last race from Brazil to South Africa - a lot of choices - surely at least one of our teams will pick wrong. Either that or weather becomes a factor! In the west of Scotland, often the only difference in the weather in the summer compared to the winter is that, in the summer the rain is vertical where in the winter it is horizontal!

Yes, it's over at this site http://bryolson.home.att.net/tar3sightings.htm and it's about Jack and Jill getting delayed for 2 hours from Madrid to London! Bad luck looming up, is this the one about missing a connection, if not, I'm for Jack and Jill out this week!

My guess is that given the show's deal with American Airlines, the teams will be restricted to flying only AA flights (and we'll have to hear it mentioned 10-12 times during the episode.)

-SB

the
>show's deal with American Airlines,
>the teams will be restricted
>to flying only AA flights
That is wrong. That is not possible .As AA does not serve much part of Europe.In TAR 2 from Sao Paulo to Cape Town only Grannies took the American Airlines(AA) which had a connection in NYC & London .From London they flew by other airlines. From Tulum the nearest airport is Cozumel approx 1 hr & I guess cancun is 2-3 hrs by road.From cozumel there are flights to cancun & also to mexico city.From Cancun there are limited flights to NYC, Frankfurt,london & 5-6 flights to miami.From miami there are lots of connection to many cities in Europe.

I'm not sure if they'll be flying from London to Scotland. That thing they do on the boats looks very much like Cambridge. It's called "punting", you take a long pole and propel yourself by pushing the pole against the river bed. Like the bald brothers, people fall in all the time because their pole will get stuck and they continue to hang on to the pole. I think they will take a train to Cambridge and then continue to Scotland.

I would agree with this.

During the Browns-Bucs game (If you can call it that) on Sunday, the promo said:

"The younger teams take London by storm. While the pitstop is in Scotland, I don't think London is just a layover.

This is what I instantly thought when I saw the preview last week, and said as such here: http://community.realitytvworld.com/boards/DCForumID37/320.shtml

My prediction is that the teams will be forced to fly to London, and from there have to train to Cambridge, do some punting, and then have to drive themselves to Scotland. From the CBS preview I can make out a castle up high on a hill, looks very much like Dunnottar Castle, which is right outside of Stonehaven, along the Scottish coast. Once there, they will have to participate in the caber toss.

Now if I could just figure out who will be the last to arrive...

It's 330 miles from Cambridge to Edinburgh or 450 miles to Stonehaven. Just can't see them driving after the trip from Mexico to London and doing the punting. They must take a bus, train or plane so that they can have some rest - if they drove, I'm glad that I wasn't on the road with them! Do you think that the tanks are involved with the Fast Forward? I do think that a caber toss is a good event to end the segment with!

Haven't teams driven 12 hour stints before? Perhaps they will give them campers again, that was pretty cool. Train or bus would be good too, nice views along the coast. I am pretty sure the tank driving is the ff (unless it is part fo the detour?) and the caber toss is most likely the roadblock. We hear Heave (don't know which one?) saying "This is hard!" during the caber toss, wouldn't it be nice if she dropped it on her foot...

"We hear Heave (don't know which one?) saying "This is hard!" during the caber toss, wouldn't it be nice if she dropped it on her foot... " well, well, well.....either its her way to get someone else to toss the caber (add a few tears in with that) or shes rubbin some laddies kilt for a few extra pounds sterling.

"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, youre still a rat"