We just got back from our week and a half long trip to Scotland. We had a great time filled with lots of laughs, a few wee drams and the search for the Loch Ness monster.
Edinburgh – We picked up my parents from the airport and headed into Edinburgh. We checked into our Airbnb which was located down the best Close (in my opinion, and all the other tourist who stopped to take pictures) in Edinburgh; Advocates Close. We got acclimated with the city then stopped to have our first drink in Scotland. The next 3 days consisted of a lot of eating and drinking with a few tours mixed in. We started out with a 3-hour walking tour with a very vivacious tour guide. He walked, high kicked and danced us through Edinburgh pointing out all of the must-see sites. Later that night, we took a ghost and ghouls walking tour. The guide pointed places that in the past people had been subjected to torture and public executions. We also got to walk in the underground vaults where many paranormal things have been said to have happened. We made it out of the vaults unscathed ready for our dram and one final ghost story from the guide. The next day we toured the Edinburgh castle and booked the Scotch Experience Tour. It was a very interactive tour where we got to ride on a whiskey barrel, get a scotch whiskey version of a scratch and sniff and of course get to sample our own wee dram. It was a fun tour! On our last morning in Edinburgh we had breakfast at The Elephant House where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. That was pretty neat.
Stirling– We rented a car and started off to our next town. Alex was our driver, he was now a pro (from our Ireland trip) at driving on the other side of the car and other side of the road. Our first stop on the way was to Rosslyn Chapel (as seen on The Divinci Code) a beautiful chapel surrounded by a lot of mystery. Next we stopped to admire the Kelpies (30-metre-high horse-head sculptures) then made it to Stirling, home of William Wallace. We walked up to the castle, checked out a beautiful church then grabbed a drink at the Curly Coo (the cutest bar – named after the highland cow). We sat and talked to the owner for a while until it was time for dinner.
Inverness – On our way out of Stirling we stopped to look at the very impressive William Wallace Monument before heading to Inverness. We also stopped to see the Culloden Battlefield (Site of the bloody last battle of the Scottish Jacobite Rising) then checked into our Airbnb. We walked around Inverness for a while, catching the beginning of a Scottish band playing until settling on a place to eat dinner. Then later that night we sat at a bar and listened to live music. The next day we did a boat cruise on Loch Ness. No sightings of Nessie for us but we did catch some sun; the weather was beautiful! After the cruise, the boat dropped us off at Urquardt Castle. There we had an hour to explore the old ruins before heading back to Inverness. That night we had reservations at a restaurant recommended by a friend. It was a small place and we were immediately sat by the friendly owner who opened our wine for us (the restaurant didn’t have a liquor license so we were able to bring our own wine in) and answered all of the questions my dad had on Scottish wildlife. The dinner was excellent and the cheesecake we ordered for dessert was amazing. After dinner, we quickly grabbed a table at a bar called Hootanany’s. It was so busy the night before, we were lucky to get seats. We sat and listen to a band playing traditional Scottish music for a while. It was a great day!
Isle of Skye – We woke up early the next morning to get to Eilean Donan Castle (cover photo) before it got too busy. It was a really cool castle. Some of it was in ruins while other parts still liveable. After exploring the castle we kept driving through the beautiful highlands until we got to the Isle of Skye. We did a little hike to the “Fairy Pools” which are a natural waterfall phenomenon, and very, very beautiful. We took lots of pictures then headed back to the car once it started pouring. We then booked a tour at a local whisky distillery, Talisker. We did the tour, had a dram, bought a bottle of scotch then left to check into our hotel. We were all a bit tired from the long day so after dinner and a quick drink at a local bar we called it a night.
Oban – The next two nights were spent in a small sea town. The first day we explored the Dunollie (the MacDougall clan) castle ruins, took another Scotch Whiskey tour (and bought another bottle of Scotch), then warmed up next to a fire at a local pub. The next morning we woke up early to take a ferry across the ocean to the Isle of Mull. We had a few hours to drive around the narrow streets and explore the town. Even though it poured all day, we found lots of things to do. My dad and Alex caught a few fisherman coming in from their morning catch and got to see the fresh lobster they had just caught while my mom and I shopped a little. We also watched a man filleting fresh locally caught salmon. We got to photograph an old ship wreck, drive up a tiny road to the castle and watch a sea otter eating a clam before heading back on the ferry to Oban.
Glasgow – Our last day was spent in Glasgow. We did a really fun brewery tour that required us to wear hair nets and orange vests. And this taken right from their website, “And to top it all off, there might even be a cheeky wee taste of Scotland’s Favourite at the end of the tour in it for you.” Which we ended up chugging because we had afternoon tea to get to. The afternoon tea was so much fun! My mom and I upgraded to the prosecco option and my dad and Alex each got a cocktail. Drinks along with tea (coconut cream for me! – delicious), 5 different kinds of sandwiches (chicken, salmon, roast beef, egg and cucumber – they obviously describe it much fancier on their website cuptearooms.co.uk), both plain and blueberry scones with clotted cream, plus desserts! Included in the desserts were raspberry meringue tart, their cupcake of the day, strawberry mousse, lemon pistachio loaf and a shortbread bar. Each! We left very happy and very full. It was a great end to a great trip.
Scotland is a really nice place to visit. The people were really friendly, the scenery was beautiful, the whiskey was plentiful and the haggis was weird. Until our next trip, Mom and Dad. We love you both!
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Excellent synopsis of our trip Sunny! Thanks for keeping such an accurate record of our time in Scotland, it was a wonderful trip. Thanks again for all the planning, driving etc…
Love you both too!
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Beautiful pictures! Wow–you all were busy!
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