It all started with my Grandma… Yes Grandma. Like I said in my “Bio” exploring runs in my family- My Aunt has hike the entire Appalachian Trail, my grandma has hiked a good amount of it and has explored many different countries around the globe. Anyways, my grandma wanted to take a family vacation to our ancestral land of Scotland. So as summer started, we were off for two weeks! My aunt, grandma, mom, sister, myself and trooper of a boyfriend (yes, he was the only male) headed across the ocean to Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
After landing in Glasgow, we hopped into our rented van that we would spend many of hours together in and headed to Edinburgh. That first day we just walked through the city and did some foot exploring. We were pretty tired from jet lag and were excited to rest in the Sandilands House, our first BnB. The next morning we woke up and headed out to the Scottish Borders. Our first stop was the Rosslyn Chapel. This was pretty cool! It was used in the filming of “The DaVinci Code.”
We soon headed out and on to Melrose. We spent some time walking around town when we had an unplanned sight! The Scottish Borders have a tradition called “Common Riding.” As we noticed crowds started to line the streets, hundreds of horses big and small began to promenade down the street with beautiful badges. After watching such elegant horses make their way around town, we made our way up the street to St. Mary’s Abbey which was founded in 1136 by Cistercian monks. It is said that the heart of Robert the Bruce is buried here!
The next day we woke and went to tour the Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile. We didn’t spend too much time there though because we needed to make our way towards Sterling. We made a stop in Doune to see the Doune Castle. You would not recognize this castle by its name, but it is quite famous. This castle was featured in the comedy “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” as well as the TV show “Outlanders.” I definitely recommend touring this castle and getting the audio tour. Our stay that night was in the Linden Guest House in Sterling.
The fourth day was a travel day. It was an AMAZING travel day though. We headed into the highlands of Scotland first making our way through the Trossachs National Park. As you near the mountains you can see them far in the distance, and as you get closer, the height and power of these mountains is awe-inspiring. Along A82 there are many opportunities to pull of and do some hiking. We stopped in Glen Coe and hiked “The Devils Staircase.”
After spending the day driving with occasional stops to hike we reached our destination for the night- The Argyll House in Fort William. We explored the town and hiked a small bit of Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the British Isles). From Fort William, my sister, mom, boyfriend and I caught the train to Mallaig. My Aunt and Grandma drove and met us there. If you are a Harry Potter fan then I definitely recommend taking the train! On it you pass over the Glenfinnan Viaduct as well as pass by the lake in which Dumbledore is laid to rest.
As quickly as we arrived in Mallaig we were leaving, this time in our van, but on a ferry over to the Isle of Skye. The Isle of Skye was one of my favorite parts of the trip! We started our time on Skye by visiting the fairy pools. These are amazing crystal clear pools connected by a stream. If it is warm enough, or if you are brave enough, feel free to take a dip! The next stop of the day was Neist Point. This is a lighthouse that used to have a hotel (but is now abandoned). It was an amazing short hike from the parking lot to the lighthouse. If you are lucky like we were, you may spot puffins nesting on the cliffs. On the island we found a great place to purchase sheep skins called SkyeSkyns. You also are able to get a tour of how they make the sheepskins. The next two nights we stayed in Portree, Skye in a BnB called Cul na Creagan.
Our second day in Skye was very cool! We went to a beautiful waterfall called Kilt Falls named for the colorful rock face behind the fall that resembles the patterns and colors of a kilt. Nearby, were rumors of dinosaur footprints imbedded into the rock beaches so naturally we went searching. We believe that we were able to see some but it was hard to tell due to the seaweed that had piled up. Our next stop was the Quariang. The majestic cliff and rock formations make for amazing views. It is also wonderful because there are many different hiking trails around the Quariang allowing you to explore a little bit more! Our final stop on the Isle of Skye was the enchanting Fairy Forest. These were strange “mini-mountains” sized just right for the Scottish Fairies to play around in. Many people leave trinkets for the fairies so that the fairies will protect their families. If you hike around here and lay down in the grass like I did, be sure to check for ticks after!
The next Isle that we visited was the Isle of Harris and Lewis. This is one Isle that is divided into two- Harris, and Lewis. We spent the first day in Harris exploring the beaches. We stopped at a weaver’s house and were able to see a demonstration on how they make the famous “Harris Tweed.” We stayed that night in Grimsdale- a nice BnB located near the water. Our next morning, we got up and headed to Lewis. There was not much open due to it being a Sunday so we checked into our hotel- the Thorlee Guest House that was located in the cute town of Stornoway. We primarily spent the day resting and regaining some energy. Monday morning we woke up and went to the Callanish standing stones. These were remarkable giant stones that were set up as a calendar many years ago. While in Lewis we went to see a blackhouse village. These are traditional style homes with thatched roofs that were common in the Highlands and Herbides.
The next stop was Ullapool- back to the mainland of Scotland; but only for a day. After arriving in Ullapool we found our accommodations for the night at the Morefield Motel. We spent our day driving from Ullapool to Thurso. Spending a day driving is not bad though! We stopped along the way and explored many beautiful ruins including the jaw-dropping Ardvreck Castle ruin near Ullapool. As we continued up we stopped in Durness where we hiked down a mountain to the Smoo Cave. This tidal cave was used by the Vikings to bring their ships up into. We finally made our way to Thurso where we stayed at the St. Clair Hotel.
Thursday morning was an early morning. We woke up and took a ferry to the Orkney Islands. Here we took a tour through Maxi Day Tours. The Orkney Islands are northern lying islands that Churchill used during the war. Here you will be able to see the “Churchill Downs” which are ships that Churchill sunk to protect the bay in which the British Navy was keeping its fleet of ships. Our first stop on the tour was Skara Brae- a 5000-year-old Stone Age village. It is amazing to see the furniture that they made using massive stones! And to think that they only lived to be about 14 years old and moved such rocks! My other favorite part of the Orkney Islands was seeing the Standing Stones of Stenness. These standing stones are said to be the oldest hinge site in the British Isles! Although similar to Callinish Standing Stones, this ring was much larger. After a long day of exploring the Orkney Islands we made our way back to Thurso for another night at the St. Clair.
Friday we made our way to the Dunrobin Castle. This is a beautiful castle kept in pristine condition that you can tour. We also were able to see a falconry demonstration. I personally wasn’t initially super excited about that, but after seeing it…. I was impressed! The trainer did demonstrations with multiple birds having them fly right over our heads! I could have reached up to touch one! My boyfriend joked that he was going to get a bird and train it to catch food for us. Silly boy. After leaving the falconry exhibit we made our way to the well-known Loch Ness. We toured the Urquart Castle along the shore of the lake. It was a neat ruin but it did not make the top of my list. Neither did Loch Ness. It was neat to visit just because of the rumors of good ol’ Nessie but after seeing all the other sights in Scotland, Loch Ness did not hold its worth. That night we stayed at the Station Hotel in the Black Isles area.
Our two-week trip was coming to a close. It was our last day in Scotland. We drove around and went to see the Kincraig barracks. These were neat ruin barracks in the middle of nowhere that were fun to climb around on. That night we stayed in a beautiful house called Coig Na Shee in Newtonmore. At this point we were all exhausted and ready to head home. We had done a lot of exploring and spent a lot of time in close quarters with each other. Even though we had enough of each other, I wouldn’t change anything about that trip!
If you are planning a trip to Scotland yourself, I highly recommend going for at least two weeks and staying in their bed and breakfasts. Also, many of them offer what they call “a full Scottish Breakfast.” It is seriously amazing, but do not eat it every morning or you WILL gain weight! Also, I did try haggis, and it is not bad if you can get past the thought of what you are eating!!
xoxo
Kristin
fun with the frohnes 