With the sound of the bagpipes playing in my own head, images of men in kilts & cute Scottish terroir dogs came to mind. Scenic drives through the country side and amazing beaches became reality. We had finally arrived in Scotland!
We arrived into Edinburgh by airport shuttle and I instantly fell in love with my surroundings. Walking down picturesque cobblestone streets we made it to our hostel, excited we had 3 days to explore the capital. Edinburgh castle can be seen from some amazing advantage points throughout the city and even more amazing views can be seen from the castle itself. We walked everywhere as the city is best explored by foot with comfortable walking shoes of course!
Above: Princes street gardens
You could spend days walking around the picturesque streets of the Royal Mile. We walked up to Arthurs Seat which I would mistakenly call Arthurs Chair! With a packed lunch we climbed to the very top to enjoy the view and a picnic.
We climbed the very narrow staircase to the top of the Scott Monument (not for people who suffer claustrophobia) followed by a walk in Princes street gardens which was so beautiful in spring. Our day ended with the best sunset viewed from Calton Hill.
Above: the Royal Mile, Birthplace of “Harry Potter”, Arthurs Seat, Carlton Hill at sunset.
It was fun walking through the streets of the New and Old town & visiting the Elephant Cafe; known to be the birthplace of the Harry Potter novels. Visiting Edinburgh Castle is a must, even with a high entry price. We opted for a audio tour where we could walk around at our own pace and even experienced the 1:00pm gun that goes off every day bar Sundays and specific public holidays. We had planned on doing a walking tour of Edinburgh at night, but unfortunately we never got around to it!
Above: Edinburgh castle
We were travelling around the country with Haggis tours, 7 days to explore Scotland and my expectations of the country exceeded. We drove through the beautiful country side past castles and battle sites, witnessed the most stunning beaches I have ever seen, saw some highland cows, many waterfalls and listened to the red hot chili pipers and our hilarious tour guide Andy! who joked and called himself fat bastard – he was the funniest and most enthusiastic guide we have ever had.
Passing the Forth Bridge, we arrived in Perthshire for our first lunch stop in Dunkeld, the heart of Macbeth country. Culloden was next, the tragic scene of the last major battle in Britain. After a stop at a whisky distillery for some tasting, we arrived in Inverness, capital of the highlands and ‘munter’ capital as our guide described it as the worst lookers and highest rate of teenage pregnancy. We head to a local bar for some Scottish food and live music while Andy explained a few games he liked to play like ‘Your Next’ and ‘Hunt the Munter’.
Continuing our drive north, we explored the ancient Caledonian Pine Forest. Viewing the ruins of Urquhart castle in Drumbadrochit, we had arrived in Fort Augustus, home for the next few nights too explore the famous Scottish Loch Ness. We arrived at our hostel; Morag’s Lodge. Such a cosy hostel with a great vibe, we enjoyed the dinners the hostel prepared each night and had lots of fun with our tour group in the pub playing trivia and other drinking games!
With a free day in Fort Augustus, we joined a boat trip on Scotland’s most famous loch on search of the monster. We visited a local farm showcasing cute animals including highland cows before joining our group at the Clansman Centre where a authentically dressed clansman bought the times from the 17th century back to life.
We were on the road to the isles, stopping at Corrieshalloch Gorge – A breathtaking mile long gorge set amongst the trees, crossing suspension bridges to explore the beautiful area. We had reached the fishing village of Ullapool, eating the recommended fish & chips before boarding the ferry to the Western Isles. Introduced to the game of Jungle Speed, it made for an eventful ferry ride! Arriving late in the evening, we checked into our hostel and all went to the closest co-op to grab food and drinks, experiencing our first Midnight Sun as the sun still hadn’t set at 11:00 pm. We had arrived on the isle of Lewis & Harris and these Hebridean Islands are predominantly Gaelic speaking.
We visited the Callanish Standing Stones. The countryside was beautiful as we all stared out the bus window at the view. We were all so amazed at the beaches the isles had to offer!!! The water was the clearest blue with magnificent mountains in the backdrop.
After exploring the beautiful isles of Lewis and Harris we were back on the ferry to the isle of Skye. Many a waterfalls greeted us, legend stories of Faeries were told. We explored the magical isle along with its amazing scenery viewing the Quiraing, Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, Mealt Falls, Fairy Pools and the Cuillin.
Back on mainland, we were headed south stopping at Eilean Donan Castle where we were greeted with dark, rainy weather – Hello again Scotland! We passed Fort William and Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain. We passed through Glencoe and Rannoch Moor, gobsmacked at the beautiful scenery before passing through Stirling to visit the famous Wallace Monument and to hear the true story of Braveheart. Back in Edinburgh, we met with our tour friends for last drinks at a pub before checking into our hostel for one last night in Edinburgh – We had such a great tour around Scotland with Haggis.
Above: Rannoch Moor / Eilean Donan Castle
Hostel: St Christopher’s, Edinburgh
Room Type: 4 Bed Mixed Dorm Ensuite
Price: £42
Tour: Haggis – Island Explorer 7 days
Price: $529.00
Accommodation: £18 – £23 pound per night (pre-booked)
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 