After an action-packed week in London, we headed to Scotland starting in Glasgow. We picked up our car at the airport and began our tour of Scotland. While waiting for our Glasgow walking tour to start, the men had their first “full” Scottish breakfast at a fantastic cafe that was recommended by our helpful hotel concierge. It included eggs, toast, beans, mushrooms, haggis, pork sausage, bacon and a grilled tomato. I had fresh homemade scones with cream and jam and of course, a pot of tea, served in a china cup. This was to become a daily occurrence at breakfast/lunch or mid-afternoon. Good tea was served everywhere we went.
The next day we departed for Fort William and the beginning or our foray into the Scottish Highlands. I am not sure that I have ever seen weather change as quickly as it does in the UK. One minute it is sunny blue skies and the next moment pouring rain with either fog or low clouds. We learned to keep our raincoats and umbrellas handy even if the sun was shining at that moment. Despite some weather challenges, the drive through the Highlands enroute to the Isle of Skye, was breathtakingly beautiful. Emerald-green hills with streams and waterfalls everywhere. We made many photo stops to capture the scenic views. Our first (of many) castle stops was Eilean Donan which is on an island where three lochs meet. This iconic medieval castle has changed hands many times over the centuries while undergoing alterations, rebuilding, and finally restoration in the early 1900s.
The three days of exploring the Isle of Skye were magnificent. We stayed in Portree, which is a smallish town and the capital of the island. We took a small-bus tour of the Isle instead of driving ourselves. We were very grateful that we made that decision. The roads are winding, narrow, bumpy, and often only passable by one vehicle at a time. We took in the Fairy Pools which are the waterfalls at the base of the Cuillin mountains and the source of several legends involving a fairy princess and magical men. Another great stop was the renowned Neist Point, a number of bays and lochs, and the Fairy Glen. We stopped at the Talisker Distillery for a whiskey tasting which we all surprisingly enjoyed. The Isle of Skye is an amazing place with gorgeous harbors, waterfalls and lochs, a strikingly beautiful coastline, castle ruins, good food, lovely walks, and picturesque villages.
After leaving Skye, we headed to Inverness and the Culloden battlefield and museum. It was very informative with a lot of background information on the Jacobite rebellion and the events leading up to that catastrophic (for the Jacobites) battle.
We were then off to one of my favorite events of the entire trip, the Braemar Gathering. It is a meeting of the clans in the Highland Games that has been running since 1832 and can be traced back to the time of King Malcolm Canmore over 900 years ago. It is held in Cairngorns National Park adjacent to the village of Braemar. It was a day long event featuring hammer, weights, and stone throwing, caber toss, long jump, high jump, highland dancing competitions, tug-of-war, and multiple team and individual races including a race to the top of the local hill (three miles and a 1200 foot summit). It is traditionally attended by the reigning monarch and members of the royal family since the days of Queen Victoria, and this year King Charles and Queen Camilla made an appearance. What would the games be without bagpipes and indeed there were multiple bands that competed as well a impressive parade of the massed participating pipe bands. We were immersed with the sounds of the drums and bagpipes through most of the day which really completed this distinctly Scottish experience.
Stirling Castle was our next stop on our way to Edinburgh. It was a military stronghold since the 1500s as well as a royal residence for multiple kings and queens. It has been beautifully restored and the views from the exterior walls were stunning.
Our walking tour of Edinburgh took us to many nooks and crannies of this ancient city. Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile, St. Giles Cathedral, Victoria Street were just a few of the sites that we took in. It is populated by so many older-than-old pubs, Harry Potter shops, and so impressively historic buildings that it is impossible to name them all. After all of that walking, we treated ourselves to a Scotch Whiskey tasting experience in which we were able not only taste several different scotches but also learn a little bit about the process and differences between the scotch producing regions. Notwithstanding the on-going rain, it truly was a sensational nine days in Scotland filled with history, good food, fun pubs, interesting shops, and wonderful people. Loved it!
