Week 48: Scotland

During this week, we continued to enjoy listening to the various Scottish accents and language used by locals. We immersed ourselves in the culture through local music and Highland Games. We also explored more beautiful parks and towns, and of course, more castles! 

Day 14: Out onto Skye and back to Plockton

Highlights: 

Stopping at Sligachan to walk along the trail lined with heather that was just starting to bloom

Stopping in Portree to visit the shops and indoor craft market, explore the harbour area, and enjoy a picnic lunch in the sun

Driving the main loop on Skye through Uig and enjoying the incredible views of green rolling hills and cliffs dropping away into the water

Walking up and down the hills of the Fairy Glen

Spotting a few thatched roofs

Stopping to check out the area around Duntulum Castle

Trying to find the dino prints that have been found near Staffin

Enjoying the stunning views of the Quiraing 

Stopping to enjoy Mealt waterfall and Kilk Rock viewpoint

Seeing a rainbow that seemed to stretch straight across instead of arc

Getting views of the Old Man of Storr

Finding a great little fish and chip shop in Broadford

Weather: rain off and on, some wind, and some sun

Day 15: Second day out to Skye and back to Plockton

Highlights:

Stopping to explore the cute shops in Broadford and having the opportunity to talk to a special “wand whittler” 

Stopping at the Skye Baking Co. for a morning treat and a look around their art gallery (largest and brightest gallery on Skye)

Getting a view of Dunvegan Castle, and then enjoying a picnic in the sun nearby

Navigating our way down the tricky path to see the enchanting Fairy Pools

Making dinner and playing cards at our new cottage in Plockton (stayed in one place the first 2 nights, then moved to the cottage below for this last night)

Checking out Plockton’s pier and community of well manicured gardens (the Scots really know how to garden!)

Weather:   a bit of rain in the morning, sunny later on

Day 16: Plockton to Kilmelford

Highlights:

Stopping in Spean Bridge to explore the Mill shop

Walking around the ruins of Inverlochy Castle

Checking out the inside of Inverlochy Hotel (before being turned away from their high tea)

Enjoying a picnic in the sun at the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre, and then walking along the beautiful river trail there

Driving through Glencoe, which featured some of my favourite scenery on the whole trip

Stopping for a drink at the Clachaig Inn, where our friend Duncan used to pull pints. We especially enjoyed sitting outside in the sun and soaking up the stunning landscape!

Catching a glimpse of Castle Stalker

Driving along the stunning west coast down through Oban 

Walking into a beautiful, specious cottage in Kilmelford, complete with a conservatory that we set about enjoying immediately

Walking down the street to Cuilfail Hotel for dinner

Weather: a few clouds here and there, but mostly sunny and warm

  

Day 17: loop surrounding Kilmelford

Highlights:

Exploring a field where cows grazed in between the standing stones and ceremonial burial grounds of Ballymeanoch (dating back 4000-5000 years)

Finding an interesting looking tree we had never seen before

Stopping at Nether Largie to explore the standing stones and burial grounds found here

Driving the narrow road next to Loch Awe, lined with stone walls and mossy forest

Picnicking outside Kilchurn Castle, and then exploring the insides of these ruins

Splitting up to explore Oban- the girls walked and shopped, while Will toured the distillery

Eating seafood near the water

Walking around the quant community of Melford

Enjoying fresh scones with cream and jam in our conservatory, followed by a game of cards

Weather:  a bit windy and cool 

Day 18: Highland Games in Oban, returning to Kilmelford

Highlights:

Heading up to Mossfield Park in Oban to watch their Highland Games

Watching small groups of young highland dancers perform four dances, including pas-de-basque and highcuts, the highland fling, and the sword dance. The sword dance was especially impressive because there is so much for the dancers to pay attention to! 

Watching the heavy weight events in the main field. We saw a couple varieties of hammer throw and some shotput in the morning. 

Listening to local bagpipers play

Returning to the stage to watch the older highland dancers perform difficult dances, such as the Sean Truibhas, Hullachan, Sailor’s Hornpipe, and the Irish Jig

Watching runners, high jumpers, and long jumpers organize themselves for races in amongst all of the other activity going on around the field 

Watching more heavy weight events, including the caber toss and the weight over the bar

Cheering for the teams who took part in the tug of war 

Hanging out in the conservatory in the evening 

Weather:  sunny and warm, such a beautiful day!

Day 19: Kilmelford to Linlithgow

Highlights: 

Driving through Loch Lomond and the Trussachs park

Walking along the trail beside Loch Katrine, and then enjoying a picnic there too

Driving the route between Aberfoyle and Callander

Stopping at Doune Castle, where Will and I saw where scenes from Monty Python were filmed, and learned more about this castle once owned by the Duke of Albany

Stopping at Stirling Castle, where Mom and MJ explored the many rooms and tapestries being repaired. Will and I explored the town instead, and came across a little fairy shop!

Finding our apartment in Linlithgow, which was easy walking distance to many attractions in the area

Taking Mom and MJ down to the bowling greens nearby to watch a game, and then returning after dinner for a night of folk music played by the “folksters”. We also got the beautiful sunset we were hoping for all along!

Weather:  another sunny, beautiful day!

Day 20: Linlithgow to Edinburgh/Glasgow

Highlights:

Enjoying a last breakfast altogether

Walking along the canal to reach Linlithgow Palace

Walking the grounds of Linlithgow Palace, birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. Although we didn’t have time to tour inside, we spoke to a really kind employee who told us a lot about the building’s history

Exploring St. Michael’s church, which sits next to Linlithgow Palace

Returning our car to the Edinburgh airport, and learning that we put 1690 miles on the car in two weeks!

Enjoying a final picnic lunch together before heading to the train station in Edinburgh

Although saying goodbye will never be a highlight, I tried to just be thankful for all of the fun adventures we had packed into our visit as we sent Mom and MJ on their way back to Glasgow

Staying back in Edinburgh to explore a new part of the city and watch the Sound of Music to prepare for our next destination!

Weather: sunny and warm again

We flew out of Edinburgh just before 6am the following morning, while Mom and MJ flew back to Toronto from Glasgow a little later that day. Another great trip to add to the books!

A note about accommodations: we continued to stay in AirBnB’s throughout this entire trip, with the exception of Ron’s B&B we found while driving around the second week. With four people and the desire for a bit of our own space, we didn’t want to stay in the 12+ bed dorms we were finding as the only options in hostels. The hotels here were very pricey, and a lot of the accommodations in most areas were booked up well in advance. The North Coast 500 route is becoming more popular and the limited accommodations available there fill up quickly. We had had the warning to book in advance, but we wanted to be able to adjust plans as we went along, and were glad we did that. We lucked out in finding great places to stay, but it did take many hours of searching and adjusting plans as we went along. Our advice is to stay flexible and willing to do some searching if you are booking as you move around here. 

Act of kindness: We were very thankful to the “folksters” in Linlithgow for welcoming us to their music night, and filling the evening with songs dedicated to us and a lot of laughs.