We took advantage of the Easter holiday to explore the interior of Scotland, especially the region of Highlands). We traveled on Thursday (24/03/2016) very early to Glasgow and returned on Monday (28/03) very late at night. It was a very busy 5 days, but it was worth it, because Scotland is really beautiful. <3
I have included a summary of our stops (tourist attractions and hotels) during the 5 days on the map below. To find out more details about the trip, just continue reading post….
Day 1 – Thursday (24/03/2016)
Our Ryanair flight left Dublin at 7am and arrived in Glasgow just before 8am (39.96 euros for the 2 of us, round trip). We picked up the car we had rented from Hertz inside the airport (we used the website Rentalcars to see the cheapest option – 200 euros for 5 days with insurance) and we headed to the first stop on the trip: Loch Lomond (Loch Lomond).
This loch is one of the most popular among Scots and is the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles. We drove to the town of Balloch and we parked the car near the tourist center, where we got some information (excellent service and material) and went out to walk around the city. Beautiful views, especially if you walk up to the city's castle, Balloch Castle.
We followed the recommendation of the girl at the tourist center and stopped in the city of Luss, which is located on the edge of the lake and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in the country. Look how cute it is:
After Luss we stopped at the waterfall Falls of Falloch, which is very close to the road.
We continue to the Kilchurn Castle, which can be seen from the road, but requires a few minutes’ walk if you want to get there. We went and thought it was worth the trip. The view is beautiful, but the crows flying around make the place a bit creepy…
We arrived in Oban at the end of the day and we went straight to our Bed and Breakfast, the Don Muir. What a cozy house (the rating on Booking is 8.5)!!! Tidy suite, very friendly owners and a very good location for 50 pounds. I highly recommend it!
We rested a bit and walked to the city center, looking for a restaurant to have dinner. Because of the time (I think it was almost 8 pm), we went into the first one we saw that was open, YuWu. Very modern Chinese restaurant with lots of locals, but with average food and expensive for our standards. Patience…
We took a taxi back to the B&B.
Day 2 – Friday (03/25/2016)
We had a very nice breakfast at the B&B, walked around Oban a bit and then continued on our way.
We stopped in the middle of the road at some lesser-known castles (very eye-catching signs) and then in the city of Fort William.
We continue our journey to the Glenfinnan Viaduct & Memorial, which is the viaduct in the film Harry Potter, you know? The place is really cool and has some paid trails, but we had to do all this physical exercise because of my flu. Some photos…
We were supposed to continue our journey to the city of Mallaig, because from there we would take a ferry boat for the Isle of Skye, but as we saw signs on the road indicating interruptions to services due to bad weather, we had to change our plans. The only way was to drive to the Skye Bridge to get to the Isle of Skye. Halfway there, we stopped at Commando Monument, a monument erected to honor the men of British Commando Forces, and at some viewpoints with beautiful views:
We drove for a few hours in the rain until Portree, our base in Isle of Skye, and when we arrived in the city, we went straight to our hostel, the Portree Youth Hostel – SYHA (private room without breakfast for 64 pounds).
We looked for a nice restaurant, but since we couldn't find anything, we stopped at the supermarket and bought some baked lasagnas to make at the hostel. We cooked with several other guests and even met a Scottish guy who gave us some great tips! There are pros to staying in a hostel. 🙂
Day 3 – Saturday (03/26/2016)
We ate some of the things we bought at the supermarket the day before and then went out on foot to explore the town of Portree. The most famous photo of the town is of the colorful little houses facing the sea. Look how cute:
We continued our journey to the north of the island and after a few minutes on the road, we came across the typical hairy Scottish cows. What a shame to see the hair in their eyes!
We drove a little further and stopped at Lealt Falls, which has a small trail to the cliff that is really cool. Check out the view:
On our left we should see the Old Man of Storr, which is the famous pinnacle of the Isle of Skye, but the weather didn't help and we passed by without seeing anything. Further on we saw some beautiful landscapes, but nothing of him. See some photos here from him.
The next stop was at a place called Mealt Falls, which is one of the country's main postcards. A beautiful view, especially on a nice day. In our case, the day only opened for an hour and we were lucky enough to be there during that hour. It was meant to be!
After spending a few minutes in this beautiful place, we stopped at Staffin Beach, which also has a very interesting landscape:
From there we took a small road to Uig that passes through the region of Quiraing. This landscape was the most impressive in all of Scotland. Beautiful, perfect place, worthy of many Hollywood films... too bad my camera is not professional so you can see the real beauty of the place. You have to go there to understand... and hope the weather is good!
Before we leave the Isle of Skye, we passed by Old Bridge, which has a really cool view too:
As soon as we left the Isle of Skye, we stopped at Eilean Donan Castle, which was the setting for several films, including Highlander and the Bride's Best Friend I got an explanation from blog Counting the Hours about him: “The original castle was built in the early 13th century by order of King Alexander II to protect the region from enemies arriving in Scotland from the north. For centuries, several clans fought over possession of the castle, until at the beginning of the 18th century, it was occupied by Spanish troops who were trying to start a new Jacobite revolt. This occupation did not last long, as the Spanish were soon defeated. Of course, during all these fighting, the castle was badly damaged and had to be rebuilt. Since then, it has had the appearance that we see today.”
We didn't go inside because a friend told us it wasn't worth it, but we took a lot of pictures outside. Look how beautiful it is:
We continue to Inverness and we had to go through the Loch Ness, of course. Since it was late, we couldn't get in Urquhart Castle, but we made sure to go back the next day to visit it and I recommend it! I'll talk more about it later.
The view of Loch Ness is truly breathtaking. We stopped at a few points along the road to take pictures and luckily for us, the day was clear and the landscape was amazing. I swear I looked at the loch and tried to imagine the monster Nessie there, but I didn’t see anything, not a thing…
We arrived in Inverness at the end of the day and we went straight to our B&B, Sandy's. Daily rate with breakfast in a super cozy room with bathroom for 59 pounds. The owner is a very agile gentleman, who does everything himself, but who is not that friendly (I say this because he didn't start a conversation, but he wasn't unfriendly, you know?).
We went out looking for a place to have dinner and after checking out a few options for places without tables, we went into The Ivy Bar and Kitchen. Good food, cool atmosphere, fair service, but unfortunately the prices are high. Ah, Scotland…
We walked around the city a bit at night and returned to the B&B.
Day 4 – Sunday (03/27/2016)
We had a hearty breakfast at the B&B and went for a walk around the city. We walked to the St Andrew's Cathedral and then we walked to the islands that are in the River Ness. The river runs through the city of Inverness and these islands are very pleasant…the walk around them is a delight!
On the way back we went up to the Inverness Castle and you could see a really cool view of the city:
We returned to the B&B, got in the car and continued our journey. We returned to the Urquhart Castle and we were lucky enough to witness a typical Scottish wedding. What a beautiful ceremony with live music! It was impossible not to be moved…
We left the castle and took the road towards Aberdeen. The initial plan was to stop at Glenfiddich Distillery to do the tour 3pm, but we passed it much later than that. I think it might be worth stopping at a distillery along the way. I'll save it for another trip.
When we arrived in Aberdeen, we decided to go straight to dinner and parked the car in the city center, on a quiet little street. We went into some well-reviewed restaurants, but none of them had a table available. The only way out was to go into a pub so we can eat. We chose the Mcginty's, which has a really cool atmosphere, but the food left something to be desired.
From there we went to our hotel, the The Aberdeen Altens Hotel, which is a little far from the city center, but which offers great value for money: we paid 38 pounds for a night with breakfast.
Day 5 – Monday (03/28/2016)
We had a hearty breakfast at the hotel and continued our journey to Dunnottar Castle, One of the attractions we were most looking forward to. Before even going in, we stood outside enjoying the view. What a beautiful place! After going down a huge staircase, we finally arrived at the castle. We paid £7 per person to enter and it was totally worth it! Although the castle is in ruins, you can see a lot of things and imagine how people lived there…
We continue our journey to the Glamis Castle, which is considered the most beautiful castle in Scotland. It is truly beautiful and it was where Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, better known as Queen Mother was born and spent much of his childhood. We paid 11 pounds to do the tour complete and it was simply wonderful! I loved the super chic dining room, the Queen Mother's bedroom and some other rooms. The guide was super detailed when talking about their daily life in the castle... I thought it was great, but I wasn't able to take any photos inside. Sorry! You have to go there and see….
We left the castle later than expected and we didn't have time to visit the last attractions of the trip: the city of Stirling and the boat lift Falkirk. Here's a tip for you! We went straight to Glasgow, where we met up with a friend from college, and then went straight to the airport. Back to Dublin!
