The first step was to pick up our rental car which was only a short distance from our hotel. Upon arrival, there was a long line outside the rental location. I quickly noticed the impatient look on those that were in front of us and knew that we were in for a long wait. We were finally handed our keys to an upgraded BMW blah blah blah series car after an hour or so in line.
Next step was to make our way out of the city. This task proved to be even more complicated than receiving our car. Now, you may be thinking to yourself she must have had issues with driving on the opposite side of the road. Well, you would be wrong. Minus a few potholes that I hit and a few times I ran off the road, I was a pro. The real issue was that we could not figure out how to use the GPS in our fancy upgraded car. We spent an extensive amount of time trying to figure it out. I decided that I would start driving and assigned the task to my mom. The look of panic that crossed her face when I put the car in drive was one I will not soon forget.
We made our way out of the parking garage. Since we didn't know the direction we were supposed to be heading, I made a left. Then a right. While I was busy making incorrect turns my mom began hitting the GPS frantically, in the hopes that this would magically make it work. I advised her that this was not the right course of action. We drove around in circles (while being honked at) due to my indecisive sense of direction. Once we figured out the GPS, we exhaled a huge sigh of relief, and were on our way.
We drove a little over an hour to our first stop, St Andrews. Now I will be honest, the only thing I knew about St Andrews was that it was home to one of the oldest golf courses. I have zero interest in golf. My mom really has no interest in golf. Why did we stop here you may ask? Picture me shrugging shoulders here. I will say that St Andrews surprised me. It was a cute college town with cobbled stone streets set right on the coast.
We roamed the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral, once the largest church in all of Scotland. We continued on foot to St Andrews Castle deciding to forego the $10 admission and admire it from afar. We headed into town just in time as the rain had just started. We tucked into a burger joint for a late lunch which turned out to be very popular with the student body.
We decided to make our way to our hotel in Aberdeen which was about an hour and half from St Andrews. We stayed at the Marcliffe Hotel and Spa. We were tired when we arrived and chose to have dinner at the hotel. Then called it a night.
We made our way out of Aberdeen, not experiencing much of it besides our cozy accommodations. The roads started to narrow and twist and turn. I heard a few gasps in the passenger seat as I may have grazed a few tree branches. We had entered the Cairngorms National Park. This was a warm welcome to the Highlands. It was difficult being the driver with the beautiful scenery unfolding around me and focusing hard to keep my eyes on the road. I also had my mom gasping and proclaiming to look at this or that.
There were mountains, rolling green hills, dense forests, wide open spaces with rivers rolling through, and bikers. So many bikers. Bikers who took up the entire road. Due to the winding roads and visibility of oncoming traffic it was difficult to pass, which forced us to sit back and enjoy the views. I controlled the urge to give them a little bump.
We made a stop at Braemar Castle along the route before heading to Inverness. We took the audio tour and found it to be quite interesting.This would be the first of many castles visited on this trip.
We made our way to Inverness. Before heading to the B&B, my mom had one request to visit the Culloden Battlefield. She is a fan of the show Outlander and was very into the history of the Jacobites. I, being the wonderful daughter that I am, obliged.
If castles are your thing then Scotland will sure have you covered. We started the next morning visiting Urquhart Castle which is nestled right on beautiful Loch Ness. Unfortunately, the parking lot was full when we arrived and we had to utilize another lot that was further away. Much further. I'm talking, we saw a girl hitch hiking from the lot, further. (It ended up taking us about 15 minutes uphill. We're not dramatic at all).
We explored the castle ruins, ancient rooms, towers, and took in over a thousand years of history. The castle's setting was worth the visit alone.
Next up, and my personal favorite, Eilean Donan Castle. I mean, this has to be the most photogenic castle in Scotland. Surrounded by dark sea lochs and majestic Scottish mountains, it is truly picture perfect. The interior is just as impressive and is well worth a visit.
We crossed the Skye Bridge and made our way to a mythical land where fairies roam, the Isle of Skye. If you only do one thing in Scotland make your way here. It is rugged, dramatic, mysterious, raw, and just utterly breathtaking. This was my favorite part of our trip.
We stayed in Portree at the Cuillin Hills Hotel. It was a short distance from town, a great base to explore, and views were amazing.
Can we just talk about weather in Scotland? It rains. A lot. Like you will have a 70% chance of rain or higher. When it is not raining you need to take advantage and quickly because chances are it will start to rain at any moment. That's exactly what we did. The first day was raining and very windy. It may have not been the best day to hike to the Old Man of Storr (large pinnacles of rock that rise high and can be seen for miles) but time was limited. Once the rain and wind slowed down, we laced up, zipped up, and prepared ourselves for the trek.
With each step we took the wind would get stronger and my breath would get shorter. I looked up to see my mom far ahead. Her Zumba classes were definitely paying off. I pretended to tie my shoe so I could catch my breath to cover up the fact that I was finding it hard to keep up. The fog was heavy and we could only catch glimpses of the famous rock formation.
We made our way to Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls. The Kilt Rock cliffs resemble a Scottish kilt (hence the name). This area was crowded with people. To see the falls you have to lean your head out and over a railing for a good view. Along with everyone else in front and back of you.
We continued our drive to The Quiraing. There were only a few cars parked so we were not entirely sure if we had the right location. We followed a few sheep who led the way through muddy trails to insane mountain vistas. This place is incredible and we only scratched the surface.
Our time on Isle of the Skye, sadly, came to a quick end and we were back on the road. We took a scenic drive through the valley of Glencoe. Stopping to appreciate our surroundings along the way. We made our way past Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, staying the night. Our road trip came to an end in Glasgow where we turned in our car and explored the city. This happened to be the one sunny day we had on the the trip.
If you've made it this far, I'm impressed. Let's play a game. How many times did I say how amazing the scenery was throughout this lil post? That is Scotland. Trying to find as many synonyms for beautiful as possible. Rain or shine.
