I finally got back up to Scotland! This time around I had a wonderful weekend with UK Study Tours in Edinburgh and the highlands. I loved everything, but could definitely spend weeks exploring the gorgeous highlands!
After an overnight coach ride, we arrived in the Scottish capital and immediately started on a morning walking tour. Our first stop was to climb Calton Hill for an amazing view of Arthur’s Seat and the city, and it was a good way to wake up! This hill is home to the National Monument (top left), the Nelson Monument (right), and the Dugald Stewart Monument (bottom left), as well as the City Observatory (which was being renovated, of course), but I think the views are the most impressive part. You can see right across to the river on one side and have a panoramic view of the city below!
Our walk took us back down the hill and into the city, passed the National Museum of Scotland, the National Gallery, through the old town, and ending at Edinburgh Castle. Of course I decided to go into the castle, because a) it’s a castle and I love castles, and b) it’s kind of the thing to do in Edinburgh! It is a bit expensive, especially when you compare it to all the free museums in Britain, but I think it was worth it and I’d definitely recommend it. There’s loads to see, from the prisons and the War Memorial to St Margaret’s Chapel and an impressive Great Hall. Plus the Scottish crown jewels are housed here and, unlike the ones at the Tower of London, you don’t have to pay to see them!
After a good couple of hours at the castle, I walked up the Royal Mile past St Giles’ Cathedral to see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and then retraced my steps to find The Elephant House (aka the birthplace of Harry Potter) and Greyfriars Bobby (aka Scotland’s most loyal dog who stayed at his owner’s grave for 14 years until he himself died). Edinburgh is full of little side streets and quirky shops that you could spend hours in, and is a great city to walk around!
That’s really all the time I had in Edinburgh, unfortunately, because I knew I wanted to go on the highlands tour the next day.
The first stop on this day trip was to the Firth of Forth to see the famous railway bridge. There are actually two other bridges right beside it – the road bridge built in the 50s (that looks like the Golden Gate Bridge) and the newer one finished just last year (the one that looks like it has sails). You can tell it’s a big tourist attraction because there’s a dedicated parking lot and viewpoint nearby!
Our next stop was to a place called the Hermitage – a lovely waterfall set in very green woods. I could’ve happily spent the rest of the day hiking around this magical place, but alas we had limited time before moving on.
We stopped in the town of Pitlochry for a tour of the Blair Athol whisky distillery and then time for lunch. It was a really interesting to learn about the process of making whisky and what goes into making the famous Scottish single malt (it has to be made in Scotland at a single distillery, sit there for at least three years, and be made with only one grain). After lunch we continued further into the highlands to a place called the Queen’s View, made famous by Queen Victoria. And I’m sure you can see why – it’s gorgeous!
After our photo stop, it was back on the road to Stirling to see the Wallace Monument. It’s quite the steep climb to get up to the top, but, as usual, it’s totally worth it! Just be careful walking back down – I may have twisted my ankle on the descent…
Our last stop on the way back to Edinburgh was at the Kelpies – giant horse head sculptures in Grangemouth near Falkirk. They’re to commemorate the importance of horse-power to Scotland’s history, and they also nod to the mythological shape-shifting water spirits of the country. Both statues are massive and very impressive!
We had great timing because as soon as we got back on the bus it started pouring with rain! I love the highlands and, as I said, would love to go back and explore even more of them. Before we left Scotland the next morning, we had a couple of stops at a woollen mill in Moffat to do some last-minute shopping and then at Gretna Green (made famous by the number of marriages held there) for lunch. Then it was actually a really nice afternoon spent traveling back to England!
Anyone else in love with Scotland? This trip definitely made me a proud half-Scottish lass!
x Lauren
The Globetrotting Bibliophile 