This past weekend I went on my first outside-of-England trip…to Scotland! I’m so glad I decided to book that trip. Scotland was breathtakingly beautiful and I met some really wonderful people on the trip that made the whole thing worthwhile. I also figured out how to add additional pages to my gallery so all the October pictures will be in the October Gallery this month!
We left for Scotland early Friday morning from King’s Cross Station, which is the station Harry Potter leaves from to go to Hogwarts, so I’m basically a wizard now. The train ride was smooth and although it was not as cool and old-fashioned as the Hogwarts Express, it did come complete with a trolley cart of goodies! “Anything off the Trolley dears?” We got our first glimpse of the North Sea from the train window and that was just the first of many gorgeous views.
We left for Scotland early Friday morning from King’s Cross Station, which is the station Harry Potter leaves from to go to Hogwarts, so I’m basically a wizard now. The train ride was smooth and although it was not as cool and old-fashioned as the Hogwarts Express, it did come complete with a trolley cart of goodies! “Anything off the Trolley dears?” We got our first glimpse of the North Sea from the train window and that was just the first of many gorgeous views.
When we arrived at Edinburgh station we met our Scottish guide, Graham and his dog, Bonnie. I would describe Graham as the epitome of Scottish folk. He welcomed us with a thick accent, a blunt and brash sense of humor, and a mouth to match. One of the first things he told us was to make sure that we kept up when he walked us to our hostel because if we didn’t, “some of yoo are gonna die! Yoo gonna get roon over and yoo gonna die!” He continued to threaten the slowpokes throughout the trip with death unless they kept up. When we would stop for a five minute bathroom break, he would pick a random person and say, “Yoo, if thar not back in five minutes, yoo gonna die”. Needless to say, Graham provided a large part of our entertainment throughout the weekend.
On our first evening, Graham led us on a walking tour of Edinburgh where he showed us The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and many Harry Potter themed attractions such as The Elephant House (the café where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the fist Harry Potter book), Greyfriar’s Graveyard (where she got some of her character names from), and the school that inspired Hogwarts. We had a free evening after that and took advantage of some shopping opportunities on The Royal Mile. We even ate at a pub called The Last Drop, which is where they used to take criminals to have their last drink before they were executed in the square just outside of the pub.
On our first evening, Graham led us on a walking tour of Edinburgh where he showed us The Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, and many Harry Potter themed attractions such as The Elephant House (the café where J.K. Rowling wrote some of the fist Harry Potter book), Greyfriar’s Graveyard (where she got some of her character names from), and the school that inspired Hogwarts. We had a free evening after that and took advantage of some shopping opportunities on The Royal Mile. We even ate at a pub called The Last Drop, which is where they used to take criminals to have their last drink before they were executed in the square just outside of the pub.
Day 2 of out trip kicked off with getting on the bus early so we could make an extra stop at Doune Castle, the castle that was used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail as the Frenchmen’s castle, and in the pilot of Game of Thrones as Winterfell!! After that we visited another castle called Stirling Castle and were able get inside this one to tour it. The castle had some amazing views. From the lookout towers you could see for miles and there were some graveyards and beautiful greenery to be seen from every wall of the fortress. I felt very underdressed to be touring this castle. Check gallery for more pictures!
After we had our fill of castles, we begin our drive up to the highlands. Graham entertained us by describing what Scotland would be like if he was in charge as Prime Minister. He said every hostel would have an “Emergency Iron Bar” to permanently silence any snorers in your room because it’s “Freakin’ annoyin’!” He also announced that it would be totally legal to just run over the cars/people that get in your way and make you late when you are trying to give a tour. We stopped for lunch on the way and met Hamish the highland cow, or as Graham would say, coo. I don’t really know his significance, except that he is a classic highland-looking cow and that he is probably the fourth cow with the name Hamish. Anyway he is on basically all the Scottish souvenirs so he must be a pretty big deal.
We stopped to have a walk through Birnam Wood, which is the wood Shakespeare mentions in Macbeth. The atmosphere was just right for a walk through the woods because there was still some lingering morning fog wafting through the trees and you could hear the rushing water of the brook racing you down the path. It was very Shakespearian. Beautiful, tall trees surrounded all the walking paths and our walk concluded with a photo-shoot at a picturesque waterfall. More pictures in the gallery.
We stopped to have a walk through Birnam Wood, which is the wood Shakespeare mentions in Macbeth. The atmosphere was just right for a walk through the woods because there was still some lingering morning fog wafting through the trees and you could hear the rushing water of the brook racing you down the path. It was very Shakespearian. Beautiful, tall trees surrounded all the walking paths and our walk concluded with a photo-shoot at a picturesque waterfall. More pictures in the gallery.
The rest of the drive up to Aviemore, which is where we were staying for the night, was really gorgeous. The highlands are so colorful! My pictures barely do them justice. They are full of so many colors: every shade of green, yellow, burnt orange, brick red, deep blue, purple, chocolate brown, chalk white, and every texture you could think of: grainy sand, long grass, short grass, prickly trees, lusciously full trees, streams of water, dappled rocks, chalky ridges of who-knows-what, furry carpets of moss, wild flowers, and giant boulders. Pair all of that with a bright blue sky and a rolling mist and you’ve barely got a mediocre mental image of the highlands. Many more pictures in the gallery!
Once in Aviemore, we ate and walked around to look for some entertainment. Unfortunately, almost everything is closed after 5:00 on Saturdays in the Highlands. Apparently no one wants to stay out at night. I can’t imagine why. So we settled for lots of photo taking around the town. When we woke the next morning we were reminded that we were in the highlands by the thick frost on the windows of our room and the cool, crisp air in the hostel that you could practically see your breath in. We boarded the bus, very punctually to Graham’s surprise, so nobody died that morning, and we began our journey to Lock Ness. (cue eerie music)
The highlands were gorgeously misty and captivating on the way there. The created the perfect environment for visiting such a famously uncanny lake as Loch Ness. We got some fantastic pictures. Once we arrived in Loch Ness, we saw a highland demonstration of how to put on a kilt and what kinds of weapons highlanders used in battle. We then went on a cruise on Loch Ness. The water is naturally black in Loch Ness due to some sort of scientific thing that Graham explained but of course I don’t remember nor understand. And of course I found Nessie! More pictures in the gallery.
The highlands were gorgeously misty and captivating on the way there. The created the perfect environment for visiting such a famously uncanny lake as Loch Ness. We got some fantastic pictures. Once we arrived in Loch Ness, we saw a highland demonstration of how to put on a kilt and what kinds of weapons highlanders used in battle. We then went on a cruise on Loch Ness. The water is naturally black in Loch Ness due to some sort of scientific thing that Graham explained but of course I don’t remember nor understand. And of course I found Nessie! More pictures in the gallery.
The way back from Loch Ness and to Edinburgh to catch our train was when we saw the most spectacular views yet. We traveled all the way through the highlands to get back, which meant we were right in the think of them. Literally surrounded by them. We went through the majestic area of Glen Coe, which could probably have been the second choice for Middle Earth if New Zealand hadn’t worked out. So gorgeous. We spent hours just driving through the Highlands drifting in and out of sleep and passing cameras around to get the best views. It was an otherworldly experience to be surrounded by such an awesome landscape.
On our way back to Edinburgh, Graham informs us that we are seriously behind schedule for catching our 5:00pm train and that we will most likely not be arriving until 4:55pm. AHH! Needless to say we all started to panic. We rushed into Edinburgh and we were only maybe three blocks away from the station at 4:50pm when the bus stalled at the stoplight. It was like a TV sitcom or something. We all stood up and started freaking out, getting ready to literally jump off the bus the second we got close enough. Thankfully, after 10 seconds of stalling, the bus did start moving again and we finished off that last few blocks. We hastily grabbed our luggage and literally ran through the train station. Picture a group of 30 young adults loaded down with backpacks and duffle bags running, for the first time since they stepped off the plane a month ago, as fast as they can through a station full of people to platform 11 (it had to be that far away) and you’ll understand how difficult and hilarious it was. We thankfully made it with two minutes to spare before the train departed. We all spent the first half hour of the ride trying to recover from the massive Olympic sprint.
My weekend in Scotland was a magical experience and it went by too fast. I guess that just means I’ll have to go back someday! However, after a weekend of Hostel beds, paper-thin walls, and instant coffee with milk (Blech!), I am glad to back to my home away from home in London. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
Top British/Scottish facts and oddities of the week…
Be sure to check out the many pictures in the OCTOBER gallery. All pictures for this month will be places in the October gallery.
Thank you!
My weekend in Scotland was a magical experience and it went by too fast. I guess that just means I’ll have to go back someday! However, after a weekend of Hostel beds, paper-thin walls, and instant coffee with milk (Blech!), I am glad to back to my home away from home in London. Can’t wait for the next adventure!
Top British/Scottish facts and oddities of the week…
- Häagen Dazs ice cream is served during intermission at West End shows and it is a big deal. It costs £3! (London)
- Intermission is called Interval (London)
- I learned from a Portuguese girl on the Scotland trip that in Portugal, if you pick up your drink with your right hand in a bar you have to chug the entire drink. Most people drink with their left hand as a result.
- In Scotland, you almost always have to pay an extra 5p for a bag for your purchases at any store. This is to encourage the use of reusable bags or no bags at all as an environmental campaign.
- Graham spoke some Gaelic so he translated some names for us: McDonalds – Ruler of the World…seems appropriate since the McDonalds in London are super POSH and huge!
- Douglas – black water
- Ross – peninsula (Peninsula Gellar?)
- Campbell – crooked mouth (this is not a popular clan in Scotland)
- Loch Ness is 5 times deeper than the surrounding seas of Scotland and England
Be sure to check out the many pictures in the OCTOBER gallery. All pictures for this month will be places in the October gallery.
Thank you!