For Easter break, I spent 5 days
exploring Scotland through a Haggis Adventure tour through the Highlands and Isle
of Skye, and then I spent a couple days exploring the beautiful town of
Edinburgh before flying back to school.
Day 1- Edinburgh to Loch Ness
We started
our tour early in the morning so that we could see as much as we could of the
Highlands before stopping for the night. Our guide was named Katie, and our driver/2nd
tour guide was Duffy, and our bus was called Brian.
our bus Brian
The first stop of the day was Dunkeld. We stopped to look
around town and the local church. The church is well known because it holds the
effigy of grandson to Brian Bruce (Alexander Stewart). It was a cute small town
that had only one major road that went through the center and just residential
alleys off of it.
Dunkeld Cathedral
On our way through the Highlands we had a quick lunch break
in Aviemore. It is a small town built by the tourism board specifically for
tourists to go skiing in mountains surrounding it. I had some delicious fish
and chips for lunch and then stumbled upon an old-style candy shoppe that makes
their own candies. So naturally I tried a few different types and bought a
little bag of my favorite bonbons to enjoy.
Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe
The next stop of the day was the Tomatin
Whiskey Distillery. We learned how scotch whiskey is made and got a small sample
of their 12 year-old afterwards. We learned that whiskey has to mature for at
least 7 years to be of the correct age and strength. Each distillery will have
its own distinct flavor due to the minerals from the local water that they use
and some of the flavors are pulled from the oak casks. So they will use barrels
that have held other drinks to pull into the whiskey (sherry, port).
some of the whiskeys that they currently sell
Our first night was spent in Fort Augustus. It lies on the edge of Loch
Ness and has a canal bridge that connects the Loch to the rest of the canal way
through the country. For dinner, I had my first haggis and was surprised that
it was better than what I thought it would be. I would probably not have it
again but it was worth the taste. After dinner, I went to small show describing
how highlanders used to live in the wild and what life would be like for them. We
learned how to put on a kilt traditionally (for men and women), and learned how
to use some of the traditional weaponry too. After the show the hostel we were
put up in had a special event because a local brewery had made a beer specifically
for the hostel. We were the first people to ever try some of it. The beer was
not too bad, but then again I do not like beer too much.
learning how to put on a kilt
Day 2 – Fort Augustus to Kyleakin
Our first stop was the Eilean Donan
Castle. What currently sits there is not the original castle. It is a rebuilt
after local stonemason had a dream as to what the castle had looked like originally
before it was blown up. It is a very picturesque sight with the loch behind it
and the mountains on the other side.
Eilean Donan Castle
Our next big stop was the town of
Portree for a lunch break. It is called the capital of the Isle of Skye because
it is the largest town in Isle of Skye and located on the eastern edge of the
isle. This harbor town is known for a couple different reasons. It is the
location of the Highland Games each year, however I was there during the off
season, and the main pier is well known for the colorful buildings that line
the pier. I did spend some time looking through the local craft shops there and
walking along the pier. While waiting to continue to the next stop, I relaxed
in the town square listening to some teenagers play the bag pipes.
The main pier
Street performers
The rest of the day was spent
driving through Trotternish. We went to a viewing point, but it was too
overcast and windy to truly see anything special or even the road ahead of us. It
was a one lane street and it got very interesting when had to pass cars coming
the other way. The next stop was to Kilt Rock. It is volcanic rock that has
split form the trapped heat and formed to look like the pleats of a kilt.
our supposed great view
Kilt Rock
On our way to the stop that night
we passed Old Man of Storr. It is a rock formation with a story of a sad old
man with his wife next to him but smaller due to arthritis and eroded away. Beneath
the rocks is Loch Storr holding the tears of the old man
Old Man Storr
We stopped at Kyleakin for the night. I had a great dinner of a creamy
mac & cheese at a local restaurant. And before it got too dark that night I
went to see the castle on one of the points. However, I came too late because
the tide was rolling in and the pathway was beginning to get blocked that led
to the castle. I made it about 2/3 of the way before it got too difficult.
Kyleakin Castle
Day 3 – Kyleakin to Edinburgh
The last day of the tour was spent
with lots of driving through the mountain ranges (Glencoe and Trossachs). It was
a great day because we had a clear sky with no clouds and warm weather. Our first
major stop was the area where the Massacre of Glencoe happened. It is a beautiful
area of mountains and we were able to take a short walk around the area and get
a better view of the mountains. We stopped in the section called the Three
Sisters. It was quite a great view.
perfect reflection of the mountains on the lake
Three Sisters Mountain range in Glencoe
Our last stop of the day was the National Wallace Memorial. It
is in the town of Stirling and is across the river from the Stirling Castle. The
walk up to the memorial was steep but the view from the top was well worth the
climb up. We could see the castle and the Trossachs in the distant, where we
had just came from.
National Wallace Monument
The Trossachs
It was a fantastic tour that kept me busy, but I was happy to
be back in Edinburgh where I could relax a little more and move at my own pace
to see the city.
Day 4 and 5 – Edinburgh
These
two days were spent touring around the city of Edinburgh on the hop-on hop-off
buses. On the first day I went to the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Holyrood
Palace. It was interesting visiting the royal family residences while they are
on the water and in Scotland. They were very beautiful, but in a simplistic
classy way. There were more pictures of the family than anything that would
suggest their wealth. It was a great look into who they are as people.
old fashioned tour bus
The Royal Yacht Britannia
Queen's Bedroom
pictures of the royal family in the Queen's office
Holyrood Palace
On the
second day, I saw Edinburgh Castle and the National Museum of Scotland. There
is so much to the Castle and the amount of buildings inside it was amazing. They
still use some of the buildings for military planning and other military use.
But most of them were open and turned into museums that detail the history of
the Scottish branches of military. They also had an exhibit about the history
of Scottish royalty and I was able to see the crown jewels on display. The
national museum, to me, was a little underwhelming because the exhibits that I
wanted to see were under construction and the ones that were open was nothing
too special. I enjoyed walking around the exhibits that were open and the
building itself was beautiful.
The royal apartments in Edinburgh Castle
one of the military buildings that are still used
the inside of the National Museum of Scotland
Beyond
these visits, I just enjoyed walking around the Old Town of Edinburgh and
especially through the Royal Mile area. It was a great vacation in Scotland and
I enjoyed Easter in my own way.
