the wife and i are just starting to plan a british isle trip for 2020. we are leaning towards ireland, but may try to work in some scotland as well. can't wait to hear about your trip!
I realized I hadn't updated this thread. I'll try to summarize as best I can. Overall, it was a great trip, a great country to visit, and the time we spent in each spot was perfect, IMO.
Day 1 -- Arrived in Edinburgh around 9am. Took an Uber to our hotel (Courtyard Marriott) which was in an excellent location. After a
quick lunch here at Oxtail, went to Edinburgh Castle where we spent a couple hours. Of note, if anyone decides to go and is looking at doing at least Edinburgh and Stirling Castles (the 2 main castles in Scotland), then I suggest picking up the
Explorer Pass. It covers the cost of entry to those 2 and anything else is free. Got to walk around some more of Edinburgh after the castle and then back to the hotel. Went for a little run, then had dinner
here at the White Horse. Food was excellent although a little overpriced. After that, hit a walking tour of Edinburgh called
Ghostly Underground. Great tour, had some whisky at the end and then a good night's sleep after powering through the day. This helped to not have any jet lag for the trip.
Day 2 -- Excellent breakfast at the
Edinburgh Larder and then did a
hike to Arthur's Seat. Fantastic recommendation and totally worth it. If anyone considers doing this and
reads this review, ignore it even though it's hilarious. By lunch, we checked out of the hotel and got our rental car to start our drive around the country. First stop was
Stirling Castle, about an hour away. Wonderful castle and in much better condition than Edinburgh Castle. Probably spent an hour and a half which was plenty, and left close to 4pm. Our stop for the nigh was in
Crail. What an awesome little town on the water. Stayed in a little B&B called the Hazelton which was really nice. The town is tiny and there's only like 3 restaurants. Ended up having the best fish and chips of the whole trip at
Crail Fish and Bar. Up early in the morning for a
great run through the
town and out to the
beach and
back. Then we were off for some more destinations.
Day 3 -- After heading out from our breakfast, the next stop was St. Andrews which was less than half hour away. This was pretty awesome. There's a
cathedral in ruins, the
castle, and overall just a neat area. Also visited the
university. Ended up spending close to 3 hours here with a bit of hustle toward the end. Hopped in the car and had lunch in a cute little town caled
Pitlochry. Ended up there just before our distillery tour at
Blair Athol. Fantastic tour, great price, and sampled some great Scotch. It's a smaller distillery but really neat to see what they do. From there, drove to our destination for the night at Stonehaven, another city by the sea. Bigger than Crail but still pretty small. Had a fantastic dinner (probably my favorite of the trip) at
Six Degrees North. Food was top notch (and overall pleasantly surprised with the quality of food in Scotland in general). Stayed in an apartment there right on the water. Great little town.
Day 4 -- Left mid morning to hit
Dunnottar Castle which was about 5 minutes away. Probably my
favorite castle of the whole trip. This was outstanding and a can't miss. From there, drove to
Glenlivet Distillery, the complete opposite of Blair Athol, as they are the largest in Scotland. Another awesome tour. After finishing in the afternoon, we headed toward Inverness and stopped at
Urquhart Castle right on Loch Ness. Probably my 2nd favorite castle. Another can't miss. Stayed the night in Inverness at
Strathness House. Beautiful location
right on the river and near the downtown area with tons of bars and restaurants. Much larger city than anything else we'd visited except Edinburgh.
Day 5 -- After a solid breakfast at the B&B, hopped in the car for the final day of driving. A long day at that mostly going through the countryside on our way to Glasgow. Hit
Glen Coe valley on the way,
Rannoch Moor, and the
Devil's Pulpit of note. Our one castle on the way was
Inveraray Castle, a 17th century "castle" that is still inhabited. Arrived in Glasgow that evening and had a solid dinner at
Ox and Finch. The next morning, did a little sight seeing, hitting the
Botanic Gardens, The U
niversity of Glasgow, and the shopping area before flying out.
Full days throughout without feeling rushed. Every area we hit was different than the others. Happy to answer any questions or feedback if anyone considers going in the future. Definitely worthwhile as a destination.
I'll try to get back with an update later. Been three times, loved it. Has been awhile though.
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