A Week in Scotland
In May 2022, we did a week-long road trip in Scotland with my Mom. We started in Edinburgh and travelled through Inverness, Isle of Skye, and Tyndrum on our way to Glasgow. Thankfully the weather was (mostly) agreeable and we were able to admire the beauty of Scotland with blue skies. Here are our top 10 favourite places:
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#1- Glencoe Valley
Located in the western Scottish Highlands, the valley of Glencoe takes your breathe away. Starting in the town of Glencoe, on the edge of Loch Leven, head towards the Three Sisters viewpoint and stop to take it all in. Next, stop at the Meeting of Three Waters, then continue on until you reach a small side road that takes you along the River Etive to Glen Etive. This road is featured in the James Bond Skyfall movie. Head back to the main road and head southeast to reach the Bridge of Orchy. |
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#2- Hike to Arthur's Seat Edinburgh
Located a short distance from the Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat sits at the top of Holyrood Park. The climb is a bit steep (especially if you are racing up because you're short on time), but the view is completely worthwhile. The yellow flowers were in bloom during our visit, which made it even more beautiful. |
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#3- Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye is full of wonderful places to discover. We based ourselves in Portree and spent two days exploring the island. It feels truly magical, which is why its no surprise that giants and other mythological creatures, like fairies and selkies, are rumoured to live on the island. A few highlights were Sligachan Old Bridge, Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls Viewpoint, Old Man of Storr, Bride's Veil Falls, The Fairy Glen, Lealt Falls, and Duntulm Castle. We did try to visit the Fairy Pools but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. It was too wet and we were not allowed to travel any further. If you are driving to the Isle of Skye, stop at Clachan Duich Burial Ground on the way. There are some really old graves and an incredible view (plus a couple of cute goats). |
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#4- Castles!
It would be nearly impossible to visit Scotland without stumbling across a castle on your journey. Nearly ever town has one, or one nearby, from the grand castles- like Edinburgh Castle- to the older ruins of castles- like Invergarry Castle. A favourite was Eilean Donan Castle (shown in the photo). This famous castle is located on a tidal island where three sea lochs—Loch Duich, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh—meet, near the tiny village of Dornie. Other castles we visited included Urquhart Castle (Loch Ness), Stirling Castle, Midhope Castle (famous for Outlander), Taymouth Castle, Castle Mezies and Balloch Castle. If you get tired of castles, there are also several Palaces you can visit. We checked out Falkland Palace and Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. |
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#5- Edinburgh City & Greyfriars Bobby
Edinburgh is a wonderful city to explore by foot (you can even go underground into the Vaults). From the famous Royal Mile to the magnificent Edinburgh Castle, there is history around every corner. Once you're done in the centre, head up to Calton Hill and the Old Calton Cemetery and over to the Queen's Gallery and Palace of Holyroodhouse. One heartwarming story is of the beloved dog Greyfriars Bobby, who for fourteen years kept constant watch and guard over his owner's grave until his own death in 1872. You can find the graves of both Bobby and his owner in the Greyfriars Kirkyard. A granite fountain with a statue of Bobby can be found opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard. The dog's nose has turned gold from where people still give this very good boy a pat while passing by. |
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#6- Loch Ness
When visiting Scotland, you realize how many "lochs" (lakes) there actually are, and this makes it even more impressive that Loch Ness has reached such a level of fame. Visit the visitor's centre for more history on the area and the scientific research that has turned Nessie into an iconic Scottish legend. |
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#7- Scottish Pubs
At the end of a long day of exploring (and sometimes in the middle of one), we loved finding an old Scottish pub and a pint. Some of our favourites were: The Bow Bar (Edinburgh- great cask beer selection), Ryrie’s Bar (Edinburgh), The Lade Inn (Callander- very homey), The Isles Inn (Portree- great live music), The Drovers Inn (North Loch Lomond- eclectic décor and ghost stories), and Clachaig Inn (Glencoe- beautiful surroundings). We also had a great night catching up with friends in Ashton Lane in Glasgow. If you want something a little fancier than a pub, try Ubiquitous Chip, which has incredible Scottish food and a fun rooftop. |
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#8- Glasgow City & Street Art
Glasgow is also a city that is easy to explore on foot. Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow Necropolis and McLennan Arch are a few must see landmarks throughout the city. Take a walk along River Clyde and into the city centre to marvel at the Equestrian statue of the Duke of Wellington, which has a traffic cone on his head which has been placed there often, anonymously, and in the dead of night, since the 1980s. While we were visiting the Duke's horse was also bestowed with its own traffic cone. An added bonus was discovering several huge street art murals throughout the city. There is even a Murals Trail map available to make finding these works easier. |
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#9- Luss
Luss is a cute, little village of only 450 people, on the edge of Loch Lomond, with the beautiful backdrop of Ben Lomond, a 974m mountain peak. Stroll along the water front or walk amongst the village's quaint and picture perfect cottages. Luss Parish Church was built in 1875, but a church was first founded on this site in 510. The church has 15 listed ancient monuments, including a rare Viking hogback stone dating back to c1260. It is thought that the stone is from the Loch Lomond raid of 1263 when vikings pillaged and settled on the lochside. The TV series "Take The High Road" was also filmed in Luss from 1980-2003. |
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#10- Clava Cairns
Located 15 minutes from Inverness, Clava Cairns are a group of three Bronze Age cairns (a cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound). A hugely significant and exceptionally well preserved prehistoric site, Clava Cairns is a fantastic example of the distant history of Highland Scotland, dating back about 4,000 years. The three large cairns that can still be seen today were built around 2000BC. |
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Bonus #11- The Kelpies
Have you ever wanted to see the world's largest equine sculptures? Look no further than these 30 metre high, giant kelpie heads! The Kelpies are located in Grangemouth, about 45 minutes outside Edinburgh. In Scottish folklore, a kelpie is a dangerous shape-shifting water creature that can appear on land as a horse. The kelpie appears to their human victims as a grey or white horse, entices them to ride on their back, then carries them down to a watery grave. |
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Questions about travelling in Scotland? Email us and we will be happy to help!