Scotland Travel Journal

[Gtscot]

The great thing about Scotland the Best is that it is an annual book and not just useful for "foreign" tourists, it's equally as good for us locals and has a huge amount of detail

 

[jme]

Scotland

(me, wife, and 2 kids, ages 13 and 16)

We spent 2 weeks in Scotland a while back, in July, and luckily it never rained once. It was quite cool, never real cold, altho my wife is always needing a coat. We had a few overcast days, maybe five or so total, but they were great too, and pleasant.

We stayed our second week in Edinburgh at the Balmoral Hotel (no timeshare involved there), just to enjoy the city. Was awesome. Did a couple out-trips from there.

Our first week was more "in the country" at Loch Lomond at Cameron House....all I can say is fantastic! 2-story cottage was impressive and plush, and we did a few out-trips from there too. We had a rental car, and had visited UK the previous year for 17 days, so driving was never a problem. We visited St. Andrews, Stirling, Glasgow, and many other towns all over the country, but the off-the-wall highlight was a one-day trip up the west coast, thru Oban, to the Isle of Skye, where we went across on a ferry and drove all around the island, stopping to enjoy the spectacular views.

Since it was sunny, it was as good as it could get. We visited the Quiraing (if you don't know what that is, Google it and even look at Googlemaps-----click on little yellow man, drag to a road at top of Quiraing and look at view------ and also see online videos that people have uploaded).

It was without a doubt the most beautiful scenery I've had the pleasure of witnessing. Like from a storybook. We also stopped at various roadside lookouts to see the cliffs, the sea, whatever...just amazing as we went around the island on a narrow little one-vehicle-wide road. The whole day was amazing. In order to get there to Skye, we traveled thru the Highland mountains, and that was spectacular too....I will always be glad we did that.

The vistas around every corner just blew me away, and my wife was having a duck every moment because I was taking shots with the camera continuously. Deer and Highland cattle were everywhere....very cool. We were back "home" at Cameron House just after midnight, after a long day of driving, BUT it was worth it.

During our two weeks in Scotland, the stops "along the way" were wonderful----we saw castles, mountains, valleys, rivers, bridges, fields, farms, pubs, beautiful cottages on hillsides, the glorious sea, and met so many intriguing and friendly people. I'll always have a love for Scotland. We used various guide books and online advice, but the bottom line is just "go for it". Try to see as much as you can, and don't be afraid to drive anywhere.

I'll never forget, for example, the beautiful seaside town of Oban-----we had a wonderful lunch in a fantastic little restaurant...very colorful inside. I remember a ton of flowers in bloom everywhere----in gardens and in flower boxes in windows. Seems like a castle rose up out of every hillside as we drove around the country.

Seeing Scotland is truly a unique experience---sometimes almost a primitive and raw experience for lack of better words. It's a cold and often barren land, but seeing how the people lived and dealt with it over the centuries was educational. The beauty is truly unsurpassed, albeit quite different than any other country I've seen. For that reason, it's a must. Funny---another highlight was when we found the Hard Rock Cafe in Edinburgh----Ahhhhh, that cheeseburger, fries, and Coke!!! YEAH!!!!!!

 

[WinniWoman]

Sounds wonderful! I was hoping for the same weather in June, but it didn't happen. I originally wanted to stay in the Cameron House, but no private rentals had come up. I do regret that we couldn't get into the Highlands as that is what I think of when I think of Scotland (and I prefer natural wonders during my vacations) and I would have preferred to be up there rather than the east coast. (and I bet there are less roundabouts up there!)