Joe and Lou's Travel Blog

And so ends our last trip in Europe (for the foreseeable future anyway). Our 5 day holiday in Scotland consisted of two days in Edinburgh with a 3 day bus tour in between.

Day 1 Edinburgh

Lou and I arrived late on Wednesday night and had a bit of a sleep in the next morning. After breakfast we visited Edinburgh Castle (of course) and did a historical tour of The Vaults. The Vaults were built in the arches of the South Bridge that spans the valley between the Old town and south Edinburgh. They are said to be haunted and were featured on LivingTV’s Most Haunted 3.

That evening we caught a bus out to Leith to sample some seafood. The bus driver recommended a good restaurant in which we enjoyed scallops and fish washed down with Guinness (Lou’s new favourite tipple).

Day 2 Edinburgh – Isle of Skye

We set off on a grey, rainy Friday morning on our Haggis bus tour. We were assured by our guide Laura that it would not be a proper Scottish experience if it didn’t rain and the weather is not ‘cold’ it’s ‘refreshing’.

It seems that the Scots have a love hate relationship with Braveheart on the one hand it has done wonders for the tourist industry but on the other it is historically inaccurate. Laura had her rant over the failings of the movie as we approached and left the Wallace monument near Stirling.

Travelling up into the Highlands we passed Ben Nevis the highest mountain in the British Isles stopping off at the picturesque Glencoe, site of a clan massacre. The highlight of the day was Eilean Donan Castle where part of Highlander was filmed (but we won’t hold that against it). It has an interesting history as part of the Jacobite rebellion.

At the end of the day we crossed a controversial bridge (the usual over budget and opposed by environmental activists) to the Isle of Skye where we were to spend the night. Before dinner we walked up to the ruins of Castle Moil. This was the home of a princess called ‘Saucy Mary’. She charged visiting ships a toll to enter the bay and apparently flashed her assets to the sailors as compensation.

Day 3 Isle of Skye – Loch Ness

We woke to clear blue sky. According to Laura this is only the third time this year she has been on the isle with no rain so we were very lucky. As you will see from our photos, Skye has fantastic scenery. Rugged mountains, crystal clear streams you can drink from and sheer cliffs.

We spent the day circumnavigating the Isle before heading down to Loch Ness and Fort Augustus (where we were to spend the night) in the evening.

Before dinner we went for a walk to Loch Ness. It was so beautiful and had a mysterious aura to it. The Loch itself could hold 3 times the population of the world. It is pitch black from a certain point to the bottom so it is very difficult for researchers to accurately assess what lives there. Sonar equipment seems to be the most popular research tool now-a-days.

Day 4 Loch Ness - Edinburgh

Another fine day although a bit ‘refreshing’. Laura put us right on a few myths about the Nessie
and why she believes not one but several ‘monsters’ live in the loch. However I didn’t see any.
Near Inverness is Culloden where the Jacobites suffered their final, convincing military defeat. It marked the beginning of a dark period of English rule over the Scots. You can see where the English and Jacobite battle lines were and why the Scots were so soundly beaten.

Day 5 Edinburgh

Waking up feeling energetic we climbed to the top of Arthur’s Seat for spectacular panoramic views of Edinburgh. Hollyrood Park with the Salisbury Crags is like a little bit of the Highlands in the centre of Edinburgh. It also serves as a dramatic backdrop to Hollyrood Palace, which is where we headed next.

Hollyrood Palace is a royal residency and is at the bottom of the Royal Mile (Edinburgh Castle is at the top). Charles II had it restored but never got to live in it and it served as apartments for dignitaries such as the French King seeking refuge after the revolution. Mary Queen of Scots also resided there and her apartment was where a favoured male friend of hers was stabbed to death. They say there are still blood stains on the floors. Alas we couldn’t see these as this part of the palace was closed for renovation. I found Hollyrood more restrained than the gaudy French and English palaces I have seen as it was designed in the Classical style.

The new Scottish Parliament is also down that end of the Royal Mile. This is a very controversial building. It’s budget sky rocketed from £40 million to £400 million and its style is a bit strange but I’m sure every design feature would be enthusiastically justified by the famous architects that designed it.

We also visited the Scottish National Gallery and then chilled out at the pub underneath our hostel where we watched the end of the final test of the Ashes series. Well done to the Poms! (Lou watched the victory parade on Tuesday which went right past her office near St Paul’s Cathedral).

Check out our Scotland photo gallery.

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