As you read this, we are on a plane to Scotland. About a week ago we decided that it might be fun to take a trip to Scotland - it was a very spontaneous thing, which seems to be the way we do things these days.
We will be spending about 9 days exploring different parts of Scotland, from Edinburgh to Fort William, Glasgow and Stirling – but besides being a spontaneous trip, Scotland really is a place we can’t wait to explore.
The highlands seem amazing, and there are so many places we want to see that it has been difficult trying to narrow it down and make it fit into our trip.
It seems to be very popular taking one of those Caledonian travel tours, and see a large part of Scotland in one day, so we might take one of those for a day as well – but in the meantime our our itinerary looks like this:
- Edinburgh
- Fort Williams
- Glasgow
- Stirling
VisitScotland has given us 2 city passes for Edinburgh, which we can use on over 30 attractions for free - ghost tours, whiskey tasting, pub tours, underground tours, museums etc … how many can we do in 2 days?!?
Fort William is promoted as the adventure capital of the UK and the nature seems amazing, so we have teamed up with Alpinebikes for some awesome mountain biking action & Crannog Boat Cruises so we can explore the beauty of the highlands from the water.
I’ve never thought of Scotland as a place to live, but now that we’ve been looking into it - it seems to have everything you could want:
Amazing scenery, adventure outdoor things like skiing, mountain biking and even surfing – plus Edinburgh seems like a great city.
This will also be the first time we will travel without our 40L backpacks.
Yes, we have decided to change the way we travel, leave our beloved backpacks behind, and start traveling with our new carry-on roller-bags.
Which means NO more hassle and worry about if Ryan Air will allow our backpacks as carry-on luggage or not and no more shoulder pain carrying them around – hopefully …
We’re also going to attend the Edinburgh travel tweet up on Thursday night, so if you’re going – we’ll see you there!
If you have any tips for things to do, restaurants to visit, food to try and places to visit etc – share below.
I’ve just been to Edinburg, it’s gorgeous! The castle is fantastic and I also recommend climbing up to Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park, right by the Holyrood Palace, for some great views!
You will love it in Glasgow. Don’t forget to stop by at Glasgow Cathedral and Necropolis. I am sure you will love it there.
good post this looks like a good trip
I visited Edinburgh recently and it was beautiful. I’m sure you’ll really enjoy it, especially now that you won’t be lugging around heavy backpacks! Have a great time!
Ooh this sounds fun! I will be looking forward to reading about Scotland and how you fared traveling without your backpacks- eek!!
I teach a history and culture course there to college students for three weeks in January. You might check out http://scotlandjanterm.net. The course is heavy in castles and other ruins.
Otherwise…
Edinburgh and Surrounding
Tantallon Castle
Melrose Abbey
Scottish Parliament
Holyroodhouse
Arthur’s Seat
Stirling
Stirling Castle
Castle Campbell (must see…walk up the glen, not the driveway)
Doune Castle (if you are a fan of Monty Python)
Fort William
Sounds like you have that covered!
On the way, the Kilmartin Valley is a great detour…
Dunaad
Carnasserie Castle
Castle Sween
Glad to see Edinburgh is on your list and sure it is a great city. Try the Witchery for restaurants in Edinburgh. i am not sure if they still have £30 in their menu. But you’ll love it there.
In Edinburgh – go to the Camera Obscura! It’s only open during the day, so plan to go early and hope for bright skies (you’ll know why when you go!).
Underground Edinburgh has been on our list for awhile since we saw it in a travel book awhile back. Hopefully you get to check that out and tell us about it!
Sounds like a great trip! We look forward to seeing your Scotland videos!
I spent 6 weeks in Scotland this summer and have endless suggestions. For the long answer, check out the Scotland posts in my archive. For the short answer, hike Ben Nevis, go to the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, and go to the zoo in Edinburgh! It’s a beautiful country, and I think you’ll love it!
I knew about the mountain biking in Scotland… it’s been on my bucket list for a while. Look forward to reading what you put up!