Possibly the best road trip in Scotland ever...
Tickets were bought and we were off again - this time to beautiful Scotland! Plot spoiler: it's now one of my favorite countries.
As we usually prefer the underdog (and I mean that in the best of ways), we opted for charmingly gritty Glasgow in lieu of tourist-swattered Edinburgh and found this amazing city a refreshing blend of amazing food, stunning graffiti, fascinating architecture, and a complete lack of visitor-jaded locals. Everyone should come here.
After picking up our little blue rental car, immediately dubbed The Wee Blue Coo, we found our delightful hostel in the Merchant City area, and headed out for scones, supplies for the road trip, and just to explore the city a bit. More time for that later as we'd be coming back to spend a couple of days after the highland stint. For dinner, we found a small kebab joint close to the botanic garden, also entirely worth it, and had dinner at the hostel. At midnight, we discovered that our lovely part of town was the center of all things music so sleep was rather lacking that night. But never mind. We could sleep in the North.
Early next morning we grabbed coffee and breakfast pies at Cranberry Cafe and hit the road shortly after 8, weirdly not tired at all. Possibly because of the absolutely gorgeous landscape:
Our first stop was Dumbarton Castle in the town by the same name. Located at the junction of the Rivers Clyde and Leven, it was the ancient capital of Strathclyde and has the longest recorded history in the country with the notable date of 870 A.D. when it was besieged by my countryman, Ivar the Boneless. Pesky Vikings. In 1548, it sheltered famed lady Mary, Queen of Scots. It was also a good workout with lots of stairs and amazing views of the surrounding landscape.
Back on the road, we headed to Loch Lomond and walked the shores a while, had lunch at Ben Arthur Bothy where the views of Loch Long and Beinn Narhain were far superior to the food, and continued along the coast towards Inveraray Castle. The town of Inveraray was everything one could ever want in a quaint Scottish hamlet, including the lovely little Loch Fyne store where we were compelled to pick up a bottle of the local whisky... it would be the first of many.
And also the first of many was a pasture full of adorable heilan coos. I want one.
We made a brief stop at the castle in Inveraray but did not go in as we felt it would have taken half a day to do a proper tour - and it would have also been a shame to forego a perfectly sunny day. Instead, we walked the gardens for a bit and decided we were good to continue. Roads are narrow and driving in Scotland takes longer than one might expect despite the relatively short distances. This probably also has to do with all the stop to take in the endlessly pretty views.
Next on the way was the castle ruin of Kilchurn, which sits picturesquely on a slim peninsula into Loch Awe. The ruin was fenced off but we could walk around it and the trail there was through a lovely meadow of orchids and black heilan coos. In case you have not guessed by now, highland cows are a favorite and will feature heavily going forwards.
It was half past five by the time we reached the fishing village of Oban, our rest for the night. We were checked into the Glenmoore Guesthouse by owner Steve, a lovely man, and then headed to Markie Dans for dinner. With lots of locals and rugby on the teli, it was a pub of fine quality and charm and very good food as well. I had a superb steak & Guiness pie and my first non-carbonated IPA, a flat but tasty experience, brewed locally, of course.
After dinner, we walked around town, a nice spot to spend a couple of days. There were some tourists and quite a few trinket shops, but considering it's also the jumping off point for the Isle of Lewis & Harris, that was not surprising. Down at the pier, we booked a wildlife boating trip to the Isle of Kerrera as there are lots of seals in the area and it's pup season.
In the morning, I took a walk around town, had coffee and porridge at Coasters, and walked up the hill to McCaig's Tower & Battery, where the views of the town and many islands was a sight to see.
After that strenuous "hike" I hit the Oban Chocolate Shop for another scone with clotted cream.
The wildlife boating was at noon and was lovely. The wind picked up a bit and clouds came in but there was no rain and we did indeed spot several seals and their cute little offspring off the Isle of Kerrera and a porpoise. Sailing around the island, we had to turn back a bit early because it was getting quite stormy but it had been a great trip.
Back in town, we hit the Oban Seafood Shack on the harbor front where the crowds of both locals and tourists were a indication of it's popularity and excellence. We had mussels in white wine & garlic, langostines in garlic butter, and a crab sandwich, possibly a bad case of the eyes wanting more than the stomachs could handle, but we managed it amicably. Washed down with cold beer, it was unparalleled. I may have picked up another bottle of whiskey and more chocolate on the way back to the hostel...
Stuffed to the gills, we chilled until dinner, then went out for fish n' chips at Norie's washed down perfectly with a Cairngorm Cat IPA.
Day 3 in beautiful Scotland saw us climbing into the Highlands of which I had so often dreamed. We started the day by grabbing supplies from the Oban Tesco, making a quick stop to take pictures at Barcaldine Castle, which is now a guesthouse not within our budget, and then onwards to cross Creagan Bridge to visit Stalker Castle. The tea shop was not open for mid-morning scones yet so we hiked down to the shore to see the castle, which sits very picturesquely on an island in Loch Linnhe. It's from the 14th century and now just a ruin but the location was amazing and once again the weather gods were shining on us.
The drive continued through Glencoe and was simply stunning, curving through valleys and tiny towns, and a random bagpiper at a touristy pullout near the Three Sisters of Glencoe. We stopped to take a hike into the highlands and down to the River Coe before continuing on the progressively narrow road to the village of Ballachulish, where there was a pretty Episcopalian church.
We reached Fort William in the afternoon and had a lunch of gammon & mustard roll in the Hot Roast Company, which was very tasty. Nice people, too.
Not as charming at Oban, we did not spend much time in Fort William but continued on to Banavie, a small town along the Caladonian Canal and our stop for the night. We checked into Culacrick B&B, a wonderfully homely place run by very nice people. After settling in, we walked down to the town's main attraction, Neptune's Staircase - staircase locks from the early 19th century - to watch boats being guided down to Loch Eil. It was fascinating and lots of locals had showed up as well. There were a few shops along the canal with trinkets and food and we had some very good ice cream. Beyond the locks loomed Ben Nevis, her top veiled in Mordor-like clouds. At 4,341 feet, it's the tallest mountain in Britain and I was planning to climb it the following morning, come hell or high water. Possibly, I'd have both.
We had an early dinner of Tesco salads, then made an impromptu trip to see the Harry Potter, eh, I mean the Glenfinnan viaduct. It was quite the show. Lots of people had showed up, making the short hike across a bog and meadow, to watch as the old steam locomotive crossed high above. Admittedly, I was a little starstruck.
The morning dawned bright and early and I was up at 5, out the door by 6, and at the Ben Nevis parking lot at 6:15 am. A brief look up on the drive boded some cloud at the top but that seemed to be the norm. Parking for the day was 8 pounds, then it was boots on the trail and mostly uphill all the way, through sheep pastures, beautiful meadows and sweeping views of the valley below and Lochan Meall (a lochan being a small lake or tarn). The trail was mostly rock but well maintained. By 3700 feet, all was fogged in and the top remained a spectra as the green hills disappeared and I was surrounded by rock along. The path was marked by cairns that were at times hard to make out in the thick fog but after less than 3.5 hours I reached the little stone building on top (something we rarely see here in Washington), which made up the remaining feet to 4,341. Cheating? Surely not :) It was completely socked in fog, cold, and a bit rainy but I hunkered down next to a stone wall and ate lunch on the highest spot in Britain, feeling appropriately vindicated. A snow bunting joined me, being one of the rarest of birds that apparently only breeds in the highlands. Tough little buggar.
Going down took 3 hours - the rocks were slippery and the weather deteriorated - but I reached the bottom, hit up the visitor center for a patch and a sticker for bragging rights, then headed back to take a scalding hot shower. Brrr.
Fortunately, after thawing, Mike surprised me with tickets on the Harry Potter train and that was quite a fun ride. We took it to the end at Mallaigh, grabbed a quick albeit odd dinner of sausage & mushy peas, and got back on for the return ride. Trains are awesome.
Next stop: Isle of Skye.
Let me first say: I did not go to Skye because of Star Wars (I'm a Trekkie). I went because it's absolutely gorgeous and invokes thoughts of sullen skies, greener-than-green valleys, and a geology that nothing short of spectacular. We were not disappointed. We had near perfect weather every day, with the occasional sprinkle, but we truly lucked out.
A visit to the Talisker Distillery was a must - I'm a big whiskey fan - and the tasting was fun and informative.
And after all that perusing of fine whiskies, a bacon & scallop sarnie was in order...
Afterwards, more walking was required so we headed for the Fairy Pools, which although crowded with tourists, made quite the impression. The weather turned gloomy, adding to the mystique :)
Talisker Bay
Skye is an amazing place. We stayed on the north coast in a tiny house, The Wee Shed, far removed from any town but close enough to lots of beautiful nature and it came with a cute orange cat. The closest cluster of houses were at Edinbane, if you're looking for a landmark.
We made a quick stop in Portree to do laundry, which was pretty touristy - the wilderness is really our thing. The finest meal on the island we found at The Steinn Inn. Just go there. Incredible.
The next day it was time for another hike - this one was in the Quirangs. Again, we had great weather so we really lucked out there and the views over the valley and Staffin Bay were incredible. The trails in Scotland are well maintained and easy to follow, and once we got half a mile or so in, the tourists generally faded away and we had the walk mostly to ourselves.
We stopped by an old village site with turf-roofed houses. There was a little museum attached with useful information on how people lived in those days.
Then it was time to leave and we crossed back over the bridge and headed north towards Applecross, where I had booked a couple of nights in a boarding school-turned hostel. It was a great drive along progressively narrow roads into the hinterland, that eventually dropped us in a tiny town nestled in a crescent bay. There was not much to do there, other than visit the cafe - great Victoria sponge - but we took some walks into the valley and along the bay. It was a nice place to relax and had the added bonus of newly-born heilan coo.
Taking the smaller roads paid off with coast-hugging views and very little traffic...
My friends, Neal & Jayne from Aberdeen, had recommended stopping in Ullapool for a few days and at the gardens at Inverewe en route (because I'm a plant nerd) and oh my! I've seen a lot of gardens around the world, but Inverewe was extraordinary. Mike took a long nap in the car.... and then another one.
We arrived in cute little Ullapool in the afternoon and found our guesthouse on a hill overlooking the town. I liked Ullapool for so many reasons - friendly people, great food, wall art, a sign warning of otters crossing the road... Accordingly to a local, the latter was the work on one guy who really loved otters. Who doesn't!
The nearby Rhue Lighthouse was a nice trip the following morning...
And the rest of the days was spent at Stac Pollaidh, a jutting rock formation that I had to hike around because, well, it was really cool and a great workout with plenty of uphill and great views over Loch Lurgainn.
We made Ullapool our base for exploring the northernmost highlands and took a long day trip up to Durness in the far north, stopping also at Balnakeil Beach. We visited the Smoo sea cave but since it was pretty crowded, we instead hiked around the headland along Geodha Smoo, where the next stop north is the Faroe Islands.
Needing a recharge after all that hiking, on the way back to Ullapool, we stopped at the Cocoa Mountain Balnakeil chocolate shop. Absolutely delicious whiskey truffles... The town also had a couple of potteries and local art shops - well worth a stop.
The following day it was time to cut across the highlands to the little town of Aviemore, the jumping off point to Cairngorms National Park. It was pretty busy with tourists, but we stayed in a nice hostel just outside of town, which had easy access to the mountains. Since there were high wind warnings in the park and rangers were advising hikers to not go, I opted for a very pretty loop in the Craigellachie Nature Reserve, which also had some respectable 38 mph winds at the top. Gives me a good reason to come back :)
After so many days in the highlands, it fells odd when we left Aviemore and spent a couple of days in Perth. It's a nice small city and we were excited to discover they had a "parade" of Heilan Coo which people had painted and left all over the city and neighboring towns. We found as many as we had time for and spent time wandering the streets and visiting the museum housing the famous Stone of Scone upon which the kings of yore were crowned.
I liked Perth. Not too big, not too small, and a nice place to spend a couple of days before hitting Glasgow. The architecture is beautiful, there are some good gardens along the river Tay, and it's full of intriguing sculptures. I'm a fan.
Then it was on to our final stop before flying home. We stayed in a less noisy part of Glasgow this time around and had a few days to explore Edinburgh's grungier cousin. We visited the botanic gardens, Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, and Kelvin Hall - my favorite since there were dinosaur skeletons. We had an amazing dinner at Kelp, a trendy sea-to-table restaurant which, although it could have been pretentious, really wasn't.
There's a lot to be said for Glasgow.
And that was it. A wonderful trip with great people and a nature that makes you long for more. Time to start planning for that Cairngorms bothy trip...
See you soon, Scotland!
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