Scottish Highlands

Where do I start? We took over 500 pictures during our trip to Scotland and Ireland, most of them in the Highlands. This could be a really long post but I'll try to pare it down. After a day of travel, made longer by a glitch in the Lufthansa check-in system, we made it to Perth, Scotland. Since we arrived much later than planned, we ditched our plans to see Stirling Castle and drove up to Urquhart Castle (above) instead the next day. 

I'm so happy things worked out as they did! Urquhart Castle was incredible.  The castle, mostly in ruins now, lies on the banks of Loch Ness and overlooks the mountains beyond.  There's something about the castle's history, coupled with the intrique of Loch Ness, that made the experience exceptional in my mind. 

We were so lucky to have dodged the rain that day.  It rained on the way to Urquhart Castle, then it stopped while we were there.  As we left the castle it started to rain again.  We were headed to Loch Morlich (above) in the Cairngorms National Park.  I really really wanted to hike around the lake but it was pouring down rain.  We pulled into the parking area near the lake and just before we were about to give up on the hike, the rain stopped and it stayed sunny for the rest of the afternooon. 

This is why I wanted to do the this hike!  The views were stunning and it was so peaceful and quiet there.  It's not often during our trips that we take hikes like this, usually because we stay in large cities and / or don't have the time.  After some pre-trip planning, we knew we wanted to see the Highlands and the scenery it had to offer by car or by foot. 

Another good reason to visit the Highlands; the Speyside distilleries!  There is a large concentration of Scotch distilleries along the Spey River.  We started out by taking a tour of The Glenlivet distillery.  We then drove over to see the Aberlour distillery after having just sampled some of it the night before.  We didn't have time for their 2 hour tour and 6 tastings but I think it would have been neat to do if we had more time. 

We'd bought 2 Scotch glasses at The Glenlivet and 2 at Aberlour and thought that 2 more would complete the set so we made our way over to the nearby Glenfiddich distillery.  As we drove, we passed by this massive copperage!  These barrels are empty but it just goes to show how many are needed to keep this area in supply.  (We learned at The Glenlivet that their barrels come from United States, after they have been used to age bourbon and / or sherry.) 

Its remarkable that for as popular as some of these Scotches are (Glenfiddich is the number one selling Scotch in the world, The Glenlivet it number two) to see that these distillieries are located in the middle of nowhere.  


That afternoon, we headed down to Balmoral Castle.  The landscape was still gorgeous.   This stone, inscribed with the phrase "take a moment to behold as still skies or storms unfold" says it all.


 The road, however, became a little crazy.  The lanes narrowed until a two way road became just wide enough for one car.  There were alcoves on the side of the road about every 150 yards designed to let a car pull over to make way for on coming traffic.  There were hills, curves, and turns, and if that wasn't bad enough, at one point the farmers stopped fencing in their livestock.  We had to watch out for sheep in the road, which fortunately we only encountered once.

We were happy to arrive at Balmoral Castle. The castle has been a home to the Royal Family since 1848. It is only open from for 4 months a year since it is still used as a Royal residence. The Queen actually went there after the wedding of William and Kate. What a place to get away from everything! It it located on 150 acres of Highlands with 2000 deer roaming the property. 

We ended our trip in the Highlands in the town of Pitlochry at a great bed and breakfast, complete with it's own bar!  We enjoyed all 3 of the bed and breakfasts we had stayed out, especially the breakfast part!  We had the full Scottish breakfast each morning, which included eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, pudding, beans, even waffles and pancakes.  From now on, we'd be on our own for breakfast.  ::Sigh::  Goodbye Higlands, we'll miss you!  On to Ireland now...

Glendalough & Dublin, Ireland

After spending the night outside Dublin, we rented a car and drove down to Glendalough, about an hour south of Dublin in the Wicklow Mountains. Glendalough, which means "between two lakes", is home to a monastic settlement founded by St. Kevin in the 6th century.

Glendalough became a place of pilgrimage. The pope said that seven trips to Glendalough would be equal to one trip to the Vatican. Here is St. Kevin's church against the valley's beautiful scenery. 

This is the Upper Lake in the Glendalough valley, about a mile from the main monastic site. The whole area very pretty if not a little eerie.

The next day we went to Trinity College in Dublin to see the Book of Kells. The book is made of 4 lavishly decorated copies of the Gospel. It was probably made by monks in the 9th century in Iona, on the west coast of Scotland.

After the visiting the Book of Kells we headed over to the Guinness Storehouse. We went through a self guided tour explaining the production and history of the beer, eventually working our way up to the top floor for a pint and a panoramic view of the city.

 I can't say that Dublin is the prettiest city I'd ever been to. Ireland has a tough and seemingly violent history (as evident in the human remains on display at the National Museum of History and Archeology). Yikes. The people seem proud of their culture; especially their music which I would say is the best part of Ireland.

Edinburgh, Scotland

After Dublin, we flew back to Edinburgh and stayed in the city this time. The first place we went to see here was the Edinburgh Castle, which looms over the city atop a perch of volcanic rock. Once we climbed up to the castle and passed through the gate, we took a guided tour which introduced us to the castle’s main buildings. From there we were free to explore the rest of the castle on our own.

This is St. Margaret's Chapel in the Edinburgh Castle. It is the oldest building in Edinburgh, built in 1130. The chapel is still used for weddings and our guide said it can hold 25 guests but after venturing inside the tiny building, I would say that number seems a bit high! We also saw Scotland's crown jewels, some military museums, the National War Memorial and a prisoner of war exhibition before we left the castle.

The Royal Mile (actually a little longer than a mile) is a succession of streets through the Old Town of Edinburgh, stretching down from Edinburgh Castle to the royal residence at Holyrood Palace. It has lots of shops, tourists and a guy that looks like he just stepped off the set of Braveheart.

After a morning spent touring the Edinburgh Castle, we went in search for some food. We had lunch at the Piemaker, off the Royal Mile. It was awesome and cheap too! I made my best attempt to eat two of these. Whoever said food in the UK was subpar?! I enjoyed our meals all throughout our visit.

We walked through St. Giles Cathedral, considered to be Scotland’s most important church. John Knox, founder of Scottish Presbyterianism, preached here in 1559 and was also buried here, well, just outside the church, under a parking lot. Rude.

Here is Holyrood Palace, at the end of the Royal Mile. The Queen spends a week here each summer. A week isn't enough time! Granted we didn't have a week, but we made the most of our time. This city is easily one of my favorites. Paired with our trip into the Highlands, Scotland is on the list for one of my favorite trips yet.