Stunning Scotland

For our first time in Scotland, we decided to experience the highlands by a three day guided tour. We went back and forth on this decision, because I do believe that the most authentic way to experience a place is to explore on your own. However, neither of us could rent a car, and the highlands are very spread out with little public transport. In addition to this, we really wanted to learn the history of Scotland as well from a knowledgable guide. So we settled on the guided tour, and it was the best decision we possibly could have made. For our first day, we travelled out of Edinburgh and spent the drive to Glencoe learning about the viking history and listening to old Scottish folk songs. The sky was cloudy, and the combination of the gray march weather, stories, and songs, created the perfect atmosphere. Most of the day was spent driving through rolling hills, open moors, and towering mountains. We finally made it to Portree on the Isle of Skye by dusk. This would be our home for the night.

Now that we had finally made it out to the Isle of Skye, this was our day of exploration. We first drove out to Neist Point lighthouse, which is a small red tower nestled on a cliff at what feels like the end of the world. Hiking along the cliffside, I experienced the strongest winds I had ever felt. (Luckily blowing us back away from the sea, and not towards the edge of the cliffs). The winds made pictures nearly impossible, but at least we could lean back and let the gusts hold us afloat. It was an incredibly powerful experience. Next stop was Fairy Glen, a spot up in the moor with many folklores to its name. After hiking there and back, we ended the day back in Portree before sunset. Since we still had a few hours of sunlight left, and the tour hadn't taken us to the Old Man of Storr (this is a more demanding hike), we decided to call a taxi to take us to the trailhead. Almost running, we finally made it to the imposing rock spires 5 minutes before sun down. The pillars were incredible to see, and unlike anything of this world.

Our last day in the highlands. We got to see the hairy highland cows! Beautiful, fluffy creatures. After a 'petting zoo' pit stop, we then made our way to Eileen Donna castle, perhaps one of the most famous Scottish castles. Perched on the water, the tide seems to almost wash the castle away into the sea. After having some lunch and ice cream there, we then made our way to Loch Ness. The now infamous lake is situated right next to the quaint little town of Fort Augustus, where we had to stop for some Nessie souvenirs after searching for her ourselves. Lastly, before reaching Edinburgh once again, we heard a final story of the great Scottish Clans and listened to bagpipes all the way into town.