Five Must-Do's on A Trip to Scotland

Sometime in my teens, or maybe even earlier, I was given a written history of my great-grandmother's immigration from the West coast of Scotland to North Carolina. And that's when my love affair with Scotland began. I've been 3 times now and it always feels like "coming home." I love the landscape, the adorable hairy coos and the people. Suffice to say, it's in the top 3 of my favorite countries!

My last trip there was in combination with a first time trip to Ireland. I was just as enamored as I was the first time I visited. Here are a few of the highlights from my last trip:

The Royal Mile in Edinburgh

Edinburgh's Royal Mile runs through Old Town Edinburgh starting at Edinburgh Castle and ends at Holyrood Palace, the official residence of the Queen in Scotland (though it's known that she prefers to visit at Balmoral) Just about one mile long - hence, the name - it includes such heavy hitters as St. Giles Cathedral, a parish church of the Church of Scotland, Parliament Square which includes the home of Scotland's legal system along with pubs like The World's End Bar, The Scotch Whisky Experience (highlighting Scotland's national drink) shops and restaurants. It's basically where all the history happened - and it's still a happening place to be. 

I've been there in February where I was almost the only person walking it on a weekday but my most recent visit in June was a totally different story - it was heaving with people, especially between the castle and St. Giles. Wall to Wall people. So if you're not into crowds then a visit off season may be more to your liking. If you don't mind sauntering and people watching - along with being entertained by some street artists - then you'll do okay in season.

I highly recommend at least a short walk on the Royal Mile to get a feel for Edinburgh - there's also Grassmarket, Princes Street Gardens, Carlton Hill and Arthur's Seat. I could go on and on but just know that Edinburgh warrants at least a few days on your itinerary. But beware - if you choose to walk it, it's hilly and you'll earn your steps!

Stirling Castle 

We used Stirling as our home base for our travels around Scotland (and we stayed in this Air BnB) It's positioned smack dab in the middle of Glasgow and Edinburgh so it makes a good location for day trips. 

The most famous building in Stirling is Stirling Castle. It sits atop Castle Hill, with fantastic views of the surrounding area, and has been deemed one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland. Its strategic location on the River Forth made it an important fortification and there have been at least eight sieges upon it. It was also the site of the crowning of several Scottish monarchs including Mary, Queen of Scots.

The Castle is open to the public year round. You may tour the Great Hall, the Royal Residence including the Kings and Queens Apartments with their unique carved wooden figure heads, the Gardens and the Royal Chapel. We took the tour and then wandered the grounds and gardens ourselves for awhile. I found it to be fascinating - not just the history but the every day life aspects of life in a castle.

The Kelpies

A kelpie, according to Celtic legend, is a "shape shifting spirit, usually in the shape of a horse but able to take on human form, inhabiting lakes. They figure prominently in Scottish folklore and in 2013 a 30 foot high sculpture depicting two kelpies, by sculptor Andy Scott, was installed in Falkirk. 

The sculpture not only celebrates the mythic kelpie but also "celebrates the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, barges, ploughs and coal ships." The sculpture is located at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde canal where these horses would have pulled barges along the tow path. So it's in a fitting place.

I love the Kelpies! Alas, not all of the people in my traveling party did - in fact, I was the only one. (As public art installations go) But I'm not the only one world wide as some one million people visited the sculpture in the first year after installation. 

Also in Falkirk is the Falkirk Wheel. In the 1930's, if you wanted to travel the Forth and Clyde Canal and link to the Union canal, it would take you an entire day to transit through a series of 13 locks. But the Falkirk Wheel, a rotating boat lift connecting those canals, has changed all that. It's the world's first, and only, rotating boat lift - 1200 tons of steel were used in its creation by 1000 men, it contains 15,000 bolts, and each were hand tightened and its height is the equivalent of 8 double decker buses. You can book a trip on the wheel - either a 60 minute Falkirk Wheel Experience or the Revolution Tour which lasts for a 35 minute rotation of the wheel. (It's currently closed due to Covid-19)

Some of my traveling party were much more interested in the Falkirk Wheel than the Kelpies. Let's just say one of us has an engineering mind and the other, well.....doesn't.

Glencoe

Glencoe is probably Scotland's most famous and scenic glen. Located in the Scottish highlands, Glencoe is an outdoor lovers dream. There is hill walking, mountaineering and even skiing at Glencoe Mountain Resort. (hiking and mountain biking are available in the summer)

If you're a movie buff you can do some film traveling and see where portions of Skyfall or Harry Potter were filmed. 

Glencoe has a dark side, too, as this is the site of the massacre of 1692 when 30 members of Clan MacDonald refuse to pledge allegiance to the new monarchs, William and Mary. 

This was my first visit to the Highlands - and I hope not the last - and I found Glencoe to be stunning - it's so very awe inspiring in person.

St. Andrews (and some fish n chips)

St. Andrews is located on the east coast of Scotland and is known for three things: its golf courses, including the Old Course, the ruins of St. Andrew's Castle and the first university in Scotland, dating from 1413, St. Andrews University.

We took a little meander around the area - St. Andrews is located in Fife and is 30 miles northeast of Edinburgh - and had a short walk on the Old Course. It's the oldest and most iconic golf course in the world - Jack Nicklaus claims it is his all time favorite - yet it still remains a public golf course. (I'm sure if Mr. UR could have brought his clubs he would've liked to play a round but logistics just weren't in his favor) 

It's a charming town with an Old World Vibe - it probably helped that our weather was great the day of our visit - and I'd love to go back and explore more. We looked around for a place for an adult beverage but came up empty handed on that Sunday afternoon. So we pushed on to our dinner destination - the town of Anstruther.

The small town of Anstruther is a fishing village that is known for one thing - the best Fish n Chips in all of Britain. The Anstruther Fish Bar has takeaway and also dine in along with an ice cream parlor and sweet shop. It was awarded the title of UK Fish and Chip Shop of the Year in 2009 - along with 4 time winner for the best in Scotland -and it has the popularity to prove it - Tom Hanks, Prince William and Robert DeNiro have enjoyed a meal here. 

But it wasn't meant to be for us. The line was outside of the building and down the block but we still decided to give it a go - it was the best fish n chips in all of Britain, right? When the line didn't move, at all, we gave it the heave ho. We  still had to drive back to Edinburgh and catch a flight so we settled for fish n chips at the pub down the street, giving them the moniker of "probably the 2nd best fish n chips in all of Britain." We did, however, enjoy some of the ice cream!

If you get a chance to visit Scotland - whether your roots lie there or not - I think you'll enjoy it. The people are friendly, the scenery is stunning and the fish n chips - well, it's all good. Voted the best....or the second best.

How about you? Have you been to Scotland?

Linking up with: My Corner of the World at Photographing New Zealand1