Travel Samplers Victoria and Stuart have lived all over the world, and are now based in Cyprus. They sampled remote Scotland mid year, and shared these notes and photos with us. Have you enjoyed Scotland, or is it on your bucket list? Share your thoughts with us at ideas@travelsampler.world
Scotland really did exceed my expectations, the hospitality, the food, the quality of the roads and public transport, and breathtaking scenery. My only regret is that we didn’t hike, an excuse to return, I think!
Our first accommodation choice was about 10 kilometers outside of Edinburgh, a charming Airbnb beach front apartment in East Lothian. With spectacular views, it really did set the standard.
Navigating in, out and around Edinburgh was a breeze, thanks to its efficient and straightforward bus, train, and tram services with tap on, tap off using contactless payment, no need to buy tickets. Well, it was mostly straightforward—except for our encounters at Waverley train station. The platform locations seemed to be a challenge specifically designed to test the intellectual mettle of new university students arriving in the city. It certainly tested ours on more than one occasion!
The food scene in Edinburgh was nothing short of excellent. For a proper breakfast, we typically spent around £10 to £12 per person, and it was worth every penny.
Tea on the Royal Yacht Britannia and dinner at The Witchery are not to be missed. Dinners in general at nice restaurants consisting of one course paired with a glass of wine set us back about £25 to £30 per person. Speaking of wine, and I’m probably doing the Scottish a disservice here, but the options were impressively diverse, offering both old-world and new-world selections. It’s a civilized affair with wine served in three sizes—though we have yet to figure out the cost-efficiency ratio.
We hired a car through Enterprise from Edinburgh airport, very impressive service I must say!
We headed up the east coast towards St Andrews through glorious sunshine, fleeting bursts of rain, quickly chased away by the sun again. Scotland has the fastest-moving clouds I’ve ever seen. Typical for Scotland, I’ve come to understand. We stayed in beautiful old properties that exuded history and charm. Breakfasts featured kippers, and afternoon teas with smoked salmon—a true taste of Scotland’s culinary heritage. St Andrews will be well known to golfers for its very famous course.
Aviemore, nestled in the heart of Cairngorms National Park was delightful. This lovely town had every outdoor pursuit covered; camping, hiking trails, watersports, cycling amongst such beautiful scenery, dotted with local finery and cozy coffee shops. The weather in Aviemore, was also unpredictable—warm sunshine one moment, followed by a sudden shower the next, all part of the charm. Respect to families with young kids holidaying here, amongst the available activities, lessons in resilience came as part of the package! Kudos to them! Not an iPad in sight, just children learning to embrace nature and its whims.
The Cairngorms National Park was breathtaking at every turn, we wandered through magnificent castles, including Balmoral and Glamis, each visit a step back in time evoking a sense of privilege as we walk the same corridors as famous and infamous royalty.
A relaxingly drive from Elgin in the east to the Isle of Skye in the west took us through the pretty but touristy Fort Augustus, meandering along the edge of beautiful Loch’s and through stunning landscapes. We met with a moody and monsterless Loch Ness and the enchanting Eilean Donan Castle, a Hollywood favorite. And just when we thought the scenery couldn’t get any better, as we drove across the bridge from the mainland onto the island the sun broke through the clouds and the Isle of Skye revealed it’s beauty. I’m not sure if we were just lucky, or maybe the Isle is always this charming, nevertheless, WOW!
We chose to stay in a bell tent with outstanding views to enhance our experience and dine at the famous Three Chimneys Restaurant. Note here that nothing on Skye is cheap, but well worth it.
A trip to Scotland wouldn’t be complete without the Whiskey experience, so over to the Isle of Islay we go. Constantly pronouncing Islay incorrectly was a reminder that we were tourists! It’s a challenge. There are not many ways to get around Islay, unless you are creative, have endless amounts of patience for local buses or really strong thighs for cycling, so we took the car on the ferry.
We stayed at the Port Charlotte Hotel which was charming, delightful food and fantastic hospitality. Everywhere we went we were treated like family, and it seemed effortless on their part! Food before whiskey had us signed up for a seafood BBQ boat trip, one of the highlights of the trip. Once again, we were blessed with sunshine and friendly seas as we meandered around the coastline checking out the sea life, listening to folk tales and tantalizing our tastebuds with whiskey-soaked sashimi scallops. They did not disappoint!
Our drive back to Glasgow was sedate and quiet with very little conversation as we were both lost in our own experiential reflections and how they’d impacted us. An abrupt awakening from our reverie occurred as we hit Glasgow city outskirts. It dawned on me that the remoteness of the coastal towns and Islands induced a state of calm, with their beautiful landscapes and sparse population. I don’t believe I have ever felt more welcome as a visitor to any other country. You nailed it Scotland!
