roadtripinscotland

[roadtripinscotland]

Trip Tips

1) Everything is open between 10 and 5 so plan accordingly

2) Pack less than you think you needs

3) You can always find scarves for leas than £20

4) Bring waterPROOF gear

4) Take the scenic route

5) You’ll need some cash but bring your card

6) Just say “no” to shorts,

7) You won’t need more than 1 sweatshirt

8) Rent a hotspot because the wifi can be dodgy

8) Beware if the single track roads

9) Go early in the spring or after August to avoid the tourists

9) Start early and beat the crowds

10) Get the Explore Scotland pass

11) One pair of waterproof shoes is all you need if you’re going minimal

12) If you’re going to Islay, skip the ferry and fly from Glasgow AND spend a night

13) If you’re gonna road trip it, bring your swearing A game

[roadtripinscotland]

Highlights

1) Walk on Skye with New David

2) Kayaking on Lich Lomand and Skye

3) Island adventures

4) Culloden

5) Red Bus tea tour of Edinburough

6) The great glen and the drive to Skye

7) Dunnotar Castle

[roadtripinscotland]

One Step From Home

Charlie: We packed up and headed back to Glasgow for one last hurrah before coming stateside.

We left our bags at our hotel, the Park Inn, and found ourselves in the heart of the city again.

Sue, David and I caught lunch at Oh!, a Japanese concept with a conveyor belt. You can order from a menu or wait for something to tickle your fancy as it cruises by.

We caught up with Travis and Adam and hung out at Starbucks while the weather rained itself out, before heading to Schiller Brewing.

Glasgow is a chill city and it was good to be back relaxing before we headed home.

[roadtripinscotland]

[roadtripinscotland]

Edinburgh II

Charlie: Our next day began and ended at the castle. In the morning we had tickets to tour the castle and in the evening we had tickets to the Edinburgh Tattoo. The castle itself was interesting, having morphed throughout the centuries and the Crown Jewels of Scotland were exceptional but some of us were feeling castled out. That coupled with the crowds made leaving the castle an easy decision. That evening we returned to the castle for the tattoo narrated by our new friend Alister. In all there were military bands from across the UK, Nigeria, Trinidad & Tobago, Germany, France and New Zealand. But it’s so much more than marching military bands. Most of the bands brought performers who acted out scenes from their culture and mythology. There were fireworks, albeit obscured by wind pushing them off the castle and it’s all set just outside the castle walls, which provide a backdrop for a light show.

[roadtripinscotland]

[roadtripinscotland]

Edinburgh I

Charlie: During our planning we had determined that it would be cheaper to return the rental cars in Glasgow than to keep them during our time in Edinburgh where parking is ghastly let alone the abhorrent city driving. Upon dropping off the cars, we learned that in total we drove 1,047 miles in total. Travis and I trained it back to Edinburgh where we got caught up in the Edinburgh Fringe festivities on our way back to our flat on The Meadows. Our next morning was a wee lazy and our first activity was a Red Bus (double decker) tea and gin tour of the city. For two hours we rode on the second story of a vintage bus, chatted, drank tea and dined on assorted sandwiches and pastries all while taking in the city and its architecture. Afterward we did some shopping on The Royal Mile and made our way up toward the castle for a whiskey tasting. Since we missed visiting both the Campbeltown and Lowland whiskey regions, and having tasted Campbeltown already, I opted for a tasting of the Lowlands: 1. Auchentoshan Three Wood 2. Ailsa Bay Release 1.2 3. Annandale Man O Sword

[roadtripinscotland]

[roadtripinscotland]

[roadtripinscotland]

[roadtripinscotland]

Day of The Castles: Glamis

Charlie: If Dunnotar were all Mel Gibsony rugged and Hollywood Bravehearty, Glamis is a dressed to impress 007 Sean Connery edition. While the origins of Glamis was as a fortification, it quickly evolved to meet the needs of a suave and politically capable noble family. The Bowes-Lyon family has held the land for over 400 years and the “castle” is home to many ghosts including 2 officers of the guard who were caught playing cards on the sabbath and who were trapped in the walls by the devil himself as punishment. I don’t know about you, but with all the death and destruction around here, I would hope the devil would have other priorities over two dudes playing cards on Sunday. #priorities #makegoodchoices. Over the years the castle has been at the center of political intrigue including the reign of Mary Queen of Scots and the Jacobite rebellion. Both well navigated by the Bowes-Lyons. 2 other interesting Glamisy tidbits: 1. The mother of the current Queen, the late Queen Mother, was born and raised at Glamis. 2. A fictions Glamis played a role in Shakespeare’s MacBeth The “castle” was more of a palace and truly more the stuff of fairy tales and fantasies. The grounds were equally exceptional with a wide alle approach flanked with ancient trees and a walled garden.

[roadtripinscotland]

[roadtripinscotland]

Day of The Castles

Charlie: After a day in the Speyside, we headed over to Ballatar and had rooms at the Deeside Inn.

The next day was deemed day of castles with visits to two amazing places. Our first stop was Dunnotar, which sits out on a rock in the ocean and if your apple watch was indicating the need to close a ring or three, this is a place to do it. The castle is now a ruin but was built and rebuilt from around 1400 to the late 1700’s when it fell into disrepair because the earl lost his titles for participating in the Jacobite rebellion.

It’s amazing to be amongst the ruins with the ocean breeze whipping around.

[roadtripinscotland]

Glen Grant and Strathisla

Charlie: So wrapping up a day of Speyside distilleries... Sue and I each asked people who worked at The Macallan where they would visit next and we had two interesting responses:

1. Glen Grant

2. Strathisla

Interesting because there are some big names like Arberlor, Glenlivet and Glenfiddich in the area, and after a brief stop at Glenlivet, we decided to focus time on the recommendations from our Macallan friends.

Our visit to Glen Grant was unlike any other. Skipping the tour, we purchased £5 tickets to the garden with a complementary tasting afterward.

The garden walk is around 4 acres of garden restored from the 1840’s when the Grants founded the distillery. Victorian by design, it has orchards of cherries and apples, a water garden, a stream running through it and a fairy glen.

It’s a charming way to go in to a tasting.

The whiskey was delightful and unpeated like much of the region. The 10 year was sweet with hints of pear and cinnamon while the 12 year was more appley and buttery.

An amazing find and a must visit!

Strathisla is the oldest legal distillery in the highlands that has passed through the hands of Chivas Brothers to Pernod Ricard. They don’t have their own label but do bottle Chivas by Strathisla, only available in the UK.

As it was the end of our day, we only did a quick tasting but noted that they offer many different types of experiences like a blending tour so... Next time!

[roadtripinscotland]

The Macallan

Charlie: Me again; sorry... So the big fat destination du jour was the Macallan. We had a tour arranged for 11:15 and there was nothing stopping this Scotch fanboy from making that appointment. So our little red Astra estate bounded over the hills and curves of Speyside and came to rest beside the new visitor center with 20 minutes to spare. Just enough time to take in an exhibit on their partnership history with the likes of Annie Liebovitz and Dvid Bowie. So the new distillery is built on the same grounds as the original estate. The new building was constructed within the hillside and designed to look like rolling hills. Some Macallan fun facts from our fabulous tour: 1. The new facility is highly automated with only 2 people manning the equipment 2. 350 casks are filled each week 3. Over 350K and counting casks are i. storage 4. They prefer sherry to bourbon but do source some bourbon casks 5. Control freaky? The Macallan is obsessed with consistency and to maintain it, they build their own sherry casks and back fill them with sherry to get the desired flavor profile. And when bourbon casks arrive, they take them apart and reassemble them to better suit their needs. If you have a chance, take this tour!

[roadtripinscotland]

[roadtripinscotland]

Back On the Road Again

Charlie: So far behind on blogging and so little time left!

Time for a catch up!

So when last we visited our intrepid travelers, they were enjoying the perfect AirBnB in Inverness... Well North Kessock to be specific...

All good things must come to an end as did our time there although getting us out of that house was like trying to pry Nancy Reagan’s or Hillary Clinton’s cold dead hands from the White House front door.

We sped off to Elgin, pronounced El-gen, to see the ruined cathedral. And yes on this trip we’ve seen many a church, cathedral and abbey destroyed by the fact that Scotland has been Catholic, Presbyterian and the church of Scotland, a branch of the anglican church. And each conversion meant death and destruction. It was like a bunch of mean girls in Jr. High, fighting over who was prettier.

Luckily and in spite of the death and destruction, we can still enjoy the cathedral today as a ruin.

It was started in 1224 as the church home fir the bishop of Moray, but lost it’s roof in 1560 after the protestant reformation... As in the protestants likely torched it. Yay... Then one of the towers fell. Bummer. But in the 1800’s people became enthralled with the ruin, got it all picked up spick and span and it became a favorite tourist spot just like that!