Scotland: 7 Days of sheep, scotch, and scenery
- Aly & JT
- Feb 9
- 8 min read
We spent seven days in this beautiful country known for its haggis, bagpipes, and Scotch whiskey. And let me tell you, it's so much more: prehistoric mountains, running waterfalls, and castles flooded with history. I can easily say Scotland is one of my favorite places worldwide.
We began our journey on December 22nd in Glasgow. This choice of starting point was influenced by our desire to visit the downtown Christmas market, which I'll discuss later. Our first hotel was the Sherbrooke Castle, where we stayed for the next two nights. This location turned out to be a highlight of our trip. The hotel preserved its historic charm while incorporating modern upgrades, which did not disappoint. An incredibly welcoming and polite staff embodied the essence of Scottish culture. Every meal was delightful, and we quickly embraced our new tea-time tradition. The Sherbrooke Castle was a perfectly peaceful and inviting place to stay.
Following a rejuvenating rest day, we embraced the vacation spirit by rallying and immersing ourselves in a day filled with history, scotch, and hidden gems. Beginning with a journey to Stirling to see the National Wallace Monument. Braveheart, anybody? The Scotts jokingly call this the "Mel Gibson Monument." A solid stone tower overlooks the fields where William Wallace led his troops to victory at The Battle of Stirling Bridge and tells the story of the patriot and martyr who became Scotland’s national hero. After visiting the monument, we made our way to Stirling Castle where we joined a guided tour and discovered a wealth of information about Scotland's history. Highlighted by the castle's role as the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the site of numerous significant battles, our guide flooded us with interesting quips and some funny tidbits. Sadly, we had to cut out early because of, well...scotch! You can't miss out on their famous whiskey when it Scotland. With a tour scheduled at the Glengoyne Distillery, we didn't want to be late!
The Glengoyne Distillery is nestled in the Highland hills of Scotland, with a flowing waterfall behind the property actively used in their scotch distillation process. Their philosophy is, "The right way is the long way." We reserved a distillery tour and enjoyed a scotch and chocolate pairing afterward. We sampled the American white oak, 18-year, and 21-year varieties. Our favorite was, surprisingly, the 18-year. I got lucky as well; being a gin girl, I learned they had purchased Edinburgh Gin, and found a lovely botanical gin that may or may not have made its way home with me. I won't go into much about our tour; you'll have to experience that for yourself. However, I will share a neat story about their name. Every winter, the hill behind the distillery becomes a destination for migrating geese, which is why their home on the Highland border is known as the Glen of Geese, or in Gaelic, Glen Guinn (Goyne).
After our day filled with history and scotch, we needed some food. As an introvert who prefers peace and fewer humans, I wanted a quiet place to relax. With a bit of research, we found a great spot: The Prancing Stag. This small neighborhood restaurant nestled in the heart of Glasgow offered delightful cocktails, warm, delicious butternut squash soup, and perfectly cooked beef. The atmosphere was quiet, with peaceful lighting and music. Exactly what we wanted! The Prancing Stag is one of those local places you hope to find when you travel. The peak of our day of adventures. Our streak of luck ended there, unfortunately as we decided to drive by and check out the Glasgow Christmas Market next.
Let's just say the Christmas market...was quite disappointing. The initial leg of our entire trip was planned around visiting one of the "best Christmas markets in the world." However, on the day we intended to explore the market, Scotland experienced winds exceeding 80 mph. This led to the market's closure, and with our other scheduled activities, we were uncertain if we'd get a chance to see it at all. The night before we were set to leave for our next destination, we decided to drive by on the off chance it had reopened. It had, but there was no information available online. We ventured in, only to find what resembled a carnival, not a market. There were lots of rides with people screaming from 50-foot drops and spinning wheels, numerous food vendors, and games offering prizes. We discovered a small hot toddy stand and satisfied our craving for hot cocoa. To our dismay, we only found about 4 small shops tucked away in a corner, with little to offer. Very disappointing. Having visited many markets before, this felt more like a county fair. Santa was certainly nowhere to be found, just rides and games. We appreciated it for what it was and huddled by the large Christmas tree for a picture, but felt a significant loss for our last night in Glasgow.
As our stay in the bustling city concluded and Christmas approached, we needed to find a new place to call home for the holiday. We chose Cameron House, a "princess-like" resort in Alexandria, Scotland. We splurged on this accommodation. It wasn't cheap. But a stunning location, with swans and geese gracing the overlooking lake. They had horse-drawn carriages and reindeer brought in for the holidays. They offered cocktail classes, magicians, and live music across their three restaurants. There was a spa, a golf course, and boat rides. Plenty for the family to do. Unfortunately, we were sick, and it was raining...a lot, which put quite a damper on our plans. I don't want to criticize this place; it was incredible. But for us, just not what we were hoping. As an introvert, it was very crowded. Breakfast was in a room with perhaps 100 other people. First thing in the morning, that's not what I prefer. Coffee before people, please! This was a recurring experience. We understand. It's beautiful. Definitely a stunning place. But the busyness was overwhelming. I suppose the three restaurants should have hinted at the resort's size. Lesson learned. We spent our time resting and recovering from a nasty cold so that we could truly enjoy our next adventure. Our best adventure. From here, we headed to the Isle of Skye. A big check for my bucket list!
We used most of the day to trek 190 miles to reach the Isle of Skye, including a few stops along the way. One essential stop in Scotland was for golf! We discovered the Woodlands Golf Course just outside Glencoe and decided to play a round just to say we did. It turned out to be an eventful few holes. We brought and signed two golf balls, anticipating they would be lost eventually. JT broke the head off one of his rented golf clubs on his second swing, and my non-golf shoes were soaked through to my socks pretty quickly. But we officially played golf in Scotland! After our "successful" round, we continued our route north. The drive to the Isle of Skye alone is worth the time. The landscape is hard to describe; it's so unique compared to anything you see in the States. It felt like a true Jurassic Park scene. Green mountains tinged with amber in every direction, waterfalls, and large rocks surrounded by river after river. We pulled over to take photos at the Three Sisters mountain range. Beautiful! Hurrying off, we wanted to fit in one last stop at the Glenfinnan Aquaduct, renowned for its famous use in Harry Potter movies. Too bad the sun was setting, and the rest of our journey was too dark to see much more. But we finally arrived at the Cuillin Hotel, a quaint estate overlooking the water and the town of Portree.
The little town nestled on the water was the perfect location for us. During our first day in Portree, we indulged in a shopping spree and discovered some wonderful art to bring home. We visited a quaint cafe named Relish, where we savored warm soups and sandwiches and concluded our day at the Isle of Skye Distillers with a Gin and Whiskey Tasting. But the day wasn't over yet. Fueled by a bit of liquid courage, we wandered off and discovered a trail leading us to the town's peak, where a historical guard tower loomed over the city. It was a pretty cool discovery to wrap up our day on the Isle.
Day two on the Isle of Skye was probably my favorite of all. With limited hours of sunlight, we woke up at 6 am to head out and reach the Fairy Pools right at sunrise. Our predawn jump made us the first ones there! We had this magical piece of land with waterfalls and running water, shadowed by mountains, almost to ourselves. Worth the early morning wake-up! A little surprise rain shower drenched us walking back to the car, but we must carry on! The next stop was Neist Point, a lighthouse perched on some enormous cliffs by the ocean. The views and the chilly wind were breathtaking. Did I mention there were a lot of sheep? Speaking of sheep...on our way out, we noticed a sign advertising art for sale. We entered what appeared to be a private home with a small shed and a sign that said, "Come on in, I'll be right there." It seemed a bit sketchy, but when in Scotland., right? We stepped inside and found a room filled with various artworks crafted by none other than the owner, Linda. She emerged from around the corner with her farm dog and instantly began talking our ears off with numerous stories. We heard about her neighbor's sheep jumping the fence (she wasn't too thrilled about him gifting her lambs). She recounted her significant loss after being hit by a car and losing a leg. To top it all off, one of her barns caught fire and burned down. Linda was certainly going through a tough time. But she was a kind lady, so we bought a painting and a piece of wool art she made from her own sheep's coat. What a unique experience to meet a genuine local and hear her stories! After leaving Linda, we found a small café to enjoy dinner and then returned to Portree for our final night on the Isle of Skye. We had a flight the next day and planned to fit in a few more places before departing for our last country on this journey.
We had a 7 pm flight out of Glasgow, so with an early start, we had plenty of time to fit in a few more sites. You can't visit Scotland without searching for Nessie, so we made a quick trip further north to the charming town of Fort Augustus, home of the Loch Ness Monster. Unfortunately, we didn't spot her, but enjoyed the view and had a nice breakfast before heading to our last stop, St. Andrews. We had to visit the home of golf and explore what I jokingly claim as my ancestral land, given my last name. I felt compelled to visit my "own" castle and pick up some much-needed souvenirs. While we're not great golfers, we love the game, so it was exciting to see where it all began. The small town was a wonderful way to conclude a memorable trip on this beautiful island. If I could change one thing, I would have made a stop in Inverness. Oh well. I suppose we'll just have to come back!.
Comments