Our trip to Scotland was a bit of an afterthought. So why did we go? Well, Hunter has always dreamed of going to the Championships at Wimbledon, so after booking that trip, we knew we wanted to add on a stay elsewhere, having both spent time in England before. Hence, our decision to go to Scotland. And boy, did we end up falling in love with Scotland! From the scenery to the service to the ease of driving on the left hand side of the road, we spent twelve blissful nights in four different locations around this gorgeous country.
Our first stop was Edinburgh. Arriving in the Edinburgh airport was extremely easy, especially when we were able to use the fully electronic machines to go through customs and immigration. We stayed at the InterContinental Edinburgh the George. The central location and luxurious rooms made it a perfect place for us to recover from our jet lag and explore this historic city. We even had a whiskey tasting included in our stay.
As we explored the Royal Mile and toured Edinburgh castle, we loved hearing bagpipes around town.
Ironically, our first meal in Scotland was at an Indian restaurant. We are fans of the Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil, and we were happy to discover that the Edinburgh location of the London-based Dishoom takes reservations, which is not the case in London. Delicious! We were also fortunate to eat at Martin Wishart while we were in Edinburgh. Martin Wishart is a Michelin-starred restaurant in the Leith neighborhood of Edinburgh. Our prix-fixe menu was a culinary display of the local tastes and flavors with a modern flair. Sightseeing wise, two of our favorite stops were seeing Dolly the (cloned) sheep at the National Museums Scotland and visiting Gladstone’s Land, a tenement apartment along the Royal Mile that was originally built in the 1600’s and has rooms that have been restored to different points in the building’s history.
After three nights in Edinburgh, we picked up our rental car, and Hunter navigated us flawlessly (well, mostly…there were a couple of bushes that may or may not have been clipped) through the outskirts of the city and we headed north to Inverness. The town of Inverness itself has a quaint small-town feel, and we loved poking around some of the small shops, including Leakey’s bookshop. What we really loved, though, was the countryside outside of Inverness. We spent almost an entire day at Culloden Battlefield. I was just as enthralled as Hunter the historian. I had read the Outlander series years ago, and Hunter and I decided to watch the series prior to our trip to give us a better idea of the history and landscapes we’d be seeing. That background made us appreciate the museum and tour of the battlefields even more. It was a highlight of the trip for both of us! At the nearby Clava Cairns, I attempted to fall back into history, to no avail! We also recommend spending at least half a day at the open air Highland Folk Museum, which shows what life was like in the Scottish Highlands throughout the past several hundred years. Parts of Outlander were shot here, and we even learned about Shinty, a sport that we had never heard of!!
For several nights prior to the actual battle on Culloden Moor, Bonnie Prince Charles stayed at the home of a local landowner which has now been turned into a hotel, where we were lucky enough to spend three nights. The Culloden House Hotel had impeccable service, delicious meals and afternoon tea, a nightly bagpipe performance, and a walled garden to which we were given a key. We highly recommend a stay here! I have to offer a special shoutout to George, at Culloden House who went above and beyond to help us find and book the easiest way to get to London after the UK Rail system went on strike and our train tickets from Edinburgh to London were canceled. We had a week’s notice, thankfully, and were able to rebook for just one day later than our original tickets, giving us an unexpected extra night in Scotland.
Leaving Inverness, we stopped by Urquhart Castle, one of many castles we saw over the course of our trip. Located on the banks of Loch Ness, we did our best to spot Nessie, to no avail. Later in the day, however, we did stumble upon the stunningly beautiful Glencoe Valley. We drove far up into the valley before turning around and heading back on our way south.
Our next destination was the sprawling and luxurious Isle of Eriska hotel, where we spent three nights outside of the town of Oban. The main dining room there has previously held a Michelin star, and the food was outstanding. Oban itself is a small town right on the water, providing many opportunities for fishing and boating excursions, as well as day trips to some of the Inner Hebrides islands. We spent a day exploring the picturesque isle of Mull, taking our car over on the ferry.
Our final stop in Scotland (before our unplanned extra night in Edinburgh) was at Loch Lomond, a resort area with everything you need for a relaxing get-away or a lavish end to a fabulous stay in Scotland. Cameron House had five restaurants to choose from, from a collaboration with Martin Wishart to a casual pub with live music. We took a boat ride on the lake, walked the grounds, and enjoyed an indulgent afternoon at their spa, which we both encourage for everyone!
We were sad to end our time in Scotland, though Hunter is already working on a return trip soon with his buddies for a week of golf. And with that, we were on the train, headed south to London and a dream-come-true trip to Wimbledon.