Scotland Thirteen Ways Sideways
Scotland is unlike any place I have ever been. It's hard to depict in words the unprecedented magical beauty and mystery of the Northern Scottish Highlands or the unparalleled history of the St. Andrews Old Course. Given the incredible vastness and the unique nature of this country, I needed to put some visual structure and written words around high moments of a week. Thirteen is random number, and we picked a random place to go:
13. Edinburgh
Scotland's Capital city, also its largest, Edinburgh is a city certainly worth a stop. Your first glimpse at all the Scotland lures you have always heard about: castles, bag pipes, and haggis. Edinburgh is a city, and it falls the highest (or lowest) on my list given all of the non city opportunities to be found in the Northern part of the country.
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| Wind your way up one of Edinburgh's more renown streets, Victoria Street. |
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| Clearly how this guy woke up in the morning. |
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| Edinburgh Castle lies in the center of the city. |
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| The Fringe Festival fills the Edinburgh streets for almost a full month of August. One of the largest arts festivals in Europe consisting of comedians, street performers and various other shows all throughout the city. |
12. Locks upon Lochs
One of the most astounding things you will find in Scotland is the number of lakes, or as the Scots call them, lochs. It's estimated that there are over 31,000 fresh water lochs in Scotland. We had to pass by, over, or around a few hundred lochs during our time traveling the country. Each loch brought something a little bit different, with the constant moving clouds coupled with rolling hills and mountains creating spectacular imagery.
One of the most astounding things you will find in Scotland is the number of lakes, or as the Scots call them, lochs. It's estimated that there are over 31,000 fresh water lochs in Scotland. We had to pass by, over, or around a few hundred lochs during our time traveling the country. Each loch brought something a little bit different, with the constant moving clouds coupled with rolling hills and mountains creating spectacular imagery.
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| The first of many lochs we saw, Loch Lubnaig. |
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| Loch Leven which runs through Glencoe |
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| Loch Lochy, North of Fort William, feels like a shot from a tropical island. |
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| A loch on the winding drive into Isle Of Skye. |
11. Backwards Driving and Small Roads
Not something that I would recommend per say, but something to take into factor if you choose to travel the country via rental car in the U.K. Driving in a backwards car threw me off to say the least, not to mention the one track roads make up a large portion of the driving in the Northern part of the country. We talked to a retired couple for awhile when they were passing through Portree on a day bus tour. I was slightly jealous of their retirement and not driving, but the flip side of the coin is you have total flexibility of what you can do and see when your behind the wheel. I'm sure the Scots consider our cars and roads backwards as well.
Not something that I would recommend per say, but something to take into factor if you choose to travel the country via rental car in the U.K. Driving in a backwards car threw me off to say the least, not to mention the one track roads make up a large portion of the driving in the Northern part of the country. We talked to a retired couple for awhile when they were passing through Portree on a day bus tour. I was slightly jealous of their retirement and not driving, but the flip side of the coin is you have total flexibility of what you can do and see when your behind the wheel. I'm sure the Scots consider our cars and roads backwards as well.
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| One track backwards driving on the Isle of Skye. |
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| A snapshot of our driving route through Scotland, covering a significant portion of the country. |
10. Pints of Ale
I was thoroughly impressed with the high quality of beer found throughout Scotland. So much so that I found myself taking quick photos of local drafts and trying to write down the names. In a nutshell, I didn't want to go back to the beer I drink back in the states. Not to mention drinking pints is just the way to go all around. The home of scotch is also home to some fine beer.
I was thoroughly impressed with the high quality of beer found throughout Scotland. So much so that I found myself taking quick photos of local drafts and trying to write down the names. In a nutshell, I didn't want to go back to the beer I drink back in the states. Not to mention drinking pints is just the way to go all around. The home of scotch is also home to some fine beer.
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| Loch Leven Ale in Glencoe, Scotland |
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| Cold Town Beer, brewed locally in St. Andrews, Scotland |
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| Isle of Skye Al, in you guessed it, Isle of Skye, Scotland |
9. The Fairy Pools
Our first hike in Scotland came in the Portree area know as The Fairy Pools which run from The River Brittle. The hike starts with a running stream that tuns into numerous colorful pools of water that lead to the base of a mountain peak. For the brave of heart, you'll find what you would assume are locals taking a dip in the chilly water and joining the Scotland Polar Bear Club. A warm summer day in Scotland might be in the 70's. The Fairy Pools is worth the stop if you make the trek out to the Isle of Skye.
Our first hike in Scotland came in the Portree area know as The Fairy Pools which run from The River Brittle. The hike starts with a running stream that tuns into numerous colorful pools of water that lead to the base of a mountain peak. For the brave of heart, you'll find what you would assume are locals taking a dip in the chilly water and joining the Scotland Polar Bear Club. A warm summer day in Scotland might be in the 70's. The Fairy Pools is worth the stop if you make the trek out to the Isle of Skye.
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| The Fairy Pools Hike Follows a stream up switch backs to the base The Cullin Range. |
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| One of the many crystal blue pools |
8. Ullapool Plus Bag Pipes
One of the best moments from the trip came in Ullapool, Scotland (The American way to pronounce this is You La Pool). A spontaneous move instead of spending a evening in Inverness, the home of Nessy (big tourist trap, or is Nessy real?) Ullapool was worth the hours of mountainous, windy, rutted out, one track rough roads and proved to be a well made last minute decision. Ullapool is a small fishing town with one or two hotels, a bar, along with a single restaurant for dinner. It was a nice break from some of the busier areas we spent time and a bag piping band circling the town around dusk was something to top the list.
One of the best moments from the trip came in Ullapool, Scotland (The American way to pronounce this is You La Pool). A spontaneous move instead of spending a evening in Inverness, the home of Nessy (big tourist trap, or is Nessy real?) Ullapool was worth the hours of mountainous, windy, rutted out, one track rough roads and proved to be a well made last minute decision. Ullapool is a small fishing town with one or two hotels, a bar, along with a single restaurant for dinner. It was a nice break from some of the busier areas we spent time and a bag piping band circling the town around dusk was something to top the list.
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| The sleepy fishing town of Ullapool, Scotland. |
7. Catching up on your James Bond
Several James Bond movies have been filmed throughout Scotland. Notably the Unnamed Road from SkyFall and one of Scotland's more famous sought after Castles, Eilean Donan, made for memorable views.
Several James Bond movies have been filmed throughout Scotland. Notably the Unnamed Road from SkyFall and one of Scotland's more famous sought after Castles, Eilean Donan, made for memorable views.
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The River Etive in Glen Etive Unnamed Road in Glen Etive Scottish Highlands, where scenes from SkyFall were filmed. |
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| The renown Elien Donan Castle on the drive into Portree appears in The World is Not Enough. |
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| Scotland takes pride in their long running ties to James Bond films. |
6. An Opportunity to play Links Golf at The Home of Golf
When in Scotland, you have to play golf, or at least that's the way I felt. After all, it is the home of golf. Scotland is known for it's link style of golf;; narrow fairways, long fast greens and sand bunkers that make you disappear from view. While I was not able to get on at the St. Andrews Courses, I did have the opportunity to play a course in the St. Andrews area, The Torrance course at The Fairmont. A true links style course, the Torrance course proved challenging and provided spectacular views overlooking the surrounding St. Andrews area.
When in Scotland, you have to play golf, or at least that's the way I felt. After all, it is the home of golf. Scotland is known for it's link style of golf;; narrow fairways, long fast greens and sand bunkers that make you disappear from view. While I was not able to get on at the St. Andrews Courses, I did have the opportunity to play a course in the St. Andrews area, The Torrance course at The Fairmont. A true links style course, the Torrance course proved challenging and provided spectacular views overlooking the surrounding St. Andrews area.
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| Links Golf, miss the Fairway and be prepared for a tough second or dropping three. |
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| Such a nice lie. |
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| The town of St. Andrews in the distance. |
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| The sun setting on a ideal weather day in St. Andrews. In a country where the weather is variably unpredictable, fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day. |
5. The Old Course at St. Andrews
Considered the oldest golf course in the world, The Old Course at St. Andrews is at the top of every golfers bucket list. Outside of the incredible aspect of being able to simply visit and walk the course, I took away some new findings that I would have never known without a visit to the hallowed grounds:
Considered the oldest golf course in the world, The Old Course at St. Andrews is at the top of every golfers bucket list. Outside of the incredible aspect of being able to simply visit and walk the course, I took away some new findings that I would have never known without a visit to the hallowed grounds:
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| The first tee on the Old Course runs parallel to the 18th hole. Roads and pedestrian walking paths line both sides, along with crowds of people. No pressure coming off the first tee or anything. |
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| On Sunday's, the St. Andrews Old Course closes and turns into a 18 hole public park. The other six courses within the St. Andrews name remain open. Would have never expected it, but fully appreciate it. I also think back on it and am amazed that The Old Course is a public park on Sunday's. |
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| Founding in 1867, The St. Andrews Ladies Putting Club is a little easier to get on than the Old Course and less expensive at only a pound per putter. Imagine put put, except your next to one of the most famous courses in the world. |
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| The famous Swilken Bridge, which takes you over and across the only water on the course and leads up the 18th fairway. A few well known golfers have crossed this bridge at some point of time or another. |
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| The Old Course is just one of seven Courses that are a part of St. Andrews Links. |
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| One thing that I had never noticed on television through the years is that a road passes directly through 1 and 18. This blew my mind a little bit. Okay maybe more than a little bit. Between groups, they open the road for cars to drive through. Maybe where they got the idea for the famous Happy Gilmore Volkswagen scene. |
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| The St. Andrews Hotel follows the fairway of 17, known as the Road Hole. Your tee shot is blind and carries over a building. |
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| As someone who has hit my fair share of errant golf shots through the years, I had so much appreciation for this warning sign which is found in the St. Andrews Hotel on the 17th Road Hole. |
4. The Fishing Upon Fishing Opportunities
With lochs upon lochs, comes fishing opportunities. It didn't hit me until right before we left for this trip that Scotland would have copious fishing opportunities. While we were a little late to the party to land a salmon fishing trip, we landed upon a gold mine of a fishing opportunity just north of Ullapol and were able to get with a local guide for half a day of trout fishing. We parked at our guides house and walked into his backyard for an afternoon of exploration and local Browns.
3. The Scottish Highlands Weather
Four seasons in a day, a good way to describe weather in Scotland. I was constantly amazed how often the weather changes. One minute sunny and warm, the next pouring rain and the temperature dropping by the second. Two minutes later a storm would clear and your wondering what is next. The clouds were simply indescribable regarding how often they would change. I cannot find all the right words to serve this topic justice.
Four seasons in a day, a good way to describe weather in Scotland. I was constantly amazed how often the weather changes. One minute sunny and warm, the next pouring rain and the temperature dropping by the second. Two minutes later a storm would clear and your wondering what is next. The clouds were simply indescribable regarding how often they would change. I cannot find all the right words to serve this topic justice.
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| An approaching storm on the Isle of Skye. Weather can change from one season to the next in a mater of minutes. |
2. The Isle Of Skye
Skye is simply a incredible place, and one of the most sought after ones in Scotland for a reason. The scenery itself stands so far out of reach of perspective from any other place I have ever seen. Majestic - Awe Inspiring - Unforgettable. Sometimes you just let the pictures and my incredibly off hand sometimes long captions tell the story.
Skye is simply a incredible place, and one of the most sought after ones in Scotland for a reason. The scenery itself stands so far out of reach of perspective from any other place I have ever seen. Majestic - Awe Inspiring - Unforgettable. Sometimes you just let the pictures and my incredibly off hand sometimes long captions tell the story.
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| The Isle of Skye is about 50 miles in length. The high points of the Northern part of the Island can be done in a half to full day, depending on how deep you want to explore. The more time, the better. |
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| 2 lanes? No way. |
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| 'Kilt Rock' |
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| Coastline Views in Sky |
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| Sheep are found through the Highlands and prevalent on Sky. |
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| Switch pace to the town of Uig on the NW side of the island, which almost carried a Caribbean Island feel to it. |
1. The Old Man Of Storr
Encompassed within Sky, The Highlight of the island, and maybe of Scotland as a whole, The Old Man of Storr. This unique rock formation stands as a high point of fantastic rugged landscape with a great view of the island, if you happen to catch a clear moment. This comes in as the best moment of a unforgettable week in the Scottish Highlands.
Encompassed within Sky, The Highlight of the island, and maybe of Scotland as a whole, The Old Man of Storr. This unique rock formation stands as a high point of fantastic rugged landscape with a great view of the island, if you happen to catch a clear moment. This comes in as the best moment of a unforgettable week in the Scottish Highlands.
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| Clear hill path with rocky streams lines round out the two hour round trip hike. |
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| Great shot of a brief moment of sunshine in the ever changing Isle of Skye weather. |
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| Dramatic post card esc landscape |
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| Backside views of the Isle of Skye from the top of the hike |
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| One of my favorite pictures of the trip. The fish eye lens captures an incredible rock structure of Storr and the seas below. |
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| Below the Storr |
And since I'm here writting and it has no releveance to anything above, I am going to spell out all of the European/Scotland cultural and etiquette quirks I picked up on. These are directed at no one in particular.
- Bathrooms are few and far between. Do the Scots not drink water?
- Not many exits or places to stop at all. Why don't you have anywhere to stop outside of towns, nothing?
- No water at the table, eh?
- I appreciate the delivered total cost, of meals, hotels, etc. I wish that would be adopted more places. Don't need three lines of taxes.
- I also appreciate that you trust me to fill up on gas and then pay