Scotland is one of the countries that belong to United Kingdom. Scotland is a country that appeals to all kinds of tourists as it has the historic part like Edinburg and Glasgow, amazing landscapes like Lock Ness, scotch distillery tour, amazing mountains for hiking and camping like Ben More and Ben Nevis, and amazing wildlife like seals and various types of birds at John O’Groats. Therefore, decide what are your trip goals as it is a big country and requires many trips to experience it all.
United Kingdom is one of those countries that has different requirements depending on your passport. After searching on the website (www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/) and if you do not need a visa, you will be stamped on arrival after showing your returned ticket and your hotel booking. If you required visa, you need to apply on time as you need to show it on arrival and has a fee of £95 (GBP).
Scotland mainland is located at the north of Great Britain and has a south border with England. Scotland is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and west, by the North Seat on the northeast, and by the Irish Sea to the south. Additional Scotland contains 790 islands where the archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles are the most important.
Scotland was an independent sovereign state from the middle ages until 1603, when King James VI of Scotland by inheritance became also king of England and Ireland and thus forming the new Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801, Great Britain formed a political union with Ireland and created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However, in 1922 the Irish Free State left the United Kingdom and was renamed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1927.
As part of my research, I check out all the most seen places of the city and its surroundings. This particular trip was a family trip designed to visit the most places on our way to Edinburgh via Leeds and on our way to London via Birmingham. The currency for UK is the pound (GBP) and it is recommended to exchange at the airport just after landing, as who has the time to search for it. My adventure started on Saturday 6th July 2019.
On Day 1 as this was a family trip, we needed a bigger car so we decided that the best place to get one was at Heathrow airport so my husband left the house early morning to pick up our holiday van. After a long day of preparations and waiting for the van to arrive, we were ready to leave London at 7pm.
We decided to take M11 toward the north and our first stop was Cambridge. We arrived at Cambridge around 8.30pm and we decided just to visit the city centre for a short period. Cambridge is located 55 miles north of London and houses the University of Cambridge which was founded in 1209. The majority of the buildings that forms the city centre are university buildings with the most memorable building being the King’s College especially its Chapel. Most colleges are free to enter but since they are student accommodations and have limited opening periods, so check before arriving in order not to be disappointed.
After a short stop in Cambridge, we continued our journey north and we stopped in a rest stop to have some dinner at McDonalds. After our dinner, we continued our 149 miles trip to Leeds and arrived to the hotel around midnight. After planning the logistics for the next day, we slept around 2.30 am.
On Day 2 we were ready around 9.30 am and left the hotel around 10.20am, as we had many places to visit before arriving to Edinburgh. We decided to have breakfast on the way and so we stopped at McDonalds.
After breakfast, we made our way to Kirkstall Abbey (known as Leeds Abbey) and we arrived around 12pm. Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery which is currently set in a public park located at the north bank of the River Aire. The monastery was founded in 1152 and disestablished during the dissolutions of the monasteries under King Henry VIII in 1538. The stones were re-use in other buildings in the area including the steps leading to the river bank. In 1895, the abbey was opened to the public after undertaken major restoration works.
After walking all around the ruins, we left Leeds around 1pm and continued our trip north.
After 84 miles, we arrived to Durham Castle and Cathedral around 2.30pm. Durham Castle and Cathedral as listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. Durham Castle is a Norman castle built in 1072 by request of William the Conqueror which was donated to the University of Durham and became a college in 1837. Durham Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Durham, which was built between 1093 and 1133 in a Norman style and forms part of the walls of Durham Castle.
We were able to enter both the cathedral and the castle, and we left the site around 4pm. We decided to stay locally for dinner and we picked a nice Mexican restaurant, and we left around 6pm.
On our way towards Edinburgh, we stopped on the border between England and Scotland around 8.30pm to take some photographs as it coincided with the sunset. After a short photographic break, we resumed our 139 miles trip north towards Edinburgh. We arrived at our Scottish accommodation which was a lovely cottage around 12am. After planning the logistics for next day, we slept around 2.30am.
On Day 3 after an amazing self-catering breakfast, we left the cottage around 11.30am and made our way to Balmoral Castle. On our way, we made a short photographic stop at Braemar Castle. Braemar Castle is a middle age castle which was constructed in 1628 and currently open to the public.
We arrived at Balmoral Castle around 2.40pm, my family-in-law is very interested in the Royal Family and decided to enter the castle. Balmoral Castle is a large state owned by Queen Elizabeth II located at 50 miles west of Aberdeen. The castle was bought by Prince Albert and the extension was designed by architect William Smith. Currently part of the castle is open to the public with a purchased ticket.
However, we decided that we will skip the visit and have lunch at Ballater Town. Ballater Town is 7 mile east of Balmoral Castle, and next to the River Dee and the Cairngorm Mountains. Ballater Town has very close royal connections as many of the shops were granted royal warrants by The Queen Mother and is also the location of the Victoria Barracks used by the Royal Guard. Ballater Town is considered the centre for hikers due to its spring water and the abundance of Munroes (Scottish mountain with a height over 3,000 feet).
After an amazing lunch, we picked up my family-in-law around 3.30pm and made our way to Lock Ness. Lock Ness was named after the river Ness and is a large and deep freshwater loch (lake) located 23 miles southwest of Inverness. Loch Ness has a length of 22.5 miles, a width of 1.7 miles and a depth of 744.6ft.
We arrived to Lock Ness view point around 8.30pm and after a great photographic session, we made our way to Urquhart Castle. We arrived to Urquhart Castle around 9.40pm and although there was enough light for awesome photographs, the place was closed for public entry. Urquhart Castle overlooks the Lock Ness, dates from the 13th to the 16th century and in 1692 was partially destroyed. Currently the ruins are under the care of the state and is opened to the public.
After Urquhart Castle, we decided to go shopping for food supplies in order to have dinner at the cottage. We were lucky enough to have a dry weather all day and just started raining when we were on our way back to the cottage. We arrived at the cottage around 2am for dinner and after preparing the logistic for next day, we slept around 3.30am.
On Day 4 and after three late nights on the row, we decided to have a late started. After a nice breakfast, we left the cottage around 12pm and made our way to Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland and the second-most populous city of the United Kingdom. Some of the historic sites are Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyrood House and the churches of St Giles, Greyfriars and the Canongate. Edinburgh’s Old Town and New Town are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995.
The Old Town has medieval street plan and many Reformation-era buildings with the Royal Mile as the main street. The New Town was built in 1767 in a neo-classical and Georgian style, and is considered a masterpiece of city planning with the best-known Princes Street facing Edinburgh Castle.
We arrived to Edinburgh around 2.30pm, we dropped my family-in-law the closest to the Edinburgh Castle and we managed to find parking at around 2.40pm. We decided to go window shopping and then waited for them at Starbucks.
We meet with them around 5.30pm in order to enjoy a great dinner at a local pub. After an amazing dinner, we decided to continue shopping the mile and we bought some amazing souvenirs.
We left the mile at around 9.12pm and we drive through the Palace of Holyroodhouse around 9.30pm. The Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland and is located at the bottom of the Royal Mile, with the Edinburgh Castle at the other end. The palace was built between 1671 and 1678, and has been a royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century and is used for state occasions and official entertaining.
After stopping at Holyroodhouse, our next step was Rosslyn Chapel. We arrived to Rosslyn Chapel at 9.40pm and due to the lateness of our arrival the place was closed but there was still daylight for some outside photography. The Rosslyn Chapel was founded in 1446 as a place of worship. Currently the chapel remains privately owned by the 7th Earl of Rosslyn Peter St Clair-Erskine and can be visited with timeslot tickets.
After the Rosslyn Chapel, we made our way to the cottage and we stopped for an amazing dinner. After that, we arrived to the cottage around 11.30pm and after planning the logistics for the next day, we slept around 2pm.
On Day 5 and after an amazing breakfast we checked out of the cottage around 11am. We decided that on our way Birmingham to stop at Loch Lamon and then Carlisle.
We arrived to Loch Lamon around 2.30pm in order to take a boat tour. Since we arrived earlier for the tour, we had to wait about an hour for the next one. Loch Lomond is a freshwater loch which crosses the Highland Boundary fault and it located 14 miles northwest of Glasgow. Loch Lomond has a length of 22.6 miles, a width of 5 miles, and a depth of 502ft. The loch contains thirty or more islands depending on the water level and it is a premier boating and water sports venues.
After the boat tour, we finished at 4.30pm and we made our way to Carlisle for a nice dinner in an Indian restaurant. Carlisle is located in northwest England about 10 miles south of the Scottish border. Carlisle was a Roman settlement in order to serve the forts on Hadrian’s Wall. Carlisle due to its proximity with the Scottish border became a very important city in the north of England. Currently is the main cultural, commercial and industrial centre for north Cumbria.
We finished dinner and then we arrived to the hotel in Birmingham around 12am. After planning the logistics for the next day, we slept around 2.30am.
On Day 6 and after an amazing breakfast at the hotel we checked out around 11am. We decided to rest in the hotel, while the family-in-law did some tourist shopping at Birmingham city centre. Birmingham is the second-largest city in England and is located in West Midlands about 100 miles from London. Birmingham shows early human activity dating back around 8,000BC with some Stone Age era artefacts. Currently is considered to be the social, cultural, financial, and commercial centre of the Midlands.
After Birmingham, we stopped at Beaconsfield for some lunch. After lunch, we continued our trip towards London and arrived home around 6pm in order to have dinner in our local Indian restaurant.
We had an amazing time in this trip, although we did not do a lot of tourist things. We enjoyed amazing landscapes and I was able to some tourist photographing.
Scotland is a very big country full of things to do and places to visit. Therefore, before organising a venture in there, you need to choose the type of tourist adventure. I have been many times to Scotland and I have done the cultural trip (Edinburgh), the photographic trip (Loch Ness, Loch Lomond), the hiking trip (Ben Nevis), and the Scotch distillery trip.
Therefore, Scotland is one of those countries that need more than one visit to cover it all but if you only have one trip be very selective, as there is a lot of things to visit. In any case, enjoy your trip and try one new thing per day.
Comments