SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND TRAVEL GUIDE | If you follow me on Instagram, you will know I have said this a thousand time: Scotland is my favorite place in the world. I love all the cozy, bleak, down-to-earthness of the place. I feel like I have come home every time I set foot in beautiful Scotland. For our trip we had an amazing itinerary lined up. We started in Edinburgh, made out way to the Cairngorms National Park, then past Loch Ness to the Isle of Skye, and then down through Glencoe as we headed for England.
EDINBURGH
It all started in a cold and christmasy Edinburgh. Every shop was decorated, the castle was lit up, and bagpipes and Christmas cheer was in the air. We stayed at Fraser Suites, which gave us a view down to the Christmas Market which had set up for the season. I have been dying all my life to do a European Christmas Market, and finally I had my chance. It was as magical as i imagined with waffles and crepes, booths of ornaments and toys, and crowds of jolly people!
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CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK
We drove from Edinburgh to the beautiful Dunnottar Castle. I had been looking at photos of this castle for years on Pinterest, and been dreaming of going. It wasn’t too far off our route to the Cairngorms, so we went for it! The castle sits out on a small spit of land, on top of the cliffs, overlooking the North Sea. It was one of the most incredible settings, and truly one of the most amazing places I have ever been.
We drove through narrow country roads and through the dark, reaching the spectacular Fife Arms Hotel in Breamar, in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, just in time for a haggis dinner. We all agreed that one night at the Fife Arms was not sufficient, and that we would be back one day!
The hotel itself is like a museum inside. Every room has a theme to it, and there are paintings, taxidermy, and sculptures at every turn. There is even a genuine Picasso in the sitting room. My advise to anyone who is staying there is to EXPLORE! If you just keep walking and walking, you will find all sorts of rooms, hidden nooks, and amazing works of art in every corner of the building!
The town of Braemar is right around the corner from the Queen’s Scottish residence, Balmoral Castle, and every year the Highland Games takes place in this small village! I would love to go back and visit during that time, I bet it is quite a thing to see, especially with the Queen in attendance.
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THE ISLE OF SKYE
The main focus of our trip to Scotland was the isle of Skye. We rented a gorgeous, modern, cozy Airbnb on the southern end of the island, and made trips out to various places all over during our four day stay. Neist Point Lighthouse and the Old Man of Storr were top on my list, and I was so excited that we were able to do both, and that the weather cooperated fo us!
We also enjoyed a Bird of Prey Experience, where we wandered out into the sheep field and enjoyed watching the Harris Halk, Blake, fly to and from out gloved hands. We also toured the famous Talisker Whiskey Distillery, a must do while in Scotland.
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Skye Lair (our Airbnb)
GLENCOE
With heavy hearts we said goodbye to the Isle of Skye and our cozy Airbnb. Our next leg of the trip was going to be jolly old England, but not without first stopping in Glencoe on our way down.
Glencoe has been a favorite of mine since out last trip, and I could not wait to see it again. Very conveniently, our route took us right through the heart of it, and I could not have been happier to see this old friend.
After Glencoe we had lunch at the Bridge of Orchy hotel, for our last haggis of the trip. What an incredible visit to Scotland, and it still remains my favorite place on this earth!
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