Tale of a dream trip to England and Scotland.
*** Guest Post from my cousin Matt! ***
My wife and I, along with a couple of lifelong friends wanted to plan a 2-week trip to Europe, but where? England and Scotland seemed to have something for all of us. Do we do a group tour, or do we plan on our own? We decided to make it our own adventure.
Ancient and family history, the Royal family, castles, professional football, Scotch Whisky, and unbelievable landscapes were all in our minds to see, and once we cracked open the internet we were amazed by the possibilities. When would be the best time of year to go? Fall, too busy at home. Winter, no. Summer, no, bugs, hassle and overcrowded with other tourists. Spring it was. Found rain could happen at any day so we planned accordingly, packed with layers of cloths and rain gear.
England
Since London was our starting point and it is extremely large, we found ways to get around other than driving. A hotel was found that put us in the middle of a ton of activity. Walking distance to “Must See” sights like Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, plenty of restaurants and pubs.
The mix between ancient and new architecture was very interesting. One of my favorite things we did was a Double Decker Bus Tour where you could hop on and hop off and many different sights. It was a great way to see way more than just walking or taxis plus you can listen to the commentary given to learn about the sights. Buckingham Palace was visited using this method. On the internet search we found a Go-City Pass to help in this.
We also jumped on the Underground Railway System that they call the Tube. Once it was figured out, we traveled throughout London pretty quickly.
Life goes on in London while you’re visiting, it can be very busy at certain times. Millions of people working and traveling. Have patience and also plan on using your credit card, tap-and-go is becoming the normal payment method. We traveled to Piccadilly Circus at night using the tube!
Dream Trip, Liverpool
From London, we traveled by train to Liverpool. Kinda like a plane ride but you could see the landscapes. You will soon see sheep are very prevalent in England and Scotland. Once we arrived, we took a short but entertaining taxi ride to the car rental where the fun really began. I wasted no time driving on the left-hand side of the road in the right-hand side of the car.
No stop signs but many roundabouts. The streets were well marked with where to go, and the dashboard map got you where you needed to go as long as you had the address correct. The roads are narrow so take your time, you just do it.
In Liverpool, we visited a professional football stadium. I definitely saw and felt the passion I’ve heard so much about. Both going into a local pub and witnessing a football match passion on the television is something everyone who likes sports should witness. I definitely got caught up in the excitement. Off to Edinburgh Scotland.
Scotland
We rented a nice Air B-N-B in Edinburgh, opened the drapes to see a great view of Arthur’s Seat, a hike able “hill” that will give you great views of the city.
Dinners included Fish-N-Chips, many styles of Meat Pies, Haggis. We wanted to try the local dishes. Gin is popular and we partook. Botanical Gin and Lemonade is now a family favorite. Visited Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace and shopped the Royal Mile.
We took a day driving trip to St. Andrew’s, a beautiful city and the home of Golf, cities of Forfar, Dundee, and Perth. We found a smaller Farm Store where I bought some of the best cheese I’ve ever had and my first bottle of Irn-Bru. A Scottish made drink that tasted like cream soda to me.
In our planning, we found the Scotland Heritage Pass. By pre-purchasing this, we already had admission to many of the public castles and it made it easier to find the obvious and not so obvious sights. Good tool to have.
From Edinburgh, we drove West. Stopping at the Kelpies, Falkner’s Wheel, Blackness Castle, Stirling Castle, and William Wallace Memorial (I believe it had 240 Steps to the top for those in good shape) and Doune Castle.
The Falkirk Wheel is an ingenious way to move boats instead of a series of canals. A nice little internet discovery.
Dream Trip. The Highlands
Oban was our day’s destination, where we rented a Bed-n-Breakfast in town. Walking distance to almost everything and a wonderful oceanside town. Oban Whiskey Distillery tour was enjoyed. I could listen to the tour guide for hours. McCaig Tower overlooks the city/harbor and is lit up at night. Very pleasing.
The weather didn’t permit our plan for an Island Boat Tour (40deg F and steady rain), so we did a day trip out exploring, and found Dunstaffnage Castle and Dunollie Castle.
On another day trip we were off to explore Glencoe, Ft. Williams, the Jacobite Train, Ben Nevis (the highest peak in Scotland), Stalker Castle, and another whiskey tasting thrown in there too.
If I was to move to Scotland, it would be to Oban.
Dream Trip
Continuing northbound to Inverness, with many stops planned. Ft. Augustus, where we had a boat tour of Loch Ness. Beautiful, they give a good presentation and have monitors showing continuous sonar of the Loch as you go. Yes, I saw a mysterious wake in the water.
Some of the Highland Long-Haired Coos (cows) were spotted, Eilean Dolan Castle and Urquhart Castles were also visited this day before arriving in Inverness.
As Inverness being our final home base, one of the days we chose a longer road exploring ride to Aberdeen. Seeing Drumin Castle, Balmoral Castle and grounds, Dunnottar Castle and Slains Castle. Slains Castle included a half mile walk in and back out, but the views of the coast were breathtaking.
The day before we had to leave Scotland, we visited Clave Cairns, an ancient site that was right out of a Hobbits Tale, and historic Culloden Battlefield.
This concluded our trip of a lifetime. Pictures will try and do this trip justice.
Conclusion
Start planning your own dream trip to England and Scotland today!
Thank you to Matt for contributing to The Grain and Grape’s Travel Stories!
For more of Matt’s fabulous photos, follow him on Instagram at m_r_zomberg.
Before we end, a big thank you! Matt’s story is our inspiration to explore Scotland soon ourselves! Till then, we’ll enjoy these photos.
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