The 2018 Road Trip that made us fall in love with Scotland
This was one of the most requested articles of my entire life! Which is quite surprising as people only dream of going to Paris and New York in their lives, so I am glad you want to explore something new and different.
I so excited to take us right back to our first road trip to Scotland, which made us fall in love with the Alba country and took us back many more times later on.
Jess
Disclaimer: I will be calling my now husband "my boyfriend" through the article because that was his title in 2018 when I first wrote this guide, mkay?
Why Scotland?
I don't know how to explain why we chose Scotland in this two-week trip in 2018. I think we were throwing a few ideas back and forth and we thought about doing a road trip. And Scotland is known for being a premium destination for road trips. Scotland has awesome roads, has no tolls and it is one of the most scenic countries in the world. We bought our tickets in March 2018 and travelled in early October 2018, as I love to travel around my birthday. We decided not to look to much into the country before going so that we could have a few surprises along the way. I was in charge of designing the itinerary so I did was us girlies do: I went on Pinterest, drafted what we could do in 10 days but I didn't look for all the attractions in each city or region as from what I had gathered, anywhere in Scotland has something special to offer, even on beaten paths.
To this date, this is my approach for travel designing. I don't like knowing everything before catching the flight and renting the car. I know two people, one who went to Bali, Indonesia and another who went to Cuba and they were miserable on return, as they said both experiences were nothing like in the pictures. How miserable people turn their lives to be... not me, Satan, not me!
Pre-trip and the journey from Lisbon to Edinburgh
Unfortunately TAP, the portuguese airline, does not have direct flights from any airport in Portugal to Scotland. A shame! So we got our tickets from Lisbon to Edinburgh with the germain airline Lufthansa, in Economy Class. When we purchased those, prices were the same as direct trips with Easyjet. But when you add luggage, Easy Jet becomes more expensive than Lufthansa... the decision was pretty easy for us as Lufthansa is one of our favourite airlines in the world. Reliable, generally on time and with great service. Oh, and they always give chocolate!
From Lisbon to Frankfurt we were in an older plane at 5AM sharp. I love catching the day's first airplane as they are never delayed. Then we caught a brand new Airbus Neo with Lufthansa's new blue and silver livery. The engines did not do any noise - like those old Airbus planes do - it was just wonderful!
Frankfurt Airport business class lounge breakfast
The layover in Frankfurt was very smooth. This is not usual in such a big airport but I have learned never to do layovers shorter than 1 hour there! As a Star Alliance Gold Member, it also pays off to travel extensively within their affiliated companies, so off we went and we had access to the lounge, where we could have proper breakfast.
When we landed in Edinburgh, we rented an automatic car. The best was that we got a brand new Hyundai Ioniq hybrid. Not only was it a beautiful machine but it was very spacious and accommodating with my long legs. It being an hybrid car also made us save a lot on our transportation budget, so it was a win-win situation for sure.
Ready to road trip with our hybrid car
As for accommodations, as we wanted to be flexible and book along the way, we opted only for free cancelations hotels and lodges through Booking.com. That was the best as we changed our mind quite often along the trip.
Day 1: Visiting Stirling and sleeping in Kinlochleven
We left the airport in our car and my boyfriend started driving on the left as if he had spent his entire life driving on the left side, not on the right side. I was in such awe of him for that immediate adaptation to our new grounds.
The landscapes we saw during that first drive were filled with promise.
Our first destination in the Highlands was Kinlochleven, and we did a little stop in Stirling on our way there.
It was great to visit Stirling as it is a very important place in Scotland's history, around its castle, it's very cute town and the monument dedicated to Sir William Wallace, a Scottish Knight who fought for Scotland's Independence. He is most famous abroad for being depicted in the 1995 movie Braveheart, played by Mel Gibson.
To get to the Wallace Monument, you need to climb up a hill and little did I know that it one of the many hills and mountains we would climb during that trip.
Wallace Monument, Stirling
From Stirling we ventured north onto Kinlochleven, a little town who was known for being one of the first with electricity in Scotland. It was built around its aluminium industry and it was our first proper stop in the trip. The ambiance is very rural and genuine. We found it very beautiful and peaceful.
Our first hotel was MacDonald Hotel & Cabins and it was our first miss of the trip, as we did not enjoy the room that much. Yet there weren't many options at the time. The photos on booking.com were nothing like what we saw in reality. The hotel was quite run down and the bathroom really needed some love. Aside from that, the hotel was cosy and clean. It is a famous spot in the West Highland Way, a very popular hiking trail. We saw many hikers coming out and about there.
Close to our hotel, we could check the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall. It was also the first of many waterfalls we saw during the trip and one of the many named that way all around Scotland. We visited it on our second day in Scotland.
Day 2: A little detour to Glenfinnan
Glenfinnan is a town filled with History and significance for Scotland.
We went to the Glenfinnan Monument and saw the very famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, known for its famous Jacobite Steam Train.
After Glenfinnan, we headed to the Ardnamuchan peninsula to check the shingle beach. We spent several hours by ourselves driving around, enjoying the sights, taking pictures without seeing another human being. But we saw many sheep along the way.
Then we caught the Ferry to Ardgour, to have lunch in Lochleven. After such a full "first" day in Scotland, we were quite happy yet tired. We had dinner, ordered packed lunches for the day after and played pool at the hotel's pub and got some much needed rest.
Day 3: Isle of Skye, Old Man of Storr shenanigans and heading to Isle of Raasay
We packed our bags and checked out from our first accommodation in Kinlochleven, headed to the Isle of Skye. Our first stop was the Eilean Donan Castle. This castle is filled with history in its several floors. It is located in a small island that ties in 3 lochs, Duich, Long and Alsh. I mostly loved visiting the Castle's kitchen, it had a very Downton Abbey vibe for me.
Then we headed to Storr, a majestic hill that overlooks the Strait of Raasay. We went up to see the Old Man of Storr monoliths and it was just a scam for me.
I am sure the Old Man is a gorgeous sight but we went on the worst of days. We climbed, climbed, climbed in the deepest fog and the weather did not allow to see anything. I wanted to kill my boyfriend (altitude effect?) because I thought we were going to die inside those thick clouds, as people were climbing and going down around us and we could not even see them before they bumped into us. We found a couple who were desperately looking for their drone as they had lost signal. I mean, it's the kind of place where even drones can't cope! Although I survived, it was one of the worst climbs in my life and if anyone tells me "it's cloudy in Storr, should I climb to see the Old Man?" my resounding answer will be NO. If I like you. I might say YES if I don't care. I can just tell you a positive: it was quite the workout. I was very proud of myself for at least trying!
After that ghastly experience, we had lunch in the car - packed lunch never tasted so good - and we did a little tour of the Isle of Skye, around the scenic town of Portree. Then it was time to get the ferry to Isle of Raasay, an island that is only acessible this way a few times per day, which makes it all the more mysterious.
Raasay would be our next stop in Scotland for two days. We chose to stay at the Raasay House, a hotel that went through a major fire a few years prior and had to be completely renovated. It has several restaurants, a bar and showcases many activities both indoors and outdoors.
There was little wifi signal, it was always raining outside, they had the fire always lit, a gorgeous chess table and the best food. We wanted for nothing whilst there.
Day 4: Isle of Raasay and falling in love with Whisky
As we were enjoying the rest indoors whilst it was pouring outside, we took the opportunity to head to the Raasay Distillery in the few minutes it wasn't raining. I already wrote about our experience there as it was the moment my boyfriend fell in love with whisky.
Jess
After visiting the distillery which had just opened the year prior, we took the opportunity to walk around the island, take in the stunning scenery and the absolute silence.
Day 5: Loch Ness and Inverness
As much as we loved our stay at Raasay House, it was time to continue our journey through Scotland, now heading to Inverness. We took the ferry back to the Isle of Skye and headed to Loch Ness first. We stopped at the Urquhart Castle first, such a stunning place we could enjoy more as it was not raining in that moment.
Our second stop was the Falls of Foyers waterfalls. It was gorgeous but my fear of heights didn't allow me to take any pictures.
The remainder of the trip took us to the city of Inverness, where we opted to stay in a cosy B&B, by a love lady called Alexis. We did a walking tour of the city by night, had a drink and then dinner. Then off to bed we went after another full day.
Day 6: driving through the Cairngorms, heading to Aberdeen
We woke up and Alexis did us the most wonderful homemade breakfast of our whole stay. To this day, I still make porridge in the pan like she does.
It was time to pack our things again and head to Aberdeen. This journey would make us cross a big chunk of the country through the Cairngorms National Park and the Spey Region.
Whilst crossing the National Park, we stumbled upon the most adorable and photogenic horses in the world. We went by them and they looked at me, straight in the eye. I asked my boyfriend to stop the car immediately and make a U-turn, so that we could go check those daring horses out. They were extremely docile, loved taking pictures and being pet. As we went back to the car, we could see they wanted to follow us but couldn't thanks to the fence. I had never had such a contact with horses and it deeply touched me. Best U-turn of my life.
Spey is most famous for all its world-renowned distilleries. That is when we opted to do a tour at the Glenlivet distillery. The tour was very interesting, filled with fun facts. We had lunch in the premises and brought many whisky samples back home.
After lunch, we headed to Aberdeen, a coastal city known for its Oil Industry and University. We stayed at a hotel in Cove Bay beach and we didn't like it at all. The view was great but it was quite rundown, in need of a deep clean. The only plus was the huge bathroom that had been recently renovated, curiously enough.
As we still had the afternoon ahead of us, we did some sightseeing in the city center. We went by the King's College - and that iconic chapel! - as well as the commanding Marischal College, all built in granite. Speaking of granite, as you stumble upon it all around, Aberdeen is known as the Granite City. It gives a greyish harmonious vibe to the city which I loved.
Day 7: Saint Andrews and Glasgow
We left Cove Bay Hotel early in the morning and headed to Glasgow. On our way there, we stopped in Saint Andrews. This extremely cute coastal town is also known for:
- being the Home of Golf as, for 250 years, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of Saint Andrews had legislative authority over the game
- its Cathedral or at least what remains from it...
- its University (don't I say this about every city in Scotland?!)
- being the place where the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince William and Catherine, met as students at said university more than 20 years ago and fell in love
We caught some massive pouring on our way south, from Saint Andrews to Glasgow.
As for our accommodation, we chose the Ibis Hotel which had just opened 5 weeks prior to our stay. After a couple of old and rundown hotels, this was quite refreshing. That is the joy and perks of last minute booking everything... We loved the hotel vibe and it was quite central. It allowed us to park the car and enjoy the whole town on foot. We loved that!
It was still pouring, so we decided to venture to the Riverside Museum, the Glaswegian museum of transportation. It is set in the most spectacular metallic building, overlooking the Clyde river. I don't adore museums in general - please don't make go see Egyptian art in a European city... - but I absolutely adored this one. It showcased the power of the transportation industry for the United Kingdom, especially the Maritime one as one of Glasgow's main industries. It was here that were built one of the main ocean liners in the world such as the RMS Queen Mary or the RMS Queen Elizabeth, which linked the UK to New York in Cunard Line's transatlantic journeys. Museums in Scotland are free and you can leave a tip at the end of your visit. It is great to have such a bounty of knowledge for free and that you can decide what to give or not by yourself.
We still had some time to kill before our dinner reservation so we ventured onto another museum, this time closer to the city centre, at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum. It is a grand museum filled with exhibits and items... alas as aforementioned, Art Museums are not for me... I would rather admire art sculptures out in the open such as at the Vigeland Park in Oslo or a smaller showcase like Afrikanizm's in Luanda. What saved the experience for me was that this is also a History and Natural History museum so I focused on that. Then we went to a bar and onto the restaurant we had eagerly booked. And this concluded our first evening in Glasgow.
Day 8: Birthday Celebrations!
It was my birthday! We did not take the car and did the town on foot again. I woke up to a beautiful present and an invitation that mentioned "let's celebrate at 3PM". I did not know what my boyfriend had planned but I wore my gift around my neck proudly.
After lunch, we went to the Necropolis, an intriguing cemetery set on a hill overlooking Glasgow. Then we went to Glasgow's Cathedral - one that is not in ruins such as Saint Andrews'.
We continued walking but it was a very damp day. I do not mind the cold at all but I don't love walking in the rain. Regardless, I fell in love with Glasgow. I loved its ins and nooks, its street art and building paintings, its office people and students setting the city alive...
We went for my celebration and then went back to the hotel, for a small dinner of just french fries (love it!) and spent the night playing pool again. What a lovely birthday this one was!
Day 9: last stop, Edinburgh!
This was our before last day in Scotland. We ate breakfast, checked out of the hotel, grabbed the car after a few days parked and headed to Edinburgh, our last stop of the trip.
The journey was quite a fast one and we booked a night at the Picardy Rooms & Suites, a gorgeous hotel in a historic building, close to Calton Hill. After we checked in and left our luggage, we took the car back to the Edinburgh Airport, so that we could continue our adventures car free. We then took the bus from the airport to Leith, the port area north of Edinburgh. There we admired the Royal Britannia from afar and had a lunch reservation at a very special place. After lunch, at it was not raining (for once!), we walked over an hour all the way back to our hotel, where we rested for the day by the early evening.
Jess
Day 10: last full day in Scotland
We woke up early - as always - and had breakfast in the city. The weather was just gorgeous on this day and we walked all day long. We went by the gorgeous Scott Monument - one of my favourite structures in the world -, the Edinburgh Castle hill, the whole Royal Mile and we saw the Scotch Whisky Experience for the first time, even if we did not get in that time, but 4 years later.
Then we went by the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the Scottish Parliament. Whilst walking around Holyrood Park, my boyfriend decided to hike the Arthur's Seat, an extinct volcano overlooking the whole city of Edinburgh and Leith in the horizon. I decided to sit that one out and went on a stroll in town and then I stopped at a café, waiting for him to come back from his climb. It was a moment to sink in the experience and people watch, one of my favourite activities whilst travelling.
Then my boyfriend joined me, we went to buy roast pork sandwiches and we climbed (again!) the Calton Hill, sat on the grass and talked about the two weeks we had just enjoyed in Scotland. It was a glorious weather and many people were out and about in the Athens of the North, like Edinburgh is known.
Then we continued our walking tour around the bustling Prince Street and the Scott Monument. Little did we know that three years later we would be walking around these same street, freshly engaged...
Jess
After that amazing day, we looked for a fish & chips place in town and went to one recommend by Anthony Bourdain, L'Alba D'Oro, in a residential part of Edinburgh. We grabbed that as dinner and went back to our hotel.
L'Alba D'Oro, best fish and chips in Edinburgh according to Anthony Bourdain
It was time to pack up as we would check out in the very early morning to catch our flights back to Lisbon. This time around we travelled via Brussels Airlines (with its Lufthansa code share) and it was a nightmare. What an awful airline...
(Non-)Final Thoughts about Scotland
We did not have any kind of expectation before heading to Scotland so this was one of the most surprising trips of our lives. We loved every road, every town, every shop, every corner, every person we came across those 10 amazing days.
We had not been in a proper holiday in almost a year and we so needed to have these emotions at the tip of our fingers and enriching our fresh memories too. If you want more than just a beach resort in your life, give Scotland a chance. You might not regret it at all!
Fun fact about Scotland: they have the most explicit road signage...
Here are a few...
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