SCOTLAND
Scotland, where you can hear a bagpipe playing anywhere and everywhere you go.
Edinburgh
My first experience traveling via RyanAir and we made it safely, in one piece and no lost luggage. Hallelujah.
We didn't arrive to the hostel until 11:30pm ish, but it did not disappoint. Each room had a theme, ours was 'Happy Days' (and we could see the Edinburgh Castle from our bedroom window!!!). We met up with Alex in the 'common room', which was very Harry Potter-esque (fireplace and all).
On our first full day there, we walked down the 'Royal Mile' for a bit, before doing another free tour (seriously, look up Sandemans if you're in the UK/Europe area and want to do a free tour of a city).
Our tour guide took us all around (which really helped get a lay of the land before going off on our own) - we went to the Grass Market, St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars Kirk Cemetery and Greyfriars Bobby statue, the tombs that inspired J.K. Rowling to create the characters Tom Riddell and McGonagall in Harry Potter and the birthplace, the Elephant House Cafe, of the series. We decided to go back to the Elephant House Cafe and eat lunch there. The bathroom walls are covered in HP quotes and sayings.
After lunch, we sat on the grass and relaxed in the West Princes Street Gardens (which quickly became a favorite spot for me). When the sun started to go down and it got a bit chilly, we headed to Calton Hill (and climbed up the National Monument) to watch the sunset.
On our second day, we went past the Scottish Parliament building (there will be a referendum in September to see if Scotland will separate from the UK) and headed to the Holyrood Park. We trekked all the way up to Arthur's Seat, which is the highest point in the city. While it was a bit windy, the view was spectacular. We treated our selves to a nice Easter lunch and then headed back to the gardens to read and write postcards.
We didn't arrive to the hostel until 11:30pm ish, but it did not disappoint. Each room had a theme, ours was 'Happy Days' (and we could see the Edinburgh Castle from our bedroom window!!!). We met up with Alex in the 'common room', which was very Harry Potter-esque (fireplace and all).
On our first full day there, we walked down the 'Royal Mile' for a bit, before doing another free tour (seriously, look up Sandemans if you're in the UK/Europe area and want to do a free tour of a city).
Our tour guide took us all around (which really helped get a lay of the land before going off on our own) - we went to the Grass Market, St. Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars Kirk Cemetery and Greyfriars Bobby statue, the tombs that inspired J.K. Rowling to create the characters Tom Riddell and McGonagall in Harry Potter and the birthplace, the Elephant House Cafe, of the series. We decided to go back to the Elephant House Cafe and eat lunch there. The bathroom walls are covered in HP quotes and sayings.
After lunch, we sat on the grass and relaxed in the West Princes Street Gardens (which quickly became a favorite spot for me). When the sun started to go down and it got a bit chilly, we headed to Calton Hill (and climbed up the National Monument) to watch the sunset.
On our second day, we went past the Scottish Parliament building (there will be a referendum in September to see if Scotland will separate from the UK) and headed to the Holyrood Park. We trekked all the way up to Arthur's Seat, which is the highest point in the city. While it was a bit windy, the view was spectacular. We treated our selves to a nice Easter lunch and then headed back to the gardens to read and write postcards.
Inverness
Besides high street and the Inverness Castle, there's not much going on in Inverness (maybe we would have liked it better if the weather was nicer). Our first day there, we explored what little there was to see and planned for our following day trips to Loch Ness and Aviemore.
We took a bus to the town of Drumnadrochit, and were dropped off at the Urquhart Castle, which is situated on Loch Ness. We decided not to pay the £7.90 to see the dilapidated castle up-close and instead walked back into town (where I found a house, with what I hope my future backyard will look like) and inquired about walking trails. We started on the 'Milton Trail' in the Craigmonie and Balmacaan woodlands. It was raining on and off and a bit foggy, which made visibility difficult.
In Aviemore, we rented bikes and explored the Cairngorms National Park - we took 'the Old Logging Way' to the Glenmore Forest Park. Eventually, we reached Loch Morlich, which was an extraordinary view and quite peaceful. Then, we took a different trail up to Loch Uaine (the green loch). I hope one day I could have a view similar to this from my house. In total, I think we biked around 26km.
We took a bus to the town of Drumnadrochit, and were dropped off at the Urquhart Castle, which is situated on Loch Ness. We decided not to pay the £7.90 to see the dilapidated castle up-close and instead walked back into town (where I found a house, with what I hope my future backyard will look like) and inquired about walking trails. We started on the 'Milton Trail' in the Craigmonie and Balmacaan woodlands. It was raining on and off and a bit foggy, which made visibility difficult.
In Aviemore, we rented bikes and explored the Cairngorms National Park - we took 'the Old Logging Way' to the Glenmore Forest Park. Eventually, we reached Loch Morlich, which was an extraordinary view and quite peaceful. Then, we took a different trail up to Loch Uaine (the green loch). I hope one day I could have a view similar to this from my house. In total, I think we biked around 26km.
Fort William
Our final stop. Fort William is quite a nice town and definitely not touristy. Most people there seemed to be avid hikers/into nature, and I think many just go there to climb Ben Nevis (my legs were not in any position to be climbing the highest mountain in the UK, so that didn't happen). On our first day there, we relaxed in a park next to the high street (I was reading J.K. Rowling's 'The Cuckoo's Calling' while in Scotland), before checking into the hostel (which was also themed - I was in the 'Robert Roy MacGregor' bunk).
On our second day, we took a train to Glenfinnan to see the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, which appears in Harry Potter films. We didn't know, but the train we took to get there actually went over the viaduct and slowed down so people could take pictures/videos. When we got off the train, we walked around and got a better view of the viaduct.
On our final day, I decided to go off on my own to Appin, a town about an hour away, to go on a 2-hour horseback ride. I had been wanting to make a day of it at some point during our Easter break trip, and so it seemed like the perfect fit to end the trip on a good note.
It was just the guide/owner and myself on the ride. I rode a 20-year-old Irish born Thoroughbred named Millie. We had to go earlier in the day because of the tide rising around Castle Stalker, which was featured in the film Monty Python.
A little over halfway through the ride, the other horse was being fussy and didn't want to continue on. The guide dismounted, in hopes of walking him through this one bit, but the horse had other plans and took off instead (spooking Millie in the process). I managed to make Millie stop and not race off after the other horse. So, my last day, was interesting to say the least.
I still can't believe we were gone for a total of three weeks, and that we had the opportunity to see two beautiful countries and explore so many new towns/cities. I was excited and ready to go back to Wales (and be in a 'home base'), but I'm also looking forward to doing more traveling after my exams.
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