When you’re in the mood to see some castles, where else is better than Scotland? Trixie found a small international airport in New York (Stewart International Airport) that was offering tickets to Edinburgh for $380 round trip. We figured why not?

Packing

We got the flights for very cheap, but there is an extra charge for a checked bag, so Trixie and I split a bag. I packed my half and Trixie showed up with her “standard” medicine bag to include, which had at least 25 medications. She insisted we bring them all, so I made fun of her for the next 12 hours or so. This comes back up later.

 

Saturday

We took an overnight flight and arrived in Edinburgh around 9:30am. We decided not to rent a car while we were in city areas, and only in the North and the Highlands. It was difficult enough driving on the opposite side of the road when few people were around. The city was rough. Also, Scotland uses roundabouts pretty much in place of stop lights. Seriously. SO. MANY. TRAFFIC. CIRCLES.

We took an Uber to our Edinburgh hotel (DoubleTree by Hilton at City Center in Edinburgh), which was really nice and had a decent view of Edinburgh castle. Uber is just as easy to use in the big cities in Scotland as it is in the US.

After we freshened up, we got ready for my first experience at a Michelin Star Restaurant! We had reservations at Restaurant Martin Wishart right on the water in Leith. We got there a bit early and walked around, admiring the swans, cute shops, and colored doors on the buildings.

We tried the tasting menu, which was very nicely presented and quite tasty. The service was also impeccable, with the waiter cleaning our crumbs and refolding our napkins every time we went to the bathroom.

After lunch, we walked the Royal Mile and went to see Edinburgh Castle, which is rumored to have inspired J.K. Rowling to create Hogwarts. I was surprised by just how crowded the Royal Mile is, but it’s also lined with a bunch of cute and quirky stores and you can’t go a block without seeing a street performer.

When we reached the entrance to Edinburgh Castle, we met an adorable couple and took turns taking photos in front of the castle. Here’s to fellow tourists! The castle dominates the skyline of Edinburgh, so there’s also a great view of the city once you make it to the entrance.

Edinburgh Castle itself is huge with sign posts directing you wherever you need to go. There are plaques and descriptions of the historical significance of each section of the castle. It has been described as, “the most besieged place in Great Britain and one of the most attacked in the world,” so there is a lot to learn.

We were supposed to have dinner at 21212, another Michelin star restaurant, but I was starting to feel a bit queasy so we skipped it. By the time we made it back to the hotel, full-blown food poisoning had kicked in. Yes. Food poisoning from my first Michelin Star experience. It’s like my body knows I’m not classy. As my stomach was tying itself in knots like it was a professional boy scout, Trixie happily reminded me of the medicine bag. When faced with impending death versus eating my words, eating my words narrowly won out and I happily accepted a pepto chewable tablet. Sadly, for Trixie, the window to the hotel room only opened approximately an inch and a half. We were off to a good start making memories in Scotland!

 

Sunday

Thankfully, I was feeling a lot better the next morning, and we got up early to go pick up the car. We ended up with a new Mercedes, and set out slowly but surely on opposite side of the road. Both Trixie and I tended to drift to the left side of the road because we’re used to being closer to the left side. The difficulty actually wasn’t starting to drive on a different side of the road because you’re nervous and paying attention at first–it’s when your mind relaxes and you revert to muscle memory.

In any case, we made it to Dunnottar Castle intact around 2 hours later. It was extremely cold and windy, so the castle itself was closed for the day, but it was still a beautiful view and worth the drive.

Then we headed out to Urquhart Castle, which is on Loch Ness (loch is the Gaelic word for lake), so we were on the lookout for a monster. Urquhart, unlike some of the Scottish castles, is a ruin, but there’s enough left to explore and to climb the towers. The stone contrasted against the vibrant green Scottish grass and moss was a breathtaking sight.

After Urquhart, we drove up the eastern coast to Wick to check into our Airbnb. Scotland is usually a bit southern to be guaranteed of Northern Lights on any given day in winter, but apparently we missed a flare by 1 day. While we were a bit disappointed in missing the show, we were anything but disappointed in the Airbnb (Langley Cottage). It was GORGEOUS, and one of the best I have stayed in. We did our laundry, ate some of the complimentary food left by our host, took muscle-relaxing bubble baths, giggled at the heated floors, and fell asleep in luxury.

 

Monday 

We were actually quite sad to leave such a beautiful Airbnb, but we didn’t want to miss out on our castles, so we left early for Dunrobin Castle, one of my favorites of the trip. It was actually a rainy day and the drive there was particularly treacherous, but it ended up being absolutely worth the effort. We pulled drove through a series of trees insulating the pathway to the castle, making its appearance seem even more Disney-esque. The gardens had a vaguely French feel and one area in particular reminded me of The Secret Garden. Because it was a rainy day, there also weren’t many people there, and the beauty wasn’t dimmed at all. I had an absolute blast.

Then as the rain picked up and we were receiving reports of a hurricane hitting Ireland (the worst in 20 years), and Scotland expecting a great deal of damage on the western coast, I asked Trixie if she still wanted to go to her favorite castle, Eilean Donan. She said even if we didn’t get there in time to see the actual castle, she wanted to see it from the outside, so we got in the car and drove west, as the rain got worse.

We only stopped to see the Clava standing stones near Culloden, which if you’ve ever seen Outlander, you know is a big deal in Scottish history. The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising (Oh Jamie), and there are all sorts of legends about standing stones, including changelings that steal children who touch them or portals through time (hello Claire). This was a highlight for me.

Then, after a 3 hour drive, we made it to Eilean Donan with 3 minutes to go. 3 minutes! I had been wearing flip flops when driving and changing to rain boots when we stopped anywhere. With 3 minutes to go, we went running without changing anything. As we clamored into the ticketing office with a closed sign, we asked the cash register if she would sell us two more tickets. She told us we were really lucky, as she had just closed the first register and was in the process of closing the second. But she sold us 2 tickets with 1 minute to go after a 7 hour day. Talk about being lucky!

I squished around in my flip flops, wet from the rain, as we quickly made our way across the drawbridge and through the castle. Eilean Donan is actually still privately owned by a family and is a popular destination for weddings and filming sites. See more information on the history here. It was a dreary day but it kind of fit the location, in my opinion.

Energized from hitting all our main stops for the day and having a fabulous time, we headed toward Mar Hall, thankfully away from the storm and in the direction of Glasgow. I wanted to stay at Mar Hall because I was determined to find some sort of castle to stay in for our Scotland trip and Mar Hall was the closest I could find in that area. It is a very stately building, and does resemble a castle, but our room was pretty musty and I ended up needing an antihistamine from Trixie’s medicine bag. Medicine bag = 2, Shelley = 0. It was probably my least favorite of the places we stayed.

 

Tuesday

Tuesday morning, we plugged Glasgow University into our GPS, and it took us to a small farm up a mud road about 12 minutes from the actual Glasgow University. Thankfully, there were a few incredibly helpful people working there who dropped everything they were doing, came right up to our car and gave us directions in the heaviest Scottish accent I have ever heard. We tried to follow what we understood of their advice, but ended up just rerouting with the car navigation.

When we actually got there, Trixie had quite the experience trying to parallel park on the opposite side of the road in a big city. She got through it, though, and we walked over to the school entrance. I could actually see more of the influence of Glasgow University on J.K. Rowling than even Edinburgh Castle. The style, the winding staircases, the courtyard? I felt like I was in a different world. We ended up briefly crashing a Modern Business course, having an impromptu photoshoot under the famous cloisters, and wandering the main courtyard. The cafe adjoining the entrance to the university actually has fantastic coffee and pastries if you have time for a bite.

After exploring the school, we spent time exploring nearby stores and parks for another hour or two, and then drove back to Edinburg to drop off our car.

Successfully surviving our first experience driving on the opposite side of the road, we ate dinner at Forage and Chatter, which we both loved. It was simple and filling food, made-well.

We then checked into the Sheraton Hotel and Spa in Edinburgh, which also had a view of the castle and ended up being tied as my favorite accommodation of the trip (with the Airbnb in Wick). We spent the rest of the evening in the hotel’s rooftop hydrotherapy pool, which was relaxing and incredibly cool, with rotating neon lights and a view of the city. The hurricane had hit surrounding areas so hard that the sky was actually orange from the sand of the Sahara that had been blown over the sky of the UK. It was a beautiful sight until we realized where it came from, but thankfully the damage in Scotland was a bit less than originally predicted and mostly limited to the coast.

 

Wednesday

Wednesday morning we stopped in at a cute cafe, grabbing breakfast and delicious cappuccino, before heading out to climb Arthur’s Seat. Arthur’s Seat is the main peak of the group of hills in Edinburgh that form most of Holyrood Park, and we heard there was a wonderful view at the top. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes if you attempt this, since there are a gazillion steps in one part of the park, and slippery grass sections on others. The view from the top was as promised, though. The best to see all of Edinburgh!

As we took an Uber back to the airport for our flight home, we talked about how much we loved the balance of city activities and natural/more remote activities in Wick and the Highlands. We had a great sample of what Scotland has to offer and an unforgettable experience.

 

Sidenote:

Would have also liked to see in Edinburgh: *clean this up*

The Writer’s Museum

Mary King’s Close—https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/

palace-of-holyroodhouse

Holyrood Abbey

Inchcolm Abbey and Island-South Queensferry

Gilmerton Cove

Royal Botanic Gardens

National Monument Edinburgh

Edinburgh Gin Distillery mini-tour

Sir Walter Scott Memorial

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

Arthur’s Seat

If time, Hadrian’s Wall

Some horrible touristy bus thing