The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Ten

Glasgow: It is always hard to say goodbye, especially when you have fallen in love. The trip to Scotland went by fast but left an impression.

Click on the video below and you'll understand. It is hard to make a trip of a lifetime and not let it get emotional.

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Nine

Glasgow: We ended up in Glasgow on Day Nine. We stayed at a hotel on the airport grounds, in order to be able to get up and get to our early morning plane. It was a sad day. It is a decent drive from Oban down to Glasgow, however, the roads are treacherous. Treacherous because they are narrow and forces you to drive very carefully. Be very cautious driving around Loch Lomond.

The video today explains how we took my grandfather's hat and carried it with us throughout the trip. We wanted to leave it with someone Gramp would think was pretty cool. We wanted to find someone, even a pub, who we thought would embody his spirit. We almost gave the hat to two carpenters in Oban. Our grandfather was a carpenter. We didn't leave it because we never thought we'd be back and the hat meant too much to us.

Presently, the hat is in a locker with my personal belongings in my office in Stirling. He's protecting my stuff.

We used Day Nine as a travel day. I recommend you might do the same to ease your stress. The flights leave very early, so instead of freaking yourself out, stay at the Holiday Inn Express at the airport.

Holiday Inn Express at Glasgow Airport
(click on picture to make reservation)

There is a pub there and breakfast is included. The only downside is meals. I recommend eating dinner in the airport on the second floor. Decent food. The Holiday Inn (not the express) has dinners but very pricey and they don't taste very good. Pints are extremely expensive at the hotels. You'll miss the local pubs for sure.

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Eight

Oban: I've mentioned Oban a few times on this site and it is with good reason. Oban is one of my favorite places on earth. The town has a real European feel to it and a great sea front view. You can hop a ferry and go to the Isle of Mull. Mull is a fantastic place as well.

Enjoying Oban (relax and take it in)

Oban harbor

You can take a small boat tour from the harbor to see the seal colony just off shore. You'll love it, not just for the seals but for the chance to get so close to the water and see Oban from the water in an open boat. The ferry is nothing more than a big bus. So enjoy the ocean in the tour boats, at least once while you stay there.

Seals at the Seal Colony off of Oban Harbor

Enjoying the sights on the train

One of the best train rides is from Glasgow to Oban. On the return, you will experience a sunset that will blow you away. I literally almost cried the last time I returned from Oban. The sun sets and creates a purple hue as you fly through the hilly countryside. It is a moving experience. Put on an iPod and enjoy it. You will never forget it.

The train ride from Oban is fantastic.

Click on the video below and see Day Eight and the beautiful sights of Oban.

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Seven

Isle of Skye: It is a beautiful place and one that needs time. We spent two days there and did not see everything. This is the place you need a car. You'll need the car to get to some of the far away and remote spots. Dunvegan is the farthest point to the west. There is a castle there but we found it a bit touristy.

Skye is a beautiful place

We stayed at Ptarmigan B&B in Broadford. It was a lovely place on the water. However, we did get into the whisky a wee bit and were very noisy. What is nice about this B&B is that they have a dining area that is sealed off from the rest of the guests and so we did not cause too much trouble with our loud American voices.

Take your time traveling Skye but make sure you make time for sunsets.

Broadford is a good place to stay but there is also Portree. Portree is a very quaint town that's very

Portree Harbor

Ptarmigan B&B in Broadford was just the right stop for us.

The B&B also has a five star cottage for self-catering. The price is excellent, so if you are up to getting your own food, that's the way to go.

View from Ptarmigan cottage.

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We spent two days on Skye, so more about Skye on the next day's journey but click below and see the sights of Day Seven.

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Six

Loch Ness: What would a trip to Scotland be without a trip to Loch Ness? Getting there is a bit tricky but once there you can see how the legend is so captivating. The hills that surround the Loch are quite high and you feel you are nestled in the cradle of a water world.

I highly recommend Scotland for Dummies as a guide when traveling around Scotland, especially in places like Loch Ness. There are many touristy stops you can be lured into. The book rates and explains each one. Read the book and you'll get an idea which ones you like. It helped us narrow down where we wanted to go. There is a link on this website to purchase the book if you like.

Urquhart Castle is a must stop. You will thoroughly enjoy it. It is well presented and very thought provoking. Don't miss the film presentation. It has a great ending. I sat through it twice.

Click on the castle for more info about Urquhart Castle.

First thing you notice about Loch Ness is the dark water. It is extremely dark and cold. In the video provided, the guide showed us how deep it gets and how the loch was formed.

The second thing you will notice is how long the wake of boats last. It must explain some of the sightings of Nessie. I have lived near water most of my life and I've never seen boat trails that long. Long enough that you may forget a boat recently passed by.

We have tendency to forget is that Loch Ness is not just a legendary place but a real place. Currently, Scotland is trying to find ways to make cleaner energy for the United Kingdom and Loch Ness is involved in some of the plans.

Click on the picture to get modern news of Loch Ness.

I strongly recommend taking one of the various boat cruises. You will find the boats in Drummondrochit, the town closest to Urquhart Castle.

Click on the boat to go right to the cruise website.

Sit back and you'll hear the tale. The tale of a fateful trip. Just click and watch the video of this mighty trip (BELOW):

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Five

Forres/Darnaway Forrest: If you follow your ancestory you may find a few surprises. Day Five took us to the places where our family originated. We walked the streets of Forres, a very nice and quiet town. We found bowling greens and a ruin, Sueno's Stone.

Click the picture of Sueno's Stone to go to website that details the stone.



We enjoyed the sunny day in Forres. We then traveled just a few miles south to Darnaway Forest. It is there that one of our ancestors, Alistair Cumming was made legendary by jumping a chasm to escape an ambush of the Randolph family. The place is called Randolph's Leap instead of Alastair's Leap because Robert the Bruce hated our clan so much. The Comyn family were rivals to the throne and Bruce killed the clan chief, Red Comyn, in a church in Dumfries. It led to an escalation of genocide that involved taking our family land and killing our clan members.



Playing pipes at Randolph's Leap

Here's me piping at Randolph's Leap last year. Since the trip in 2003, I learned to play the bagpipes. I was determined to return to Randolph's Leap and play the pipes for Alastair. "Courage" our clan motto is clearly testified by Alastair and his legendary escape.
Click the picture of the castle to see all the sights from the castle site.


Dunphail Castle is the castle of our clan. Alastair was trying in vain to get to the castle when he was trapped in a cave. The rest of the family were burned out of the castle and everything ended badly for the Cumming Clan.

The Castle is on private property and difficult to get to. But I'm sure if you contact the family you may not have a problem. You can find the castle on a map but it will be labeled a ruin.


Here's a link to the story of Dunphail castle and other ghost stories.


Click on the video below and see our first try at getting to Dunphail castle and day five of the Utimate Scottish Vacation.

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Four

NAIRN: On the way to Nairn we stopped at a wonderful castle. Cawdor Castle was excellent. Supposedly, this was the castle MacBeth is set. The family who owns the castle still lives there, they open it up to the tourists in the summer. It is a very fine museum and the girls really enjoyed it.



CAWDOR CASTLE
(Click picture and go to their website)

I went to the small golf course near the castle. It was a par three course that required only three clubs. I laughed at the guy who gave me a pitching wedge, a putter and a four iron. "That's all you need." He was right.

There was a certain amount of joy to be on top of the hill on the green of the fourth hole. I looked out and could see the firth in the distance. Firth means "bay" in Scotland. It was a great day and one I will never forget. I bought a ball marker with the crest of Cawdor Castle on it. I use to every time I golf now.

Public golf courses in Scotland are very cheap. The Private ones are not. However, the public courses are not that spectacular. If you want a golf course that will make you feel you have died and gone to heaven try the Nairn golf course. There are two in Nairn but the one I thought was heve is the one on Seabank Road. Here's the link: (CLICK THE PICTURE)




NAIRN GOLF COURSE
ON SEABANK ROAD


Enjoy the beaches in Nairn. There are some very good B&Bs in Nairn. Call ahead or you will have trouble finding a vacancy.



(above) NAPIER B&B in Nairn, hostess: Hilary MacLeod

I recommend Napier B&B. Pictured above. Click on the picture and you will go to their website. It was very reasonable in price. $40 a person per night. It included a full Scottish breakfast in the morning. We stayed there and it was great. Right near the beaches and the backyard opens up into the public golf course, connected to the Nairn Golf Course.

To get the full view of Day Four click on the video below:

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Three

Central Scotland: STIRLING & DUNKELD: Eventually we want to get to the highlands but we decided to take our time and stop in Central Scotland. It is a good half-way point and worth the stop. Once you get out of Edinburgh you will notice that life changes. It is more laid back and rural.

Stirling was our first stop and we went to the castle. It is a magnificient castle but a bit more stark and realistic than Edinburgh. You will have a different opinion of King James once you've stopped there. He was bit ruthless to say the least and once you see the beheading stone and drain, you'll know what I mean. For a guy who is responsible for the King James Version of the Bible, you have to wonder it is because he committed so many sins he needed to do something for the Almighty.

Stirling is a great place, I lived there for a year and if you go to the blog attatched to this site you can read enormous amounts about Stirling and see pictures as well. It is a place I cherish.

On our trip, we stayed the night in Dunkeld on our third day. We had a wonderfully old hotel to stay in. They served very good pub food on an outdoor patio. We had our first taste of prawn salad that night. I recommend the salmon anywhere you can get it.

Driving in the country is much easier than the city, so by day three you are starting to adapt to driving on the other side of the road.

Click below to watch the third day of our trip:

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day Two

Edinburgh: Day two was the first real day of vacation. Day one was strictly travel but day two started early for my sister and I. Our hotel was in Leith, which is in the eastern side of Edinburgh on the water. She and I jogged the streets in the morning. It was a bit odd to be in a foreign country and running by people as if they were figments of our immagination but it was quite enjoyable. The hotel was quite a ways from downtown. My wife and my sister did not want to take cabs for some reason. I recommend to you now, that taking a cab in Scotland is safe and the best way to travel in either Glasgow or Edinburgh. Even in the rural areas, you can still get a cab.

Day two was spent at the Edinburgh castle. Worth every minute. Best castle in Scotland to visit. I learned about wars I never heard of before. Ever heard of Aden? It's in South Arabia and the Brits fought a war there at the end of the 1950's. How about Oman? Click this link to the site for more wars you never heard of.

We spent most of the day at the castle and enjoyed it. The castle is still a working garrison for a scottish regiment. The royal jewels are stowed in a vault-like room. A great museum. Even a cemetary for regimental dogs. One dog liked to chase cannonballs during battle. They had the dog stuffed and is in a display case.

If you go in August, you must see the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It is excellent. Military bands from around the world come together and put on a show. One regiment likes to jump cars on motorcycles and that's pretty cool. The Tattoo is intended to show you how far the British empire grew and as influenced the world.

Have a pint at night in any of the fine pubs near the castle. We did and had a great time.

A few corrections in the video...WE went to the Jolly Judge Pub near the castle not Judge Jones pub. The video was cut down due to the download limitations. The piper at the end of the video is how they end the Tattoo every evening. They have a platform for him now but in days past, when the lights went out some pipers took a fatal fall down the side of the castle.

Check out the video below of Day Two.

The Ultimate Scottish Vacation: Day One

Okay, so you want to go to Scotland. In the next ten days of this site, I will take you through the vacation you could plan if you had ten days to spend in Scotland. I think this vacation in Scotland is one that will give you the best overview of the country, give you a wonderful time and a chance to experience the culture.

The only thing I would change in this vacation is the car rental. I would not have picked up a car in Glasgow but take the train for most of the journey. In fact, I would not pick up a rental car until I got to Inverness and then traveled the highlands. You don't need a car anywhere but in Skye and Loch Ness. The trains don't run in Skye and it is difficult to get to Loch Ness without a car.

First thing: Cabs are awesome in Scotland. Make sure your cell phone can work overseas or pick up a pay as you go when you arrive. You will need it for many things; safety, taxis, lodgings, etc. It is worth picking one up at the airport or at a store on your first day. If you have an AT&T phone, you can easily go to an ORANGE store in Scotland and get a pay as you go chip for your phone. It should be an easy conversion and you can use your phone in Scotland. My phone works in both countries and I use a separate chip for each country. It saves lots of money for me.

Now if you plan a flight...go into Glasgow not Edinburgh. You will save a couple hundred dollars and depending on how many are flying with you, a lot of money. Also, if you live near Canada try driving up to Toronto and flying out of that airport. The airport has been upgraded and it very easy to get around. We got a good fare with Air Canada and flew out of Toronto. We saved hundreds of dollars but you do have the hassle of going into another country to fly to another country. We didn't find it a problem in 2003.

Don't get any British currency until you get to Scotland. Go to the ATM at the airport and take out enough for a few days. Don't take too much because you don't want to be walking around with all that cash. Then go to the Starbucks on the first level and get a cup of coffee, pay with a 10 pound note and ask for change in pound coins. You will need the coins for train and bus travel. Bus drivers can get pissy if you give them big bills.

Take the bus that will bring you to Queens Street station. The bus you want is easily marked. If you are confused just ask, people are friendly and it's not New York. You won't be mugged after asking a question.

Once you get to Queens Street, go to the middle of the terminal. You can purchase your tickets from the vending machine...but it might be too confusing for you. Near the Buchanan Street side of the terminal there are ticket counters. They can help you out and make sure you get the right ticket. What you want is a cheap day return...it is a two way ticket but cheaper than a one way. A cheap day return to Edinburgh. However, depending on what time of day it is you may have limitations. IF it is rush hour, you won't be able to use the ticket until after 10am. If you arrive before 10am and need to go right away, ask for a single day return. I'd go with the cheap day, and sit in the terminal or take a walk on Buchanan while waiting for the appropriate train...hey, you are on vacation what's the hurry?

Get to Edinburgh Waverly Station and then find a cab to take you to your hotel. I recommend two days in Edinburgh because you will be tired, there is lots to do and it is an expensive city. Know that once you get out of the city, prices come down incredibly so plan your vacation accordingly.

Once you've settled into your hotel. Taken a shower, etc...get another cab and go straight to the Royal Mile. You can shop there, eat, get a pint or two and soak in the Scottish flavor. Don't worry about getting a cab in Edinburgh.

Our first day, we planned on one tourist stop and kept the day light. We learned our first lesson that Scots eat later. We arrived at the restaurant at 5pm and they asked us if we wanted lunch. It works in your favor to eat early as the costs are less as well. A pub is a necessity at night. You will want to stay awake as long as possible the first day to adjust to the time change. You will collapse at 8pm, as I did.

Watch the video below of our first day in Scotland in 2003. This was our first trip and one that changed my life. I will put each day on this site for you to help you plan your trip. I would do the same itnerary anyday because it gave me the best experience of the country. It helped me later when I moved there to understand the geography. Speaking of geography, get a map, and study it. Know where the main cities are because it will help you as you travel.

Check out the video below of Day One: