Scotland September 2024
- chiannhager
- Oct 4, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 10, 2024
What a beautiful country! Mountains, Lochs (lakes), Valleys, Farms, Castles, and not to mention all the movies and series that were filled and based on the many places throughout the country. ie: Outlander, Harry Potter, The Holy Grail, and The Game of Thrones.
This vacation was a combination of a small group touring with Gate 1 travel, some independent touring (I set up myself through Viator), and independent online research to determine what I wanted to see while walking through cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Day 1 - My Gate 1 - 10 Day Classic Scotland Tour began in Edinburgh
We started in the Edinburgh Double Tree Hotel - Located in the city and Edinburgh Castle is right up the hill and visible from the hotel.
The rooms are nice size with two double beds, a desk, and there are tea kettles with tea bags, instant coffee, creamer, and sugars.
Loved my view of Edinburgh city streets.
Walking around downtown, we found a local pub called the Hanging Bat!
Good food and local craft beer! Home | The Hanging Bat
Day 2 - Gate 1 - Edinburgh City Tour
The first part of the day was spent with the Gate 1 tour group:
We went by the Scottish Parliament, the Museum of Scotland, the Royal Mile, Georgian New Town and Princes Street. Also included is a visit to Edinburgh Castle.
Such a beautiful city filled with so much history.
Edinburgh Castle sits high above the city.
There was even a Bag Piper in full Scottish dress playing at the entrance
The second half of the day was doing independent touring and sightseeing:
I spent the afternoon on a Harry Potter scavenger hunt! Edinburgh is where J.K. Rollins lives and where she wrote the first book - "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
I went to the cafe "The Elephant House" where J.K. Rollins sat while writing the book. Looking out at the street from the cafe, you can see where the idea of Diagon Alley came from! There is a store on the street that sells all Harry Potter merchandise.
There are a couple ways to get around Edinburgh. You can walk to several places, ie: the Royal Mile which connects Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It is approximately 1.81 km long and is the most popular part of the Old Town. Guide to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh | Scottish Tours
There is also the local Bus - Lothian Bus and Tram Service
TIP: I simply downloaded the Bus and Tram App Bus & Tram App - Lothian Buses
I purchased the Day ticket which gave me a full day of unlimited bus and tram rides for the full day. £5.00 per adult Fares & Tickets - Lothian Buses
There are bus stops all around the city and if you use Google Maps it will tell you what bus or tram you can take to get to your destination.
Dinner was at the Hard Rock Cafe - This is a fun hobby of mine! I love going to Hard Rock Cafe's around the world.
Day 3 - This was an open day with no schedule on the Gate 1 small group - so as all Outlander fans will understand, a trip to Scotland would not be complete without seeing some Outlander filming sites!
I booked an Outlander tour on Viator from Edinburgh
This was a great tour with Rabbie Trail Burners Tour Company! Our bus driver was funny and knowledgeable about the filming sites. It was a small group of 16 people in a Mercedes mini-coach.
Doune Castle - This is used as Castle Leoch in Outlander, also in the Holy Grail, and Winterfell Castle from Game of Thrones
Blackness Castle (Fort William in Outlander)
Midhope Castle (Lallybroch - Jamie’s home)
Linlithgow Palace (Wentworth Prison in Outlander)
Culross (the fictional Cranesmuir in Outlander)
Geillis Duncan's House and the city center where the little boy got his ear nailed.
There are more Outlander filming sites, and I had a blast walking around various places to find things! It was like an Outlander Scavenger hunt!
I will add this information in another post.
Day 4 - We went to the town of St. Andrews, known for its famous golf course and the University where Prince William studied and met Princess Kate.
St Andrews is a small town that consists of 4 main streets. Lined with shops and cafe's it is a beautiful place.
I stopped in a lovely little cafe that is hidden in an alley way. Sat at a small table outside and enjoyed a cup of tea.
Next we went to Glamis Castle, childhood home of the Queen-Mother; Despite local legends of mysterious monsters and ghosts, the castle is still home to the Lyon family. Because this is still a private home to the royal family, we were not permitted to take pictures inside the castle. I took pictures of the outside and the grounds. It was fun to see the home that the Queen grew up in. We saw the Queens bedroom and nursery where Charles and Margret were at babies.
We traveled farther north into the Scottish Highlands and through the mountainous Cairngorms National Park.
We stopped for the night in the winter sports resort of Aviemore
Day 5 - In the morning we went to Culloden Battlefield
This will be familiar for all the Outlander fans!
Although it was pretty cool to see it in person because of all I learned about it from Outlander, it is a very sad place due to the slaughter of over 1500 Scottish highlanders. They died following Bonnie Prince Charles, who led them to believe he would support and see them through. In the end Charles ran away and went into hiding leaving all those men to die.
There are stone markers on the Culloden field to represent the clans that ended on that day,
Stopped in Inverness and had lunch at the Coyote Pub and did some sightseeing while passing through
Last stop of the day: Singleton Whiskey Distillery and tasting
Day 6 - Loch Ness, Isle of Skye
Went to the Loch Ness and tried to find Nessy for a photo but she never appeared. (maybe next time)
The Loch is beautiful as all of the highlands are. No motorized boats are permitted in Loch Ness so you will only see Sail boats. It is a very quiet and peaceful place.
Next stop was Isle of Skye - Very Northern part of the Highlands
Day 7 - Loch Lomond, Glasgow City Tour
On our way down the west side of Scotland
We took a boat ride on Loch Lomond - This is the only Loch that motorized boats can go on.
Beautiful falls and mountain sides
Touring and walking around Glasgow - There are some Outlander filming spots here as well. (I will be covering all the Outlander spots on a different Blog)
I had a wonderful steak dinner at the Mini Grill restaurant! The service was top notch, and the steak will melt in your mouth! I most definitely recommend them if you are in Glasgow. Mini Grill Steakhouse, Glasgow (minigrillglasgow.co.uk)
Stayed at the Hilton Double Tree Glasgow - rooms were very nice, large and I had a great view!
It was time to say Good-Bye to Scotland. What a wonderful and beautiful week it was. There are no words to describe the beauty of the landscapes and the friendliness of all the people.
I can't wait to return! Now that I have done the Gate 1 group tour and saw the country from the south to the highlands, next time I think I will just do my own touring and return to the places I want to explore further. Edinburgh and Glasgow for sure. Then I would also like to spend more time at St Andrews and Inverness.
So much to still see and do!
Start planning your Scotland vacation
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