Tag: Scotland

(Originally shared with friends and family on September 23, 2025. A note about the format of this travel journal: I’ve shared the original dates in the body of each journal entry. In order to make the journal chronological, I had ‘fudge’ the dates of the bottom of each post. Please ignore them. Also, I adopted the Scottish use of military time throughout my entries).  The above photo is a reproduction of my photo from Giant’s Causeway that I captured in 2023. I’m feeling on top of the world at Suidhe Viewpoint. Additional photos can be found here.

23 September, 2025

0745, Tree Tops Bungalow, Drumnadrochit 

It nice sleeping in this morning, even though I woke up at 0626. Last night and this morning I could hear the sound of the nearby river and this morning the birdsong

The home owners have several full apple trees on their property and their roses are still blooming, but they will soon fade.  It’s a nice peaceful place 

2020, Loch Ness Inn, Loch Ness

We had a wonderful day.  I’ve decided that we aren’t tourist but investors.  It makes shopping seem for worthy 

We had a late start and headed to Inverness.  We arrive a little after ten o’clock and spend the rest of the morning and the early afternoon investing in Scottish goods. We had a lovely lunch at Coyotes where we both got cheeseburgers and I upgraded my fries to a side of Heart Disease (cheese sauce, barbecue sauce and bacon).  After lunch, and another short trip to invest, we headed back to the car and then headed to Colluden to go to the battlefield.

The scene there was breathtaking but solemn.  I don’t know much about the Jacobite uprising, but the museum at the battlefield had both the Jacobite point of view and the English point of view.  It was very fascinating and informative.  We walked along the battlefield and I could almost hear the final breaths of the Highlanders who met their doom there.  There were grave markers from the different clans and as well as a grave marker for unknown clansmen.  I had to laugh because the ‘Fraser’ grave marker was roped off.  Apparently, due to the popularity of the show ‘Outlander’, fans would come and find it and act very inappropriate at the marker.  

We stayed there for about an hour and half and then took the long way back.  I wanted to drive back on the opposite side of the loch as I heard it was very beautiful.  And it was, but there streets were very narrow.  One time, an oncoming car didn’t even bother to scooch over and almost hit me.  It was a little nerve wracking!  But in the end, we had a beautiful drive and stopped on top of a mountain, just north of Fort Augustus that had beautiful scenery.  We stopped to take photographs and discovered a hiking trail and decided to hike it (in our dresses, again!). The views were magnificent and we had it to ourselves most of the time.  After climbing down, we headed back to Tree Tops.

Neither one of us was very hungry but we decided we deserved a pint so we walked to the Loch Ness Inn after getting sorted back at Tree Tops.  I had a Red Ale and Tara had something local, then we switched to whisky.  Then we decided to have another whisky, then a cup of soup (turnip and horseradish, which was lovely), then dessert, then pink gin.  We will sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow, we plan on going on some local hikes and then seeing the Highland Coos.  Tomorrow is our last ‘real’ day in Scotland as Thursday will be a traveling day back to Glasgow.  And then we’ll be home.

I’ve really enjoyed our time here and am so grateful for the opportunity.  But I do miss Elliot and Eleanor.  Earlier this summer, Tara and I bumped our heads and adopted two kittens which we named Theo (mine) and Mille (Tara’s).  I miss them as well.  But we have a lovely neighbor who is taking good care of them while we’re gone.  Still, it will be nice to see them again (and beg forgiveness for leaving them!).

Originally shared with friends and family on September 24, 2025. A note about the format of this travel journal: I’ve shared the original dates in the body of each journal entry. In order to make the journal chronological, I had ‘fudge’ the dates of the bottom of each post. Please ignore them. Also, I adopted the Scottish use of military time throughout my entries).  The above photo is a very silly Highland Coo! Additional photos can be found here.

24 September 2025

1622, Loch Ness Inn, Drumnadrochit 

Tara and I are enjoying a well deserved pint of Red. We’ve had a wonderful day and so far I’ve clocked in over 16,000 steps

I woke up a little later than usual and enjoyed my devotion and coffee.  Tara got up, too, and joined me. We read for a bit and then headed to the meet up place for the Highland Cow Tour that was scheduled for 1130.  We were early so walked around a bit, did a little more investing, and a lot of people watching.  Drumnadrochit has a meeting point for many different tours and buses were coming and going.  

Finally, it was our time and we climbed into the van and headed to see the coos (highland cows).  Ian was the farmer who owned the coos and served as our tour guide.  We were a group of eight, the maximum number of guests Ian would allow, and headed to his farm.  On the way, he told us that his family have been there for eight generations.  His farm was wonderful.  I don’t remember how many sheep and coos he had, but several of them were his pets and had names.  We met Essie and Heather, who were the stars of the attraction.  Nearby, there were some sheep, and two calves, one of which was Essie’s.  Ian talked about how he started to give tours to supplement the income that is needed to support his animals.  He said in the winter, they have to provide food for 180 days and he orders 600 bales of hay!  Essie and Heather were very sweet, but we had to be mindful of the horns.  Essie’s particularly were very long.  They had treats we could feed them and several people on the tour were able to bottle feed the calves and the sheep.

Ian talked about how difficult it is to keep the sheep, because shepherd’s don’t get paid a fair wage for the shorn wool.  He said they only get 39 pence per sheep, which is about $0.48.  I was very surprised and disappointed to hear that, especially when he said that if he hired someone to shear the sheep, they would do it for two pounds per sheep (about $2.63).  One thing that I didn’t know was that there is a breed of sheep that sheds, which eliminates the need to be shorn.  Ian is trying to transition to those sheep.  The highland cows shed their hair and the birds use it for building their nests.

Ian’s farm was beautiful and his coos and sheep had an amazing view of the loch and Urquhart Castle.

After the tour, which was about an hour long, we invested some more and then headed out to find lunch.  The plan was to hike to Urquhart Castle and then maybe to the Falls of Foyer, which isn’t too far away.   But I got turned around, even using Apple Maps and we discovered that we were talking along a different route – one that is 42 miles long!  We quickly backtracked and were on the right path.  (The out of the way excursion was up a steep mountain but the views were beautiful!).  We didn’t have tickets to Urquhart Castle, but were able to see it from the road.  We stayed there for about twenty minutes, taking photographs, then headed back to town.

1934, Tree Tops Bungalow, Drumnadrochit 

I’ve very sleepy but very content.  I had over 17,000 steps!  When we got back to our place (after having a wee dram after the Red), Tara sliced up some apples and baked them with butter and raspberry jam that we had.  I made Mac & cheese that we bought in Arisaig, and dressed it up with some hot mustard and two hard boiled eggs we had.  Then, I packed up our extra duffel and it is FULL!  I have to remember to tell Delta that I’m checking the duffel on the way home.

Tomorrow we’re making our way back to Glasgow and will return the car.  We’re taking the long way round and there are a few stops I want to make.  Then we’ll head to the airport hotel and get a good night’s sleep for our return home.

This trip has been wonderful and I can’t believe it’s almost over.  Tara and I want to keep up the long walks we’ve had once we’re home, but will probably only be able to take them on the weekends.  As much as I loved traveling solo in Ireland, it was so much fun to experience a new place with my friend.  It’s going to be hard to decide if I want to return to Scotland next time or back to Ireland.  I might have to flip a coin!

Originally shared with friends and family on September 25, 2025. A note about the format of this travel journal: I’ve shared the original dates in the body of each journal entry. In order to make the journal chronological, I had ‘fudge’ the dates of the bottom of each post. Please ignore them. Also, I adopted the Scottish use of military time throughout my entries).  The above photo is the sundial at St Conan’s Kirk. Additional photos can be found here.

25 September 2025

1209, Waterfront Fish House Restaurant, Oban

I have a sore throat.  It came on last night and I’ve been taking some of Tara’s leftover medicine. I guess it’s best to get it as we wind down our trip, but it’s still annoying. 

We are taking the long way back to Glasgow, and decided to stop in Oban for lunch.  Tara ordered mussels again, we both had the seafood chowder, and I had baked haddock with mash and broccoli.  It was very good.  We then stopped at the pharmacy to get some lozenges.

1728, Holiday Inn, Glasgow Airport

It’s hard to believe that in less than 12 hours we’ll be on our way home.  This adventure has been amazing but the ending was a little stressful.

After Oban, we continued on the long way to Glasgow and stopped at St Conan’s Kirk, which is a beautiful old cathedral on Loch Awe.  While we were there, a couple was getting married.  I crashed the wedding and watched the ceremony (it was only the bride, groom, priest, photographer who acted as a witness and the church lady.  And me).  It was a beautiful setting and I hope Daniel and Katherine have a long life together filled with love, laughter and happiness.  After we walked around a bit longer we headed to Kilchurn Castle, which wasn’t too far away.  I turned into a parking area too soon but it worked out great because we were able to walk right up to the castle (where I wanted to go was just a parking leeway, so seeing it up close and personal was much better).  

We then got back into the car and that’s when everything fell apart.  We had lingered a bit too long at lunch, St Conan’s and Kilchurn, and I was afraid we would be late turning the car in.  When I realized we would be late (because we got stuck behind a slow as molasses driver), Tara call the car rental to explain and arrange a late drop off.  I’m glad she called because I thought we needed to drop the car off at 1730, but it was actually supposed to be 1700, and there was NO WAY we’d make it.  Tara arranged to have the car dropped off at the airport instead, (for a $75 fee), but getting to the airport was an ordeal.

I’m usually confident on round about, but between the sun in my eyes, not knowing where I was going and the stress of the situation, I was super stressed.  But after a few wrong turns and a helpful Enterprise employee, we finally got where we needed to be and left the car in a parking garage per instructions.  Then, we headed to the Holiday Inn.

I think we’re ready to go, but I want to get up earlier than super early to make sure everything is packed well.  We now have two carry on rollers, two back packs, and the duffel that we’ll have to check at the desk.  I want to get to the airport at 4am as we have a 6am flight to Amsterdam.  Then we’ll be on our way home.

I’m really happy how this trip turned out.  I think Tara was pleased with my planning and the accommodations I found.  I even think she approved of my driving!

Saturday, 27 September 2025- Nashville
I had trouble sleeping, especially early this morning.  Not because of jet lag but because I was so congested I had trouble breathing.  That, and the fact that Theo’s favorite night time game is to climb between the comforter and the sheet to attack my feet.  Not a pleasant activity for me as he has sharp sharp claws.

Elliot, Eleanor, Theo and Millie came to bed with me last night which made me feel loved.  This morning, when I eventually got up (around 7am), Elliot gave me lots of hugs.  I think he missed me as much as I missed him.  Tara said Yodi and Cotton slept with her, too.

For most of the day, after having coffee and devotions on the porch, I unpacked and relived our adventure in my mind.

Of my three recent international trips, Scotland was the most expensive one, but I spent more on souvenirs and had to pay for cat sitters.  I also invested in wool clothing, something that wasn’t exclusive to the Scotland trip, but came out of the Scotland budget.

Speaking of clothes, I think I did well minimizing my wardrobe.  The only thing I packed, but didn’t wear, was a pair of black pants – something that was a late addition.  I had two wool dresses (that I could wear together which is what I did on flight days), two wrap wool sweaters, my four under scrub long sleeves tops, two pairs of pants, a light tunic, wool leggings I wore as PJ bottoms, regular leggings that I wore under the dresses, a long sleeve cotton shirt I wore as  a PJ top, my Duck shoes, my hiking shoes, three pairs of wool undies that I washed at night after wearing (one to wear, one as a spare, one to dry),  three wool bras that I rotated between, my Barbour jacket that I wore most of the time, my lighter Orvis jacket, my Irish hat and my Irish beanie.  The only thing I washed (besides the undies) was an undershirt.

We were able to do carry-on only on the way there.  My SMV backpack that Bob gave me was not a problem fitting under an airline seat, but I didn’t pack it full, either.  We packed a collapsible duffel bag to check on the way home, and it was full of our treasures that we had bought for ourselves and for others.  The super star of the trip, packing wise, was my stuff-able neck pillow.  I put my long sleeve tops and leggings in it and it was pretty comfortable to wear.  Tara has one, too, but I don’t think she used it, even though she brought it with her.

On the way home, we had to check our carry-ons as the flight to Amsterdam was full.  It wasn’t a big deal because we had to check the duffel and I had Apple Tags in everything.  Delta also has a good back tracking system as well on their app.

I think our trip went smoothly with only two hiccups:  the first one occurred when we checked out of Sherbrooke Castle in Glasgow.  I was in a hurry and pulled out a plug via the American plug, and not the adapter, and left it in the room.  I didn’t notice it until we checked in at Dalmally.  Luckily, it wasn’t an issue because I had a back up adapter, and two of the places we stayed at had adaptors in the room.  Still, it was a stupid mistake, but I’m glad I had a back up adapter.  The second hiccup was cramming in too much on the last day, when we drove from Drumnadrochit to Glasgow, and had to make last minute arrangements to get a late drop off for the car.  I was nervous about the length on the drive when I scheduled our trip, and we lingered whenever we stopped.  I have no regrets on lingering, but should have been mindful with the distance.

It’s hard to say which place we stayed at was my favorite, as they were all  so different.  The hosts at Torbeag House were so kind and hospitable, but I especially loved the little apartment we had at Arisaig (Kilmory).  I think Sherbrooke Castle was my least favorite place.

Next time I go back, I think I would spend one week in Glasgow with the intention of visiting Edinburgh and Sterling via train during the week, and then one week in the Highlands, using Kilmory or Torbeag House as a base.  I really want to go to Iona, as it is steeped with spiritual history, but it’s a bit of a pain to get there, which is why we didn’t go this time.  Next time, for sure.

I drove 870 miles in nine days.  The rental never gave me a name (not how Pierre and Charlie did, and once I got used to all the bells and whistles, it was a fun SUV to drive.  However, I think some of the ‘safety issues’ were a bit distracting as I’m not used to them in my car.  If I went one mile over the speed limit, it would beep.  If I got over too far on the shoulder, it would beep a different beep.  I’m sure if I was motivated, I could have figured out how to turn them off, but I wasn’t motivated enough to go through the manual.  Instead, I had daily goals when I drove:  No beeps (going downhill or uphill didn’t count) and no stalls (the first few days, it was difficult for me to find first and second gear, for some reason).  I managed the roundabouts pretty well, and only got honked at twice.  I also tried to convince Tara that parking backwards is superior to parking forwards, but she isn’t buying it.  

Tara was a good passenger, but the first few days she was nervous, as it was a completely new experience for her to be on the left hand side of the road.  She also wasn’t a fan of my mountain driving (lines in the road are decorations!).  Sometimes her gasps and spoken prayers were another distraction but we worked it out.  I had to make a rule that there was to be no talking during a busy roundabout, only silent prayers.  She became a good navigator, too.

I’ve lived with Tara for over a year, but underestimated her love of walking.  We ended up walking quite a bit, but next time I plan a trip for us, I will incorporate more hikes.  I had a Scottish Highland Walking Map app that I used a few times, but it was not always very helpful.

I had more aches and pains this trip than during my previous trips, but I am older, too.  It wasn’t anything that ibuprofen and whisky couldn’t fix, but my right hip and left foot would at times let me know they were displeased with my activities.  I also felt more cautious maneuvering paths.  In the past, I would hop along but this time I was much slower and almost fearful of taking a wrong step.

It’s so unnatural spelling ‘whisky’ and not ‘whiskey’.  ‘Whisky’ is the Scottish way while ‘Whiskey’ is the Irish way.  The ‘E’ stands for excellence! (So say the Irish, but I tend to agree with them!)

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make another international trip in 2026, though there is some talk about going to Ireland to photograph renewal vows for a friend sometime in 2026. I hope that happens because it would be an amazing trip for all involved.

I had an amazing time and I’m so thankful that Tara was able to come with me.  It was so nice to experience a place that was new to both of us and to travel with a friend.  I’m sure this isn’t the last time we travel together.

Here are some travel notes that might be of interest.  We flew Delta roundtrip from Nashville to New York to Amsterdam to Glasgow.  The trip was long but we upgraded our seats and I was comfortable with my long legs.  We didn’t have any trouble with connections and the journey was non-eventful.  On the way home, we flew from Glasgow to Amsterdam to Atlanta to Nashville.  Again, it was a non-eventful flight in comfort.  However, when we return one day, I think I would prefer one less connection on our flight.  

I hired the car through Celtic Legends and they were super.  I especially liked that we could take our car on a ferry – something that is a big no-no in Ireland for some reason.

For this trip, I purchased for both of us stuff-able neck pillows for the flights.  I put my wool shirts in mine and it worked like a charm, especially since we were ‘carry on only’ on the way there.  I had a foldable duffel bag that we fit in Tara’s rolling carry on and used it on the way back as a checked bag.  It was a good arrangement and a much needed extra bag as we had so enthusiastically helped the Scottish economy.

Most of the clothes we both brought with us were wool so we were able to wear them a few times without having to wash them.  I did take Soak laundry detergent with us to have, and we did do laundry at least once in Arisaig.  Wool clothes pack so well and dry so quickly and I’m a big fan!

I had all the bells and whistles for international travel, but one thing I wish I did was put washi tape around my plug converter so it stood out more.  Yep, I unplugged a charging cord but didn’t take out the converter from the wall.  This happened in Glasgow, and by the time I realized it was missing, we were in Dalmally.  I called Sherbrooke Castle to see if they found it, but it had walked away.  It wasn’t a big deal, but we had to get creative with charging all our devices, especially since Tara didn’t have anything with her.  I now have a back up that’s ready for my next trip.

Tara got an International Plan for our phones so we didn’t have to worry about our cell phones not working in the United Kingdom.  It was so convenient. 

I exchanged some dollars for sterling but didn’t need cash at all.  For my research for this trip, a lot of people on social media recommended having cash, especially in the Highlands, but it was a non-issue for us.  I used Apple Pay almost exclusively so I rarely had to pull out a physical credit card, which was nice. 

Thank you for sharing my adventures.  It was an amazing experience and I hope my journal gave you a real idea of each day I spent in Scotland.