Another jewel in the neighbourhood, Scotland is a super short hop over from Ireland, serviced by some irresistible economical flights; I’ve scored tickets under 20 euro a few times.
The first time was not by air. It was a more romantic and magical journey by rail. I was a student in London, and got the overnight train from King’s Cross–now famous for being the journey that JK Rowling outlined the exquisite Harry Potter!
Since then, I’ve made about half a dozen trips to Edinburgh for weddings and other events. In the summer of 2017, I finally went a little north to Inverness and ticked the box on the bucket list for cruising Loch Ness.
Edinburgh during the Arts Festival
I usually avoid travelling anywhere in Europe during August but we wanted to meet up with some very special friends flying in from Denver. The city was crowded but it wasn’t as bad as I thought, and the building dressed up with dazzling lights and the energy in the city was amazing. We were also lucky with the weather too and there was an amazing full moon. Can’t beat those ingredients!
Edinburgh during the Christmas Market
Perth: A Break from the Road
This little town was lovely and shinning bright in the summer sun and the perfect place to stop on our road trip up to Inverness from Edinburgh. We had a fantastic meal at the Venue, a place that serves as a gallery for local artists, and has a charming gin bar in the back. My friend ate roast pigeon. I thought this was very interesting as some pigeon droppings had landed on him that morning.
In his words, “You shit on me, I eat your cousin!”
Inverness
The gateway to the Highlands. In August it had a great vibe with bagpipers roaming the street playing for the tourists and hotels brimming with guests. We loved walking the streets, casing the outskirts of the castle reading about its history and spending a long afternoon in a pool of setting sun drinking local ales.
Loch Ness
Bucket List checked. No Nessie. We had a lot of fun looking, and counting how many people explained she was not real. Some peeps just want to try and spoil your whimsy.
The tours were very popular and we almost missed the boat we had tickets on because there was no parking above the jetty. A quick sprint back from a long way down the road and our party boarded at the last minute. As luck would have it, we got the best spot at the bow of the lower deck.
Whimspherical 