The May half term holidays also saw one week of Scottish bliss – rolling green hills, spunky kilts and the ‘delicious’ Haggis – this trip had a lot of expectations! Not to mention, Gerard’s brother James was joining us... the Brick boys on the loose!
Our journey started in Edinburgh, a much talked about city. Interestingly, this beautiful city was built up vertically over the years, making the tall buildings and cobblestone streets weave in and out of one another. Highlights included the Edinburgh Castle perched on the hill (overlooking the whole city), The Royal Mile - the stretch between the castle and the official Scottish residence of the Queen) and of course the endless pubs and drinking locations.
Our Macbackpackers Tour of Scotland introduced us first to our tour leader – Ewan. What a legend. A typical Scot, donning kilt and with long hair and bushy beard, Ewan had exactly the right balance of humour, endless knowledge and Scottish Charm! He would have to be one of the funniest people we have ever met!
A wee run down of our Scotland trip:
• Gerard taking a dip in the freezing Loch Ness – fair to say ‘Nessy’ didn’t make a guest appearance.
• The ruins on Duntulm Castle –we picked the windiest day we have ever experienced to climb around the ruins, also perched high on the cliffs overlooking the ocean!
• The quiet village of Ullapool – fish and chips, yum!
• Isle of Skye – despite the rainy and misty weather, we still managed to take in the sites of Kilt Rock and Portree.
• Eilean Donan Castle & the Dunkeld Cathedral – both very old but beautifully preserved and maintained.
• Scottish dancing at the Skipinnish Ceilidh House – wow, what a workout! Lots of fun, clapping and partner swinging!
• Fairy Glen and Hope Hangs Branches – both very beautiful and mysterious hidden places, known to bring good luck and hide the elusive Scottish Fairies.
• James getting turned down after three hours of negotiations with a Frenchwoman.
A visit to Scotland was high on the priority list and it did not disappoint. If only we had more time.... sigh!
