Scotland is one of my favorite destinations for many reasons. I knew this country as a little girl, long before I travelled there, with the stories my grandmother often shared with us of her childhood in Cupar and the surrounding area. It is like a second home with its friendly people, familiar brogue and lifestyle. My Mom and I took our third trip to visit her cousins and do a little sightseeing to new areas.
We flew to Edinburgh with Air Canada via London and arrived mid-afternoon, which was ideal. Edinburgh is a fairly small airport and it was easy to find our way around. We made it quickly to the car rental site and soon had our National car loaded and ready to go. This was my second time driving on the wrong side of the road, but it was still intimidating and a little scary the first day. We were headed out of Edinburgh to Falkirk where some of the relatives live. It is 23kms northwest of Edinburgh. The signage was very good and we were on the motorway headed in the right direction. I had no clue where we were going, relying solely on the road signs, but Mom seemed to know. She was amazing and guided us right into Falkirk.
We had booked a hotel that the relatives had recommended as close to them, but where was it? I stopped at a grocery store to ask for help. The young lady told me to follow her to the window and she pointed across the street. “There is your hotel” she laughed. How lucky was that to come so close on our first try. The Cladhan Hotel was a good three-star property with nice rooms and friendly atmosphere. They do not have elevators though so guess who was lugging suitcases up three flights of stairs?
The restaurant served a good selection for breakfast and dinner so it proved convenient for us. We stayed in Falkirk for a few days visiting and seeing some of the sights with our cousins. The biggest new attraction was the Falkirk Wheel so we went one afternoon to check it out. This Wheel opened in 2002 and is a rotating boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canals with the Union Canal. We took the boat trip to see the lift in operation. The Ferris-wheel-like structure raised the boats up about 24 meters to allow passage through the canals along with two locks that brought the boats up to meet the Union Canal. Then we strolled through the visitor center and the souvenir shop.
Time to move on so we started out nice and early for Fifeshire and my Grandmother’s home turf. We crossed the Firth of Forth Bridge and our destination was Gauldry. This is a tiny village on the Tay River across from Dundee and not too far from Cupar. Our home for the next few days was The Sandford Country House. This was a rambling big house of sorts that had been converted into a hotel. The room here was big, a little draughty and more stairs for me to maneuver. Food was good and the location was ideal for us. You guessed it; we have more relatives here and enjoyed our visit with them.
We did day trips to St. Andrews and Cupar visiting some of the old homes where my grandmother and her family used to live. We also went to a military museum to look up some family history. Cupar is a lovely little town with a medieval feel to it. It was once a royal burgh in Fife. St. Andrews is much more well-known with the University of St. Andrews and golf history. The University is the oldest in Scotland and the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. And of course Will and Kate met here! The St. Andrews Links and The Old Course are famous to golfers. Some of the other attractions in St. Andrews include the castle and cathedral ruins and the West Sands Beach.
Driving in Scotland was good once I got used to the car and driving on the left. The highways were well marked and the traffic circles were wonderful. Most of the time we didn’t really know where we were going so would turn off on a circle only to realize it was the wrong one. No worries though as not too far down the road would be another circle and we would turn around and go back to the first circle and get the right turn-off. The country roads are usually quite narrow but people still drive fast so we learned to move faster or get over! Most of the time it was the latter as we wanted to sightsee.
One of our favorite little towns was Pitlochery. Mom and I love this touristy little place with its jewellery and gem shop so we made sure to have time to return and visit again. Right in the Perthshire highlands this spot has some interesting Victorian style stone buildings and a certain charm about it. It is a popular starting point for hill walkers and fishing enthusiasts too. There are two distilleries close by where one can visit and learn about Scotland’s famous Scotch whisky-making. I had been to Edradour on a previous visit. It is the smallest legal distillery in Scotland and provides a good tour. The Blair Athol Distillery is at the southeast side of Pitlochery and is a first-class visitor’s site. Blair Castle is also close by and is open to the public. It has lovely manicured grounds and gardens and the castle provides a fascinating glimpse into the history of the highlanders.
Mom had not been to Loch Ness on her previous trips so we bid farewell to our cousins and headed towards Drumnadrochit and the lure of the Loch Ness Monster. Lovely scenery as we drove through farm land and made a few stops for photos and shopping in little craft shops along our route. We found a quaint little hotel at the bottom of the hill and booked in for the night. More stairs here too! But this time a nice gentleman helped me carry those increasingly heavier cases up and down – the next day too. I am noticing that all the places we have eaten at have basically the same menu. It must be a government regulation and I noticed none of them offered a green salad. It was October so past the green veggie season and carrots and turnips are the fare for this time of year.
We went to the museum in the morning to learn all about Nessie and the Loch. Loch Ness is 23 miles long and quite deep in some spots. There are bus tours and cruises on the lake available from Inverness, Fort Augustus and Durmnadrochit. Salmon fishing is popular in this area. It was raining and a tad dreary which was the usual for that time of year. We stopped at Urquhart Castle and walked around the ruins of this strategic spot in Scottish history for a short time. Checking our map, we decided to head for the Isle of Skye. Scotland is a very scenic destination and we enjoyed the lovely views despite the continual downfall of rain. Finally we reached the bridge that took us across to Skye. By now it was pouring rain and not a sign of blue sky anywhere. We stopped for lunch in a little bistro-type place and toured a gem store. The people were friendly and cheery, but Mom and I had had enough of this soggy land. We turned back to the mainland in hopes of finding a drier place to tour around. Backtracking a fair ways we turned south and drove towards Fort William. The rain eventually did let up to a drizzle but it was still damp and fairly chilly. You will want to bring your sweaters and rain gear when visiting Scotland as rain and wind can be the norm.
We were tired of driving and pulled into the Ben Nevis Hotel in Fort William. I had stayed at this hotel before and it is often used by tour groups. It is a lovely big property and we were able to get a room on the ground floor with no stairs. We bought a room with dinner and breakfast included so we were feeling good with ourselves. We freshened and dressed up for dinner in anticipation of a tasty meal. Upon arrival at the dining room we learned there were time slots and we must wait half an hour for our turn. The maitre’d woman was a bit of an old general to guests and staff alike, but we followed her instruction even though the dining room was nearly empty at that point. Finally seated we were hungry! Mom likes her beef well-cooked and advised the waitress, but her prime rib arrived quite pink and the whole meal was on the lukewarm side. We tried to get the waiters attention, but by now it was busy with a group and we were left to pick through our meal as best we could. You might say service was non-existent! The final blow came when the general-like woman came to our table to advise us that even though we had ordered a dessert, it was not included in our package. We told her about the cold undercooked beef and what a poor meal it was, and went off to our beds very disappointed. Mom still talks about that hotel and the meal experience. The hotel was nice, but I would recommend you go out for your evening meal although it might be better now.
A new day and the rain had stopped. We must make our way back to Falkirk and wanted to go by way of Loch Lomond. It was a pretty lake and the largest fresh water loch in Scotland. We decided to stop at a little pit stop area overlooking the Loch. We ordered two cups of tea which were the most expensive teas we had ever drank and sat on a bench to take in the view. I guess ordering a tea or coffee in our Banff area would be on the same scale, but it was highway robbery for sure. This area became Scotland’s first national park and offers a wide variety of sights to see. We drove through Stirling and enjoyed a nice lunch. We are back in good spirits after our two fleecing’s and looking forward to seeing our cousin again. Stirling was the capital city at one time and has a rich history. The Wallace Monument can be seen on the hilltop commemorating William Wallace.
Back in Falkirk we decided no more stairs for us so we booked into the Best Western Park Hotel. It was lovely with elevators and a nice big restaurant. Our cousin came for a last drink and visit with us before we head back to Edinburgh in the morning. Another early start and we arrived back where we started in record time. We booked ourselves into the Hilton at the Edinburgh Airport and returned our rental car. The Hilton was a very nice property and convenient for our early morning flight. The shuttle was just two minutes to the terminal. Now on our last day we needed to do some serious shopping. We took a taxi downtown and walked about for a bit. Steeped in history and culture, Edinburgh offers way too much to take in with one short visit. The capital city of Scotland it has awesome architecture from the castle perched on the Castle Rock to the grandeur of Charlotte Square. Mom and I had toured Edinburgh Castle before so we stopped for a bite of lunch along Prince Street and then headed to Old Town below the castle. There are lots of little shops here and we indulged ourselves for the rest of the afternoon.
Scotland has so much to offer, one can go back again and again and always find new adventures. There are numerous ways to experience it as well. Coach tours provide a safe knowledgeable way to travel, while renting a car is convenient and allows one more freedom to come and go as you want. A little more stressful in the bigger cities, but remember those traffic circles are great for backtracking. A stay-put holiday in one area can provide an excellent way to just immerse oneself in that particular spot. Walking and hiking tours are popular too so be sure to add Scotland to your must see list. Call or email me to plan your Scottish holiday.
