Scotland, July 2021

Leaving Derby at 10am and stopping for a quick Cornish pastie lunch en route got us to Glasgow about 3pm. First stop was the KelvinGrove Museum, an interesting myriad of art, nature and history in a beautiful building.

Next stop was the Hilton Hotel where we checked into the Presidential suite for the night! There were two bedrooms joined by an interconnecting living room. Kids got gift bags, robes and slippers. We got vouchers for food platters and free drinks in the bar. A lovely experience.

Dinner in Tuk Tuk,Indian street food was fantastic, followed by a quick stroll & nice sunset.

After breakfast the following morning we had a quick shopping trip before heading out of town. With a long day of driving ahead the first stop was Loch Lomond. There was a viewing area with a shopping mall and aquarium attached in Balloch. We walked around to the beach, enjoyed the views, got coffee and left.

The drive through the lowlands and highlands was spectacular. Lots of traffic, including big trucks so it took longer that scheduled. Parts of the Harry Potter movies were filed here. We stopped at Glencoe, where Hagrids hut was built for the movie, there was a nature reserve and visitor centre there too.

The Glenfinnan aqueduct was used for train trips to Hogwarths in every Harry Potter movie so we felt it was worth a small detour from Fort William to photograph it.

We drove along Loch Ness, with no sign of Nessie. Dinner was a quick stop en route near Inverness in Glenmoriston Arms Hotel. Then at around 9pm we arrived at our glamping site near Invergordon. We had a lovely two roomed bothy with a fire pit which we propmptly lit!

Next morning we had a breakfast crate delivered to our door. Then the boys helped to feed to farm animals, Kevin the giant pig, Share (who didn’t 😂) and Tina, the goats, Danny and the other bunnies and lots of ducks and chickens. We took a drive to check out the local area. We called into the Glenmorangie Distillery and then took a walk on the beach in Dornoch.

We stopped in Dornoch and had pizzas for lunch in Dornoch Castle Hotel. They had a lovely beer garden with lots of outdoor seating, perfect to enjoy the beautiful sunny day. Across the road was the 12th century Dornoch Cathedral. This was where Rocco, son of Madonna and Guy Richie was christened prior to their marriage in nearby Skibo castle. Interesting to imagine this tiny highland town filled with celebrities and paparazzi. No sign of them today, they were taking a break I guess 😜.

Mark had to do some work in the afternoon so we returned to the Delny glamping site for him to oversee his eighteenth student graduate with a PhD! We relaxed on site reading books and listening to music for a few hours. In the evening we headed out for a drive and dinner. We stopped at Tain and Portmahomack. Restaurants were few and busy! We got some takeout from the Shandwick Inn near the campsite and enjoyed it at our own picnic table!

Checked out of Delgy Glamping at 10am, said goodbye to the farm animals and headed for Lough Ness. We had tickets to visit Urquhart Castle in Drumnadrochit so we retraced some of our tracks there. The castle was built in a strategic position on the banks of Lough Ness in the 13th century. Today it lies mostly in ruins.

Next stop was to be Inverness but when we got there it was busy with lots of traffic everywhere. We didn’t feel like doing the city thing so we kept going. We drove on to Aviemore, a tourist town in the Cairngorms known for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. First food place we tried was booked out, we went next door to the Winking Owl. Looooong wait for lunch there, and we were all starving, think they forgot our order as they came and offered us a free drink to make up for delay. The free coffee was nice but the wait was tedious. Last stop of the day was our hotel for the next three nights. Located in the Cairngorm national park, the Hilton Craigendarrock had a beautiful setting. We were upgraded to a fabulous two bedroomed suite. Only problem was that lack of an air conditioning unit mixed with the hottest day of the year made for a very hot and uncomfortable room. We headed for the pool and felt refreshed after a lovely swim. All tired from the drive we had dinner in the hotel sitting in the outdoor courtyard and retired to our sauna 😜

Off to explore the local area, we drove a few miles from the hotel in the direction of Aboyne and enjoyed a walk through the forest at the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve. At the waterfall we crossed some huge boulders and entered the Vat, a large carved out rock bowl created after the ice age. From there we rejoined the forest trail and did the shorter circuit route back to the car park.

The swimming pool was a perfect place to cool down after the hike in the heat. The pool in the hotel (a former country estate), was often used by Princess Diana with Harry and William when they visited nearby Balmoral. We walked into Balloter for dinner at about six. The place was busy but we were lucky to get a nice outdoor seat in the Barrel Lounge. We tried haggis to start, Eoin was not impressed! The food was lovely. There were three groups from Aberdeen and Glasgow getting acquainted, they started whiskey shots at about 7.30 and were good fun. We left before things got messy! The shops in the town were interesting. Lots of them have the Royal Warrant over the door. Sheridan’s butchers supply meat to Balmoral Castle.

The next day we had tickets to visit Balmoral. The castle grounds and ballroom are open to visitors from April to July. The Queen then visits in August and security is increased. The castle sits in a grove of trees and is not visible from the roadside. We walked around the garden and listened to the audio guide. The ballroom was very interesting, there was a painting of Queen Victoria riding on horseback up a steep mountainside. There were silver figures representing the highland sports like tossing the caber and throwing the hammer. There was some jewellery made from deer teeth and antlers. The paneled ceiling was beautiful. No photos of that section unfortunately. We walked along the river back through the pet cemetery and around the castle to the flower and vegetable gardens. They were in full bloom and very impressive.

The boys did a corgi treasure hunt as we progressed, they filled answers into an activity sheet and when complete they got a badge. Well Eoin completed the challenge and got a badge. Shea gave up half way through, he couldn’t be bothered! He threw his page in the bin and didn’t get a badge 😳

We had lunch in the courtyard café and then exited through the gift shop!
After our swim we relaxed at the hotel before heading to the Balmoral Bar in Balloter for a lovely dinner sitting at the outdoor area in the town square watching the world go by.

Another town near Balmoral was Braemar. We took a drive there to see the Highland Games Centre. Each year they have a sports day attended by the Queen. The visitor centre was closed but we walked around the stadium and Shea kicked his ball! Next it was time for Ice Creams in Shortys ice cream parlour in Ballater. If it’s good enough for Charles and Camilla! Although they weren’t there today!

Another swim back at base and later we had a drink at the Alexandra Hotel and dinner at the Lochnagar Indian restaurant.

Then it was time to pack up and leave this lovely town. The hotel was great once we left all windows open and sorted the extreme heat problem! The town was lovely too with a nice selection of shops and restaurants.
We drove south through the highlands, along some windy and hilly roads. We hoped to visit a whisky distillery but they were closed. Lunch was an outdoor table at McDonalds as we were in a hurry. Then it was onto Sterling Castle for our booked visit.

Sterling was a lovely old town. We drove up some cobbled streets and parked at the castle gate. It wasn’t like other castles we had visited on this trip, it reminded us more of a Bavarian style castle. It was well preserved with lots of statues and gargoyles. The royals quarters were beautifully renovated. There were guides in each room, dressed as house keepers, telling interesting stories. The great hall had a beautiful big window and two thrones. The church was especially built for James 5th to christen his first born son. The kitchen block had figures preparing foods such as swan for the royals. The army later took over the building. Tapestries covered some of the walls and there was also a display of how they were designed and made. There was also a unicorn theme which kept the boys interested in spotting unicorns as we explored.

Last stop of the day was the William Wallace monument. It’s a tower on a hillside built to commemorate William Wallace, Scottish hero. We resisted the entrance fee and all the steps up to the hilll top, and looked at it from below! There used to be a statue of Wallace with the face of Mel Gibson who played him in the movie Braveheart, but that was very unpopular and has since been removed.

We stayed a night in the Hilton Glasgow Westerwood, a Golf resort. We ordered room service and with a little furniture rearranging, enjoyed that on the balcony. Then we took a walk around the golf course watching the sun set.

The next morning we had breakfast at nine, played tennis and had a swim before leaving to visit Sterling. The town wasn’t as appealing today, it was garbage collection day and there were bins practically everywhere! We chatted to the owners of a Christmas shop ‘tinsel and tartan’ who were lovely. We walked around town and then tried to get a coffee. The place came up with some random rule whereby kids had to order food to sit there, we just wanted coffee, so we left. Bizarre. Went to another takeaway place and that was ok except the coffee was cold. Maybe don’t get coffee in sterling just stick with the castle! We saw some interesting buildings like the Highland Hotel, a former school with carvings of zodiac signs around the doorway. On the road to Edinburgh we passed the Kelpies, metal horse heads with an imposing presence on the motorway.

We checked into the Hotel Indigo in Edinburgh for two nights. We relaxed in the hotel for a few hours while Mark had a meeting. Then we headed to Camera Obscura, a world of illusion, one of the top rated attractions in the city which we had pre booked. There were five floors of exhibits and it was fun. The boys loved the Vortex tunnel, I couldn’t even stand up in it! The hall of mirrors was a good laugh too. The views of the city from the rooftop were spectacular.

Dinner time took us to a great Chinese restaurant called Karen’s Unicorn, lovely food and only a short walk back to the hotel where we were all ready to collapse after our busy day in the heat!

A morning trip to Edinburgh Castle. It was a duller day with a light mist. We walked around the castle while the boys followed a treasure hunt. There were long queues to see the Crown Jewels so we skipped that. We saw the great hall and the memorial to all the fallen soldiers. We also saw the firing of the canon at one and the church of Saint Margaret, the oldest building in Edinburgh.

Then it was Harry Potter time. We walked along Victoria street, possible influence for Diagon alley. We then went to the greyfriars graveyard and saw some of the tombstones which inspired JK Rowling for names she used in the books. There was also a dog statue dedicated to Bobby the dog who sat on his owners grave after he died for 14years until he also died 🥲. We got lunch in the elephant house café where Hatty Potter was born as JK Rowling wrote early editions of the first books there. We also walked past the Balmoral Hotel where some of the later books were written.

Strolling back to the hotel we watched a street entertainer juggle with fire and listened to a bagpiper too. Dinner later that evening was in the Conan Doyle Pub. Sherlock Holmes was born in this area near the hotel. We also discovered a great bookshop called Toppings and Co where we had a browse.

After breakfast Mark had a meeting while I went to the bookshop and then Lego store with the boys. We drove to Berwick upon Tweed and spent the afternoon there. Lowry, the painter spent summers holidaying here and there was a walking route past some of the sights and locations that inspired his work. We had lovely forest fish and chips on the pier before heading off again.