Week 1
Well it’s been some time since my last post. Covid-19 happened, kids sports, and just life in general. But here we are again…back to traveling the globe. Actually this trip to Scotland was supposed to happen in 2020, then the globe shut down with Covid. But we’ve finally made it.
Day 1 – Glasgow
We arrived Monday June 19th and spent two days in Glasgow before picking up our rental cars and off we went to travel around this beautiful country. While in Glasgow we stayed at the Voco Grand Central Hotel which was a perfect spot for getting around town. We took in the art at the most eclectic museum I’ve ever seen, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. The highlight for me was the 1pm pipe organ demonstration. For lunch we dined at the Ox and Finch, which was amazing. It’s a contemporary restaurant that offers small shared dishes. Highly recommend it!
Day 2 – Glencoe
First stop, the village of Glencoe. This tiny village sits in a steeped sided Glencoe valley in the Scottish highlands. Our day started off by picking up our rental cars from Enterprise in Glasgow. Both cars that we rented were supposed to be automatics. NOPE! Both manuals. And for it being the first time ever driving in the UK, let me just say the first hour was a white knuckling experience for sure. Without Briana advising me that I was drifting to far to the left it could’ve ended up really bad. Making our way to Glencoe we made several stops to take in the landscape. It looked like something straight out of Braveheart. Breathtaking!!! Once we arrived we checked right into our comfy inn for the night. The Glencoe Inn, built in the 1600’s with corridors going here and there, it was easy to get lost. And at my height 6’4″ the people that built this Inn were of smaller stature for sure. We enjoyed a nice walk around the village and witnessed the tide roll in.
Days 3, 4 & 5 – Isle of Skye
Isle of Skye – our day started off with a pit stop to see the Glenfinnan Viaduct made famous in the Harry Potter movies. Very impressive and the views overlooking the Loch Shiel were stunning.
Back on the road, maybe 15 minutes, Briana’s dad started flashing and honking as he was following me. I immediately pulled over to find that the Fiat that he had rented had a flat tire and no spare. Enterprise did provide us with a can of Fix-a-flat however that did not work. After a call to roadside assistance and a quick run to the Co-op for a roadside picnic our tow truck arrived and loaded up the car and we were off to get the tired repaired.
Back on the road we set off for the 2.5 hour drive to the Isle of Skye to spend 3 nights at the Viewfield House in Portree. Crazy old estate, first part was built in the late 1700’s and expanded in the 1800’s. This girls are super excited as they have their own room. We had a later supper here at the Inn before retiring for the evening.
We woke to decent, but cloudy, weather with hopes to hike the Fairy Pools. However it wasn’t meant to be. After the 45 minute drive we were faced with rain blowing in off the Atlantic and crazy wind. We hopped back in the cars and made our way back into Portree for some shopping. And a new rain coat for this guy. We also had lunch reservations which included some delicious fish and chips and of course a pint of the local lager.
Back at the Inn, Briana and I decided to the ditch the crew and see if the weather would hold out to hike the Old Man of Storr trail. I swear the gods were with us! No rain, just some low cloud cover which made the hike feel even more magical. The hike is approximately a 3 mile hike with an elevation gain of about 900 ft. This hike was strenuous, not gonna lie, it was tough on these old knees. However Briana appeared like she had “mountain goat” in her as she just walked right up the mountain without a problem. I guess I’m just old! There I said it. This is MUST do for all travelers, words can’t describe this place.
Once back at the Inn, Briana, Stephen, and I met in the front parlor room to enjoy some nice scotch and wine. Wow the scotch here is delicious.
This morning we woke to sun, knowing that it could turn to rain at any moment. After breakfast we ventured out to visit the Dunvegan Castle and Gardens home to the MacLeod Clan. The estate sits in the heart of a 42000 estate which is still called home today. The best part of this tour are the gardens…WOW!!!!
This evening we had an amazing seafood dinner down on the harbor in Portree called Sea Breezes Restaurant. The seafood was fresh and service was perfect. Briana and I were both surprised when Kiley ordered the mussels and Sienna had salmon. And our girls aren’t much on seafood however they both finished they’re meals and went straight in for dessert.
Tomorrow we leave for the Outer Hebrides.