Scotland 2024 Travel Blog

Our Scotland Trip: July 2024

If you’ve been around for a few years, you know that Phillip has been wanting to go to Scotland for a WHILE now, but I kept choosing colorful coastal places instead. When he found out that The Open was going to be held at The Royal Troon in Scotland, he asked if we could finally go – and I (a little reluctantly!) said okay! 

Thank GOODNESS I finally caved, because Scotland stole my heart. What a beautiful country –the beautiful whimsical wildflowers growing alongside all their roads, the architecture of Edinburgh, the history of the clans & uprising, the castles, the incredible landscapes of the highlands, the love of their country, the stories of fairies & Loch Ness monsters – it’s truly a magical place.  

We spent 9 days traveling all over Scotland, and then 4 days in Belgium! If you’d like my itinerary, I’ll be happy to send it! It will have way more details this the blog will! 

A few basic, but important travel tips:

• Remember to bring a travel converter for all your electronics! Scotland & Belgium used different converters, so research & find one that works for your specific country!
• Ask your bank to order some local currency – most places took cards but it’s always nice to have cash for tips at restaurants & people who help with your luggage! Scotland uses Pounds, but Belgium used Euros.
• Join a free travel group on Facebook specifically for your country & read ALL the tips you can! I get so many lodging, food, car rental, and unique suggestions all from being in these groups & screenshotting ideas and using the “search” feature in these groups! 
• Read travel blogs & watch YouTubes for more ideas – it’s always best to get personal recommendations (and reading LOTS of reviews!) when planning trips yourselves to make sure you’re staying in safe places, and have the best experience! 
• Download your maps in advance so you can use them offline! This is important for both walking and driving!

Travel tips for Scotland specifically:

• Use “ScotRail” app/website for all train use! 
• Buy “smidge” (bug spray for midges) once in Scotland, if you plan on going to the Highlands!
• “Charity shops” in Scotland are thrift shops! I loved walking around them & found a beautiful blue Wedgewood vase to buy! 
• “Boots” stores are like nicer Walgreens, for medicine & cheap beauty products to restock on! 
• Most places do NOT have air-conditioning (we were there in July, and are used to having our AC at 68º plus use fans) and they use duvets instead of a top sheet. If you sleep hot, take the duvet out of the cover, to use as just top sheet. Book places that offer ceiling or portable fans! They were helpful along with keeping our windows open.
• Note that most places in Scotland don’t have washcloths! So bring one or buy when you arrive, if that would bother you! 

Our 9-day Scotland Road Trip Itinerary:

• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Troon, Balloch
• Glencoe, Fort William, Invergarry
• Skye, Portree
• Isle of Skye, Kyle of Lochalsh
• Loch Ness, Inverness
• Balmoral, St Andrews
• Edinburgh (to fly to Belgium)

EDINBURGH

We started off our trip by flying into Edinburgh!  We took the TRAM directly from the airport to reach the city center. It was easy to use & figure out! 

We stayed at an cozy Airbnb flat just outside of the city center for 2 nights – such a fun authentic feeling!

A few things we LOVED in Edinburgh:

• Hiking Arthur’s Seat (do 1^st thing in the morning to avoid crowds! Wear good shoes!)
• Walking up Calton Hill for beautiful views of the city
• Touring Holyrood Palace (a highlight for me!)
• The Royal Mile, Victoria Street, Edinburgh Old Town, Grassmarket
• Peek inside St. Gile’s Cathedral
• Walk by: Scott’s Monument & Princes Street Gardens
• Walk to the charming Water of Leith Walkways / Dean Village
• Coffee at Black Medicine Coffee Co.
• Dinner at Whiski and Pizza Posto
• Ice Cream at: Alandas or Mary’s Milk Bar

A few things we didn’t get a chance to do, but you can if you get more time:

• Edinburgh Castle (I’m VERY sad we missed this, but after plane/storm delays that threatened us missing 2 days of the trip, we didn’t get to book our tickets in advance, and they were sold out!)
• The Royal Yacht Britannia 
• The Real Mary King’s Close
• The National Galleries of Scotland

GLASGOW

The next day, we took Edinburgh’s Waverly Train just 1 hour to Glasgow’s Queen Street Station! We only had 1 day in Glasgow, and it was a little rainy that afternoon so it nixed all my outdoor plans of visiting lots of gardens. I don’t know if it was the weather, or just leaving the beautiful Edinburgh – but ultimately, we preferred Edinburgh over Glasgow, and were happy we only had 1 full day here! 

Things we liked in Glasgow:

• Loved their easy metro! Very simple to use. 
• Loved our Hotel Grasshoppers! Location, room (had a fan!), luggage storage, homemade pastries – it was all great!
• Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum (a blend of a science, history, and art museum all in 1 incredibly beautiful building!) 
• Glasgow Cathedral & the Necropolis was so surprisingly big!
• The Provand’s Lordship (1 of 4 medieval buildings left in Scotland)
• Church on the Hill for dinner  

Things we didn’t get to see due to the rain:

• Pollock Country Park
• The Botanic Gardens & Kibble Palace

RENTAL CAR INFO:

We picked up our rental car from Celtic Legends / Arnold Clark in Glasgow (the South Kilbirnie Street location!) and parked it overnight at the lot Grasshoppers recommended & had a code for! (It was clean and safe there, unlike the NCP lots.) It was a BRAND NEW car, and we had an incredible experience with Arnold Clark from start to finish. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!  (Also, book the extra coverage to feel a peace of mind!) 

Book the smallest car you can (you’ll thank me later) and read up on all the Scotland highway signage, and watch YouTubes about the roundabouts. There is nothing like those 3-car lane roundabouts in NC! 

Also, Phillip was happy we upgraded to automatic – so it was one less thing he had to think about the first day of driving in Scotland. (Even though he does love driving Manual!) 

There’s literally 0 reason to have a rental car in the old, narrow, city streets – so don’t book your rental until you’re ready to start the roadtrip part of your trip! That’s why we picked it up after Glasgow! 

TROON & BALLOCH

THE OPEN – The next day was Phillip’s bucket list day! He got to experience the Sunday round at The Open at Royal Troon, and even though it was a windy day – he loved EVERY SINGLE SECOND. He was so so so happy! It was a really amazing experience.

We drove north after The Open, and arrived in Balloch! We stayed at Tullie Inn B&B and really loved our night there! We ate a delicious dinner in their on-site restaurant, & walked along the little street before bed! In the morning, we enjoyed a (free) freshly-cooked breakfast, and driving (just down the street) to see the Balloch County Park & Castle. 

FORT WILLIAM & INVERGARRY (driving on A82)

Next we drove along the beautiful (but narrow & twisty!) A82 road. This is where the SMALL CAR comes in handy! Phillip did a great job navigating!!! We saw some incredible landscapes and views on A82! 

Along A82:

• “Three Sisters” mountain range & lookout (especially since I’m 1 of 3 sisters!)
• The famous white cottage with a tall, skinny waterfall above it
• Glencoe Trail – get out and stretch your legs by walking a 1 mile flat loop around a lake with mountains as the backdrop! 

We stopped in Fort William, a cute walkable town! We enjoyed shopping (a charity shop with a wedgewood vase was a winner!) picked up some Smidge spray, went to a bakery, and enjoyed the town! That night we were staying at Glengarry Castle Hotel – and LOVED our experience there! We enjoyed the grounds & seeing the Invergarry Castle Ruins (burned down in 1654 – seat of the Clan MacDonnell, a powerful branch of the MacDonalds) on the property.

We enjoyed relaxing & reading in the library, and then got a 3-course dinner at the hotel’s famed restaurant! It was DELCIOUS wow wow wow! We enjoyed after-dinner relaxing in the reading rooms with a view. (The sun didn’t set until 10:00pm!) Glengarry also provided a fancy (free) cooked breakfast in the morning that was delicious! 

ISLE OF SKYE & PORTREE

The next day, we continued on to visit Eilean Donan Castle – and not only is it so picturesque from the outside, but it’s worth paying just a few pounds to see the inside and read the history of it! The clan MacDonald still uses it for gatherings. 

Nearby, we stopped at Manuela’s Wee Bakery for treats (such a cute little stop!) – and continued on to The Fairy Pools! Phillip loved exploring all the little falls & the hike up to the base of the mountains. (Go early if you can – parking was an impatient experience during tourist season haha!) We continued on to Portree, a cute & colorful harbor town! We ate dinner at PizzaAway, and climbed a watchtower on The Lump to have pretty views of the water! 

ISLE OF SKYE & KYLE OF LOCHALSH

We started off our morning with an incredible hike of the Old Man of Storr – all 102 flights of stairs worth! The views from the top were AMAZING!!!! (I highly recommend going early, because it was so special having it mostly to ourselves! On our way down, lots of other people were on their way up.)

Next a few stops on the Isle of Skye:

• Lealt Falls Viewpoint
• Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls Viewpoint 
• The Quirang hike (a little nerve-wracking on the drive up – but the views are incredible!) 
• The Fairy Glen (easy to park & access it!) & climbed the “Castle Ewen Ruins”
• Portree (again for coffee & snacks!)
• The Croft Café for a Highland Coo Tour! It was one of the highlights! Beautiful views, an hour with sweet 1-yo coos, but most of all: the owner gave the “tour” and he was hilarious and so genuinely loved those animals. He made the tour SO enjoyable! 
• The town of Kyle of Lochalsh (where our Airbnb was!)  is very small – so plan ahead for meals if you’re eating late! 

INVERNESS

This was another big driving day for us! Here are the places we stopped on the way from Kyle of Lochalsh to Inverness! 

• Loch Ness (we viewed from the road, and didn’t see Nessie!)
• (We skipped Urquhart Castle ruins since it was raining)
• Culloden Battlefield (very important location of Scottish history! Marked the end of the clans!)
• Inverness Cathedral
• Inverness Castle (being renovated currently)
• The River Ness
• Victoria Market
• A delicious burger & fries from Coyote
• GOLF!

Next was another bucket list item for Phillip! Golf at a Scottish links style course. He chose Fortrose and Rosemarkie – the 15^th oldest golf course in the world – how cool is that?! (Also, Phillip wishes we had extra time for playing at the Castle Stuart/Cabot Highlands course too – recommended by our sweet couple Olivia & George!)) He had so much fun playing at Fortrose! We also enjoyed our stay & breakfast at Heathcote B&B in Inverness. It was perfect! 

BALMORAL & ST. ANDREWS

We drove to Balmoral Castle today, (and saw the Braemar Castle from 2 angles on the road too!) and Balmoral was amazing. I loved touring the gardens, the grounds, seeing the Ballroom, and even 22 watercolor paintings done by the current King Charles. He’s actually very talented! We also had a delicious lunch on site.

After decades of not allowing tourists inside, Balmoral has now decided to allow tours. They were sold out 6 months in advance, (since this is the first time EVER allowed!) so we couldn’t get tickets! Plan ahead!! 

Phillip did a great job navigating lots of single track back roads all the way from Balmoral to St. Andrews. We loved our hotel, The Arran, and it’s epic location near the Old Course. We walked around the town to explore, and Phillip enjoyed walking all around the Old Course. I convinced Phillip to enter into the golf lottery (the ONLY way you can play at the Old Course) – and somehow he ended up WINNING! The sad part – the tee time was during our travel day to Belgium. So after spending 2 hours trying to reschedule $2000 worth of non-refundable flights/hotels/trains – he made the sad decision to not play the Old Course. I felt soooooooooooo sad for him!!!

We had a delicious dinner at Mozza – and then explored more of St. Andrews – the St. Andrews Castle ruins, the University buildings, the Cathedral ruins, and walked alongside the water & the Old Course as the sun set. We LOVED this town – the architecture, the safe/clean feeling, the coast – we decided we’d love to spend a summer here someday!!! 

Our last morning in Scotland we went to Newport Bakery for delicious croissants and coffee in St Andrews, walked on the beach, and enjoyed watching golfers at The Old Course – before driving 1 hour to Edinburgh to drop off our car & fly to Belgium! 

It was and INCREDIBLE trip, and I would love to go back someday!!!! Definitely a must-visit if you love nature, architecture, history, and golf!!!! (Next, I’ll blog our Belgium portion of the trip! Thank you for reading – ya’ll are the best!!!)