Noah and I visited Scotland in December for our first trip since PCSing to England in September. Scotland is one of my favorite places to visit and I enjoyed every moment of our trip. The countryside is stunning and words do not do it justice. The city of Edinburgh is rich and full of history, and the surrounding areas are an incredible sight to see. There are more places in Scotland I would like to see and explore, such as Inverness, the Isle of Skye, Glasgow, the Glenfinnan Viaduct, and the list goes on and on. Scotland was truly magical, and I cannot wait to go back.
We started our trip by driving to Scotland from our home in Suffolk, which took roughly 6 hours to get to our Airbnb outside of Edinburgh. The drive through the north is beautiful – there is nothing like the English countryside… sheep and farm animals abound, the grass is the most vibrant shade of green, and miles of coast and sea greet you as you approach the Scottish Borders. Upon arrival in Edinburgh we went out on the town for a delicious dinner (pork belly) and drinks (lavender cocktail) at Copper Blossom. During our second day in Scotland, we did all the touristy things and visited the Edinburgh Castle (you need to book in advance) which was honestly too busy for us to really enjoy. There were so many people there and it’s definitely due to the holiday season but it was a little overwhelming. Next, we explored Victoria Street with its colorful shops and the inspiration for J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. We grabbed a sandwich at Oink and some cheeses to take home with us from I.J. Mellis Cheesemonger (literally my fave cheese shop). We also popped into Museum Context, which is free, for all things Harry Potter fanlore.
From Victoria Street, we walked towards the Edinburgh Christmas Market, off Princess Street and got to see all the vendors that were set up. The market was extremely busy, but worth the visit. I was thoroughly impressed by the Scott Monument in the middle of the market. Scott Monument is a beautiful gothic structure and it’s beautiful to look at. Later that evening, we ate dinner at The Lookout by Gardener’s Cottage. This restaurant is on the Michelin Guide and offers incredible views of the Edinburgh cityscape from atop Calton Hill. At night the views are beautiful with the lights from the castle and Christmas markets. Plus, the food was 10/10. Fun fact, Uber’s can take you up there – as it is a trek to walk up the hill to get to the restaurant.
On our final day in Edinburgh, we visited the Scottish Borders and took our dog Chloe for a nice hike in the town of St Abbs – which was where Avengers Endgame was filmed for the town of New Asgard. During our hike, we got to see grey seals! We actually went on the hike with the intention of visiting the light house, but we were forced to stop our hike because of the seals mating season. It was a pleasant surprise for us and we got some cool pictures out of it!
Scotland has definitely stolen our hearts and we cannot wait to travel back for more adventures. Hopefully we can secure tickets on the famous Jacobite Steam Train (aka the Harry Potter train) and it would be awesome to explore Inverness and do an Outlander tour.
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