Take a Trip to Scotland

Hello my lovely lads and lassies!

With the pandemic going on, I missed my chance to visit my favorite Scotland once again. 🙁

I was reminiscing of all trips to Scotland, looking at pictures, and I thought, why not write an article about it?

So, here are my favorite parts of Scotland, for when we manage to visit it again! 🙂

Edinburgh Castle. Image source.

1. Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile

A true icon of Scotland’s architecture, the Edinburgh Castle has dominated the skyline of the city for many centuries. It’s set atop an extinct volcano, it offers a wonderful trip through Scotland’s tumultuous history.

As well as guarding great moments in history, the castle has suffered many sieges. During the Wars of Independence it changed hands many times. In 1314, the Scots retook the castle from the English in a daring night raid led by Thomas Randolph, nephew of Robert the Bruce. (Robert the Bruce and William Wallace’s statues guard the entrance of the Castle, actually!)

There you can find the spectacular Crown Jewels and the Famous Stone of Destiny, wonderful highlights of Scotland’s history! Did you know that parts of it remain in military use? Oh yes! 

Loch Lomond. Image source.

1. Loch Lomond

According to Walter Scott, it is the “Queen of Scottish Lakes”. The biggest lake of Scotland, it wins you over with its idyllic banks and its impressive fauna. It is not a coincidence that there is a song with the title of “Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond”. Wonderful song!

With a majestic trip up Ben Lomond, a 3,000+ feet small mountain, you can see all of a nearby National Park, another wonderful place of beautiful fauna and flora! Ah, I LOVED it!

1. The Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh

Do you want to take a look at the way the royals live, interact with their guests, take a cup of tea? Well, now you can! And what’s even more special…it’s a boat! Well, okay, not a simple boat, a yacht. But you can visit it and spend a day on top of it, visiting the Royal Bedrooms and stop for tea and cakes at the Royal Deck Tea Room.

Fun tidbit: wear gloves and a hat, and you can pretend to be Queen Elizabeth II, even if for a day! 😛

Isle of Skye. Image source.

1. Isle of Skye and the Inner Hebrides

Okay, this is my FAVOURITE part of the Scottish Isles. Even though it is not a big island, it has so many beautiful parts of nature, such as  green valleys, caves, lonely glens, sandy beaches, and rushing waterfalls. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL I’m telling you!

It is actually connected to the mainland with a bridge! Generally getting around the Inner Hebrides is quite easy, except for the Island of Iona – Scotland’s “Cradle of Christianity,” as it was here that St. Columba arrived from Ireland in the 6th century to spread the gospel. 

A 12th-century church, atmospheric ruins of an abbey, and a carved stone memorial from the 10th century are among its attractions, along with Scotland’s oldest Christian cemetery, with graves of more than 60 Scottish kings, including Macbeth. How wonderful is that?!

Skara Brae from above. Image source.

1. Skara Brae

I think we had talked about Skara Brae in a previous article! It’s in the main island of Orkney, and it’s one of the best reserved Stone Age villages in Europe. It was covered for hundreds of years by a sand dune until a great storm exposed the site in 1850. The stone walls are relatively well preserved because the dwellings were filled by sand almost immediately after the site was abandoned. Older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids, it has been called the “Scottish Pompeii” because of its excellent preservation.

As a result of numerous expeditions to the site, a cluster of eight buildings was unearthed. Those who visit the site today are able to view Skara Brae as it nearly was 5,000 years ago. So beautiful to see how the ancient people lived so long ago!

Entrance to Gretna Green. Image source. 

1. Gretna Green Famous Blacksmiths Shop

During the 18th century, the English lords tightened laws around marriage arrangements, making it even more difficult for couples to get married without their parents’ consent. 

But Scottish law was different: you could marry on the spot, in a simple ‘marriage by declaration’, or ‘handfasting’ ceremony, only requiring two witnesses and assurances from the couple that they were both free to marry.

Within such easy reach from England, countless couples fled to Gretna Green to marry their forbidden love. Ah, the idyllic paradise of forbidden love!

These are just some of my favorite places in Scotland. Would you like me to write about some more?

Which one would you like to visit once COVID-19 is over? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time…

Written by Lydia Kendall