Scotland Tour

The valley of Glencoe- where the famous massacre took place.
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My long weekend began with a train ride from Sheffield to Edinburgh at 6.21pm on Friday night that got me to the city by 10.30pm. I was pretty exhausted when I arrived so I checked into the High Street Hostel straight away. My tour began the next morning so I rushed about trying to get cash to pay for our kitty beforehand (thanks for your help mum and dad by the way) after I had forgotten my pin number on my cashflow card the night before! I started talking to some people right away so I didn't have to hide in the corner for the whole trip, and everyone was really cool about meeting new people so we got on pretty well. Our first stop was the site of William Wallace's battle against the Government army, and where his memorial is situated. We then travelled into the highlands, stopping off at a few lochs and hearing some great stories about the local history and mythology. We stopped at this great sweeping valley where the Glencoe massacre took place, whereby some members of a powerful highland clan were killed by a rival clan fighting for the English. We then went onto Fort William which had been a government outpost for many years during the Jacobite rebellion, and we stopped to buy some very necessary beer supplies! The night was spent in a gorgeous guesthouse that we had all to ourselves down on a beautiful Loch at Stromferry. A roaring fire and homecooked meal just topped off a fabulous first day. The next day was spent on the amazing Isle of Skye which is off the west coast of Scotland. Raw and wild nature at its best! Would love to go back for a camping trip sometime. Imagine sweeping hills and valleys, and dramatic coastal cliffs bordering rural farmland and traditional highland/norse style houses. We once again went back to our lovely house at Strom for the night. Our last day was mostly spent driving back out of the highlands and heading north to Inverness, and onto the site of the Battle of Culloden where the Jacobite (highland) rebellion was once and for all quashed by the English in 1746, meaning that the scottish highland culture was essentially repressed for the next 200 years or so! Wow! Talk about upsetting after the whole build up of stories and tradtions over the past few days on our tour! We then headed back for a quite walk through a hermitage (hermit's woods) to contemplate everything we had learnt about this beautiful country. We passed through Perth on our way home and arrived back in Edinburgh at about 6pm on Monday night. My last night was spent hanging out with a few people from my tour before spending the night at Budget Backpackers (a great hostel by the way!) and catching the train at 9am the next morning home. I was so sad to to leave Scotland, it just is so amazing! Maybe I will get the chance to go back later in life, and I will definitely take it if I do!

I was so sad to to leave Scotland, it just is so amazing! Maybe I will get the chance to go back later in life, and I will definitely take it if I do!