Hairy Cow, Oh Hairy Cow
- threesidedtraveler
- Oct 16, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: May 12, 2023
When May asked who was interested in going to #Scotland, I raised my hand right away. I am so glad I did!!
We (Brandie, May and I) joined a #Gate1Travel group for our Scotland visit. The tour was 12 days with an additional day on the front end to explore Edinburgh. The benefit of going with a travel company is... you just have to show up. Everything is planned for you, lodging, meals (for the most part) and transportation. You follow a set itinerary, but they offer add-ons as well. A local tour guide manages the group and provides facts about the area. Adam was our second tour guide (the first got covid). He was humorous, laid back but on top of all the details. I really enjoyed him!
Our itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Edinburgh | Day 6: Culloden Battlefield, Cawdor Castle, Loch Ness | Day 11: Senic Glencoe, Lock Lomond, arrive in Glasglow |
Day 2: Free day in Edinburgh, lunch at The Kitchin | Day 7: Dunrobin Castle, arrive in Wick | Day 12: Tour Glasgow, Stirling Castle, Farewell dinner |
Day 3: Join tour group | Day 8: Visit Orkney Islands | Day 13: Depart Glasgow |
Day 4: Tour Edinburgh | Day 9: Village of Ullapool, arrive in Isle of Skye | |
Day 5: St Andrews, Sheepdog demonstration, arrive in Aviemore | Day 10: Skye Museum of Island Life, Flora McDonald's Monument, Dunvegan Castle | |
Brandie and I flew out of Phoenix and met May in London where we all boarded the flight to #Edinburgh. I have a thing for airports because you can find interesting stuff:). I was blown away at the grocery store in the Edinburgh's airport. I mean it was a full store with milk, pre-made meals, bread, produce and meat. I had never seen that before, it intrigued me. My first impression of Edinburgh was that the homes and businesses were cute and quaint. I was in awe of the beautiful Edinburgh Castle on the hill! It felt a bit like we were stepping back in time. We had a chance to visit the castle as well as the #RoyalBotanicalGarden. The garden was quite large with a huge variety of plants. It's a great place to visit while in Edinburgh.
We stayed at the #NovotelEdinburghCentre for the first few nights. It was one of the better locations we stayed in during our tour. Gate 1 Travel provided the lodging details prior to the trip. I took the opportunity to review the on-line information to set my expectations. Lodging outside of the US can be very different. If you are not prepared, it can impact your experience. I won't review all of the locations we stayed but I will say the people that worked in them were all very nice and welcoming.
I love food! One of the best parts of traveling is trying new types of food so I was excited to hear May suggest eating at #TheKitchin! The Kitchin is a Michelin-starred restaurant located in Edinburgh run by Chef Tom Kitchin. We went for lunch and decided to partake in one of the tasting menus. A piece of the table setting was a map of Scotland indicating where the various ingredients were from. The menu is pre-fix so we just ordered drinks, sat back and waited for the dishes to arrive. It was the first time I had a meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant, so I wasn't sure what to expect. The service for each course was deliberate, adding to the overall experience! Each course added on from the previous bringing them all together for a truly marvelous experience!
In addition to the awesome meal at The Kitchin, we were fortunate enough to enjoy many other amazing meals as we toured Scotland. OF course, I had my fair share of fish n' chips but enjoyed a number of other Scottish dishes such as haggis and cranachan. I will say it was surprising that many of the restaurants closed fairly early. We learned it is best to decide where to eat quickly and early! While whiskey and scotch were found everywhere, I was lucky enough to find some nice mixed drinks. My favorite was a black and stormy...delish! We had the pleasure of visiting a cute bakery on a small lake, it had the best scones and cakes!
As we toured Scotland, we had the opportunity to visit a number of castles. It still amazes me that many castles are still lived in. I was enamored by the gardens; they were absolutely beautiful. As I walked thru them, each had its own special character. The hedges were perfectly manicured, the flowers bright and vibrant! The small creeks and waterfalls create a relaxing atmosphere, making you want to sit in the grass and meditate for hours! I was also struck by the flower arrangements around the castles. Absolutely beautiful!
The lavender flowers were so beautiful, I was in awe! I loved the grounds with the large hedges and wide trees. See my angel wings:)
During our visit there was a falconry exercise. The speed of these animals was amazing. They were beautiful creatures, so glad we had an opportunity to see them in action!
The streams and waterfalls were unique to this castle. The grounds were extensive, very easy to get lost in. Its right on a water channel which provided a nice view from the back yard. It had a hidden corridor that ran from the main room down to the basement where the kitchen was. They had a mannequin in the space that kind of freaked me out!
Striling was the only castle with color on the exterior. The interior was equally colorful!
In addition to visiting these beautiful castles there were many other historical sites we explored. Learning the history is one of the best things about leveraging Gate 1 Travel. The tour guide provides great information about the area while you are on the bus. Once you arrive at the site, there are often guides or listening devices that provide additional insights. I really learned a lot about the battles in Scotland, how the culture was stifled at times and its relationship with the surrounding countries. I'll highlight a few.
We all know the stories of the Lock Ness monster! This was one of our stops - yes, I bought a sweatshirt! We took a boat out on the lake which is quite large and deep. I found the lake to be extremely serene. The water was completely still except for the waves made by the boat. We didn't see the monster, but the view was worth the ride!
You can see how calm the water is in the video!
I'm glad we got the round-trip ticket!
I'm not a golfer but Tony is! I was excited to visit this historic golf course. They were preparing for the 150th tournament. I didn't know that golf started in Scotland! There are over 600 courses in the country which is A LOT!!!
These sculptures were amazing! I don't think the picture really does them justice. They were huge! As you moved around them, the one with its head down always seemed to be looking at you! If you visit Glasgow, you have to drive down to see this display!
We took a ferry to Orkney for the day. The ride over was COLD! It was one time that the mask came in handy! While there we visited the #ItalianChapel which was built by Italian prisoners during WWII. It was ornately decorated and made with limited resources.
There are several Stonehenge type monuments call the #standingstones and #ringofbrodgar. I didn't get the purpose of the structures, but they were interesting to behold. One of the most interesting places on the island was the #skarabrae. This was an underground housing settlement hundreds of years ago. The way they mapped out the living quarters was fascinating. We had a good day visiting Orkney!
I thought Scotland was a beautiful place. The landscape goes from being flat to mountainous quite quickly. Witch hazel and mustard grew over the land creating seas of yellow that made it hard to look away! Sheep were everywhere, even in the road at times...lol Needless to say, there were plenty of places to take selfies and gorgeous photos!
I'll end this post with what I started with....Hairy Cows!! The proper name is Highland Cows. They are known for the thick coat of hair. I thought they were the cutest cows ever! I got excited every time we passed them. Luckily, we had the opportunity to stop on the side of the road to get a closer look! It was great! John (bus driver) and Adam (tour guide) was kind enough to take a photo with me during our encounter!
Scotland was great! I learned so much during my 2 weeks there. I would definitely recommend visiting the castles, botanical gardens and checking out the hairy cows! If you golf, St Andrews is a must! I hope you enjoy Scotland when you go!
Oh yeah, we did get to hear some bagpipes! Enjoy!
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