SCOTLAND
Basic Info
I would recommend beginning your trip in Scotland in Edinburgh. To get to Edinburgh from London, you can either take the train or go by car which takes about 8 hours. Renting a car is fairly easy however not necessarily affordable. But, it does provide you with some flexibility and moving around your schedule rather than making trains or flights.
One Week Itinerary for Scotland
Day 1 and 2: Edinburgh
Day 3: St. Andrews
Day 3 and 4: Pitlochry
Day 4: Inverness
Day 5 and 6: Isle of Sky
Day 7: Fort William
Day 8: Fort William to Stirling
Day 9: Stirling (to Newcastle)
Day 1 & 2: Edinburgh
In the city, I would recommend staying at the apex hotels which is extremely close to most of the city’s important sights, walking areas and restaurants. If one is driving a car, a fair warning as parking is extremely difficult and the hotel parking was full when we went; most of the city is walkable too, so a car is not needed at all. The hotel is located along a street of many cafes and shops, so once you leave the hotel, make sure to walk around and grab a quick breakfast, if in the mood. Then walk to the holy rood palace, which happens to be at the foot of “arthur’s seat”. This is basically a 5 mile (in total) hike up a mountainous area to get one of the best views of the city. If one wants to see this, i would suggest you go early in the morning as it takes some time. Holyrood palace is occasionally inhabited by the royal family and is the queen’s official residence when she is in edinburgh. The castle has a beautiful garden and interior, make sure to book tickets ahead of time.
After the palace, walk back towards the direction of the hotel and have lunch at ___. They have an excellent “express lunch” menu which is only 20 pounds per person and allows one to choose two dishes from their menu. The food is pretty good, beautifully presented and priced well. They also have good options for vegetarians. After lunch, right opposite of the restaurant there is a cute cake shop called “Mimi’s bake house”. worth a visit if one is in the mood for dessert. Then, head to the edinburgh castle, which you must book tickets for!! This is the home of the scottish crown jewels, which are quite beautiful. The rest of the area serves mainly as a fort and takes about an hour and a half to look around. Around this area, the new town is very close by and if one is looking for a picturesque area, head down to the oxford street for some beautiful houses. This area in general is very nice, i would recommend catching dinner somewhere there. We had dinner in the old town in an italian placed called “o’oliviero”. The food was fairly good, we were able to sit outside with beautiful sunny yet chilly weather.
Day 2: St. Andrews
Drive from Edinburgh to St. Andrews
This is a cute college town that is located on the coast and has some beautiful ocean views. First we headed to see the water, which has a small pool like area in the front of the main water area for those who want a quick dip. Then we went to the castle remains that is near the ocean side. This is also located near the chapel, which was unfortunately closed. However, the walk down the chapel road is worth it as it takes you to a pier that is on the ocean. perfect opportunity for beautiful weather and photos!!
Then, we had lunch at this Korean/Japanese fast food place called combinico. The food was surprisingly very good, mainly being poke bowls with different toppings and a few hot food options. After this, we stopped by a local bakery and got a petitfour and their signature donut. The petitfour was not our favorite, but the donut was pretty good with a caramel icing on top. From here, drive to Pitlochry.
Day 3 & 4: Pitlochry
We stayed at a local BnB that was fairly nice. The management were very interesting and thought we were crazy for asking for fresh squeezed orange juice during breakfast :)
For dinner we went to this Indian restaurant called Cidsin, which I would not recommend to others. The manager claims the food is authentically Indian, but I would respectfully disagree. The next morning, we went to the Blair Athol distillery for a whiskey tour. I would highly recommend this, even for non-drinkers. The guides are incredible, staff are super friendly and they even offer a free tasting towards the end of the tour. We drove upto see the reindeer sighting which is the Cairngorn reindeer center. You should book the tour ahead of time and make sure to wear rain boots as otherwise they won't let you in. If you're not able to make the tour, they have some reindeer in a nearby stable and they are very cute! This is located near Loch Morlich. After the tour, we went to the Cawdor castle which is supposed to have inspired Macbeth.
Day 4: Inverness
After arriving in Inverness, we stayed at the Blackfriars hotel which is a very quaint, cute inn with a bar downstairs. We had dinner at the Mediterranean restaurant across from the hotel. The other option was Thai dining, but unfortunately they were full. Then we had ice cream at a nearby dessert shop and walked around the town. It is very lively night, especially on the weekends. The next morning we went to Perk coffee and doughnuts, which I would highly recommend! They have excellent doughnuts and even better sandwiches that the barista makes for you as ordered. From here, make your way to Isle of Skye.
Day 5 & 6: Isle of Skye
After this, make your way to the Isle of Skye. Along the way, there are some beautiful stops and castles to look at. The most notable one is the Urquhart castle, which requires prior booking. Also make sure to visit the Aileen Donon castle along the way. After this, head to the fairy pools that are a bit past the Dunnollie hotel, where we stayed. On the way to Isle of Skye, there is an amazing bakery called the Landour bakehouse. They have the most amazing assortment of Indian baked goods and sandwiches. I would highly recommend the lamb samosas and chicken tikka sandwich. The fairy pools are a bit of a trek (downhill and uphill) to an area with beautiful waterfalls. If you are interested, you can even take a dip in the water and drink if you're thirsty (we did!). After this, return back to the hotel. We stayed at the Dunollie, which I wouldn't recommend at all. The rooms were dingy and smelled fishy. However, the hotel is right in front of a Co-op which seemed to be the only redeemable quality.
The next morning, we went on a hike to the old man's storr. This is a very strenuous hike, so be warned. It is mainly uphill to get there and quite difficult but the views are breathtaking. After this, we were starving so we went to a nearby teahouse that was family run. We got some scones, soup and bread rolls. The food was a satisfying end to a strenuous morning. It was tasty and you felt good supporting a local business. Then we visited the Dunvegan castle which is a beautiful area inhabited by the chiefs of the Clan MacLeod. After this, we visited a nearby waterfalls and went along to see some other beautiful viewpoints. After this we visited the Neist lighthouse. This is a beautiful sight with a beautiful view of the ocean and mountain. There is a bit of a walk to the actual lighthouse, but we walked about 30 min middway and were able to see it very well. I'd say the photos are better from the halfway point.
Day 7: Fort Williams
The next morning, begin heading to Fort William. First visit the Ben Nevis, which is the highest point in Scotland. The trek to the top is very long and difficult, but we just had lunch in this beautiful area and walked around the base. After this, head to the Glenfinnin viaduct which was the shooting location of certain scenes in the Harry Potter movies. The train that runs through here is the same train that the students take to Hogwarts every year. The train can be seen only twice a day: in the morning at 10:45 and then at 3:10. The trains are not always on time and can be earlier/delayed, so I would always factor in some extra time. Also make sure to get there ahead of time as parking is very limited and there's about a 15 min walk to a good viewing spot.
After this, get back into the city and go to the Ben Nevis distillery which is also another whiskey tour location. Make sure to go ahead of 4 o clock as they do begin to stop tours after this time. However, the store is open afterwards and I would highly recommend visiting as the staff is very friendly. In Fort William, I would recommend staying in the Torlinnhe guest house. It is a very small, quaint home that has a rooms; basically a BnB. This is a beautiful property with excellent service and rooms. The food is specially prepared by the chefs and they are very attentive to details regarding your stay. Ajayan had received multiple emails regarding food, our stay and information in general.
Day 8: Fort William to Sterling
In the morning we had excellent food at our BnB. Once again, would HIGHLY recommend staying here. After this, we decided to drive a bit through Glencoe. There are many trails in this area for those interested hikers and it is also worth visiting the cinematic shooting place of James Bond Skyfall. This is a beautiful area filled with mini streams/waterfalls and you're completely surrounded by nature. You can even swim if you'd like, but make sure to bring swimsuits/towels as there is nothing available anywhere. Fairly close to here is Oban, which we did not visit due to lack of time but many say it is pretty. After this we went on the way to Stirling and stopped by a very cute hotel/restaurant called the Bridge of Orchy. The food was excellent, would highly recommend their soup of the day and beetroot/goat cheese salad if available.
On the way to Stirling, there is a very cute wool shop that has two highland cows for viewing and even feeding. They're super cute and worth stopping by quickly for a photo. After this, we went to the Doune castle which is the shooting location for Monty Python the holy grail and the pilot of the Winterfell in GOT. Then, we went to the Stirling castle which is absolutely beautiful. It is huge and I would recommend booking ahead to avoid any hassle on-site. After this we grabbed a quick takeaway dinner at "Dr. Noodles" and headed to our BnB for the night called the Springfield BnB. This is an adorable place with wonderful service. The rooms are also spacious and well thought out in terms of planning/decoration.
Day 9: Sterling to Newcastle
We had breakfast at the Bnb; would highly recommend as they have excellent service and are such a cute family owned place. Before we headed to Newcastle we went to the Wallace National Monument which is one of the main sightseeing points in Stirling. I would highly recommend visiting the cute cafe at the bottom, they have some interesting treats that I hadn't seen anywhere else. After this, we headed to Hadrian's wall which is a Unesco heritage site. This is a wall built by the Romans but still stands in areas of England today.
Then we headed to Newcastle and stayed in the Sandman signature hotel. This is a fairly nice place and is located right in the middle of the city which is nice. Ahi was craving a boba as soon as we arrived, so we visited Mua Cha which I would highly recommend! It is an adorable place with great boba and super friendly staff! For dinner we went to Ury, which is a traditional Kerela food restaurant. I would not really recommend this place as the food is not as authentic as they claim.
Day 10: Drive Back
We had breakfast at the Bnb; would highly recommend as they have excellent service and are such a cute family owned place. Before we headed to Newcastle we went to the Wallace National Monument which is one of the main sightseeing points in Stirling. I would highly recommend visiting the cute cafe at the bottom, they have some interesting treats that I hadn't seen anywhere else. After this, we headed to Hadrian's wall which is a Unesco heritage site. This is a wall built by the Romans but still stands in areas of England today.
Then we headed to Newcastle and stayed in the Sandman signature hotel. This is a fairly nice place and is located right in the middle of the city which is nice. Ahi was craving a boba as soon as we arrived, so we visited Mua Cha which I would highly recommend! It is an adorable place with great boba and super friendly staff! For dinner we went to Ury, which is a traditional Kerela food restaurant. I would not really recommend this place as the food is not as authentic as they claim.