AbaldAbroad's Mini Guide to Scotland

Highlights:

• Hike up Old Man Storr in the Isle of Skye (bonus points for doing so in a kilt with a bottle of 8-year “Isle of Skye” scotch whisky)

• Take a dip in Loch Ness, of course home to Nessie, the Lochness Monster

• Learn a Scottish jig in Stramash, a repurposed church bar in Edinburgh

• Explore Holyrood Park for great viewpoints over the entire city

• Pull over and walk up the ridge to snap a quick pic of the Three Sisters near Glencoe

• Stop to say hi to the local highland cows (“haireh coos”, as our guide called ‘em)

• Dip your face in the River Sligachan, which is said to grant eternal beauty (Note: does not grow back hair. But that just means it’s working ;)
  

Notes & Other Tips:

• Another great thing about Scotland is that it’s outside the Schengen Area, so it doesn’t count towards your 90 day limit in Europe (especially useful for you nomads and long-term travelers)

• If you’re a hostel traveler, I stayed in the Castle Rock Hostel, located in the middle of everything in the shadow of Edinburgh castle. Highly recommend.

• The tour I did was the 3-day Isle of Skye tour with MacBackpackers (partnered with the hostel). There may be other good ones, but our guide was amazing. Even let me borrow his kilt!

• The tour was a great way to see the highlights on a budget. Next time I visit, however, I’ll definitely be renting a car for a longer, more in-depth experience!

Starting off my Top 10 Countries countdown is #10 – Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I usually prefer warmer climates. For that reason, I usually find myself gravitating closer to the equator.

Despite that fact, I was honestly surprised with how much I enjoyed Scotland. The expansive green hills meet with the sea and lakes (“lochs”) to create such natural beauty in the Highlands. Sprinkle in some timeworn castles, and you feel like you’re living in a fairytale.

The Scottish Highlands were the Scottish Highlights for me (see what I did there), but walking around the streets of Edinburgh felt like just as much of a fantasy land. After all, it is the birthplace of the Harry Potter series.

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