By the parental figures

We had been looking forward to Scotland the entire trip, and although we had been to Edinburgh many years ago, we were eager to see the mythical highlands for the first time. We said goodbye to London with a great English breakfast at Cafe Solo, and our pre-arranged ride picked us up and drove us to Stansted airport where we would take another flight on Ryan Air.

The Edinburgh airport was easy to navigate, but the Scottish brogue was almost comically difficult for us to understand. After picking up our rental car, we made our way to our Airbnb for a one night stay in Alloa, a town just north of Edinburgh. The next morning, H and I had a big Scottish breakfast at Wetherspoons with black pudding, sausages and haggis and then we picked up baked goods from the local shop. At the bakery, the counter man spoke in such a strong Scottish accent–high pitched, fast, interspersed with cackling and laughing at his own jokes– that we couldn’t help but laugh along although we didn’t have any idea what he was saying! One of the funniest interactions we had, yet we have no idea what it was about.

Scotland truly lives up to our expectations–wind, sweeping mountains, deep lakes, beauty. The winding roads and sheep. One time when we were stopped waiting for two sheep crossing our path, H quipped, “Right now Google Maps is showing red.” We made our way north stopping at a historic hotel for lunch in Kenmare before a visit to the very interesting and educational Scottish Crannog Center on the Loch Tay. We enjoyed this pit stop very much, especially the Iron Age artifacts, the cooking and weaving demonstrations and the tour of the replica of a home from from 2500 years ago. Then we wound our way on more tiny roads to our next Airbnb in the small village of Kirkmichael. We were too late (past 5 o’clock) when we arrived to get provisions at the small grocers, so that night we tried some haggis and black pudding fritters, leak and potato soup and a delicious chicken and mushroom pie at the pub next door.

The next day, we drove to the small but very enjoyable Beatrix Potter Center and gardens near Dunkeld. Potter had written her much-loved Peter Rabbit series in the area. Celebrity sighting! The girls are big fans of the Great British Baking Show and we got a tip that Flora from a season a few years ago has a bakery in Dunkeld. We popped into the shop and there she was. She brushed off our “we’re big fans” and sold us some very delicious treats. We continued our walk around Dunkeld to the peaceful and sunny grounds of the Dunkeld Cathedral, surrounded by green grass, tall trees and situated by a river where we watched a fly fisherman. Then we drove on to the trail head of the Hermitage walk. It was a gorgeous hike in the woods on a path near a river, over an old bridge up to the Hermitage. The kids discovered logs with hundreds of coins pressed into the wood in circular formation–very cool.

After two nights in Kirkmichael, we drove on up into the northern highlands to our little cottage off the grid. The scenery on the drive was some of the most stunning we’ve seen on our trip. Our new abode had only solar and wind power, and natural gas for the stove. It was so cold at night we had hot water bottles tucked in each of our beds. We all loved staying at the cottage and didn’t mind at all having to keep an eye on our electricity gauge, collect our paper from the loo and be vigilant about water usage. But it’s not for everyone. We were surrounded by gorgeous green hills that were frequented by deer and a couple of slightly domesticated wild boars. During our four-day stay we took some tougher but beautiful hikes through mixes of fog, drizzle, wind and sunshine to places like an abandoned village and an eroded rock of a castle on the coast. The beach was made of big smooth, oval-shaped rocks. It was a true experience of micro-climates during our hikes with mossy paths, birch forests, ferns, streams and peat. When we hiked we had to “midge up” for those “dodgy bodgy” biting critters (we love Scottish lingo!).

We reluctantly packed up from our beloved cottage and headed back to Edinburgh. This time we stayed in the city and did a quick swing by the castle, the Royal Mile and competed with the throngs of tourists (unlike in the highlands). A special call out to the great airport food in Edinburgh airport, tasty and great variety and service. Scotland holds a special place in our hearts.

Next up–Denmark and the Baltic Sea!