Road tripping around Scotland

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Work occasionally takes me up north and when I had to do a flying visit to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh it seemed so logical to add a little detour to the Cairngorms into the mix. After all what's a few hundred miles when you get to drive though the beautiful Scottish countryside without any timeframes or firm plans. I love a good road trip and think this is the best way to see this beautiful country, get out of the cities and find the remote places - it's worth it.

After work obligations on the Friday I did a run south from Aberdeen to find my ultimate destination the beautiful ruined Dunnotter Castle. There is something about a broken down piece of history that I find so attractive - the renewed, rebuilt and refined is never as enticing as the remnants of an exciting and drama filled life. History isn't supposed to be perfect, its supposed to be a little dirty and scarred by the events that have happened around it, thats the fun bit ... oh and solitary exploration at the end of day as the sun goes down ... magic. I'm a big advocate of solo travel, not all the time as there is something about sharing the experiences with others, but sometimes taking some time out to look and do by yourself is the only way to go. When you travel alone you refine your decision making and social skills as there is an art to exploring or eating by yourself. One essential skill to master is the 'selfie' ... the art of taking a photo of yourself while still getting in a decent background. Practice at home, once learnt it will stand you in good stead your whole life through!

I'm not going to detail every mile, twist or turn, just throw up some photos and encourage you to get out and explore especially if you have noone to explore with. My route this trip included Stonehaven (try the cullen skink in the pub by the harbour ... tasty traditional Scottish dish), movies in Aberdeen, walking in Boat of Garten (red squirrels!!), a random solo hiking in the rain on forest trails (yes it did occur to me that nobody knew where I was) and just driving and soaking in the natures beauty.

Jane x

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Photos

Druim an Aird
The remnants of a deserted village