Scenic Scotland

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It was spring time in the UK and we had a 4 day long weekend off at office. My friends (also my colleagues at office) and I planned for a road trip to Scotland from Nottingham. I was very excited about the trip because it was ‘SCOTLAND’ !!

The drive to Scotland was a very scenic one. Beautiful grasslands and scenic landscapes all along the way ! We stopped on the way for a short break. There was small bridge and a stream flowing beneath the bridge. On one side of the road were small hills covered in the green blanket of grass. The grass had a parrot green colour and it looked so lovely in the sun. And the sheep and lambs grazing on those grasslands made the picture perfect. We walked down the bridge towards the stream and sat there for a while looking at the clear sparkling water.

We reached Edinburgh in the evening. The weather was gloomy with most of the city covered in fog. We checked into our hotel rooms and then went out walking to explore Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is a beautiful city rich in historical architecture. We walked down to the Old Town, walking past Mary King’s Close and the Museum on the Mound. We then went to a pub and spent the rest of the evening there chatting and drinking. A couple of tequila shots sent my head reeling. For dinner, we went looking for Indian restaurants. It’s not difficult to find Indian restaurants in the UK, for there are so many. We ate dinner at one of the Indian restaurants and headed back to the hotel.

Next day, we headed towards Isle of Skye. Today was going to be mostly in the car. We drove on the perimeter of Cairngorms National park towards Fort William. On our way, we stopped at scenic landscapes for photographs. Well, I must admit that the drive from Edinburgh to Isle of Skye was very scenic. I remember seeing these scenic photographs in the calendars when I was a kid and now I felt like I was driving through the calendars ! :D

We reached Isle of Skye later that evening and checked into a B&B – Caberfeidh Bed and Breakfast at Bradford. It was small cozy house with 3 – 4 bedrooms and the proprietor was Mrs. Mackenzie. It was on the banks of Bradford Bay with a nice view of the sea from its backyard. Since Isle of Skye is located almost on the Northern part of the UK, it gets dark early and also, the nights could be cold. We went out looking for Indian restaurants for dinner and found one by name ‘Taste of India’.

Next day morning, after we had had some great English breakfast at the B&B, we drove towards Inverness via Loch Ness. But before that, we stopped over at Eilean Donan Castle. We didn’t venture in but just stood outside the castle and absorbed the beauty around it. The castle stands on a small island connected to the mainland by a small bridge. Very picturesque but since that day was cloudy, the view around the castle was covered in grey.

We drove to Loch Ness in a hope to meet the sea monster Nessy , but were disappointed ?. Legend has it that the lake is/was inhabited by a sea monster named Nessy. Apart from that, we were not disappointed one bit because the view was so breathtaking. A castle in ruins stood on the edge of the lake overlooking the lake. We then drove towards Inverness and then took a U-turn back to Edinburgh.

On our way back to Edinburgh, we drove through the Cairngorms National Park. We stopped at Aviemore town for lunch. Near the restaurant, there was a small grass lawn with tulips grown on one side. The red tulips made the place look so much prettier! After lunch, from Aviemore we drove to Loch Morlich in the Cairngorms National park.

Loch Morlich is surrounded by mountains and pine trees line the lake. Also, a very busy place for watersports like kayaking etc. When we went there, the mountains were snow capped with the clouds covering the top part of the mountains. The calm lake with its sand shore looked very serene. We spent most of our time on the lake shore. Later, we walked towards the base of Cairngorm mountain. It was a short walk from the lake. When we reached there, the last trip of the Cairngorm mountain train had left. So, we just walked for a kilometre ahead and then made our way back. We reached Edinburgh late in the evening. Checked into the hotel and retired for the day.

Next day, we went to visit Edinburgh castle. The castle stands on top of a mighty rock overlooking the city. There were small canons that lined up the boundary wall of the castle. From the castle, we could see Edinburgh city below and the major historical monuments of the city. Inside the castle, there were artefacts from around the world and we spotted one from India – the mighty sword of Tipu Sultan. There was also a wedding in progress in one of the halls on the campus.

From the castle, we walked down the road to one of the Scotch Whisky stores. When in Scotland, what’s the use if one doesn’t buy Scotch Whisky? I bought one small bottle of Glenfiddich Scotch whisky for my husband. We roamed the streets for a bit before we headed back to Nottingham.

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