10 Reasons to go to Scotland... LIKE RIGHT NOW

Scotland has captured this bald girls heart, in a massive way.

WOW.

Just wow

Excuse me.. WHY and HOW did no one ever tell me Scotland was THIS beautiful??

I feel lied too

Scotland was one of those ‘holy shit how did I not know about this’ moments

I’ve seen so many beautiful things and been so many incredible places. It’s a bit tricky to blow me away or catch me off guard these days but..

Scotland did.

The highland cattle, the islands and old cities, the mountains, the cliffs and coast lines, the history, the beaches and lochs (Scottish word for lake), the castles, the whiskey, the super friendly people and.. THE ACCENTS. Oh how I love a good Scottish accent.

Scotland had it all and has shot right to the top of one of my favorite countries ever.

Was no one ever going to tell me that Scotland had mountains and landscapes that looked like this..?

Or that Scotland had beautiful beaches ..??

OR HOW MAGICAL THESE CREATURES ARE..?

APPARENTLY NOT, but I got you guys, I’m here to tell YOU!

Perhaps the people of Scotland wanted to keep the beauty of their land a secret?! I don’t blame them. But cats out of the bag.

Here are some of the awesome things you can do and see in Scotland.

(When I go back, which I will, I will tell you more because I am 100% sure I have not even scratched the surface)

1. Isle of Skye

Drop everything now and plan your visit to the Isle of Skye.

The Isle of Skye is an island off the west coat of Scotland accessible by ferry or bridge. It’s STUNNING. A series of two lane and shared (somewhat scary) 1 lane roads lead you through all of the magic that is the Isle of Skye. You could spend two weeks here hiking and exploring or a simple 2 days just to hit the highlights.

With every twist and turn the scenery changed from beautiful to beautiful. I’ve never seen more sheep in my life due to much of the island being made up of sheep farmers. Loads of cute little Scottish bed and breakfasts or hostels can be found to accommodate you while you explore things like ..

Quiraing Loop

Ferry Glen

Old man of Storr

And this only a few, there is so much more here!

2. North coast 500 aka the Scottish highlands

Same as #1. Drop everything now and plan your visit to drive the North Coast 500

The North Coast 500 is a series of highways that connect to lead you all around the north coast of Scotland in all its Highland glory.

Absolutely stunning scenery and coast line. Most people start in Inverness or Fort William to take on the 500 miles of coast line. All made up of fairly small villages you get to see much of rural Scotland and the farther north you get the harder it is to understand that charming Scottish accent!

There are so many highlights on the NC500, here are simply a few...

And you will come across plenty of....

3. Highland cattle, you need to meet one

These guys are hard to miss while driving the NC500. Sometimes even acting as a road block, a VERY welcomed road block.

Highland cattle are very docile and friendly creatures.

One of them even let me do a photo shoot of him..

ISNT HE FAB?

4. Hunt for castles

I saw so many castles during my time in Scotland. Many you had to pay to get in, other ones (generally more ruin type ones) were free.

I didn’t pay to go to a single castle. I found looking at them from the outside magical enough, plus I’m on a budget :)

This did not bother my castle experience at all. Here are some of my favorites, most of which where found on my NC 500 drive..

5. Free walking tour of Edinburgh

Does anyone ever feel called to a certain place or country for no apparent reason?

Like sometimes you want to go to a place... just because, even though you may know nothing about it, you are drawn to it for some strange reason.

That’s how I’ve always felt about Edinburgh.

(Which up until like two weeks before I arrived in Scotland was basically the only place I knew about in Scotland.. shame on me!)

I took a free walking tour of the city with Edinburgh Free Tour as I was curious about its history. I do free walking tours in lots of the cities I visit and they always give me a great lay of the land too which I can explore further on my own.

(PSA to all Harry Potter fans, there are free Harry Potter tours as well as this is the city were JK Rowling wrote the majority of the books)

My instinct to experience Edinburgh was correct. I found it such a unique city. The medieval architecture and general ‘oldness’ of the city was quite charming to me. It made me chuckle every time I saw a pub that was more than TWICE as old as the United States of America.

6. Get drunk on whiskey

Whiskey = Scotland

Scotland = Whiskey

In the name of all honesty I think I’ve found myself more of a vodka and tequila girl BUT I was not going to leave Scotland without trying some of this Scottish nectar.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants that specialize in whiskey and can guide you on all that is Scottish whiskey. Some are super fancy places, while others are normal pubs.

I gave a few different whiskeys a go, caught a buzz and than switched back to .. beer .. ahh oh well I tried.

Looking back I would have loved to do more of a proper whiskey tasting at a distillery, which are everywhere!! So maybe I suggest you give that a go!

7. Visit a local pub for some traditional music

There were so many pubs to choose from in all of Scotland. I was more keen to seek out a more authentic, traditional, and no frills local pub. Sometimes this can be a bit tough as so many places now a days are decorated to mimic these ‘old timey ’ pubs. So it comes down to research.

Traditionally the musicians will sit in a booth in the corner of the pub, just like anyone else and start playing. I checked out the Royal Oak in Edinburgh to get in my Scottish music fix!

8. Hang on the beach

Again, who knew Scotland had such beautiful beaches?

It is just not what I think about when I think Scotland but I am now proved wrong.

9. Airbnb your way through the country

This was one of my favorite things I did in Scotland. I’ve always known about Airbnb, I’ve even used it before. But only to rent out full homes for a bunch of friends and I.

However I have never tried the approach of Airbnb’ing out a single room in someone’s house. Aka you would be living with this person and sharing their actual home. It was a wonderful way to get to know the people of Scotland and get a true taste of what life is like there!

I got to meet so many wonderful, welcoming and kind people. I learned so much about Scotland, from history to politics to old traditions. And best part, they know ALL the best spots and things you should go do or see, after all it is their home! Basically I would just show up, chat with them (usually over tea.. so British), and let them tell me what I should do the next day. They know all the tips and tricks and it felt great to be part of someone’s home!

10. Search for the Loch Ness monster

I guess this is kind of a given eh?!

Scotland is the home of the Loch Ness monster. A massive creature that lives in this ‘Loch’

Now I may be the only one..

But I did not know ‘loch’ was the Scottish word for ‘lake.’ Therefore I just always though the name of the monster was 'lochness' as in one word or a name. Not the name of the lake that this monster lives in.

Hahah ... anyways.

I visited and saw the infamous loch, and it was beautiful ! I did not however pay to get on a boat on the Loch and search for said monster. It was very touristy and not where I wanted to spend my money!

11. Visit during fall(I know I said 10 things, but this is a bonus/pro tip.. you're welcome)

Ohhhh my oh my.

Fall in Scotland was just lovely.

The colors the colors the colors. Driving the 1,000 plus miles I did in my time in Scotland would have been beautiful no matter the season I am sure of it. However.. those fall colors made the drive stunning, every turn different colors of red, yellow, orange and so on.

If Scotland was not on your radar before, let it be now. You will not be disappointed ...

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