If it wasn’t for a couple of pints, some Irish stew, and a movie, I would have never ventured out of my comfort zone. A movie showing my tv in my hotel room brought me to the Scottish Highlands and more.

Yes, the movie, Braveheart has a few historical inaccuracies, but that got cleared up during the 3-day tour. Movies and folklore have a way of luring curious travelers to places they otherwise would have forgotten about.

Day 3 

I spent the day learning about Scotland’s capital and explore. Doing a bus tour in which I could hop on and off, go sightseeing, get a bite to eat allowed me to see Edinburgh in a day. Tours depart from Waverley Bridge and last approximately an hour.

The good thing about hopping on and off the bus is that you can join the bus tour at any of the bus stops along the route and make a full day of sightseeing.

Since I had arrived late evening the night before, I had time to fully take in the Christmas festival, enjoy the food and engage with the locals. 

The first stop started with visiting Edinburgh’s famous castle on top of a steep slope. After that, it was to visit two distinct areas: the Old Town, dominated by a medieval fortress; and the neoclassical New Town. 

Waverley Bridge tour stop was the perfect spot to get off and walk two minutes back to my accommodation and plan my next tour. England, I will have to catch up with you again for a second round another time.  This is my first time in Scotland and I am going to enjoy it.  

Day 4-6

My second tour consisted of a 3-day tour to the Isle of Skye. Highlights of this tour included visiting Glencoe, Loch Ness, Eilean Donan Castle and the romantic island of Skye. We spent 2 nights in the harbor town of Portree on the Isle of Skye.

We had a choice of accommodations that fit within our budget dispersed around various towns and villages, but not more than a 10-15 minute walk from the center.

The tour guide was very clear on drop off and pick up times. Be sure to pack layers as it got chilly at night. I chose to stay at a B&B and enjoyed, you guessed it, a full Scottish Breakfast. Along the way, we stopped at Kilmuir cemetery on the Isle of Skye which had a spectacular view of the ocean

While walking around looking at headstones I came across a memorial headstone marking the final resting place of legendary fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

Throughout the tour, there was plenty of time to take pictures, go for a group hike, explore independently and take in the Scottish countryside and the endless sheep running around free without restrictions.

After researching transportation options back to Ireland, I decided that I didn’t want to be rushed or miss out on the Dublin nightlife. Instead of going back to Edinburgh, I found a cheap flight through Ryanair from Glasgow back to Dublin for less than $20.

There were other coach buses conducting similar tours picking up and dropping off passengers. We made a stop in Glasgow to drop off a couple back to their hotel and I decided to get off in Glasgow and stay overnight. One last adventure in Scotland.

Day 7

My time was short and I wanted to take a quick look at Glasgow before flying out in the afternoon. I enjoyed a city sightseeing hop on and off bus tour. The accommodation I was staying at, arranged for a taxi to take me to the airport. In less than an hour, I was in Dublin, Ireland.

Scotland has a lot to offer for all budgets and interests. Sometimes just showing up without a plan, in return, one can experience the country as a whole and not just what is popular.

If left to my original plan, I would have just kept my visit short to only Edinburgh Castle. My next visit will be all about island hopping around the British Isles and sampling tasty single malt beverages.

My UK adventure didn’t stop here. Ireland is right across the pond. Check out my post, Unapologetically Cool: Taking Ireland by Storm. 

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