We flew into Edinburgh and spent a couple of days walking the old town: the Royal Mile, the castle, and the colorful Victoria Street. The Fringe festival was going on at the same time, and the streets were very busy with performers and crowds.
We took the train to Glasgow, said hello to the Duke of Wellington and his traffic cone, and picked up the van just outside the city. It was a nice one: running water, even hot water, a real shower and toilet, a decent size fridge, a stove and an oven. The AC did not work though, which made for a warm first drive.
It was also a scary first drive. The van is about the size of the one we had in Alaska, but the roads here are much narrower, and driving on the left side it was hard to tell how much room we had. With cars and trucks coming the other way, it was quite an adventure. After some groceries, we found a spot by the road on Loch Lomond to sleep for the night.
The next day we drove north across Rannoch Moor and into Glencoe. Buachaille Etive Mòr shows up first, standing alone at the entrance of the glen, then the Three Sisters. The scenery is beautiful, and comes with a lot of history. Somehow it was also quite touristy, maybe because there are fewer side roads here than in Iceland, so everyone ends up on the same one.
We cooked a steak in the van, and slept by Loch Linnhe, south of Fort William.
We got to Glenfinnan early to see the Jacobite steam train cross the viaduct, along with a lot of other people on the hillside. This is the Hogwarts Express: the viaduct and the train are the ones in the Harry Potter movies, the flying car scene in the Chamber of Secrets was shot right here.
From Mallaig, we took the ferry to Armadale on the Isle of Skye, van included. The bridge would be for the way back.
First stops on Skye were a waterfall right by the road, the old bridge at Sligachan, and the Fairy Pools, in a mist that never quite lifted. We settled into a campsite in Broadford for three nights. It was well maintained, and a full hot shower felt like luxury. Our van had a small shower too, although we were using it military style, and the toilet only to pee. Emptying it would be an experience in itself.
The next day was a chill one. We woke up late, drove out to Neist Point for lunch on the cliffs, and took it easy going back, with fish and chips on the way to the grocery store.
Saturday started at a seafood shack in Broadford: langoustines, crab, mussels and Cullen skink, fresh off their boat that morning, for about 35 pounds. Probably some of the best seafood we've had (ever?)
Then the Old Man of Storr. It was fine, and quite busy. We took a different path for the second half, which was much quieter and better.
Kilt Rock was a quick viewpoint stop. Then the Quiraing, a hike we were not sure we would do: 4+ miles, and it was already 6pm. With sunset at 9pm and two hours to finish it, we went for it. It turned out to be the best hike of the trip: golden hour light, clouds rolling over the ridge, cows and sheep, and hardly anyone else.
We slept in the Quiraing parking lot, and woke up at 6am to check on the grey water drain that was not working quite right. That morning turned out to have a beautiful sunrise, so we took a walk for a drone shot.
A long driving day out of Skye, through Uig and over the bridge this time. We stopped by Eilean Donan castle, had lunch in the van by Loch Duich, drove along Loch Ness to the Culloden battlefield, and ended the day in Cairngorms National Park, by Loch Morlich.
The last day was a slow one: haggis for lunch in Newtonmore, a walk through the Hermitage near Dunkeld, a drone stop at Stirling Castle, and a surprisingly nice campsite at an equestrian centre outside Glasgow, before returning the van in the morning.
Scotland surprised us. We did not have many expectations, and it felt like we barely scratched the surface. There was so much to see, so many beautiful sceneries, and 11 days (9 if we exclude travel) ended up feeling a bit short. Two full weeks would have been about right.
