Category Archives: Scotland

Europe, Scotland, UK

The last leg

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I’m not going to lie, my choice to stay up late last night was not so much fun this morning! But, being the last day of the tour, I knew that I would have yet another overnight bus back to London coming up.

We left Morag’s Lodge (Fort Augustus, Loch Ness) and headed south towards Fort William in the hopes of spotting Ben Nevis, Scotland’s highest peak. Although it is not an incredibly high peak, it is a dangerous one, claiming several lives due to the drastic changes in conditions (especially the fog). Continue reading The last leg →

Europe, Scotland, UK

Coos, trees, stones and Scotch

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I have not been very good at keeping up with my travels, so this is still from my trip to Scotland mid-September…

Trees for Life

Hazel tree

Day 4 on the Haggis tour was a very busy one. We left our hostel near the shores of Loch Ness, and made our way to Trees For Life, “a conservation charity dedicated to the restoration of the Caledonian Forest.” Here, our tour group participated in planting 2 native species of tree, a birch tree and a hazel tree. Due to time and manpower constraints, we were only able to plant 2 trees for the entire group. Many of us had hoped to plant a tree each (30 trees), but the time that it would take to dig all of the holes (the charity’s volunteers pre-dig the ground) meant that it was not possible. It is something that the charity is keeping in mind, and we discovered that you can do trips specifically to plant trees. One of the volunteers was a year 2 (grade 2) teacher, who is also taking a year off to refresh himself after 20 years in the classroom. If you would like to learn more about Trees for life, you can find out about the charity here. Continue reading Coos, trees, stones and Scotch →

Europe, Scotland, UK

The legends of Skye

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Day 3 brought us to the Fairy Pools, through Portree, up to the Old Man of Storr and along the Skye coastline to Kilt Rock and the Lealt falls. Sadly, at the end of the day, we had to cross back onto the mainland as we were expected in Loch Ness. Skye is full of different legends and myths, detailing stories of faeries and giants. I apologize for my story telling skills in advance, as I don’t have quite the same knack of spinning the tales. If you would like to hear the stories, I encourage you to take your own trip, and hear them for yourselves! Continue reading The legends of Skye →

Europe, Scotland, UK

Into the Highlands

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Today was the beginning of the adventure! Bibi and I managed to get breakfast (the Baxter hostel serves a hot breakfast of eggs and toast, with cereal, tea and coffee also available. The hostel is quite nice, I would recommend it) before making our way to the Haggis Adventures office on the Royal Mile. Once everyone was checked in, we loaded up our “Wild and Sexy” yellow bus and headed out of Edinburgh. Continue reading Into the Highlands →

Europe, Scotland, UK

Auld Reekie

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Edinburgh Castle

From royalty to witches to murderers and body snatchers, Edinburgh aka Dun Edin (fort on the hill) aka Auld Reekie (old smokey/old smelly) is a charming city with beautiful buildings and a history longer and more dense than the towering 14 story buildings that once stood inside the Flodden walls. It is no wonder that JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter series from this city! 

From the castle, which is set upon an extinct volcano, you can look down the lava flow known as the Royal Mile, past Arthur’s Seat (a second extinct volcano and the highest viewpoint) to the Firth of Forth. Calton hill is another viewpoint offering sweeping landscapes, both towards the old city (delineated by the Flodden wall), and towards the Firth. 

Scot Memorial

Although this was my second visit (and likely not the last) to Edinburgh, I was amazed once again by the beauty of the old buildings and overloaded with new information. I have now visited at the end of winter, and at the end of summer, and can most certainly say that I will not be back in the winter! Honestly, my memories of Edinburgh the first time I went, was of being colder than I had ever experienced in my life, and I am born and bred Canadian! I was quite thrilled to find the weather much warmer this time, needing only a fall jacket, not woolen undergarments! Continue reading Auld Reekie →

England, Europe, Scotland, UK

Taking time out in the land of unicorns and lions

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For the last couple of weeks, I have been touring Scotland and England, returning to some of my old haunts in London, and exploring other areas, including the Highlands and the eastern county of Norfolk, in England. It was a whirlwind tour, covering a lot of ground in the UK, and my brain was a bit overwhelmed by the history, but I enjoyed myself.
First, let me say, that this post will be a little different than some of my other travel posts. I will have detailed posts on everything we did in Scotland to follow, however, today’s post will be more of an overview, and a reflection on my trip, so don’t be surprised if it is a bit disjointed!
I started off my journey with a 20 hour layover in Toronto, Canada. This was a result of booking the cheapest flight to LGW (Gatwick) that I could find (round trip only 650$ incl taxes! For other Canadians, you know this is a steal of a deal!). Now most people would not be thrilled with such a long (or short) time in Toronto (I arrived just before 1 am, and left again at 9 pm the same day), however, I am very fortunate to have family who live nearby. I took the opportunity to visit once again with my grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins.

Continue reading Taking time out in the land of unicorns and lions →