Low Key in Scotland (Outer Hebrides, Edinburgh, Nairn, Glasgow)

Planning/Organization

A couple things inspired me to take this trip:

1) During my 2018 Scotland vacation, I took a day group tour from Oban to Mull, Staffa, and Iona. I had a great time, despite the absence of puffins, but misstepped and got stuck in a boggy patch on Staffa. Luckily I called out to someone in the group, who rescued me from the muck. This experience made me realize that, as much as I like the idea of being "in nature," the reality is that I am a klutz with questionable judgment and should probably not be alone in it. Upon my return I started researching group tours of Scotland and found Hidden Hebrides's web site.

2) Last year I visited Wales and walked a bit around the Gower peninsula. It was lovely, but I found that walking in the sand was difficult for me. I also had qualms about steep descents. I broke my foot in 2010 and since then have been afraid of falling again and hurting myself. Upon my return I delved further into Hidden Hebrides's offerings and found one of their easiest tours, with the soothing name, "Gentle Rambles." I proceeded to book this tour.

My usual method for researching a vacation is to read travel books like the Rough Guide, current articles in the Guardian and other newspapers, and this travel forum. I then plot the places of interest on Google MyMaps. I like a map as a visual guide of where I want to go.

While I am traveling, I rely on WiFi and try to avoid using cellular phone data. Because Google MyMaps is not available offline, that means I use another mobile app, Maps.me, for on the spot navigation. On this trip Maps.me proved that it is worth as much as I paid for it. By that I mean: it is a free app, and basically worthless. Once again (this happened in Pompeii and Rome, too), the app gave me step by step directions to... the back door of my destination. In Pompeii this back door was blocked by another building. On this trip, in Nairn, Maps.me confidently stated I had arrived at my B&B, which actually meant I had arrived at their back garden. I tried the garden gate; it was locked. There was also a 10 foot hedge that I did not feel like climbing. I wound up scrutinizing the map on my own, finding a nearby restaurant (the Bandstand, where coincidentally I had booked dinner for that night), and asking the barman for directions.

This latest debacle taught me that, yes, I finally need to delete this dumb app from my phone, but also that I feel more secure reading a map than following step by step directions. I also like asking locals/passersby for help, which seems to work better than any app.

For future trips I am considering to bring a printed map and each evening go online via WiFi at my accommodation to check Google MyMaps for the destinations I want to visit next. I would then mark these places on the paper map before I hit the road. If you have other suggestions (that do not involve cellular data, if possible), I would love to hear them.

My other organizational tool was a cheat sheet that I created in Excel. It is a simple chart with a column for each day and three large rows/cells that roughly correspond to morning, afternoon, and evening. At home, before the trip, I hand wrote any time sensitive activities, such as a museum timed entry reservation, the time to check in for a flight, or tour reservations. Each evening of the trip, I then hand wrote what I did that day and what I hoped to do the next day. I carried this single sheet of paper in my purse to see my upcoming activities at a glance.

Packing

There is not much to say here except that I am Team Carry On Only and have the travel clothesline and 3 ounces of detergent to prove it. I use a 44 liter Tortuga backpack that has since been redesigned. My favorite aspect of this pack is that the shoulder straps and hip belt are sewn in but can be hidden by a zipped cloth cover, so I can carry/stow the pack by its side handle like a suitcase. I kind of lost my mind on this trip and bought books as souvenirs. They added quite a bit of weight and bulk, but luckily no one at JetBlue questioned my luggage, so I was able to carry on back home, too.

I used two daypacks but never at the same time. For the walking tour I used a Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack, which folds into a very small bag for stowing empty in your luggage. It fit my water bottle, snacks, rain trousers, and a clutch bag with my wallet and passport. For the rest of my vacation I used a cross body purse, Minkee Blue's Terri model. It can convert into a backpack, but because I carried my passport and wallet inside, I kept it as a crossbody purse for security. This purse is larger than it looks online, and it has numerous organizational compartments. It is also water resistant, which one quickly discovers about anything while in Scotland. I like purses like this one because the main compartment zips tight, and then you can fold this main flap over towards your body for added security. I liked this bag a lot and would recommend it.

Transportation

I do not like to drive on vacation (or in my home life), so I used trains and buses on this trip. I took a cab once in town in Edinburgh for convenience after a late night. My tour utilized a mini van. I have become sensitive to being in a car; I do not get "carsick," but I do not enjoy the windy roads and closed space of a vehicle. I think that the nature of the Hebrides, though, is that you are better served seeing them by car, so it was a necessary evil for me.

Accommodations

I can recommend highly a couple B&Bs:

Sunny Brae in Nairn: I found this place through this forum and was not disappointed. John and Rachel, the proprietors, are warm, professional, and always available to help. (Rachel helped me zip close my pack after I bought too many books.) The breakfasts were delicious. My room was extremely clean and cozy. It also had a trouser press cum iron built into the wall that I found fascinating (I almost wish I had brought trousers, which I never wear, to test the first aspect of the device). Although I hate to cook and clean and avoid those tasks on vacation, I actually kind of enjoy ironing and had a great time pressing my clothes using their iron that magically worked without adding water.

Borve Guest House in Benbecula: My room was very clean and comfortable, the breakfasts and snacks were fantastic, and Mary, the proprietor, was amazing. She runs her small rural B&B like a world class 5 star hotel: she is warm, organized, efficient, and she stocks any supplies you may need. The first morning the government works broke a water main by accident, so we had no water, but Mary made some calls and restored the water earlier than predicted. She is magic!

Other accommodations:

In Edinburgh I stayed at the Motel One Royal, which is near Waverley station. My room was comfortable, and the staff were friendly. I never pack an umbrella when I travel and rarely use one at home because, in my experience, the wind makes them worthless. I did, however, borrow one of Motel One's plentiful selection of full size umbrellas and used it throughout my stay. I paid a small fortune for their breakfasts, which I have heard others say is a waste of money. They are not wrong, but I appreciate the convenience of breakfast on site. Also I tried to recoup my expenses a bit by assembling a large pastrami and cheese sandwich my final morning to take as lunch on the train with me up to Nairn, and none of the hotel staff objected.

In Glasgow I stayed at the Grasshoppers Hotel in Glasgow. I had stayed here in 2018 and found it charming. It was fine this time but seemed a bit "tired." For example, the padded cloth headboard in my room was discolored from hair oils of many past guests, which was kind of off putting. The ceiling fan blades were coated with black grime, enough that I did not want to turn on the fan in case the schmutz dislodged itself (and perhaps other guests felt the same, as there was a desktop fan provided in the room too). In addition to the dated facilities, I was also unimpressed by the staff's hospitality, although to be fair everyone was very polite. When I checked in, I remarked that I would miss breakfast my final day because I had an early morning bus to catch to the airport. The front desk staff person said only, "Thanks for telling me, I will make a note," without any offer for a credit or breakfast to go. The next night I arrived back fairly late and told the night staff person that I would leave early the next morning, asking if that would be an issue. She immediately offered to have some cold breakfast available whenever I needed it. I thanked her for her foresight and remarked that her colleague had not made a similar offer. She responded that the other staff are new and still learning; she herself was a co-founder of the hotel and was actually retired; the managers asked her to return to cover the night shift. I am so glad she did!

In Harris my tour group stayed at the Hebridean Guest House. It was a very clean, comfortable inn with a good breakfast and friendly staff. We saw a Rabbie's group in the breakfast room one day, so I think this place might be a known quantity among the organized tour companies.

Notable Restaurants

I love Scottish food, especially seafood, and I love Indian food in the UK, so I was happy to dine at various places. Highlights included:

Dishoom in Edinburgh: Try the sali boti; they put it in that special box on the menu with good cause. I enjoyed it on two separate occasions.

Hamilton's in Stockbridge, Edinburgh: I had a lovely cozy late lunch in their warm pub after making the rookie mistake of leaving my umbrella back in the hotel before a museum visit and walk down the Water of Leith to Dean Village. Hamilton's pudding choices included a crumble made with local strawberries which were delicious. I had missed the narrow window of local strawberry season in NY, so I appreciated this opportunity.

The Mustard Seed in Inverness: The fish pie was very good.

Mother India in Glasgow: They serve rajma, which I have not seen on a menu in an Indian restaurant in the US. Rajma feels like home cooking to me, although Mother India's version was way better than what I make at home.

Lovely trip report, NYC Librarian!! And interesting about Grasshoppers, too. I stayed there in 2023 and found the staff pleasant but not effusively so. I will say I have gotten in the habit of asking for a breakfast to go if I'm not able to partake of one. Sometimes the staff can be distracted and forgets to let you know (or is new, as you found out). :) I also loved Dishoom in Edinburgh and Mother India in Glasgow. I went there after my visit to the Kelvingrove museum, which was so wonderful.

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you don't opt for an eSIM for data? They're pretty inexpensive, and do make travel a whole lot easier.

I think I may have just missed you in Nairn NYC Librarian. I was there from 10-14th June and had a lovely time. My trip was low-key too, but I may write a trip report this week when I get my pictures up somewhere I can share them.

Mardee, I lean towards being a Luddite, especially in my personal life, and was reluctant to try out an eSIM this time. But I suppose I will need to catch up with technology someday.

GerryM, I liked Nairn as an alternative to Inverness. It seems like a lovely seaside town, and I would stay there again.

I liked Nairn as an alternative to Inverness. It seems like a lovely seaside town, and I would stay there again.

We (mum and I) didn't even go into Inverness this time. I'm not sure there's a lot of reason for locals in Nairn to even do that now. They've got a big Sainsburys and Home Bargains right near town :)

I saw your pictures They're great. The beach and dunes at Nairn! I could handle living there full time I think. The Griffin in Sauchiehall Street too! It's many years since I've been there. I'd forgot it existed. That block with The Griffin, The Variety and Nice n Sleazy is where I'd do quite a lot of my drinking in my 20's.

GerryM, the Nice n Sleazy seemed like a great bar. I went on a Glasgow Music City walking tour, and the group stopped there to have a midday drink. The bartender was friendly, and the whole bar felt very comfortable, like the low key neighborhood bars I like in Brooklyn and the Lower East Side. Later that night I went next door to Broadcast to see a show (Imperial Wax, Mark E. Smith's former colleagues in the Fall) in their downstairs space.

I also saw a rock/folk show in the upstairs room of the Doublet (next door to Shish Mahal, the home of chicken tikka masala).

I will post a few more highlights of my trip shortly.

Ah great! Sounds like my kind of Glasgow trip! I was lucky enough to be around Glasgow in the mid 90's, a very vibrant time for music, both the alternative / art rock scene and the techno and house music in the clubs.

I had many a great night in Sleazy's. Not a local band, but maybe one of the best shows I ever saw was Man Or Astroman? in the basement there in about 1995 or 96. I had already met Mogwai through skating, but I think I saw what was probably their first or second show there.

I take it you'll be aware of Chemikal Underground, The Delgados, Arab Strap, Bis etc.? Spare Snare (from Dundee) is another band I liked a lot back then. Please give "Live At Home" a listen. It's a fantastic little record.

It sounds like you timed it well for your gigs. I wasn't aware of Imperial Wax, so I had to look to see if Brix was a member. Of course not lol Broadcast wasn't around back in the day and I've never been. Did you make it out to Mono / Monorail? I'm really happy Monorail has been a success for Stephen Pastel. He's a great guy and a stalwart of the music scene in Glasgow. The Doublet and The Halt are great music and vibes pubs out Woodlands way.

I have the utmost admiration for everyone who posts their trip reports immediately---Wonderful trip report. Really makes me want to go back to Scotland, which I loved back in 2009. The landscape was stunning to me, too. Really exceeded expectations. I admire anyone who writes trip reports--I have shied away from writing one.

Trip Highlights

I enjoyed Hidden Hebrides's tour and have recommended it. Highlights from that tour, and the rest of my vacation in chronological order, include:

Edinburgh - Invisible Cities walking tour: I had read a news article about this company, which employs formerly homeless individuals as tour guides. Our guide showed us some standard Edinburgh sites but also took us to NGOs that serve homeless people. It was interesting to learn about city residents who often seem "invisible" to tourists (and other residents).

Edinburgh - Women in Revolt exhibit at the Modern Two: I learned a lot about feminism in the UK. It makes me appreciate Ali Smith's writing even more.

Edinburgh - Scottish Poetry Library: I had read a news article about a series of anonymous book sculptures that had been discovered in various locations around Edinburgh. The Poetry Library now has a few of them on exhibit. They are lovely, and all of them are compiled in a book (a hardcover book, which I felt compelled to purchase and squeeze into my luggage). I also enjoyed talking shop with the librarian here about their book classification scheme.

Coaltown of Wemyss - Wemyss School of Needlework: This one is pretty niche I guess! I researched "Scotland embroidery," as that sort of craft is my creative outlet, and I found this organization. Before my trip I emailed Sheila, who manages the place, and she suggested a time for me to visit. It was an easy, albeit long, bus ride to Wemyss, just outside Kirkcaldy in Fife. Sheila was very warm, friendly, and funny, and she gave me a tour to see the historical samples that the students created. I also met a lively group of sewists in the neighborhood who meet up regularly to stitch and chat. I had a great time talking to everyone about embroidery, cross stitch, needlepoint, black work, and other techniques and seeing their works in progress. We had tea and biscuits while I waited out a thunderstorm. For me it was a perfect way to spend an afternoon and get to know some local residents.

Elgin Museum - I was on the train from Aberdeen to Nairn and decided to jump ship at Elgin to check out the museum and cathedral.This museum has a quirky Victorian feel, with an eclectic collection of objects including a lot of taxidermy. (I taxidermied a mouse once and now have a soft spot for this craft.) I had a nice conversation with the volunteer docent about repatriation of cultural objects. I could have stayed here longer, but I wanted to see the cathedral before catching my bus.

Garve - Black Water Falls: Our tour of the Outer Hebrides actually started on the mainland, in Inverness. Our guide Emma drove us to this beautiful area for a walk in the woods to waterfalls, a white water river, and a lake. It was very different from the rest of the tour, and I appreciated seeing a part of Scotland I had not expected.

More Trip Highlights

Lewis - Calanais Standing Stones: My main interest for the tour of the Outer Hebrides was this site, and it did not disappoint. I love old things and have enjoyed seeing ancient archaeological sites in Egypt, India, and Mexico. Calanais is, I believe, older than all of them and begs the question: "What if Spinal Tap had visited here instead of Stonehenge?"

Harris - Harris Distillery: Our tour had a long travel day that started early with a windy drive from Stornoway to Tarbert, a tour and tasting in the Harris distillery, and then a long-ish ferry ride to Berneray. I am not sure if a morning double tipple of gin and whisky after a drive and before a ferry ride was the best call for someone like me, prone to motion sickness. The distillery is lovely: the decor is modern and minimalist yet inviting too. I knew I liked the Harris gin because I had enjoyed it in a G&T a couple nights before in Stornoway. The whisky was a bit light for my taste; I prefer the peaty Speyside single malts. During the tasting our distillery host asked us to smell the aromas in the gin first and share our impressions. We were a quiet group (it was 10 AM), so she tried to prompt us by saying, "Does the fragrance evoke anything for you? Peat...? Sugar... ? Bad decisions... ?" She must have seen the haunted look in my eyes! I admit that there has been a non zero number of times when I drank so many G&Ts that my body firmly rejected my offerings.

Vatersay: We saw many great beaches on various islands on our tour, but in my opinion this island had the loveliest beaches. Vatersay is basically "all killer, no filler" and has three distinct and fantastic beaches. I think I liked South Beach the most, because there were cows hanging out there (they graze on machair just next to the beach). As an urban resident the charm of cows on a beach cannot be surpassed.

Glasgow - Music City Tour: I took the Music Mile tour with Phil, a warm and funny elder queer goth who told us lots of hilarious stories about Scottish musicians and musicians on tour in Glasgow throughout the years. He focused on punk and post punk, which are genres I both like, and he indulged me when I asked him for stories about my favorite local band, the Jesus and Mary Chain. It felt like hanging out with a local and hearing tales and rumors designed to entertain as much as inform.

I also saw some live rock shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow, visited museums in both those cities, and did short solo walks in Nairn and Rosemarkie on the Black Isle. I had afternoon tea a couple times and spent one luxurious evening in my hotel room in Edinburgh listening to a Scottish music playlist (featuring the JAMC of course but also Aztec Camera and Garbage), doing crossword puzzles, and catching up on sleep.

GerryM, thank you for your music recommendations!

Thank you so very much for your wonderful report, including the walking tour company that is just what I was looking for!

“…. but misstepped and got stuck in a boggy patch on Staffa.”

We’ve all been there, even - especially! - us UK residents!

Great, enjoyable trip report.

Ian

I'd encourage anyone who hasn't looked at NYC Librarian's photos to go have look. The shots of the beaches on the islands are spectacular. There's a link in the first post.

Oh, I missed the photos the first time! Just went back and they are wonderful! You saw many of the same places I did on Lewis and I loved seeing them again. Like you, I loved the Calanais Stones; more so than Stonehenge even.

But I especially loved all the signs and posters and messages all over. How wonderful! And what a great idea to "collect" those via camera. So cool, NYC Librarian!

Thank you, everyone! I also take photos of placards and signs of the sights and artwork I enjoy because, as a librarian, I like to cite my sources. It also helps me remember details after the trip.

I also take photos of placards and signs of the sights and artwork I enjoy because, as a librarian, I like to cite my sources. It also helps me remember details after the trip.

Ha ha, we think alike! I like to cite my sources, too. And ironically, I'm taking a class in Muslim Studies at the university here and had to provide a photo of a mihrab, which is something set inside mosques. I actually had a photo of a very old one from when I went to Turkey, and because I took a photo of the placard, as well as the mihrab, I was able to site the source, date and other info I needed for the assignment. So they come in handy!

Really nice pictures. Thank you for the trip report!