I just wanted to thank everyone who helped with our trip. I am going to split up our trip into Scotland and Iceland segments. We spent close to two weeks in Scotland. It was a driving trip for both countries. It gave us lots of freedom but it was also very tiring. We could have slowed down but I am not sure where because we enjoyed each stop. My husband used his phone with Google Maps and put in each stop the day before. This worked well.
For Scotland, there were three of us, my sister in law, hubby and myself. We each picked out one thing we just had to do. The three things ended up being: visiting an old friend in Portmahomack (north of Inverness), Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England and the Falkirk Wheel. Yep, talk about being all over the place.
MAY 15TH(WED)-We arrived in Edinburgh at 9:15AM and grabbed our car. We drove to Hexham England right away. This worked out well for us. We usually don’t get jet lag until the next day.
Stops made:
1. Rosslyn Chapel-well worth it.
2. Melrose Abbey-also very enjoyable.
3. We stayed in an Airbnb in Acomb, England thinking we could walk to the pub. Unfortunately, the only pub in town was closed except for the weekend. We drove into Hexham each night for dinner.
MAY 16TH(THURS)-Hadrian’s Wall- I have ALWAYS wanted to do Hadrian’s Wall since I was little. I know that Antoine’s Wall is in Scotland and therefore closer but I just had to go to Hadrian’s Wall. It did not disappoint.
Stops made:
1. Birdoswald-really nice
2. Steel Rig-Milecastle 380, Sycamore-amazing hike; Crag Lough
3. Lunch at Twice Brewed Pub-this was a good one
4. Dinner at Heart of Northumberland with a walk around the town of Hexham and a stop at Hexham Abbey.
5. Good source: HADRIANSWALLCOUNTRY.CO.UK
MAY 17(FRI)-Drive to Glencoe
Stops made:
1. Dumfries House Estate-really nice and an interesting concept-ate lunch there.
2. Loch Lomond/Trossachs National Park-drove through. It was lovely but the day was overcast and cold so we just stopped at a couple of places to take pictures.
3. We stayed at the Isles of Glencoe Hotel in Ballachulish. This was a lovely place and great walking around the tip of the loch. Probably one of our favorite places we stayed. Ate dinner at the hotel.
MAY 18TH (SAT)-Drive to the Isle of Skye –Again a lovely drive but was too cloudy to see much so we didn’t stop until we reached Eileen Donan Castle which was lovely. We had soup in the cafeteria and then drove on to Portree. We spent 2 nights in an Airbnb in Portree. We had a special dinner at Scorrybreag (Michelin star rated). We made these reservations a month earlier. It was real worth it.
MAY 19TH (SUN)-Isle of Skye
Stops made:
1. Drove to the Fairy Pools-on one of those interesting Scottish roads. We arrived later then we wished and ran out of time to do too much hiking. We got up early the next day and drove back to the fairy pools and did a nice hike before leaving the Isle of Skye.
2. Talisker Distillery- We had 11:00 reservation for the tour. I am not sure we needed it but later in the season absolutely.
3. Edinbane Inn-for lunch and listened to traditional music due to it being their anniversary.
4. Drove the Trotternish Peninsula Loop-and stopped at the Neist Point Lighthouse. Truly amazing views
MAY 20TH (MON)-Drive to Portmahomack. We stayed here with friends. It was a nice break for 3 nights and found there was quite a bit to do.
Stops made:
1. Urquhart Castle- we enjoyed it and it had lovely views even in the rain.