Finally! A trip to Scotland!

I’ve written this before but I try to go to a new place at least once a year. This year so far, that would be Scotland. And it did not disappoint.

We flew direct from Mallorca to Prestwick, about a three hour flight. Prestwick is a super small airport but close to our first stop which was Troon, a small seaside town in Ayrshire that overlooks the Isle of Arran. And it was so lovely!

We stayed at The Marine hotel. We really loved this hotel – view of the beach out our window, a golf course for all you golfers, Felix said his hamburger there at The Rabbit restaurant was one of the best he’s ever had and a great bar with a large whiskey selection. It was a bit too warm in our room but that really isn’t the hotel’s fault, they did bring us a fan which helped a bit. No air conditioning in many hotels in Scotland.

But we weren’t in Troon to golf. No sirree. We were there to celebrate the wedding of my cousin Jessica and her new husband Colin. My parents flew in from Arizona for it too. So a big family celebration with Felix getting to meet my cousins and aunt for the first time. Lots of love! And lots of kilts! The celebration was a full day event, with the bride and groom arriving in a Rolls Royce and then onto cocktails and photos. Later a dinner with me getting to sit by one of the Queen’s former chaplains – very cool! And then we ended the evening with dancing. Troon, we will be back.

Next stop was Pitlochry. I tried to find a nice hotel around the Cairngorms National Park so we could do some sightseeing in that area plus a whiskey tasting at Tomatin. The Fonab Castle Hotel was absolutely perfect, right on a loch, we ordered breakfast to our room (for a charge of 10 pounds) and it was a great location for the next day’s plans. We had dinner at their restaurant there the first night. Great food! A bit expensive but it seemed all restaurants were a bit on the expensive side.

We headed north to see some sights before our whiskey tour in the afternoon. First stop was the Ruthven Barracks which are the best preserved of the four barracks built in 1719 after the 1715 Jacobite rising. Set on an old castle mound, the complex comprises two large three-storey blocks occupying two sides of the enclosure, each with two rooms per floor. The barracks and enclosing walls were built with loopholes for musket firing, and bastion towers were built at opposite corners. It was destroyed by Jacobites following their retreat after the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

On the way to Tomatin it started pouring rain. And was still pouring when we got to the whiskey distillery, needless to say we got drenched when we tried to sprint the fifty feet to the front door. Just makes it more fun, right? Felix likes whiskey so I wanted to fit in a tour and tasting while we were in Scotland. He had never heard of Tomatin whiskey before but now it is one of his favorites. I can even find the Legacy one here in Mallorca. A very informative tour (we did the Legacy tour for 15 pounds per person) and then a tasting of three of their whiskeys at the end. Since I was driving I got the tastings to go. And of course, we had to buy a bottle before leaving, Felix chose the Tomatin 18 year old and WOW, it is dang good.

Afterwards, we drove up to the northern part of Loch Ness – about a 20 minute drive from Tomatin. I just knew I would be the one to spot Nessie! It was still quite rainy so I never got a great picture and sadly never spotted Nessie but we drove all the way down the eastern side of it on a very curvy and hilly road. Fantastic!

The next day we left for Edinburgh. My dad is a golf fanatic so a stop at St. Andrews was a must. St. Andrews is regarded as the “Home of Golf.” It has one of the oldest courses in the world, where the game has been played since the 15th century. It was a great experience and hopefully was a highlight for my dad to see. We walked around a little, you can walk the course if you stay out of the way. We just walked past the 1st hole on the Old Course and then you could cut across in the middle and be on the other side where the 18th hole was. We grabbed a quick bite to eat and watched some of the golfers. It is also right next to a gorgeous beach where “Chariots of Fire” was filmed.

Time for Edinburgh! As I said, I was the driver, and being in the UK the driver’s steering wheel is on the right side and of course you drive on the left side of the road. It was quite an experience! The first day was a bit nerve-wracking, I really had to concentrate but slowly I got used to it. Driving in Edinburgh was a challenge but in the end it all worked out. We stayed at The Intercontinental The George Hotel in Edinburgh. It was my least favorite of the three hotels and I doubt we will stay there again. The check-in people weren’t helpful at all and there really wasn’t anything extra special about the hotel. It was in a great location, right smack dab around everything. The next day was our Hop On Hop Off bus tour. My mom had knee surgery and needs a cane to walk to this was really our best option to be able to see most of the city. Sadly, it didn’t go to the castle but hopefully next time we will make it. Some pics from the day of Edinburgh.

And that was a wrap! I think we fit in a lot of fabulous things in the week we were there. We drove my parents to Glasgow where they were spending two more days, then we decided to go back to The Marine in Troon for a beer before having to drop off the rental. Thanks Scotland! We will definitely be returning soon.