A day in the Scottish Highlands

Today was a big one - a full-day tour of the Scottish Highlands! It was an early start, but totally worth it for the scenery alone. On the drive out of Edinburgh, I caught a glimpse of The Kelpies - those massive silver horse heads - which was a pretty cool way to kick things off.

The first stop was in Kilmahog, where I got to say g’day to Hamish and Honey, the hairy coos (or… Highland cows, for the uninitiated). They were every bit as cute and shaggy as I’d hoped.

The tour continued north to Spean Bridge for lunch, but nothing on offer really grabbed me, so I made do with a few snacks instead. Mmm… probably not a bad idea to skip a meal after all the pastries and pretzels I’ve inhaled on this trip. 😅😅😅

From there, the road wound through the breathtaking landscape of Glencoe - layers of green and gold, moody skies, and rolling mist between the mountains. The rain never really let up, so there weren’t as many photo opportunities as I’d have liked, and the lighting didn’t quite capture the full spectrum of colours in the trees. Still, there was something special about seeing it all through the drizzle - it felt properly Scottish.

Then, it was onwards to Loch Ness. No monster sightings for me today, but I did enjoy a proper Scottish coffee at the Clansman Hotel while looking out over the loch. YUM!

After about an hour there, the long journey back to Edinburgh began, passing through Inverness and Perth. Somewhere along the way, I even treated myself to a scoop of whisky ice cream - because when in Scotland, right? 🍦

By the time I made it back to the city, I was a little bit tired and more than ready to put my feet up (despite the modest step count). It was a long day on the road, but completely worth it - even through the rain, the Highlands were every bit as magical as I’d imagined they would be. 😄Read more