Our SPECTACULAR Scottish Journey!!!
Jul 11th, 2023, 12:27 PM
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Our SPECTACULAR Scottish Journey!!!
Hello everyone,
We returned from Scotland on June 15, and we had a fabulous time!!! The weather was gorgeous, the scenery is spectacular, the food is delicious, and the crowds weren’t too bad, even on Skye! First I want to thank the following people for helping me plan a spectacular journey and for their restaurant recommendations: Janisj, MaiTaiTom and his two trip reports, Gardyloo, British Caicos, Bilboburger, katherinebw, dfourh, ANUJ, Jean, Barbara-in-FL, Jackie44, Tom-mn, memejs, morgana, chepar, and Nelson. I apologize if I left anyone out.
This trip was 16 nights on the ground. We used Star Alliance miles and flew out of Boston, via Frankfurt, on May 29, and arrived in Edinburgh on May 30. We flew home via Chicago on June 15. Not a very convenient flight home but it saved us a lot of money. 😊
On this trip we traveled with our friends, Roger and Joanne. The 4 of us have been friends for a long time and traveled together in Spain so we invited R and J to join us on this trip. We had a lot of fun together and a lot of laughs, but my husband and I realize that except for traveling with our children and grandchildren on beach vacations, we prefer to travel alone. You have to compromise when traveling with other people, and we are not good at compromising on our vacations.
We had what I was told unusually beautiful weather: no rain, sunny every day except for some mist one morning on Skye, and temps ranging from the low 60’s to mid and high 70’s.
Because I read on this forum and Rick Steves that it would be wise to make restaurant reservations in advance, due to this being a busy season and restaurants are short-staffed and some have shorter hours, I made dinner reservations for every night except two. We don’t usually do this but I didn’t want to risk waiting an hour or more in line or walking from restaurant to restaurant looking for a place. We liked/loved every restaurant we ate at except for one, which I will mention later in my report. When I was making reservations, I noticed that some restaurants are only open 4 or 5 days a week. We did not make lunch reservations.
This was our itinerary:
Edinburgh – 4 nights – Ibis Hotel on St. Andrews Square
Anstruther on the Fife Coast – 2 nights – The Waterfront Hotel
Nairn (30 minutes from Inverness) – 3 nights – Sunny Brae Bed and Breakfast – this was our favorite accommodation!
Portree on Skye – 4 nights – Viewfield House
Glencoe – 2 nights – The Glencoe Inn
Near the Edinburgh Airport – 1 night – Dakota Edinburgh
We returned from Scotland on June 15, and we had a fabulous time!!! The weather was gorgeous, the scenery is spectacular, the food is delicious, and the crowds weren’t too bad, even on Skye! First I want to thank the following people for helping me plan a spectacular journey and for their restaurant recommendations: Janisj, MaiTaiTom and his two trip reports, Gardyloo, British Caicos, Bilboburger, katherinebw, dfourh, ANUJ, Jean, Barbara-in-FL, Jackie44, Tom-mn, memejs, morgana, chepar, and Nelson. I apologize if I left anyone out.
This trip was 16 nights on the ground. We used Star Alliance miles and flew out of Boston, via Frankfurt, on May 29, and arrived in Edinburgh on May 30. We flew home via Chicago on June 15. Not a very convenient flight home but it saved us a lot of money. 😊
On this trip we traveled with our friends, Roger and Joanne. The 4 of us have been friends for a long time and traveled together in Spain so we invited R and J to join us on this trip. We had a lot of fun together and a lot of laughs, but my husband and I realize that except for traveling with our children and grandchildren on beach vacations, we prefer to travel alone. You have to compromise when traveling with other people, and we are not good at compromising on our vacations.
We had what I was told unusually beautiful weather: no rain, sunny every day except for some mist one morning on Skye, and temps ranging from the low 60’s to mid and high 70’s.
Because I read on this forum and Rick Steves that it would be wise to make restaurant reservations in advance, due to this being a busy season and restaurants are short-staffed and some have shorter hours, I made dinner reservations for every night except two. We don’t usually do this but I didn’t want to risk waiting an hour or more in line or walking from restaurant to restaurant looking for a place. We liked/loved every restaurant we ate at except for one, which I will mention later in my report. When I was making reservations, I noticed that some restaurants are only open 4 or 5 days a week. We did not make lunch reservations.
This was our itinerary:
Edinburgh – 4 nights – Ibis Hotel on St. Andrews Square
Anstruther on the Fife Coast – 2 nights – The Waterfront Hotel
Nairn (30 minutes from Inverness) – 3 nights – Sunny Brae Bed and Breakfast – this was our favorite accommodation!
Portree on Skye – 4 nights – Viewfield House
Glencoe – 2 nights – The Glencoe Inn
Near the Edinburgh Airport – 1 night – Dakota Edinburgh
Jul 11th, 2023, 12:30 PM
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May 29 and May 30, 2023: Leaving Boston and Arriving in Edinburgh
We flew from Boston on Lufthansa and had a 4-hour layover in Frankfurt. While in Frankfurt, we received a message from our friends that their non-stop Delta flight to Edinburgh was cancelled while they were sitting on the runway. So they had to spend the night at a Logan Airport hotel, and were put on a morning flight to London, and then on to Edinburgh. So they didn’t arrive in Edinburgh until 11PM.
We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. Price was reasonable. I know a lot of people like to take public transportation to their hotels, but at our ages, we don’t want to deal with luggage on trams or buses, and we like the door to door service.
We really like the Ibis St. Andrews Square! It is in a very convenient location, within walking distance to restaurants and everything we wanted to do. Our room was small but clean; the staff were efficient and friendly, and we like the included breakfast buffet.
So, after checking in, we walked to Dishoom for lunch. The restaurant was very busy, but we were able to get seated right away even though we didn’t have reservations. I think that’s because there were only 2 of us. The food is delicious, very fresh, and very well-prepared! I didn’t write down what we ate because we were still bleary-eyed from our flight. I noticed when we left Dishoom that a line had formed at the entrance. They take lunch reservations but not dinner reservations. I highly recommend Dishoom!
From here we walked across the Waverley Bridge to the Royal Mile to find the Mercat Tower where we were meeting our Mercat guide the next day. Our walk felt very festive; the sun was shining, people were sunning themselves at the Princes Street Gardens, and music was playing.
I had made dinner reservations at Café Royal for 7PM for 4 people, so I changed that to 9PM for 2 people. After taking a much-needed nap, we walked to Café Royal. It’s very pretty inside with beautiful stained glass. First we shared a haggis starter; for our mains, my husband, Ed, ordered a fish pie with roasted kale. I ordered beef cheek and seaweed pie. The food is very good but the beef cheeks were a bit tough. For dessert we shared a sticky toffee pudding. Absolutely delicious!!! One of the best on our trip.
We arrived back at our hotel around the same time that Roger and Joanne arrived, finally making it after their long journey!
We flew from Boston on Lufthansa and had a 4-hour layover in Frankfurt. While in Frankfurt, we received a message from our friends that their non-stop Delta flight to Edinburgh was cancelled while they were sitting on the runway. So they had to spend the night at a Logan Airport hotel, and were put on a morning flight to London, and then on to Edinburgh. So they didn’t arrive in Edinburgh until 11PM.
We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. Price was reasonable. I know a lot of people like to take public transportation to their hotels, but at our ages, we don’t want to deal with luggage on trams or buses, and we like the door to door service.
We really like the Ibis St. Andrews Square! It is in a very convenient location, within walking distance to restaurants and everything we wanted to do. Our room was small but clean; the staff were efficient and friendly, and we like the included breakfast buffet.
So, after checking in, we walked to Dishoom for lunch. The restaurant was very busy, but we were able to get seated right away even though we didn’t have reservations. I think that’s because there were only 2 of us. The food is delicious, very fresh, and very well-prepared! I didn’t write down what we ate because we were still bleary-eyed from our flight. I noticed when we left Dishoom that a line had formed at the entrance. They take lunch reservations but not dinner reservations. I highly recommend Dishoom!
From here we walked across the Waverley Bridge to the Royal Mile to find the Mercat Tower where we were meeting our Mercat guide the next day. Our walk felt very festive; the sun was shining, people were sunning themselves at the Princes Street Gardens, and music was playing.
I had made dinner reservations at Café Royal for 7PM for 4 people, so I changed that to 9PM for 2 people. After taking a much-needed nap, we walked to Café Royal. It’s very pretty inside with beautiful stained glass. First we shared a haggis starter; for our mains, my husband, Ed, ordered a fish pie with roasted kale. I ordered beef cheek and seaweed pie. The food is very good but the beef cheeks were a bit tough. For dessert we shared a sticky toffee pudding. Absolutely delicious!!! One of the best on our trip.
We arrived back at our hotel around the same time that Roger and Joanne arrived, finally making it after their long journey!
Jul 11th, 2023, 12:46 PM
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Lobby/lounge at Ibis St. Andrews Square
St. Andrews Square gardens
Princes St. Gardens
Walking across Waverley Bridge to Old Town. We love the architecture of Old Town!
Cockburn Street on the way to the Royal Mile (High Street)
Another view of Cockburn Street
Karen at the Cafe Royal
My husband, Ed, enjoying his drink!
Cafe Royal bar
Cafe Royal dining room bar
Fish pie with roasted kale
Beef cheek pie
Delicious sticky toffee pudding! One of the best on our trip!
My Bloody Mary with an oyster on top!
Jul 11th, 2023, 03:16 PM
#6
Really looking forward to your report! Whenever there is a teeny ray of sunshine Princes Street Gardens fills up with sun bathers and it looks like you had glorious weather.
Glad I was able to help . . .
Glad I was able to help . . .
Jul 11th, 2023, 03:39 PM
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Looking forward to learning more as I am planning a trip to Edinburgh for the beginning of October and will definitely check out this hotel and your restaurant recommendations. Still in the research and plannng stage
Jul 11th, 2023, 04:01 PM
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Karen, so happy the weather gods smiled for you and made your vacation extra special, am
aling for the ride! I have been planning a Highlands trip since before Covid, though we’ll probably go with Rabbies as I don’t like to drive and not too happy about DH doing so on those windy narrow roads.
Waiting for the subsequent installments…
aling for the ride! I have been planning a Highlands trip since before Covid, though we’ll probably go with Rabbies as I don’t like to drive and not too happy about DH doing so on those windy narrow roads.
Waiting for the subsequent installments…
Jul 11th, 2023, 04:42 PM
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Thank you, everyone, for your nice comments!
Geetika, I understand what you mean about driving on the one-track roads. I was fortunate in that I didn't have to do any of the driving. My husband, Ed, and Roger's wife, Joanne, shared the driving. It wasn't all that bad, according to them. They got accustomed to driving on the left fairly quickly. The one-track roads with potholes and a very tight, tricky car park were challenging, along with the roundabouts. I do all the trip planning and I made all the reservations for the 4 of us, so I got to enjoy the ride!
We also reserved a car with an automatic; a lot more expensive but that was what Ed and Joanne requested. And the two couples shared the cost, of course.
Geetika, I understand what you mean about driving on the one-track roads. I was fortunate in that I didn't have to do any of the driving. My husband, Ed, and Roger's wife, Joanne, shared the driving. It wasn't all that bad, according to them. They got accustomed to driving on the left fairly quickly. The one-track roads with potholes and a very tight, tricky car park were challenging, along with the roundabouts. I do all the trip planning and I made all the reservations for the 4 of us, so I got to enjoy the ride!
We also reserved a car with an automatic; a lot more expensive but that was what Ed and Joanne requested. And the two couples shared the cost, of course.
Jul 11th, 2023, 06:07 PM
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May 31 – New Town, the Royal Mile, and Edinburgh Castle
The breakfast buffet at the Ibis is your typical buffet that many hotels offer. It’s tasty and filling: hard-boiled eggs, hot porridge, a selection of meats, cheeses, yogurt and pastries, and coffee and several juices.
So, after filling up on breakfast, we spent the morning wandering around New Town. We walked to Drummond Place and along Queen Street by the Queen Street Gardens. I don’t remember what we did for lunch today; it’s possible we skipped lunch because we were full from breakfast.
We then wandered over to Old Town to meet our Mercat tour guide by the Mercat Cross for our 1:00PM tour. I chose the Royal Mile tour that included tickets to Edinburgh Castle and an introductory tour of the castle. I highly recommend Mercat Tours. Our tour guide was awesome. She was very knowledgeable, warm, and friendly. I think a tour of the Royal Mile is important so that you learn some of its history and important sites. The Royal Mile is not just gift shops, bars, and restaurants.
Our guide gave us some history of Edinburgh. For people who are not familiar with the Old Town versus the new Town, Medieval Old Town was very poor, squalid, and overcrowded. Plans for the New Town, to alleviate the overcrowding, were drawn up during the 18th century. Old Town is a medieval maze and has many important historical sites. Edinburgh is located on a series of volcanic hills, and several hundred years ago the land between the hills was very boggy. These were eventually filled in, such as where the Princes St. Gardens are now located.
Some of the sites we saw are John Knox’s grave marker by St. Giles Cathedral. He was a Scottish religious reformer who was buried in a graveyard by the cathedral. However, that graveyard is now a parking lot! Our guide gave us some history about St. Giles Cathedral; she showed us the oldest house in Edinburgh; took us down a close (narrow alleyway) that is still residential. We saw the statue of David Hume, the philosopher. Tourists rub his big toe for good luck! We saw many red telephone booths throughout Edinburgh, and our guide told us some have been made into ATM machines. Repurposing – what a great idea!
It was convenient that we booked the castle tour, too, because we didn’t have to wait in line. We visited the Prisons of War Exhibition, where we learned that wealthy political prisoners were housed in luxury apartments while common criminals and pirates were housed in underground dungeons at the castle. We visited the Palace Apartments where the Scottish crown jewels, sceptre and sword used at Mary, Queen of Scots coronation, are housed. We visited the small St. Margaret’s Chapel. Queen Margaret was a beloved Scottish queen who fed and clothed poor children, so when she died, she was canonized.
Our dinner this evening was at the Mussel’s Inn Restaurant, within walking distance of our hotel. We had several pots of mussels, scallops, oysters, sea bass, and sticky toffee pudding. We all liked our meals; everything was fresh and nicely prepared, but we thought the sticky toffee pudding was only ok. The Café Royal does a better sticky toffee pudding! For some reason, we didn’t take any photos of our dinner. I guess we were tired. It was a long day! And still getting over jetlag.
The breakfast buffet at the Ibis is your typical buffet that many hotels offer. It’s tasty and filling: hard-boiled eggs, hot porridge, a selection of meats, cheeses, yogurt and pastries, and coffee and several juices.
So, after filling up on breakfast, we spent the morning wandering around New Town. We walked to Drummond Place and along Queen Street by the Queen Street Gardens. I don’t remember what we did for lunch today; it’s possible we skipped lunch because we were full from breakfast.
We then wandered over to Old Town to meet our Mercat tour guide by the Mercat Cross for our 1:00PM tour. I chose the Royal Mile tour that included tickets to Edinburgh Castle and an introductory tour of the castle. I highly recommend Mercat Tours. Our tour guide was awesome. She was very knowledgeable, warm, and friendly. I think a tour of the Royal Mile is important so that you learn some of its history and important sites. The Royal Mile is not just gift shops, bars, and restaurants.
Our guide gave us some history of Edinburgh. For people who are not familiar with the Old Town versus the new Town, Medieval Old Town was very poor, squalid, and overcrowded. Plans for the New Town, to alleviate the overcrowding, were drawn up during the 18th century. Old Town is a medieval maze and has many important historical sites. Edinburgh is located on a series of volcanic hills, and several hundred years ago the land between the hills was very boggy. These were eventually filled in, such as where the Princes St. Gardens are now located.
Some of the sites we saw are John Knox’s grave marker by St. Giles Cathedral. He was a Scottish religious reformer who was buried in a graveyard by the cathedral. However, that graveyard is now a parking lot! Our guide gave us some history about St. Giles Cathedral; she showed us the oldest house in Edinburgh; took us down a close (narrow alleyway) that is still residential. We saw the statue of David Hume, the philosopher. Tourists rub his big toe for good luck! We saw many red telephone booths throughout Edinburgh, and our guide told us some have been made into ATM machines. Repurposing – what a great idea!
It was convenient that we booked the castle tour, too, because we didn’t have to wait in line. We visited the Prisons of War Exhibition, where we learned that wealthy political prisoners were housed in luxury apartments while common criminals and pirates were housed in underground dungeons at the castle. We visited the Palace Apartments where the Scottish crown jewels, sceptre and sword used at Mary, Queen of Scots coronation, are housed. We visited the small St. Margaret’s Chapel. Queen Margaret was a beloved Scottish queen who fed and clothed poor children, so when she died, she was canonized.
Our dinner this evening was at the Mussel’s Inn Restaurant, within walking distance of our hotel. We had several pots of mussels, scallops, oysters, sea bass, and sticky toffee pudding. We all liked our meals; everything was fresh and nicely prepared, but we thought the sticky toffee pudding was only ok. The Café Royal does a better sticky toffee pudding! For some reason, we didn’t take any photos of our dinner. I guess we were tired. It was a long day! And still getting over jetlag.
Jul 11th, 2023, 06:26 PM
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Exploring New Town in Edinburgh - plans were drawn up during the 18th century
Exploring New Town
A New Town neighborhood
New Town
Gothic Monument to Sir Walter Scott in Princes St. Gardens
The ubiquitous bagpiper
Walking to the Royal Mile
Red phone booths are everywhere!
Meeting our tour group at the Mercat Cross.
The Royal Mile
Jul 11th, 2023, 06:36 PM
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St. Giles Cathedral
A close where people still live
Residents' apartments
This store is located in the oldest building in Edinburgh
Statue of David Hume, a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher
Entrance to Edinburgh Castle
Panorama of the castle
Edinburgh Castle
The Royal Palace where the Scottish crown jewels are housed
Edinburgh Castle
Stained glass of St. Margaret
St. Margaret's Chapel at Edinburgh Castle
St. Giles Cathedral
Stained glass window at St. Giles Cathedral
St. Giles Cathedral
Jul 11th, 2023, 06:39 PM
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Jul 12th, 2023, 07:35 AM
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I'm so glad you had a great time and wonderful weather during your trip. Scotland is one of my favorite places to travel to and your trip report and pictures are really making me want to plan a return trip soon.
But I think it will have to wait for a bit - I'm already swinging through London this December. I want to plan a trip again in 2025 to catch the V&A Bowie exhibition that's supposed to open sometime during that year so I think that might be the trip to visit again.
But I think it will have to wait for a bit - I'm already swinging through London this December. I want to plan a trip again in 2025 to catch the V&A Bowie exhibition that's supposed to open sometime during that year so I think that might be the trip to visit again.
