I hate to say it, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with this blog and I'm lacking any ambition to do so. But, I know that I won't regret having done it later on when I read back through my memories and look at the photos and it'll all be worth it in the end, so here we go!
I've had Scotland on my radar for a while, so when flights to London dropped, I decided this would be a good time to check it out! I've really wanted to explore England as well, but it's much more accessible, so I accounted for a couple of days of exploring England while driving up to the Highlands, but purposely left much of it for another trip down the line.
The night before I left, I got an email asking if I'd like to rebook my flight to a later, non-top flight that would get me there an hour earlier, so after double-checking with Brian's parents to make sure that they were ok with dropping me off at the airport later than we'd originally planned, I rebooked my flight. This allowed me to get in a nice hike and go to the creek for a couple of hours before cleaning up and driving down to Anthem before my flight.
I landed at noon in London, got my rental car, and hit the road west. It wasn't long before my eyes started getting so tired and I literally could not see straight and I had to pull off the road to take a little nap before continuing on. I found m bed and breakfast, checked in, and then headed out in search of Kebab. Once I'd secured the goods, I went back to the Inn and ate in the bathtub before sleeping like a log.
My first full day, I explored the Cotswolds. It's a pretty vast area, so I spent much of my time just driving through the gorgeous countryside. It was a beautiful Saturday, so everybody else had the same idea apparently, and every country road was teeming with Porches and Maseratis and Bentley convertibles.
I stopped in various villages and took walks through the woods and said hi to sheep and just thoroughly enjoyed myself.
From there, I headed to the northeast for the evening in York. York holds one of the oldest and most well-preserved medieval neighborhoods in the world, called the Shambles. Some of the buildings there date back the 14th century! I checked into my motel and then walked through the historic district for several hours. It was absolutely jam packed but I had a great time. There is a huge market in the square with food and art and fresh flowers and the entire district is surrounded by a massive wall that was built by the Romans. I had dinner and walked around until dark.
The next morning, I drove through the northern English countryside on my way up towards Scotland.
My room for the night was in the tiniest little village in the middle of nowhere but it was a full service Inn with the cutest little tavern restaurant downstairs. The owner was sitting at the bar when I walked in, looked me up and down, asked if I was there by myself, and told the girl behind the bar to put me in the honeymoon suite. It was the nicest upgrade I've ever received! I got settled in and then went back downstairs for a delicious dinner and cobbler, and then finished off with a deep soak in the most luxurious bath.
I had parked in a parking garage and took to the city on foot. I got ramen and then decided to head to my motel for the night, about an hour away. But then I couldn't figure out where I'd parked my car! I'd spent so much time walking around and my phone wasn't tracking my location so I couldn't even refer to Maps to retrace my steps. I panicked a little bit and roamed every single street and road and alleyway trying to remember where I'd come from and, eventually, after about an hour, found my car.
My first full day in Scotland was spent driving up into the Highlands. I started off driving north a little bit and saw a massive castle atop a mountain and decided to check it out. Some of my very favorite places I've ever explored have been surprises that I've spotted from the road. The town of Stirling is really beautiful with incredible architecture and flowers everywhere. I made my way up the hill and spent a couple of hours enjoying the castle and grounds.
I checked into my hotel and had dinner. I was sitting at a table overlooking the marina and watched the boats going by and then "Candy" by Paolo Nutini came on and I started crying because it made me miss Brian a bit. Everybody in the restaurant was so uncomfortable because they couldn't figure out what was going on, lol.
Naturally, a dense fog rolled in with the wind that night and lasted into the following day. I had planned on hiking up to the Old Man of Storr and decided to go for it anyway, even though I knew I wouldn't be able to see anything. The drive to the trail was beautiful and I'd love to go back to the island again someday to spend more time.
The hike was a bit of a climb and it was pouring rain and foggy but was super beautiful nonetheless. I assume it would be an absolute zoo on a clear day. The rock formations were just silhouettes but it had a really mystical vibe that I enjoyed.
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| Can you spot the silhouette of the sheep on the hill? |
Once done with the hike, I had a long drive ahead as I made my way back to the mainland and eventually back to Edinburgh for my flight to London for my last day. I stopped in Glasgow, but had issues with parking and had to rush through. Every parking lot I found required an app that I wasn't able to download to pay. It was super frustrating.
Then I spent the night at a hotel in the Heathrow airport (can I just say that Heathrow is the worst airport on earth and is just a nightmare all the time). However, the hotel was really nice and comfortable and had a bathtub, so I was happy.
On my final day, I took the train (again, total nightmare) into London, starting with the Museum of Natural History, and then just walking about 14 miles through the city. The Museum kind of made me depressed, to be honest, but the building itself was absolutely incredible. It looked like a massive cathedral with carvings and gargoyles of animals, and ceiling frescos of wildflowers.
