Would you like to make a list of post-travel restrictions countries to visit? Scotland can be one of the countries that will give you jaw-dropping landscape photo inspirations when visiting the country.
The sunset mountains, numbers of ancient castles, the handsome Hamish cow, the signature Harry Potter Train Bridge, and the epic driving routes will make you want to stay longer in the country. The minimum number of days I may suggest for you to visit will be in 7 days to cover the mountainous site of Isle of Skye, the old town of Edinburgh, and the modern city of Glasgow.
My visit to Scotland happened in 2019 with a group of friends that easily fall in love with mountains and adventures. You can visit Scotland by car, plane or train from London or, if you don’t mind spending more, you can book your flight directly to London from your hometown (in my case, it’s Malaysia). Renting a car to get you from one place to another in Scotland is highly recommended as a beautiful scenic drive is not to be missed. Here are the places to explain the reason why you should visit the country.
1.GLASGOW
Known as the largest city in Scotland, Glasgow is home to about 1.8 million people. You can visit the internationally acclaimed exhibitions and museums such as the Kelvingrove Art and Gallery Museum, The Hunterian Museum and, Riverside Museum, and Tall Ship. Next, take a walk at Glasgow Botanic Garden and Necropolis in the afternoon to enjoy some greenery in the city. Princes Square, Buchanan Galleries, Argyll Arcade, De Courcy’s Arcade, and Savoy Centre are the malls that you can visit.
2.EDINBURGH
Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland which preserved the oldest architecture from the 18th century from Edinburgh’s old town to the new town. In Edinburgh, stroll around on foot to see the culture, taste the freshly baked Scottish shortbread and butter cookies, and admire the ancient castles located around town. The top places to visit in Edinburgh are:
i) Victoria Street – the famous Instagram shot of colorful shops
ii) Calton Hill – UNESCO world’s heritage site
iii) Royal Botanic Garden – housing more than 10,000 plants
iv) Edinburgh Castle – Historic Fortress
v) Palace of Holyroodhouse – The Royal Residence
vi) Hard Rock Cafe – Enjoy the music
3.FORT WILLIAM
Once you have finished visiting the city, it is time for you to see the outskirt of Glasgow and Edinburgh to discover the true beauty of the country. Starting with Fort William, a small town located on the western side of Scotland, it is known as the getaway of Ben Navis which is one of Britain’s highest mountains. Most of the travel blogs that I studied before coming here, suggested staying the night to catch the Harry Potter train located at Glenfinnan Viaduct, also to visit other attractions such as Glencoe, Old Fort, Loch Ainort, Neptune Staircase, and Loch Eil. If you wish to see or ride the train (let me warn you that is expensive), be sure to check the timetable of the train to avoid disappointments. However, the view is still breathless as I tend to spend more than a few hours there.
4.PORTREE
If you wish to visit the Isle of Skye or Skye, Portree would be your next checkpoint and a place for you to stay. It will be nearly impossible for you to be able to find accommodations available for rent in Skye or even restaurants and petrol stations. Or if you are into camping and caravan, you will have no problem finding a place to stay. In Portree, you may wake up in the morning eating your breakfast while admiring the lake-mountain view adding with the peaceful sound of nature.
5.LOCH NESS
As you may hear, Loch Ness is famous for the myth of the sea monster called Nessie. It is the best picnic location with a grassy landscape overlooking the lake which is to believe where Nessie’s was sighted. You can take a cruise ride while you’re there or just enjoy the view while picnicking.
6.ISLE OF SKYE
The Isle of Skye is my personal favorite destination to visit in Scotland. Hikers will dream of this location as there are countless hiking locations to explore. You might even get lucky to spot a highland or Hamish cow along the way. Here is the list of the places to visit which will take 3 to 4 days to cover:
i) Old Man of Storr – require hiking
ii) Kilt Rock – no hiking required
iii) Fairy Pools – require hiking
iv) Neist Point Lighthouse – trekking
v) Quiraing – require hiking
vi) Skye Museum of Island Life – no hiking required
vii) Fairy Glen – require hiking
7.ISLE OF ARRAN
I have yet to get a chance to visit the Isle of Arran as you would need to take an hour ferry ride to the island from Glasgow. Like Rodney Island of Perth Australia, Isle of Arran offers to tour the Island by cycling, regular bus tour, or by car. You can have the tastes of Scottish culture which includes ice cream, cheeses, traditional oatcakes, and more. This will be one of my bucket lists if I have the chance to visit Scotland again.
8.ABERDEEN
Known as the “Flower of Scotland”, Aberdeen is located on the coastline of the East Coast Scotland. For tourists, the activities suggested are golfing, enjoy the amusement park, theatre, shopping spree, and art festivals during the summer. Most buildings in Scotland preserved ancient buildings and beautiful architecture which allow tourists to appreciate the history. Aberdeen has also been on my bucket list to visit as I was only able to tour around Scotland for 5-days.