Harry, Highlands and Hairy Coos: 3 Days in Scotland
Our couple days in Scotland were some of the most beautiful of all our time in Europe! It’s almost idyllic in my memory, though definitely still cold as all get out. We packed our days to get this all in, but it is still definitely a doable way to see a good bit if you’re visiting Scotland as a part of a larger UK trip. We spent a day in Edinburgh, a day on a tour into the Highlands and then a day via bus in Glasgow. Here’s all we got into and what we enjoyed! Day 1: Edinburgh
The time has come to preach the truth and gospel of MegaBus to all y’all budget Europe travelers. It’s not always pretty but it’s always easy on the wallet and a bajillion times more reliable than buses anywhere else in the world. I truly miss you, MegaBus.
Anyway, you can take a night bus up from London (or in our case, Birmingham or Coventry) to Edinburgh, the main point of entry to Scotland. You’re looking at £5 if you book far enough in advance!
Coming in around 7am off a night bus had us looking a little haggard on the first day of our time in Scotland (and of our 3 week trek across Europe) but Edinburgh was cold and beautiful enough to wake us right up! Make sure to pack for extremely cold weather—I wore my usual England gear (water resistant long coat, boots etc) but Scotland had me with a pair of pants as a scarf and socks on as mittens. (Don’t worry mom, I put on another pair of pants and bought a Tartan fabric scarf as a “souvenir” real quick!)
Our first stop of the day was breakfast and coffee, and on the way we were already mesmerized by the brown hues and cobblestones of Edinburgh’s streets—so sober but simultaneously these chocolate colors that make you think there’s a roaring fireplace on the other side of every wall?—it was so early that everything was still and quiet.
We didn’t have time (or the £££) to go into Edinburgh Castle, but we loved checking out the grounds and its grandeur from a distance! (There is a fantastic drinking chocolate place right across from it <3) We also ducked into a bookstore that my friend’s mate had recommended—Armchair Books—and I won’t disclose how long the three of us spent in the warmth and color of a vintage bookstore (nerds).
We eventually wandered our way into a walking tour (how do we always do that?) which I HIGHLY recommend for a city like Edinburgh with so much history (and literary history!). Some memorable sights were statues of philosophers, beautiful churches, bag pipes and some superstitions—the “Heart of Midlothian” you spit on (gross) and a lucky dog whose nose you can rub!
My friend reminds me that we also saw lots of signs supporting Scottish Independence—we visited Edinburgh right after the referendum.
I was obviously more interested in the literary history, and Edinburgh does not disappoint. The tour took us by streets that inspired Diagon Alley, the boarding school Hogwarts was based on, the graveyard with “Thomas Riddle”’s grave as well as places Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stayed and (perhaps) wrote some of Sherlock Holmes. We returned on our own to the Elephant House: the coffee house that J.K. Rowling wrote the first two Harry Potter books in! Make sure you stop by the restroom—the walls and ceiling are covered in fans’ favorite Harry Potter quotes!
Our tour ended at the National Museum of Scotland which is worth heading into! We couldn’t see Dolly the Sheep (first successfully cloned sheep!) but there were tons of amazing biological exhibits and a great space exhibit as well. We didn’t stay long, since we wanted to make it to Arthur’s Seat before night fell.
Sometimes I am shocked and horrified when I remember just how much exercise these two forced me to do as we travelled Europe. Edinburgh is a walkable city, but we definitely walked miles on miles just this first day. Arthur’s Seat is a hill overlooking Edinburgh that you can hike up—and I strongly recommend it!
It was my favorite part of the day (and I loved Edinburgh). The trek up is actually really steep (well, actually we found out later that there is a much more reasonable route up…) but we had an amazing time climbing up in the freezing cold and being silly. (God I miss you guys!)
The view of Edinburgh from the top was breathtaking, and only became more so as the sun set. The way down was not as graceful, with the slick grass, steep decline and my knee I busted going up the steps of the Eiffel Tower a couple weeks before (boujee problems). After all that we headed back to the hostel to sleep hard!
Where to Stay: The Westend Hostel – bare bones, but the UK is expensive so save those pounds! Getting Around: Keep them walking boots on, and try to stay warm! Day 2: The Scottish Highlands
This is a "hairy coo": a key part of our Highlands tour and experience.
As insanely cheap as I am, sometimes you just have to spend the money. Our day tour with Highland Experience Tours was a whopping £45 and WORTH EVERY PENNY. The Highlands were the most beautiful, screensaver-worthy scenery I have ever seen. Otherwise you could rent a car, but we weren’t prepared to take on driving on the left side of the road (who would have thought I’d end up doing that every day in Malaysia?), and the tour maximizes how much you can see and learn if you have limited time. Our tour guide was both hilarious and taught us a ton throughout the day and in the long drives between sites: about clan histories, battles and Scottish culture.
Our first stop was a rest stop on the way up to the Highlands, where I tried haggis the famous “savory pudding” made of assorted sheep parts… pursue at your own risk!
Up next was the Cairngorm Mountains—it was SO COLD Y’ALL.
Glen Coe was the highlight of the day: a verdant screensaver if there ever was one!
We stopped for lunch at Loch Ness. (Yes, that one).
We had a blast goofing around hoping to see the Loch Ness Monster and taking in the beautiful lakeside. And…we did see a duck.
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK, and again we just hopped right off the bus to see the beautiful range of mountains! The tour is definitely the most efficient (and laziest :P) way to see all these beautiful places! Our tour of the Highlands out in the cool air and being outside after spending so much time in cities was just incredible.
That evening we reunited with the rest of our group in Edinburgh and headed out to a warm, cozy pub and I recommend trying scotch whiskey, though I won’t lie and say I was a fan. Day 3: Glasgow
MegaBus, y’all. We snatched £1 bus tickets for a two hour early ride over to Glasgow—though to be honest, once we got there, there wasn’t a ton to do! We mostly spent our time catching up and getting coffee (oh how I miss Costa) while waiting for the drizzle to pass.
We ended up heading to over to George Square and Glasgow Cathedral (slowly, with all 9 of us and all our huge backpacks!), which were both lovely. The Necropolis was interesting as well—if weird, given that it’s a cemetery on top of hill—but the views of the rest of the city were nice.
We also wandered by the University of Glasgow, and they had some bright murals that stood out against the muted greens and greys of Glasgow’s streets!
All in all, there wasn’t much to write home about, but we had a blast wandering through and heading to Primark (or was it Top Shop?) to buy matching green skirts for St. Patrick’s Day in Belfast, Ireland, the next stop on our trip… More on that perhaps never haha. (It was amazing!)
Anyway, a friend had me thinking about Scotland so I decided to finally get around to writing this! Hoping I can find a way to reunion with all of you as we bounce around the rest of the world :) I loved Scotland and hope you do too! Hoping this post is helpful--some of the details have become a little dim as time smooths the crevices of my memory of this beautiful (cold) place :)