In order to see all of the Highlands within 3 days, we traveled on a bus throughout the trip. On Friday we headed up to the Highlands at 9AM, which was much better than 6AM for London! Unfortunately for me, the roads that the bus took were hilly and winding, so even though I sat in the very front seat, I easily got carsick. The benefit of this bus trip though, is that we were never on the bus for more than a few hours at most. Often, it would be a 40 minute bus ride, then we would get off, explore for about 30 minutes, and get back on the bus to go to a wonderful new place. The company that we traveled with was MacBackpackers, which is a very well known tour company here. Everyone raves about how great the tours are, and they were right! Our tour guide seemed to know everything about Scotland, it's history, and the Highlands! He told us interesting facts at every stop, and was able to successfully answer any question we threw at him. For being a bunch of college age American tourists, he was able to handle us without much difficulty. Everyone was so amazed by the scenery and his knowledge of it all, and it was obvious that he took pride in his country.
Everywhere that we went in the Highlands was so unique, and one of the most interesting places was Faeries Glen, a place where faeries live.
Faeries Glen is set in a bowl-type area, similar to Baraboo with the cliffs surrounding it. As soon as we drove into it, I immediately noticed that this was unlike anything else I've seen in Scotland so far. The rolling mountains and bluffs that surrounded this area were all covered in lush green grass. The trees grew out of castle remains, while sheep trotted around us. The difference between the highest peaks and the lowest weren't as extreme as the rest of the Highlands. Climbing to the top of a peak was a challenge though, mostly because all of the paths have been used over so many years by sheep and humans, that the groove is very deep. It was hard to get one foot in front of the other! While we were there, there were three rules that we had to follow if we didn't want to make the faeries angry. The first was you can't put your hands in your pockets and leave them there. To get something out of your pocket was fine, but the faeries don't like when your hands are hanging out in your pockets. Second rule was no swearing. This was understandable, especially since I've always seen faeries as innocent and young. Finally, the third rule was no whistling, due to the faeries not liking the sound. These may seem like easy rules to follow, but you'd be surprised how hard it is to not do something after you've been told not to do it. Or maybe it's just the rebellious child in me...
We also saw numerous castles. Scots love to say that their country isn't just about castles and old buildings, but according to what I've seen so far, it really is. One of the most interesting castles that we saw was the one used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I've loved that movie since I was little, so it was exciting for me to see the place that helped create it!
While we were traveling through the Highlands, it rained pretty regularly. Thankfully, I was prepared with my wellies and Salomons (okay, my mom's Salomons-thanks mom!) If you haven't heard, the weather in Scotland is extremely bipolar. The local's favorite saying is, "If you don't like the weather, stick around 10 minutes!" There couldn't be a truer saying for the weather! One minute it's heavily raining, and the next it's sunny and warm. This happened to us in the Highlands, but it also created lots of beautiful rainbows! We saw about 5 throughout the 3 days that we were there. I managed to get some pictures of castles with rainbows in the background, which is a picture you'll never see from America!
We also saw tons of gorgeous waterfalls, whether they were big or small. Two waterways that we went to were supposed to have magic powers. The first was supposed to be a "healing well". If you stuck your face into the water for 7 seconds, you would look young and beautiful forever. The second was if you drank from the waterfall, you would have great sex for 7 years. Interesting!! The water was so crystal clear that you could easily see to the bottom no matter where you were. It was also so clean that we were able to fill our water bottles straight from the waterfall. The water was crisp, cold and utterly delicious; great for our 3 hour long hike! Our tour guide had us start at one end of a trail, hike up the side of a mountain, then climb down the other side and met our bus.
We stayed at a hostel called Skye Backpackers, located on the Isle of Skye. This was a gorgeous island that was very small, and had only recently been connected to mainland Scotland. There was a kitchen and dining room there that allowed us to make our own meals instead of having to go out for every meal. The one pub located on the isle was called "Saucy Mary's". The first night that we were there, everyone went out for the typical Scottish fish and chips (fish and french fries to all you Americans) but of course I just had chips.
Overall, this trip was by far the best (and most beautiful!) trip that I've gone on since moving to Scotland. The scenery was breathtaking, like a place out of a movie. (Which is appropriate, since Braveheart, Harry Potter, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and others were filmed in the Highlands.) I will always remember the border collie herding sheep into a paddock, something that is so typically Scottish I laughed when I saw it. The rolling hills covered in green grass, the ruins of castles that once stood so proudly over the land, and the feeling of being surrounded by something so pure and noble will be forever engraved into my memory.
We also saw numerous castles. Scots love to say that their country isn't just about castles and old buildings, but according to what I've seen so far, it really is. One of the most interesting castles that we saw was the one used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I've loved that movie since I was little, so it was exciting for me to see the place that helped create it!
While we were traveling through the Highlands, it rained pretty regularly. Thankfully, I was prepared with my wellies and Salomons (okay, my mom's Salomons-thanks mom!) If you haven't heard, the weather in Scotland is extremely bipolar. The local's favorite saying is, "If you don't like the weather, stick around 10 minutes!" There couldn't be a truer saying for the weather! One minute it's heavily raining, and the next it's sunny and warm. This happened to us in the Highlands, but it also created lots of beautiful rainbows! We saw about 5 throughout the 3 days that we were there. I managed to get some pictures of castles with rainbows in the background, which is a picture you'll never see from America!
We stayed at a hostel called Skye Backpackers, located on the Isle of Skye. This was a gorgeous island that was very small, and had only recently been connected to mainland Scotland. There was a kitchen and dining room there that allowed us to make our own meals instead of having to go out for every meal. The one pub located on the isle was called "Saucy Mary's". The first night that we were there, everyone went out for the typical Scottish fish and chips (fish and french fries to all you Americans) but of course I just had chips.
Overall, this trip was by far the best (and most beautiful!) trip that I've gone on since moving to Scotland. The scenery was breathtaking, like a place out of a movie. (Which is appropriate, since Braveheart, Harry Potter, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and others were filmed in the Highlands.) I will always remember the border collie herding sheep into a paddock, something that is so typically Scottish I laughed when I saw it. The rolling hills covered in green grass, the ruins of castles that once stood so proudly over the land, and the feeling of being surrounded by something so pure and noble will be forever engraved into my memory.
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