Spring in Scotland

My friend Rachel and I planned a trip to the UK in early April. We spent 4 nights in London and took an early flight from London and arrived in Edinburgh before lunch. We stayed at The Resident, which is a newly opened hotel. It was about a mile walk to the main sights and attractions. Overall, I felt like we were able to see and do everything we wanted in Edinburgh in 2 days! We didn't plan too much ahead of time. We had a list of some attractions and places we wanted to do and see and went from there. Everything was closer together than I expected. Our last day of the trip, we ended up booking a guided tour to the Highlands. We did not plan that ahead, but I am so glad it worked out. Check out our itinerary and details below:

DAY 1

We were able to check in early to our hotel! We took a quick nap and then went to grab coffee and pastries at Milkman. It's a cute local coffee shop! We spent the day walking around. We grabbed a bite to eat at Deacon Brody’s Tavern, where I had Smoked Scottish Salmon and Rachel had Haggis, Neeps & Tatties. We found so many cute shops on Cockburn Street. A few of my favorites were Minalima, Pie in the Sky, Eden, Mysa, and Cookie. Pie in the Sky reminded me of A Shop of Things in Nashville. We had dinner at Makars Mash, which is known for their Scottish food. We had a reservation, but they also take walk ins. We really enjoyed the Scotch Egg! After dinner we went to the Three Sisters Bar. It was too chilly to sit outside, but it was a cute place! It would be a great spot to catch a sports game. We stopped by Castlegate Cafe to grab cannolis to take back to the hotel with us. On our way back, we went to the rooftop at Johnnie Walker to see the sunset and beautiful views of the city and Edinburgh Castle.

DAY 2

We started our day at our Islander Workshop Experience on Marshall street, where we made mini satchels. Fiona instructed our class and she was amazing! This was a highlight of the trip for me! We got to pick out the base, tweed, and straps and put the bag together. Rachel and I both had a hard time picking out colors and fabric. As an Apparel & Textiles major, I loved hearing the history behind Harris Tweed. The workshop for the mini satchel was about $90 and are able to upgrade your experience to create a larger satchel bag or backpack. I loved the size of the mini satchel! The Islander bags are available to purchase in many shops in Edinburgh as well. I bought earmuffs to match my purse I made and I also purchased a houndstooth mini duffel.

After our class, we had brunch at Scran Bistro. We found the coolest vintage store near Victoria Street called W. Armstrong & Son. Rachel and I both found jackets there! We visited Victoria Street, the Scottish National Gallery, Scott Monument, and Dean's Village. The Scottish National Gallery and the National Museum of Scotland are both free attractions. We stopped for a drink at Panda & Sons. It's a speakeasy that looks like a barber shop. I wanted to try some Scotch whiskey, so I tried the birdcage drink. It was very light and refreshing! I would highly recommend adding this spot your list. We didn't have dinner plans, but we found a place close by called Indigo Yard.

DAY 3

Our last day we booked a tour with Highland Experience. It was $75 and worth every penny! Our tour was called Glenfinnan Viaduct, Hairy Coos & The Highlands. The tour guide (Dejan) and bus driver (Blair) were very nice and I really enjoyed learning about the Scottish culture. I had no idea that part of Scotland speaks Gaelic.

To be honest, we booked the trip to see the highland cows. I had no idea what we signed up for. The tour was newly created for Harry Potter fans and circled around seeing the Glenfinnan Viaduct. If you have seen any of the movies, that is the train that takes Harry Potter to Hogwarts. We started the tour stopping in Callander to see the coos. We drove through the Highlands and stopped in a few spots around Glencoe including the Forbidden Forrest from Harry Potter. We saw the exact spot where they build Hagrid's Hut for the films, but it is no longer there. It was a long day, but very exciting!

Here are a few fun words I learned:

Lochs = Lakes

Monro = Mountain

Glen = Valley

Coo = Cow

I don't remember what initially inspired us to go to Scotland, but I am so happy we made it part of the trip! Everyone we met in Edinburgh was so kind and friendly and I can't recommend it enough!