Tour Company: Haggis Backpackers, Edinburgh, Scotland
Dates: 1999-08-13 to 1999-08-23
Friday, August 13, 1999 - Flight from Toronto to Glasgow
I arrive at Terminal 1 in Toronto to board my Air Transat flight from Toronto go Glasgow. This is a charter flight, so the spacing between the seats isn't exactly roomy, but its a seat on a plane going to Scotland, so thats all that counts right now. The flight is relatively uneventful, and I manage to get a bit of rest during the overnight.
Saturday, August 14, 1999 - Arrival in Glasgow, train to Edinburgh
I arrive in Glasgow somewhat tired, but feeling not too bad after the overnight flight. After going through customs, I immediately make my way into the centre of the city to the Queen Street Terminal and board a train for Edinburgh. The train ride is uneventful, and its a bit of a dreary day with clouds and some light mist in the air, but its a great way to see the Scottish country-side. Upon my arrival at the main station in Edinburgh, I immediately go to the Haggis office, and arrange my departure from Edinburgh and the dates I will be traveling with their bus. I have opted for the flexible pass that allows me to use their bus on a looped route on the days I want (provided the bus is running that day). Because this is just after the high season, the bus isn't running every day, so I will leave in two days. We also make a booking for the hostel in Inverness for the two nights when I will be staying there. This allows me to spend some time in Edinburgh and explore the city before I leave to see the Highlands.
At this point my lack of planning and inexperience shows up, as it turns out that I have arrived in Edinburgh in the middle of the Festival, and the Royal Military Tattoo, and so hostel rooms are hard to come by, and I haven't arranged for a bed in advance. I do manage to find a bed for the two nights I require at the third hostel I find, just off the Royal Mile (Edinburgh Backpackers Hostel), and settle my stuff and tidy up before I head out to explore the Royal Mile. I spend most of my time getting my bearings, and do go for a nice walk part way up Arthur's Seat to get a good view of the city and the surrounding environs.
Because it is during the Royal Military Tattoo, I take the short walk to the ticket office. I am fortunate because I am only looking for one ticket, and manage to find a single for the Tattoo the next day.
Sunday, August 15, 1999 - Edinburgh
I spend most of my day today in the castle. I arrive at the castle early and pick up the audio headset/tour that you can use to tour the castle. By using this device, you are told a great deal about the history of the castle and the buildings contained therein. The castle is am amazing structure at the top of the Royal Mile, and commands an impressive view of the city. I spend the remaining time during the day exploring the shops and churches along the Royal Mile.
After the day at the castle, I grab a bit to eat, and then return to the castle for the Tattoo. As it turns out, the girl I am sitting next to in the stands is another Canadian who went to secondary school with the girl who had been my roommate for the school year prior to this trip. More proof that its a small world. The Tattoo itself is quite a show, and I enjoy the music a great deal. After this, its back to the hostel for some sleep before an early morning departure the next day.
Monday, August 16, 1999 - Depart Edinburgh, Pitlochery, Inverness
The departure from Edinburgh is very early in the morning, so after waking up early in the morning at the hostel, I wait outside the backpackers office for the bus. We make our way out of the city and north towards Pitlochery. As a way to get to know our fellow travelers, our driver/guide has us say who we are, where we are from and share an embarassing moment. Pitlochery is our first stop on the tour, and we grab a bite to eat for lunch here at the local grocery store. No-one leaves the tour here, and we continue northward to Inverness.
Along our way to Inverness, we stop at The Pass of Killiecrankie. Here our driver/guide tells us the story of a battle between the highlanders and the English army. He talks about the way that the highlanders would make the charge more fearsome and were able to use the walls of the valley to their advantage.
At Inverness, I am the only one to get off at the youth hostel a short distance from the centre of the city, while several others get off to stay at the hostels in the centre of town. I spend the afternoon in the hostel watching an international rugby match between Scotland and Argentina that is taking place in Edinburgh that day, where I just left. After that I make my way into the main part of town and arrange to meet with the other members from the tour in Inverness (two Aussies and one American) and go to a pub for the evening. There we meet up with some locals and get to know each other a bit more.
Tuesday, August 17, 1999 - Inverness
Today I meet with my friend Graham in Inverness. I call him in the early morning and we go to the Culloden battlefield on the Guide Friday tour. We stop at the battlefield and spend some time exploring the area. Its a windy, but clear day today. I can imagine that on a cold, rainy and overcast day, it would be a very desolate place for a battle.
After spending some time at the battlefield, I am invited to Graham's home where I meet his parents and brother. We enjoy lunch together. After lunch Graham's father takes me to a wilderness area near Inverness where I go for a short walk to get a better view of the Moray Firth. After that I make my way back to the main town where I visit the local Tesco to buy some bread and cheese for the next few days on the trip.
In the evening, I take a bus trip out to Loch Ness to see the famous Loch and look for Nessie, the most famous monster. Part of the trip goes out to the ruins of Urquhart Castle on the loch. Access to the castle is closed for the evening but we are able to view the castle from outside the gates. After that the bus takes us back into town where we have some time to view the Loch Ness exhibit talking about the loch and the infamous monster. The exhibit seems like a bit of a tourist trap and a cash grab of course, but it is a bit interesting to see some of the items in the exhibit including the old photos and some information about the loch and its formation.
After the tour I return to the hostel and turn in for the night.
Wednesday, August 18, 1999 - Ullapool
There isn't much time in the day before the bus arrives to pick me up, but I take a walk into the centre of Inverness and back to the hostel to keep active. From Inverness, we make our way north to the town of Ullapool, further north in Scotland.
Ultimately we arrive in Ullapool. The drive has been long, but the scenery is fabulous and absolutely worth the trip.
While walking around the town, I walk to the harbour and look out towards the North Sea. While walking, I see a seal playing in the waves. Unfortunately, I am unable to get a picture of the seal before it disappears. I take a walk around the rest of the town towards the surrounding hills and through some of the neighbourhoods of Ullapool.
In the evening, our group gathers at the Seaforth Pub. I find this amusing as I was born and raised in a town called Seaforth. Because we are so far north, the twilight lasts incredibly late compared to what I am used to at home so I can only imagine how short the days will be during the winter.
Thursday, August 19, 1999 - Eileen Donan Castle, Glen Nevis
We depart Ullapool early and make our way south back towards Skye. We make a midmorning stop on one of the beaches for a stretch and to enjoy some frisbee. From the beach we can see a ferry making its way from Ullapool to the Outter Hebredies, some of the many islands that line the western coast of Scotland. Also along the way we pass a submarine service depot for the British Navy.
Around mid-day we arrive at Kyle of Lochalsh, where a number of people from our tour leave us to make their way to Skye. Unfortunately I do not have enough time to go to the Isle of Skye, but would like to return here one day. The bus does not cross the bridge as the new tolls are quite expensive and individuals who want to visit Skye must make their way across independently.
Today we also make a stop at Eileen Donan Castle on Loch Duich near Kyle of Lochalsh. It is, as our guide says, a dead sexy castle, and it is one of the best know and most photographed castles in all of Scotland. Two of our group opt to go into the castle for a tour while the rest of us mill around in the parking lot and content ourselves with snapping photos of the exterior of the castle.
From Kyle of Lochalsh, we make our way over the mountains and back into the Glen Mor. We follow the Glen Mor to the west coast, Fort William and Glen Nevis. Near Ben Nevis is one of the sites where some scenes from the movie Braveheart were filmed. Our guide drives us to one location and has us all climb to the top of a rise where we re-enact one of the scenes from this movie just for fun.
The hostel is at the base of Ben Nevis, and there is a trail leading to the top of the mountain. Unfortunately, the late arrival time, and failing light mean that it is not adviseable to make the trek to the top of the mountain. At the hostel I meet up with a couple of Canadian girls who were on the bus with me the first day and continued on past Inverness.
Friday, August 20, 1999 - Return to Glasgow via Oban, Loch Lomond
After a bit of a late start to the day, we make our way from Fort William to Oban first. Many of the ferrys to the the islands along the west coast of Scotland leave from Oban, so it makes a great base for exploring the islands.
After our stop in Oban, we make our way south to Loch Lomond. The hostel at Loch Lomond is a beautiful old estate, and it makes me sorry that I'm not able to stay here for at least one night, but I'm on my way to Glasgow today.
After settling my items in Glasgow where I will stay, I go walking around the city. I walk around the grounds of University of Glasgow and from there on to the transportation museum in Glasgow.
Saturday, August 21, 1999 - Glasgow, Killmarnoch
Today I will meet with my friend Emma and we will meet with some folks from Scottish Enterprise. They are organizing a Shad Valley program at University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, and they want to discuss some things with us. In the end, we don't really seem to discuss much of anything at all, but we do enjoy a visit to the university campus, and lunch on our hosts.
After this meeting, we make our way out to Killmarnoch where my friend Emma lives. In Killmarnoch we go to the Johnny Walker distillery where Emma is working for the month of August. I enjoy a nice tour of the plant after meeting Emma's boss and have an opportunity to see the preparation of whiskey.
Emma's parents invite me to their home for dinner, and then Emma and I go watch the local football team playing a European level match against a team from Reykjavik. The regular time ends in a 1-1 draw. Unaware to us, this is the second leg of the series, and this result means that the score is tied on aggregate. We leave before an extra time period begins to break this tie. In the end, Killmarnoch wins the extra time period and the series on aggregate.
Emma and her mother return me to Glasgow and as it is so late, I immediately turn in for the night.
Sunday, August 22, 1999 - Stirling, Glasgow, stay near airport
For my last full day in Scotland, I wake up early, and make my way back to the Queen Street Terminal for the train to Stirling. The train trip to Stirling is a bit shorter than to Edinburgh, and is pretty uneventful. Once I arrive at Stirling, I make my way to Stirling Castle on foot. After the climb up the hill to the castle, I enjoy a guided tour of the Castle with a small group of people. The Great Hall is in the middle of its restoration project, and is a sharp contrast to the rest of the castle. The restoration will return it to the original form, with the full plaster exterior, and the painted and gold covered decorations on the roof. Unfortunately we are unable to enter the Great Hall due to this work, but it does look very impressive.
After Stirling Castle, I make my way to the Wallace Monument on the Guide Friday tour bus. This gives a short tour of the city of Stirling, and also drops its passengers at the Wallace Monument to tour that historic monument for a while, allowing them to pick up a later bus to return to the train station. The Wallace Monument is essentially a massive tour, and provides a history of William Wallace and the revolution that he led in Scotland. On one level there is a replica of Wallace's massive claymore, but then on the very next level is the actual sword that he used. This weapon is even taller than I am, and would have required some amazing strength to use on the battlefield. At the top of the monument is an observation level. From this level you get a good view of Stirling Castle with the Great Hall shining amongst all the other buildings. It is also possible to see Edinburgh on a clear day, although there is a bit of a haze on this day obscuring the view some. The route up and down is a narrow, winding staircase, so those with claustrafobia beware.
Unfortunately a small statue has been added near the gift shop that looks remarkably like Mel Gibson from the movie Braveheart. Unfortunately, William Wallace was apparently a giant man over six feet tall, and this statue is of the same stature was Mel Gibson, which is to say, much shorter than that.
After the Wallace Monument, I return to the train station and return to Glasgow. I have arranged to meet my friend Michaela to do some shopping on Burlington Street. After I finish buying some typical souveniers, I say my farewells, and head out to a hotel right next to the airport where I will be spending the night, rather than making my way to the airport from downtown in the early morning hours.
Monday, August 23, 1999 - Return to Canada
Today is the last day in Scotland, or part of a day. I wake up at about 4:30am in order to make it into the airport in time to check in for my flight. The checkin goes smoothly, and I make my return flight back to Canada which is quite uneventful.
This was the first trip of any significance that I took on my own, even though I did use the backpackers company to get around. I learned a great deal about the value of planning ahead on a trip with near disaster in Edinburgh looking for a place to stay when I arrived there. I also learned a great deal about the value of preparing in advance and research to have a better idea of places to see and things to do. On the whole though, it was still a great trip, and I very much enjoyed the time in Scotland. There are a few things I did miss doing because time didn't allow, but I will make my way back to Scotland to fill in those blanks one day.
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