Morgan's Travel Blog

Edinburgh, Perthshire, and Inverness

Scotland you were an absolute joy. 10 days wasn’t enough!!!! From Edinburgh Castle to Loch Ness, whiskey tastings to tweed hats, I feel like I got a really good taste of the Scottish experience and lifestyle and I am so grateful.

thursday, march 12 – EDINburgh

After a quick flight to Edinburgh and a hellishly steep walk to my hostel, I officially started my adventures in Scotland. Since I arrived in the evening I only had time to walk to Calton Hill to see the Dugald Stewart Monument and make a quick stop at Topping & Co Bookstore. After my sightseeing I headed to Holy Cow for dinner, and got an absolutely spectacular vegan full English breakfast for dinner. 11/10 amazing meal.

12,813 steps, 35 flights of stairs

friday, march 13 – edinburgh

I started my first full day in Edinburgh strong with a bloody nose and ears that still hadn’t popped from my flight. After some rest I managed to get out of the hostel in the early afternoon to grab lunch at Castlegate Cafe and stop by Armchair Books. In the evening I took a Restorative Candelit Yoga Class that was very healing, and made a cathartic grocery run at a Co-op filled with vegan/vegetarian options. The hostel I stayed at had a spectacular kitchen and I was able to save so much money on food by cooking.

7,141 steps, 13 flights of stairs

saturday, march 14 – edinburgh

This was my main tourism day and my shins sure did feel it. I walked 8.1 miles in total and managed to climb 54 flights worth of stairs. In the morning I took a bus south to Swanston Farms, a popular location to spot Highland cows. They were absolutely ADORABLE.

Upon returning to the city I walked down Victoria Street, JK Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series.

I stopped at my hostel for lunch before heading back out to explore Edinburgh Castle and Greyfriar’s Kirkyard, a cemetery used as inspiration for some of the character names in Harry Potter.

I ended the evening with a walk to Dean Village, a picturesque fairy-tale neighborhood along the waters of Leith. On my walk I managed to run into a girl I went to high school with!!! What a small world.

Needless to say I got excellent sleep this evening.

18,199 steps, 54 flights of stairs

sunday, march 15 – edinburgh

Since I managed to get to so many things the day before I took it slow on my last full day in Edinburgh. I slept in and made myself a nice breakfast at my hostel before heading out to a cafe to reflect on my trip. I got Cream Tea, a British classic of scones with jam and clotted cream served with tea. It was delicious and I see why this has become a staple.

In the late afternoon I went to a gift shop called the Cat’s Miaou to browse locally made Scottish gifts, and then to a slow flow yoga class. Finally, I found a popular brewery and stopped in for a 1/2 pint of a smoked ale and some time to read a poetry book I got at Topping & Co my first evening.

10,617 steps, 29 flights of stairs

monday, march 16 – edinburgh –> perthshire

I had to be out of my room by 10:30am so I headed down to the hostel kitchen to make myself a nice breakfast and relax. Around 12 I gathered my things and headed to Tempting Tattie, a famous baked potato shop. I got the Singh is King, which had channa masala, red onion, mixed peppers, and a sweet chili onion sauce on top of a freshly baked potato. It totally hit the spot!

After lunch, I walked to the train station and got on my train to Perth station where I was to be picked up by my college teammate’s Granny. Once I got off, we headed to a beautiful castle-like hotel to talk over Cream Tea. From our seats inside you could see Highland cows grazing in the distance.

After, we rode on over to her lovely home in Blairgowrie to eat a proper dinner and settle in.

tuesday, march 17 – perth

After a great night of sleep in her cabin-style home, we got up to visit the House of Bruar, a luxury department store in the countryside of Perthshire. We browsed for a while and got a delicious lunch, then headed off to Loch Rannoch Estate, the hotel where one of her daughters works.

This hotel had an absolutely unmatched view, complete with a flock of sheep roaming freely outside the main building. To finish off the day, we headed to Queen’s View, a popular viewpoint of Loch Tummel and the Glencoe Mountains.

wednesday, march 18 – perth –> inverness

My train didn’t depart until mid afternoon so we had time to squeeze one more thing into my trip to Perthshire. In the morning we headed to a beautiful little town set on the River Tay called Dunkeld. We spent most of our time sitting out on a terrace listening to the rush of the water.

My time in Perthshire felt like a truly authentic Scottish experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity to stay with my teammate’s Granny.

In the afternoon I caught my train up to Inverness, the capital of the Scottish Highlands. The city is located at the mouth of the River Ness, the only river that takes water out of Loch Ness and into the sea.

thursday, march 19 – inverness

On my first full day in Inverness I took an adventure to Loch Ness in hopes of finding Nessie! I booked a 3 hour guided experience: 1 hour Loch Ness boat cruise, 1 hour Urquhart Castle free time, 1 hour Loch Ness museum. It was absolutely incredible. I didn’t spot Nessie, but I learned so much about the Loch and the 1400 year long history of Urquhart Castle.

While I am not sure that Nessie is a dinosaur or an alien, I would not be surprised if something large lives in the Loch. It reaches 754 feet, which means a 60 story building would be covered at its deepest point. Furthermore, all of the other freshwater in Europe wouldn’t even fill the Loch. With a volume and depth this vast it is hard to believe we know of everything that dwells in Loch Ness.

That evening I headed out to Black Isle Bar to try a glass of scotch and write a few postcards to family and friends.

I returned to my hostel to find an adorable stray cat sleeping in the lobby.

friday, march 20 – inverness

On the morning of my last full day I headed out to a hospital turned famous bookstore – Leakey’s Bookshop.

Unfortunately I don’t have room in my backpacks to purchase books, but I know if this store was back home I would’ve left with a huge stack. I walked down the street to Inverness Coffee Roasting Co. for an iced oat latte, and then walked 30 minutes to Inverness Marina for my second booked experience. That afternoon I embarked on a 2 hour wildlife boat cruise into the Moray Firth and ended up seeing an adorable seal floating in the waves.

To polish off my time in Inverness I returned to Black Isle Bar to reflect on my trip and try some local brews. This leg of my trip was a total bucket list experience and it is so cool that I was able to experience the legend of Loch Ness.

saturday, march 21 – inverness –> london

It was quite an early morning, and I headed off to London for the weekend….