Scotland

After driving for 15 days and 10 hours we finally got to Glasgow - ok maybe it wasn't quite that long.  It was neat to see Mum and Dad after our super quick catch up at Heathrow. 

Breakfast pit stop

Our destination was the Isle of Skye so we didn't spend too much time chatting on the road side.  Packed up the car and we were off to explore Scotland.  The first little town we stopped at we checked out the tourist information centre.  Turns out the lady who works there has a sister living in Napier so we were treated like royalty - free postcards and maps to help us along the way.
Before we reached our accommodation in Kyleakin we stopped at Eilean Donan castle.  It is very picturesque as it sits on the edge of a peninsula (kind of) and is surrounded by water. 



Eilean Donan Castle

Kyleakin was a very small fishing village with only 3 restuarants to choose from for dinner. On the plus side it did have a ruined castle over looking the village so in the morning we walked up the hill to check it out.

Ruins of Castle Moil, Kyleakin

We then drove around the Isle of Skye, as it is so small we covered the whole Island in a day.  We went for a walk to the Neist Point Light house, got a flat tyre and had yummy hot chips by the sea side in Portree. 

Neist Point

Portree

The next day we headed to Inverness, stopping off to see a canal lock system in use.  Dad was very fascinated but Mum and I headed off for a coffee.  On the way up to Inverness we saw Urquhart Castle and failed in our attempt to spot the Loch Ness monster. 

Inverness wasn't quite what I expected, I was disappointed with sea gulls and rubbish dump smell all over the city.  Luckily I had booked accommodation in a little town called Ardersier which only had one restuarant to choose for dinner.  Thankfully the food was very tasty.  The next day we saw the Falkirk Wheel in action on our drive from Inverness to Edinburgh.  It is quite an amazing feat of engineering. 

Falkirk Wheel - takes canal boats up (or down) to the next canal

Nath and I were pleased to be in Edinburgh on a sunny hot day as last time we were there it was freezing cold for the All Blacks match.  There was a cool vibe in the city due to a jazz festival and the sun being out.  We wondered around and found a sunny spot in Princess Gardens to enjoy an ice block while Mum and Dad visited the Castle.  There were plenty of dinner options tonight and we choose a funky cafe/restuarant/bar and pigged out on sharing plates.  

Edinburgh

The drive back to London was an enourmous 7 hours or so, not helped by road works just north of Luton airport.  We stopped at Hadrians Wall to break up the drive and give Nath a chance to quench his thirst for all things History.  As the wall is 2000 years old I think we could all appreciate how significant it is. 

 

Back in London now and being a hotel and tourist guide for Mum and Dad.  Today they have ventured off by themselves to Weymouth and then Cornwall for some exciting travel adventures.