For people like me who enjoy ancestry research as a hobby and can trace some of their ancestors to Scotland, a trip there is often a bucket-list item.
My wife and I recently returned from two weeks in Scotland, so I thought I would share our itinerary and some of our experiences in case they are helpful to others planning a trip. She teaches art history, so our primary interests were history and museums. We also included hiking and, because we both enjoy gardening, several gardens.
I was especially looking forward to
We spent 12 days in Scotland and wanted to experience different types of accommodations. We walked or used Uber while in Edinburgh and Glasgow, but we rented a car and drove the rest of the time. The Scots drive on the opposite side of the road than in the U.S., the steering wheel is on the opposite side of the car and many roads are narrow. However, if you take it easy and have a good co-pilot, as I did, it is not too difficult.
Be sure to book a car with an automatic transmission so you have one less thing to think about while navigating roundabouts and trying not to run over sheep. We flew United Airlines and booked the car through Hertz, and both experiences were trouble-free. Both of our connecting flights — through Dulles on the way there and Newark on the way back — were tight, so we had to hustle to make them. Thankfully, we did both times.
Route for our 12-day trip around Scotland
We traveled in late May and early June. Our basic route formed a circle: Edinburgh to Perth, the Isle of Skye, Glasgow, the Scottish Borders and then back to Edinburgh for the flight home. We booked some restaurants and attractions in advance but left enough time for spur-of-the-moment experiences and unplanned stops.
As with any travel experience, the people you encounter working in the leisure industry can make the greatest difference. We found exceptional service and helpful people at every attraction, restaurant and hotel. We booked comfortable, affordable places to stay rather than luxury hotels.
We travel with a small white-noise machine, so we had no issues with outside noise at any of the places we stayed, a frequent complaint I had read on travel forums. Other essentials for the trip included a raincoat, good waterproof walking shoes that were already broken in, a small backpack and a travel umbrella.
We experienced all four seasons in one day several times. It rained, grew warm, cooled off, became sunny and then rained again.
Michelle prepares to tour Edinburgh
Arrival in Edinburgh
Helpful hint: Edinburgh is pronounced something like ED-in-bruh, while Glasgow is pronounced GLAZ-go.
We took the tram from Edinburgh Airport into the city center and stayed for three nights in one of the rooms above the Rabble Rooms Tap House. Its owners promote it as “an effortlessly hip bar and restaurant with ten stylish boutique hotel rooms located in the heart of the city.” That description sums it up well.
The hotel was a short, five-minute walk from the Princes Street stop. Although we arrived before check-in, the staff stored our luggage and took it to our room when it was ready. We ate several meals in the restaurant, and all were excellent.
A “typical Scottish breakfast.” This one was served at Côte, a French restaurant next to Rabble.
I ordered the “typical Scottish breakfast” at least once at each of our hotels, and the one at Rabble was my favorite. For the uninitiated, a traditional Scottish breakfast served to tourists can include bacon, link sausages, black pudding, haggis, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, toast, tattie scones and fried eggs.
The staff at Rabble was friendly and helpful, and it was fun to walk through the restaurant and behind-the-scenes areas to reach the stairs leading to our room. There is no elevator, and we were two flights up, so take that into consideration if you have mobility issues.
Me at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
We spent our arrival day walking around, trying to stay awake and adjusting to the area and the six-hour time difference. When our room was ready, we returned and rested briefly before heading to St Giles’ Cathedral — pronounced St. Jiles — for a choir performance. It was a wonderful way to begin our experience in Scotland.
The church was founded in 1124 by King David I and has served as a place of worship for nearly 900 years.
During our two additional days in Edinburgh, we toured Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Scotland, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the king’s official residence in Edinburgh, and The Royal Yacht Britannia.
I have a possible ancestor buried in the remains of 12th-century Holyrood Abbey, which is included in the Holyroodhouse tour. My possible eighth-great-grandfather, John Paterson, who served as archbishop of Glasgow, died in 1708. He was buried “at the east end on the north side at the foot of Bishop Wishart’s monument.”
Lunch at the Royal Deck Tearoom aboard The Royal Yacht Britannia
All were worthwhile experiences to include on an Edinburgh itinerary, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Royal Yacht Britannia. We even had tea, scones and little sandwiches in the Royal Deck Tearoom. I found myself buying smoked salmon and cucumbers to make sandwiches on my first day back home.
Our timing also allowed us to attend the opening-night performance of “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” at the Edinburgh Playhouse. Opened in 1929 as a movie theater, it is the largest theater in Scotland and the second largest in the United Kingdom.
It was fun to see live theater with an audience that appeared to consist mostly of local residents. There was certainly much more we could have done in Edinburgh, but we had an entire country to explore, so we headed north.
Headed to Perth
We took an Uber to the airport, picked up our rental car and headed to the small burgh of Culross in Fife.
For our time in Edinburgh, we purchased a package that included admission to three double-decker, hop-on, hop-off city bus tours. We purchased most of our other tickets, including admission to Culross Palace, directly from the attractions.
| Helpful hint: Anyone planning a self-guided driving tour of Scotland like ours should consider joining the National Trust for Scotland. Membership includes admission to hundreds of attractions and free parking at sites across the country. Had we joined at the beginning of our trip and taken full advantage of the benefits, we would have saved more than twice the cost of our membership. |
Michelle at Culross Palace
The experience in Culross was notably more relaxed than Edinburgh, making it a pleasant gateway to the next part of our visit. An easy drive from Edinburgh, Culross is surrounded by beautiful countryside and was not crowded while we were there.
Described as “Scotland’s most complete example of a burgh of the 17th and 18th centuries,” the little town has been used for numerous scenes in the television series “Outlander.”
Although we both wanted to stay longer, we needed to continue to Stirling Castle in Castle Wynd, Stirling. One of Scotland’s largest and most historically and architecturally important castles, it served as a residence for many of the country’s later medieval monarchs.
Stirling is what many people imagine when they picture a Scottish castle. It has been used in connection with productions such as “Game of Thrones,” “Outlander,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and “Outlaw King,” among other films and television programs.
The castle welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors annually and has tourist-friendly parking and other infrastructure to accommodate them. I also ate the best piece of carrot cake I have ever had in its restaurant — although I may simply have been very, very hungry, which was also true.
Me at the Leonardo Huntingtower Hotel in Perth.
We spent the next three nights at the Leonardo Huntingtower Hotel in Perth. Although the entire trip was incredible, our days in Perth were among my favorites.
The hotel is older and could use a little tender loving care in places, but that was also part of its charm. Located on 6 acres in the quiet Perthshire countryside near the River Tay, it is surrounded by gigantic trees and fields that were being prepared for planting when we visited.
| Helpful hint: When booking a room here, ask for one with a pleasant view. |
We ate several meals in the hotel restaurant. The food was good, and its breakfast was similar to those served at our other hotels.
Michelle at the top of Kinnoull Hill
While in Perth, we explored Huntingtower Castle and toured the impressive, recently reopened Perth Museum, whose signature artifact is the Stone of Destiny.
If you have time, Perth Riverside Park is also worth a stop. Although the heather was not blooming, many other plants were, so we made a quick visit.
At the park, we also visited the Kinnoull Burial Ground and hiked up Kinnoull Hill to take in views of Perth, the Lomond Hills and Fife. The hike took about 45 minutes, and I would definitely encourage travelers to include it on their itineraries.
| Helpful hint: It is less of a hike than a stroll, and the path is clearly marked. Drive your rental car to the Jubilee car park and begin there. Even with children tagging along, it should be an easy hike. |
One of Scone Palace’s famous white peacocks showing off
Scone Palace Garden Fair
My favorite day of the whole trip was also in Perth. Fortunately, our visit coincided with the annual Scone Palace Garden Fair. Scone, by the way, rhymes with spoon.
Held on the palace lawn, the fair showcased “the finest Scottish gardening talents.” It also provided an excellent opportunity to tour the palace. We even heard a presentation by William Murray, Viscount Stormont.
Scone Palace and the surrounding land have been owned by his family for more than 400 years. His goal is to make the estate “a family-run diversified rural heritage business” that attracts tourists from around the world.
Scone is known as “the crowning place of the kings of Scots” and was the original home of the Stone of Scone, more commonly called the Stone of Destiny. Although the palace has a replica that visitors can sit on, the original is displayed at the Perth Museum.
Kenneth MacAlpin, traditionally regarded as the first king of Scots, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Robert the Bruce and Charles II are among the 42 kings of Scots traditionally said to have been inaugurated or crowned at Scone.
A “cockerel” at Errichel Farm
Headed to the Highlands
The next day, we awoke ready to travel farther into the Highlands. Along the way, we stopped for a tour of Errichel Farm led by its owner, Becky.
She and her husband, Paul, operate a gift shop, restaurant, farm and cottages near Aberfeldy in the heart of Highland Perthshire. Her passion for agritourism was infectious, and Michelle and I both consider our time with Becky one of the highlights of our trip.
Check out photos and videos from our trip to Scotland.
For more of my genealogy research, visit rscottwilliams.info.
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