Scotland 2024

First stop for a Poke Bowl at Bowls after being turned away at MuM's, which was full. Then, a quick visit to the various shops on Victoria Street, notably the Harry Potter Museum.

Thinking of visiting the catacombs, we ended up doing the Edinburgh Dungeon, which turned out to be a tour consisting of 8 live horror shows with actors, some tension, and practical effects depicting certain events from the city's past. Not quite what was planned, but a very good experience!
Snack break at Mòr Bakehouse for chocolate donuts and savory vegetarian pastries. Then, check-in at the hostel and meet up with the rest of the group at Civerinos Hunter Square pizzeria.

Typical English breakfast: baked beans in sauce, vegetarian sausages, pancakes, hard-boiled eggs, jam, and Nutella, in that order.

Lovely morning hike with the ascent of Arthur's Seat and its 250 meters of elevation. Quick stop at the ruins of St. Anthony's Chapel along the way.

Next stop: the summit, in the mist.

No time to linger, onto the attack of Edinburgh's Castle!

Inside, visit the Royal Scots Museum, the dungeons, the World War memorials, and the Crown Jewels. Also a quick snack break at the Redcoat café within the castle.

No time to relax, as it's already time to go for our tour of the Scotch Whisky Experience. Explanation of the production of Scottish Whisky (water, barley, and yeast), its aging process, and its history, followed by a small tasting of a few bottles.

(Not these ones)

(These ones)

To end the day, we had Fish & Chips at #Fish, with several vegetarian options, including an excellent Tofish (Tofu).

Travel day, heading to Inverness for the second part of the trip.

A quick stop in the middle of the day at Pitlochry to grab a takeout meal at Morton's Coffee Lounge and Restaurant. Then off to Faskally Forest to enjoy our sandwiches in the nature.

We finally arrived at our chalet for the next 4 days at Glenview chalet park (there's a jacuzzi!).

First homemade meal featuring ratatouille!

A quiet day after all the driving, followed by a beautiful hike in the afternoon at Plodda Falls , 2.4km through the forest and along the river.

Back to the chalet for a lasagna evening and a failed attempt at preparing tiramisu.

Second day in the Highlands, we start with a visit to the iconic Urquhart Castle overlooking the Loch Ness.

In the afternoon, we made a quick stop in Inverness at Leakey's Bookshop followed by an evening stroll in the Merkinch Nature Reserve located on the city's coast.

Homemade pizza evening, and we got our revenge on the failed tiramisus from yesterday! We also took the time to prepare sandwiches preparation for tomorrow: chickpea mayo, vegetarian meat, and coleslaw.

Big expedition to the Isle of Skye! 3 hours of driving to reach the Fairy Pools . The journey was very enjoyable with magnificent waterfalls and rivers throughout the ride

We spent an extra 2 hours hiking up to the Cairn at the Fairy Pools. We had to jump over a few streams and scramble through the mud to get there, but it only made the sandwiches taste better despite the rain.

Then, we retraced our steps, stopping to enjoy the view of Eilean Donan Castle , which unfortunately was already closed.

We enjoy the evening after this long day with the tiramisus prepared the day before and some burritos, before jumping into the jacuzzi.

Last day before heading back, we have a hearty brunch with burritos and scrambled eggs, then we set off for another hike to the Falls of Orrin . We explore an old building straight out of The Witcher before enjoying the view of the waterfalls under the first true Scottish downpour of the week.

A final culinary effort with some crepes, then we start packing up.

It's time to head back! We stop once again at Faskally Forest to stretch our legs, then straight to Edinburgh Airport with a few hours to spare. We say goodbye here to the rest of the group who continues on to Penrith by car and then home. We take the opportunity to end the week with a good vegetarian Burger King meal.