For some reason, I spent an entire semester here without visiting the highlands of this beautiful country. I knew I had to get there before I went home, and thus, I went on a MacBackpackers tour of Isle of Skye and the Highlands.
When my flatmate Megan and I signed up, were informed that we had to meet the bus in Edinburgh at 7:45am. For some reason, it didn’t click that in order to be in Edinburgh at 7:45am, we’d have to be up at 5:15 and out the door by 6:00. Edinburgh, why must you be so far away?
Anyway, after patting myself on the back for being able to get us to the hotel without getting lost, we met the group and set off.
Our tour guide was named Ruthie, and she was amazing. She filled the bus with mostly Scottish tunes, some of which was quite mainstream pop music (for example, KT Tunstall and Amy Macdonald), while others were bagpipe-filled folk music or Celtic rock.
We drove out of Edinburgh, across the Forth Bridge, and into Fife, where we stopped in the small town of Dunkeld. We hopped off the bus and wandered around for 45 minutes, stopping to eat and visit the local cathedral. Megan and I bought some delicious scones, oatcakes, and local cheese.
The next stop was Ruthven Barracks, used during the mid-18th century Jacobite uprising.
We wandered through the barracks, admiring the views and the horses grazing outside.
There wasn’t much inside the barracks because the Jacobites set it on fire as they recognised their loss in the fights. However, we still stood in admiration for this very old structure.
We continued further north into the highlands, stopping at the site of the Battle of Culloden, which was the final fight between the Jacobite rebels and the government forces.
Up to 2,000 Jacobites were killed in this short battle, and the field is now filled with mass clan graves and stones recognising the clans who suffered losses in the war. Many people on the bus walked through the fields searching for their ancestors’ graves.
We moved on to Inverness, driving through the small town where my flatmate Tyla comes from. It was much smaller than I had imagined. We didn’t stop inside the town, instead moving towards one of Scotland’s biggest tourist attractions: Loch Ness.
This loch is gigantic, and there are many suggested statistics about it. For example, it’s sad that one could combine the amount of water from all lochs in Scotland and it still would not fill Loch Ness.
We headed down to the water with a bottle of whisky (as per the tradition!) and we enjoyed the view. This is the first part of the trip where I was so happy to have invested in a good pair of Wellington boots. I watched people trying to balance on rocks and eventually falling in, becoming soaking wet, and then I simply walked right into the water for my photo.
We continued to Urquhart Castle, a medieval castle that is now one of the most visited historic sites in Scotland. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go inside the castle, so we just hopped up a fence and took some photos until security came and told us to stop.
Our next stop was a short coffee break, but it was where I saw my first highland cow! These cows are found throughout the highlands and are adorable.
Next, our bus drove through the mountains as our guide told us stories about the area. For example, there was one mountain that is said to be the site of a fight against the devil. The fighters tricked the devil, causing him to lose the fight and throw his fist in the air, shaping the mountain.
Along we continued, through the mountains, where I saw some of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Although it’s been inhabited for thousands of years, the highlands really feel an untouched heaven.
Day two of the trip coming up soon!
