One of the biggest “Must See” items on my list for Scotland was to get out to the Highlands. No, I’m not really a huge Outlander fan and never saw Braveheart, but the Highlands always seemed like a magical, historical, unique place. Chuck didn’t care as much, but was happy to go along.
I chose a tour to the Western Highlands as it was less time on a bus, but still beautiful. Plus it went near where my ancestral clan was from – not a huge draw as I’m just a tiny bit Scottish, but cool none the less. And for bonus points, we were going to visit Doune Castle, which was the castle used in Monty Python and the Holy Grail! I chose this particular tour with Rabbies as it had amazing reviews, but also went in small groups of 16 or less instead of the huge tour bus.
We met at the bus station at 8am and promptly headed out. Our tour guide was great and kept us entertained on the 2 hour or so drive to our first location. Along the way we got a glimpse of Stirling Castle, and the famous Kelpie statues.
Our first stop was the Village of Luss on the shores of Loch Lomond. The village could not be more adorable and I was happy to have some time to take in the scenery.
Loch Lomond:
The Village of Luss:
From here, we headed more into the Highlands and stopped at the “Rest and Be Thankful” overlook:
Next we made a stop about 10 minutes away at this picturesque place:
Then we continued driving through The Trossachs National Park to the town of Inveraray where we had time for lunch and to stroll around the little town.
Lunch complete with Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert:
The town and Loch Fyne:
Along the way to our next stop, we saw one of the train bridges like the Glenfinnan Viaduct used in the Harry Potter movies:
Our next stop was to see Hairy Cows! Or Hairy Coos as they call them in Scotland. OMG these guys are so cute!
At the Gift Shop then even had some items with my family Tartan:
Then it was time to visit Doune Castle. This castle has been used in many different movies and shows including Outlander, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and the Game of Thrones pilot. I was very tempted to get some White Knight merch, but held off.
We then had a good hour or so drive back to Edinburgh arriving around 6:30pm.
Overall this was a fantastic day trip. The scenery was beautiful, we had great weather, our tour guide was funny and informative without being too much, and we really got to see a slice of Scotland.
