During our third Round the World vagabonding adventure in 2024, we were joined by my mom and C’s family in the United Kingdom for a two week road trip. After a few days showing my mom around London, we rode a train to Edinburgh, rendezvousing with C’s sisters and brother-in-law for three days in Harry Potter world. We did all the tourist “must do’s”: the Royal Mile walking tour, Tartan Museum, High Tea at the Signet Library Colonnades (highly recommended!!) followed by the annual St. Giles horse parade (lucky timing!), bagpipes, haggis (not as bad as I expected), pubs, and morning beach strolls.

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Scottish Highlands: Blair Atholl

Edinburgh was followed by a week-long road trip to the Highlands and the Isle of Skye. We were blessed with a crazy-for-Scotland streak of dry, sunny weather, with nary a drop of rain or fog to obscure the views. On the first day of our road trip, we set out for Inverness, stopping in Blair Atholl for a whisky tasting and then touring the castle and estate.

We ended up spending a lot more time than anticipated at the castle, which has been the home of Clan Murray for over 750 years. We opted for the guided audio tour, which provided rich historical, architectural, and artistic context to the lavish interior rooms of the castle. Then we strolled through the centuries-old gardens, enjoying the sunshine and peaceful quiet.

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Scottish Highlands: Inverness

We arrived late in Inverness, just barely making our reservation time at Fig & Thistle. The next day, after an early morning sunrise walk along the river bank in Inverness, we made a stop at Culloden Battlefield to learn about the Scottish clansmen’s last stand against the British. The interactive exhibit in the museum really brought the struggle and battle to life! Great museum!

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