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We are home safe and sound and a trip that I’ve dreamed of and then waited for is just a memory… Yes, I am happy to be home. 17 days is a long time to be away. Traveling , while very fun,  is also exhausting. Living out of a suitcase, the constant search for a public bathroom, your next meal and the location of where your staying takes its tole.

Happily, we both stayed healthy the entire trip and were able to enjoy it to the fullest! There were just a few bumps along the way but Plan B always worked out just fine.  I’m pretty proud of ourselves for planning and executing this trip all by ourselves! After traveling to Europe several times with students I found myself checking my watch while I was enjoying myself and then remembering that I wasn’t on a schedule and I could stay as long as I wanted! So cool! 

Below are some quick highlights from our visit to England and Scotland.  If you followed me on IG or FB then you saw my daily posts of our travels. There is just too much to share it all. I did keep a daily journal. I’ve always done that on big trips. It’s something I love to look back on!

England

Our first stop was London. This was Jeff’s first trip to England and my second so I let him take the lead on what he wanted to see and do while we were there (3 days)

Highlights

• We loved using public transportation. Riding the tube was fun and easy and took us everywhere we wanted to go. We had pre-purchased Oyster cards so we were ready to go!
• Riding bikes through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park – These are massive parks. We never would have seen it all on foot!
• St. Paul’s Cathedral – climbing the stairs to the top of the dome and then enjoying the views is a must do!
• Strawberry Nutella Crepe outside The Tower
• Walking across the Tower Bridge
• Westminster Abby – so incredibly awe inspiring! The ceilings, the stained glass, the details! 
• Churchill War Rooms – Very cool tour of the top secret location where Churchill ran the war effort during WWII
• Wandering the streets – window displays, China Town, Knotting Hill, Trafalgar and Leister Squares, Parks and views of the city. 
• Afternoon trip to York – Amazing Cathedral, Roman Wall, meandering city streets, street musicians, really cool Abby ruins  – Whish we had more time there

Overall we really enjoyed our time in England. We had lovely weather and found yummy food. We felt like pros riding the tube and minding the gap. 

Totals miles walked – 36.85 Total flights – 104

Scotland

We rode the train up to Scotland. I have no idea when we crossed the border. There wasn’t a “Welcome to Scotland” sign. We loved riding the train. It was comfortable with great views! I was excited to visit Scotland! 

Highlights –

Fist stop Edinburgh

• Google maps saved us! Once we landed in Edinburgh it was frankly overwhelming. Crowded chaos greeted us on the streets. I had no idea what bus we should take. Thankfully Jeff calmly figured it out with Google Maps! 
• Our B&B was near hiking trials so as soon as we moved in we headed out for a hike up Arthur’s Seat which offered great views of the city!
• Close = a narrow winding alleyway. In Edinburgh that also means a steep long stairway connecting streets.  These were a workout but really fun to explore
• Holyrood Palace tour – A week after being there they had another coronation there for Charles and Camilla. They all stay here at this palace.  The palace and grounds are beautiful. 
• Edinburgh Castle tour – Very impressive and built at the top of the royal mile on the edge of a cliff. This is the highest point on the Royal Mile. The stories of Mary Queen of Scots are very interesting. 
• Graveyard tours – While we seemed to mostly see headstones from the mid 1800s we enjoyed how ornate they were and learning about the rampant grave robbing that took place there.
• Wandering – Dean Village, random streets, parks, stumbling upon a cricket game and having no clue what was happening, monuments, amazing weather

Next Inverness

• We hoped on another train and traveled north to the Scottish Highlands and the city of Inverness – This is where Jeff would drive on the left side of the road for the first time.
• We arrived very late (thanks to an hour long wait at the car rental)
• We left early the next morning to drive to Loch Ness and the Isle of Skye
• Castle tours – rugged old, on the edge of water with wildflowers blooming. So cool!
• Random roadside waterfalls to hike to
• Random hikes along streams with amazing views and heather blooming everywhere!
• Amazing views!
• Roadside picnic
• Daylight until 11pm! This gave us so much time to wander and explore, but really cut into our sleeping time! 

Balmoral Castle

• Beautiful! The grounds are stunning! What an amazing location. If I were queen I’d stay there all the time!
• More amazing views of Scotland, beautiful gardens with a stunning green house. Baby “coos”.
• Crazy narrow windy roads! 

Lesson learned

• We did not have enough time here!
• There is no such thing as speeding to make up time. Roads to narrow, to windy and to many tractors!
• We missed our ferry to Ireland
• We sat in Glasgow airport for 5 hours (wasted time!)

Total miles walked – 28.88 Flights climbed – 83 flights

We really loved our time in England and Scotland. Planning our trip had me overwhelmed a time or two because there is so much to see! How do you choose? Mostly we would do everything the same except the Highlands. We would have scheduled more time to explore there. 

I will finish our trip on next weeks blog, where I will share some highlights from our visit to Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Shelly