No matter how much time we allow in a given place we always seem to run out and it was no different when we visited the Scottish Highlands, for the second time! I hope we will find our way back someday as we barely scratched the surface. However, places to go and things to see…
Blair Castle – Blair Atholl
126 KM from Inverness and exactly halfway to Edinburgh
Driving along in what seemed like the middle of nowhere Scotland we came across what looked like a shopping mall. It was called the House of Bruar and it turned out to be just that! This seemed like a great place to get out, stretch our legs, and have a meal. Upon further inspection we discovered a really nice self-service restaurant, food markets, flower stalls, house wares, clothing and more!
As we were leaving we noticed a sign for Blair Castle. We were in a bit of a hurry, but just like there’s always room for cheesecake, there’s always time for a castle!
Dating back 700 years, Blair Castle has played an important role in much of Scotland’s history including visits from many important historical figures, including: Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Victoria, and Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Blair Castle turned out to be the perfect stop. There was something for everyone and all four of us enjoyed the tour of the castle and it’s gardens. With 12 generations of Dukes, each with their own tastes and style, the 30 rooms on the tour are filled to the brim with many treasures ranging from a large weapon collection and military uniforms to jewels, photographs and other personal belongings. With the exception of a very unique ballroom photos aren’t allowed inside the castle.
The grounds are quite extensive, however Edinburgh was calling, so we only had time for a quick loop around the Hercules gardens, which recently restored offered a number of photo opportunities.
Before getting back on the road I stopped to take just one more photo of the Castle’s incredibly long and lovely “driveway!”
On our last morning in the Highlands we woke up to discover that the United Kingdom had voted to leave the European Union. While we knew this was a possibility, like many people, we didn’t think it could/would actually happen. Yet, here it was, history unfolding right in front of our eyes… It felt like a bad dream. Watching and listening to the local news we were shocked to hear that so many people felt the same, even those who’d actually voted for Brexit! People, this is proof that there is no such thing as a protest vote!
It’s somewhat ironic, but our plan for the final day of our tour in The Highlands was a visit to the 
The visitor center, run by the National Trust of Scotland, tells the story of Culloden from both perspectives in a very unbiased way. There are interactive displays throughout the exhibits, which we all found interesting, especially the weapons exhibit at the end. During our visit we joined a guided tour of the battlefields, which of course are mainly grass fields with markers and monuments placed here and there. While I found the tour fascinating, my boys are allergic to grass, which made it less than pleasant for them. Once the skies opened up, that was it for them.
Sitting on a small tidal island where three lochs meet, Loch Dutch, Loch Long, and Loch Alsh, it’s no wonder that 
There has been a castle on the island since the 13th century, however the castle was demolished during the Jacobite risings by the Royal Navy in 1719 and stayed that way until it was restored by Lt. Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap in the early 1900s. Keep your eye out for the war memorial located on the island dedicated to the men of the MacRae clan who died in WWI. You might recognize the lines from the poem “In Flanders Fields” written by his relative John McCrae.
Eilean Donan is not only one of Scotland’s most visited castles, but it’s also been featured in a number of films. The many views make amazing backdrops, and if you’re not already married It’s also available for weddings!
Though it wasn’t in our plans to visit the Isle of Skye on this trip, we saw that we weren’t too far and decided on a quick trip over the bridge.
The Loch Ness Monster, otherwise known as Nessie, is famous worldwide, but the Loch Ness is more than just a myth. In fact, at 23 miles long and almost 800 feet deep it is the second largest lake in Scotland, and contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined!
Having missed out on a visit to Loch Ness on our previous trip to the 
After that, take your time wandering about the ruins and enjoying the view. Who knows, maybe you’ll see something out there on the lake…
Our guide, Tom, met up with us at our hotel and after a brief discussion about the day’s itinerary we set off in Tom’s “black” taxicab. The tour covered everything from Belfast and it’s Troubles, to The Antrim Coast and was an all day affair. I wrote about Belfast in an earlier post: 
Northern Ireland’s coastline is some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever had the good fortune to see! Each and every place we visited was a photographers dream come true, so even though it poured rain the entire day and the lighting definitely wasn’t on my side, I still managed to take MANY photos. I’ve done my best to narrow them down, but as you’ll see below I had a tough time with that… as I often do.
Our stop at 
The one that started it all! As soon as I read about 
Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986 The Giant’s Causeway was created when the giant Finn McCool was challenged to a fight by Benandonner a Scottish giant. Finn built the causeway so the two giants could meet in the middle for their fight, but Finn played a trick on Benandonner making him think Finn was much larger than he was, Benandonner fled back across the sea destroying the causeway as he went. Or so the story goes…
Another plausible theory is that the Causeway, a very large area of interlocking basalt columns, was created as a result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Whatever story you believe this is a place worth visiting!
Practical Information: Although there is a fee to enter the visitor center, you don’t have to pay to visit the Giant’s Causeway. Buses located just beyond the visitors center will take you up and down the hill for about 1￡. Take care when walking on the columns as they can be extremely slippery.
We’ve all heard of Titanic, the unsinkable ship that sadly sank on her maiden voyage. Her tragic story and the stories of her ill fated passengers have held our fascination for over 100 years, but did you know that Titanic was built in Belfast, home to the famous shipbuilders Harland and Wolff? Titanic Belfast, a museum dedicated to all things Titanic, is appropriately located in the very spot Titanic was built and launched. The moment I knew we would be in Belfast I knew this place would be on my list and we weren’t disappointed! If you find yourself in the vicinity or anywhere near it I highly recommend a stop!
Along with our admission to the museum our tickets also granted us access to the 
A huge Game of Thrones fan I was excited to see that Titanic Studios, where some of GoT is filmed is located just behind the museum! Maybe next time I’ll work out how to get in there for a look around…
To better understand Belfast it’s important to understand at least a little bit about The Troubles. Fueled by earlier events in history The Troubles took place in the mid to later part of the 20th century. Though there are many factors, one key issue was whether or not Northern Ireland, which had become separated from the Republic of Ireland, would continue to be a part of the United Kingdom, or would/should it once again become part of the Republic. I don’t mean to oversimplify, but in a nutshell, many Protestants consider themselves British and have no wish to leave the UK, while many Catholics consider themselves Irish and wish to once again become part of what is now the Republic of Ireland.
As a child I remember hearing about the troubles in Northern Ireland and Belfast. The nightly news painting a picture of a city plagued by terrorism, unsafe and divided. This was a place I was sure I would never visit. It never even crossed my mind. Yet here we were! Just the very idea that things have progressed enough for our visit to safely take place was so meaningful! The people we met and spent time with were some of the kindest and most pleasant of our entire trip.
The Troubles officially ended in 1998, but during our visit it became immediately clear to us that the peace, which exists today, is a tenuous one at best. Belfast is still very much a city divided, and when I say divided I mean quite literally. Walls or “peace lines” as they are known, some as high as 25 feet, separate the Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. A number of these walls were built AFTER the 1998 peace agreement.
Many of the peace walls have gates which are at times staffed by police. They are open for passage during the day, but are closed at nights and in some locations on the weekends as well.
Tom, born and raised in Belfast, was a wealth of information. He drove us through the city explaining the history of Belfast, the Troubles, and the peace walls. We drove through both catholic and protestant neighborhoods easily identified by the different flags flying high outside their homes. Catholics, fly Irish flags, while the Protestants fly British flags…We got out at the wall and signed our names and wrote messages of peace.
It’s hard not to form opinions when you see homes with cages covering them for protection from the debris thrown over the top of the walls. 
I’m sharing a room with three other people, none of whom wake up as early as I do, so while I can take care of everything else quietly in the bathroom, drying my hair isn’t an option unless I want three extremely grumpy traveling companions!
All of this has prompted me to come up with a personal rating system for places I stay and blog about!
The lobby and main areas in 
Crystal blue waters and sandy beaches weren’t exactly what I was expecting during our recent travels to the Emerald Isle, but it’s exactly what we found! In fact Ireland has many beautiful beaches although the water is bit on the chilly side. Salthill Promenade overlooking Galway Bay came highly recommended, so after dropping off 8 days worth of laundry at a nearby laundromat we set off for the beach!
The Promenade also known as the Prom is 2 km long and lined with bars, restaurants and hotels. During the summer months their is an amusement park. It’s a popular destination with both locals and tourists alike.
We wandered up and down the Prom and really enjoyed the walk. About midway we came upon a giant high dive where we stopped to watch some kids jumping into the 59 degree water! Brrr! Those were some brave kids!
We only had one day in Galway and spent most of it at Salthill, but we did find time to explore the main part of town. Parking our rental car was no trouble at all and we wandered up and down the pedestrian only Quay Street poking in and out of the various shops. Our lunch at 
While our ultimate destination that final day was Belfast, Northern Ireland, my list of sights in the Republic of Ireland was only partially checked off and with only hours left difficult choices had to be made. One such place was Newgrange, a 5000 year old monolithic passage tomb, which conveniently happened to be on our way to Belfast, this meant the castles in Athlone and Trim got only passing glances during true pitstops. Normally I would never pass up a chance to visit a castle let alone two, but the idea of seeing and stepping inside a place older than the pyramids was just too tempting to pass up!
Newgrange is a prehistoric monument which is located in the Boyne River Valley about an hour or so outside of Dublin. I won’t go into too much history as I think the 
If you plan to visit Newgrange here are few things to keep in mind:
All that aside, Newgrange was fantastic! The visitor center had a really nice exhibition as well as a movie, a cafe and a very decent gift shop. That was a good thing too because the first available tour was at 4:45 pm and we arrived at 2:30 pm. Access to the monument is via a bus which leaves directly from the visitor center.
