The Final Stretch part 2, Scotland
From London, our group of 7 (including Maddie and Joanna), headed north to Scotland. We absolutely loved Edinburgh, its hilly capital with a population of just over 500,000. This beautiful city, which reminded us a bit of Prague, has a medieval Old Town and elegant Georgian “New” Town, which is actually older than our country. Looming over the city is Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of Scottish rulers. With the Unicorn as its National Animal (no Joke!), we couldn’t help but be entranced by all Scotland had to offer.
We did a Sherlock Holmes (the author Sir Conan Doyle, was born and raised in Edinburgh) escape-room like challenge across the city. The kids were total pros and helped solve all the clues and puzzles and get us to the end in a very respectful time, just under 4hrs and 15,000 steps across the city! It was a ton of (educational) fun.
We also visited Edinburgh Castle, perched high above the city, the castle is one of the oldest fortified places in Europe (and supposedly the most besieged), with a long rich history as a royal residence, military garrison, prison and fortress. If you can access Instagram, check out the link below and video reel of the city.
From Edinburgh our group, minus Joanna, headed to the highlands, where we had a lovely Airbnb in Golspie, about an hour north of Inverness. This was the perfect location to relax and take in the gorgeous views of the North Sea and Dunrobin Castle.
We spent a day walking around the streets of Inverness (I may have been hoping for a Jamie Fraser sighting, but no luck) before talking a boat ride across Loch Ness (no sightings of Nessie either).
Our final stop in Scotland was the Isle of Skye, which was stunningly beautiful. We had the most fun exploring Fairy Glen and climbing the rolling hills said to be their home.
