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Posts in Scotland

Scottish Porridge Recipe

Scottish Porridge Recipe

In the summer of 2019 we spent 10 days in Scotland on an amazing trek from Edinburgh through the Highlands and to Skye.

We stayed at several great bed and breakfasts along the way, and one of them - Firhall Bed & Breakfast started each morning off with a bowl of porridge before delectable breakfast entrees. Their porridge was amazing with just the right amount of heartiness and texture to avoid the risk that always accompanies the meal: mush. They kindly shared a few tips with us about the couple of types of oats and the tip that they soak one overnight.

Food + Drink, Europe, Northern Europe, Scotland, United KingdomLindseyDecember 25, 2022Scottish food, Scottish porridge recipe, oatmeal recipe with two types of oats, toppings for oatmeal, toppings for porridge, porridge like what they make in Scotland, Firhall B&B inspired porridge recipeComment

Scotland: Itinerary for 2 days in Edinburgh

Scotland: Itinerary for 2 days in Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a relatively compact city that can be toured by foot, which is what we did. Depending on the amount of time you have in the city, your interest in walking, and how much you’re trying to see, you may prefer to look into public transportation or other options as well.

The main part of the city of Edinburgh is comprised of the West End, Old Town, and New Town, descriptive in their origins. The entirety of our time was spent in New Town and Old Town.

Scottish B&B Review: Westerton Bed and Breakfast

Scottish B&B Review: Westerton Bed and Breakfast

Located in the town of Callander, Scotland, right near the boundary between the Highlands and Lowlands and nestled against The Trossachs National Park, Westerton Bed and Breakfast is a luxurious, adults-only Victorian home. Westerton has large rooms, a garden for a yard, and considerate and attentive host/owners.

Scotland: Travel + Packing Tips

Scotland: Travel + Packing Tips

Here are some tips that we picked up in advance of and while on our trip that will hopefully help you plan yours! Read more about car rentals, tickets to purchase in advance, and packing tips.

Europe, Western Europe, United Kingdom, Travel Tips and Apps, Scotland, Northern Europe, Adventures in TravelLindseyDecember 7, 2019To Make Much of Time, To Make Much of Time travel blog, Scotland road trip, Travel tips for Scotland, Packing Tips for Scotland, what to pack for summer trip to Scotland, should you buy tickets before going to Scotland, what to know before renting a car in ScotlandComment

Scotland: Food + Drink

Scotland: Food + Drink

During 10 days in Scotland, we had the opportunity to check out quite a lot of the food and drink scene - everywhere from big cities to small towns! In this blog, we’ll provide our perspective on what you can expect, provide tips for what to order as you eat and drink your way through Scotland, and offer a few of our favorite restaurants as recommendations.

Scotland: Accommodations

Scotland: Accommodations

Scotland is a diverse country - from bustling cities to popular rural outposts and small towns. In planning our 10-day road trip through the Highlands and Isle of Skye, we realized we couldn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to the five different locations where we needed to book overnight accommodations. Because we have only been to this portion of the country, we cannot speak to accommodation options outside of this region.

Accommodations, Europe, Northern Europe, Scotland, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Adventures in TravelLindseyNovember 26, 2019To Make Much of Time, To Make Much of Time travel blog, Travel Blog, travel blog, travel blog couple, travel photography, travel, Travel Tips, travel photography blog, travel tips, Europe road trip, road trip in Europe, best road trips in Europe, Europe, Northern Europe, Accommodations, Accommodations in the United Kingdom, Accommodations in Scotland, What to expect with Scottish accommodations, how to book accommodations for Scottish road trip, where to stay for Scottish road trip, Where to stay in Edinburgh, Where to stay in the Cairngorms, Where to stay near Aviemore Scotland, Where to stay in Grantown-on-Spey Scotland, where to stay in Portree, where to stay in the Isle of Skye, where to stay in Corpach, where to stay in Fort William, Where to stay in Callander Scotland, weird things in Scottish hotelsComment

Scottish B&B Review: Firhall Highland Bed and Breakfast

Scottish B&B Review: Firhall Highland Bed and Breakfast

Located in the charming Cairngorms National Park, tucked away in the Scottish Highlands is an absolutely fantastic bed and breakfast. We’ve stayed in countless B&Bs over the years and while many are memorable for different reasons, a much smaller number make it to our list of the top places we have stayed. Firhall Highland Bed and Breakfast is one of those special places. We kind of wish we could move in. Permanently. Is that an option?

Scotland Road Trip: Callander (Day 10)

Scotland Road Trip: Callander (Day 10)

Wanting to stay near town and avoid a lot of driving before our long flight and trek home the following day, we spoke with the B&B’s owners to get some recommendations on local hikes. We decided on Bracklinn Falls hike, which begins just a little over a mile outside of the town of Callander.

Europe, Northern Europe, Western Europe, United Kingdom, Scotland, Adventures in TravelLindseyNovember 18, 2019Scottish Highlands and Islands Road Trip, Scottish road trip, Scottish Highlands Road Trip, Scottish Highlands, Callander, visiting Callander Scotland, Callander Scotland, Old Bank Restaurant Callander Scotland, Loch Katrine Scotland, Callander Meadows restaurant, Bracklinn Falls Hike in Callander, Bracklinn Falls and Callander Crags hike, Hiking in Scotland, hiking in Callander Scotland, waterfall hikes in Scotland, road trip in Europe, Road Trip, road trip route in Scotland, road trip in the UK, road trip Trossachs, road trip Edinburgh, road trip route in the UK, To Make Much of Time, To Make Much of Time travel blog, travel, Travel Blog, travel blog, travel photography, travel photography blog, travel blog photography, travel blog coupleComment

Scotland Road Trip: Fort William to Callander (Day 9)

Scotland Road Trip: Fort William to Callander (Day 9)

The ninth day of our road trip took us out of the Corpach/Fort William area, through Glencoe Valley, to the village of Luss on Loch Lomond in the Trossachs National Park and finally to the adorable town of Callander, the last stop of our trip and where we would stay for two nights.

Europe, Scotland, Northern Europe, Western Europe, United Kingdom, Adventures in TravelLindseyNovember 16, 2019To Make Much of Time, To Make Much of Time travel blog, Travel Blog, travel blog, travel blog couple, travel photography, travel blog photography, travel, Scottish Highlands, road trip in Europe, road trip in the UK, road trip route in the UK, Road Trip, Scottish road trip, Scottish Highlands Road Trip, Scottish Highlands and Islands Road Trip, river hikes in Scottish Highlands, Hiking in Scotland, hiking in Glencoe Scotland, visiting Glencoe Scotland, visiting Glencoe Visitors Center, Callander Scotland, Callander, visiting Callander Scotland, Westerton Bed and Breakfast, Westerton Bed and Breakfast Scotland, Pottingshed Restaurant Callander Scotland, Pottingshed Restaurant at Roman Camp, Signal Hill hike, Signal Hill hike Scotland, hike to signal spot in Glencoe, Clachaig Inn in Glencoe, dining at Clachaig Inn in Glencoe, Harry Potter filming spots, Harry Potter filming in Glencoe, Harry Potter filming in Scotland, Luss Scotland, the prettiest village in Scotland, village on Loch Lomond, visiting Loch Lomond Scotland, Luss Parish Church Scotland, old church in Scotland, Scottish churches, cemetery in Luss Scotland, drive through Trossachs National Park, Trossachs National Park ScotlandComment

Scotland Road Trip: Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig (Day 8)

Scotland Road Trip: Jacobite Steam Train from Fort William to Mallaig (Day 8)

Along the route, which is 42 miles out, the train passes over Glenfinnan Viaduct, makes a short stop at the Glenfinnan station, and then passes through Arisaig and culminates in Mallaig, the end of the line and a cute coastal town. Glenfinnan, in addition to being home to the picturesque viaduct, is also where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard in Scotland, the start to his march to retake his throne that would crash down a mere eight months later at Culloden Battlefield, which we had visited earlier on this trip.

Scotland Road Trip: Isle of Skye to Fort William (Day 7)

Scotland Road Trip: Isle of Skye to Fort William (Day 7)

We had seen many people recommending this site online, and it is clearly very popular with visitors. The owners of the land have set up a large, extensive mountainside gravel parking lot which is the only real place to park. I don’t recall the exact price - it wasn’t cheap but wasn’t astronomical either. Some people try parking alongside the road to avoid paying, which given the windy nature of the roads is not the safest (in my opinion), and honestly, if this private land is being used as Scottish law permits, I think the owners should have every right to profit off of it given the significant crowds.

Scotland Road Trip: Isle of Skye (Day 6)

Scotland Road Trip: Isle of Skye (Day 6)

Our plan for the day involved taking a roughly two hour loop road around one of the peninsulas of the Isle of Skye and doing short hikes to places of interest. This loop road around the isle that can get fairly crowded at times, and there are concerns in the area of over-tourism. In our experience, there was not anything like the traffic we have heard about, but this was certainly a fairly popular area and more populated than other parts of our trip.

Europe, Northern Europe, Scotland, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Adventures in TravelLindseyOctober 31, 2019visiting Portree Isle of Skye Scotland, road trip Fairy Glen, road trip in Europe, road trip in the UK, road trip route in the UK, road trip Isle of Skye, Road Trip, Scottish Highlands and Islands Road Trip, Scottish road trip, Scottish Highlands Road Trip, hiking trails in the Scottish Highlands, hiking trails Isle of Skye, Isle of Skye peninsula, visiting The Old Man of Storr, Portree Scotland, what to expect Portree Skye Scotland, Kilvaxter Souterrain visit, photos of Kilvaxter Souterrain, souterrain on Isle of Skye, visiting Mealt Falls, visiting Lealt Falls, visiting Kilt Rocks, rock formation like a kilt in Scotland, hiking Fairy Glen on Skye, Fairy Glen hike, photos of Fairy Glen Scotland, Castle Ewan in the Fairy Glen, Storrybreac Trail in Portree, hiking trail in Portree, Scorrybreac Trail in Portree, Portree Harbor, Portree Harbor Hike, hike across from Isle of Raasay Comment

Scotland Road Trip: Grantown-on-Spey to Isle of Skye (Day 5)

Scotland Road Trip: Grantown-on-Spey to Isle of Skye (Day 5)

Today involved a long car ride punctuated by several stops at some amazing places; the neolithic burial mounds at Clava Cairns, Culloden Battlefield for a slice of British and Jacobite history, and Loch Ness’s famous Urquhart Castle. Looking back I can’t believe we managed to pack all of this and a four hour car ride into one day!

Europe, Northern Europe, Scotland, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Adventures in TravelLindseyOctober 29, 201910 days in Scotland, what to do in Scotland, road trip in Europe, road trip route in the UK, road trip in the UK, Road Trip, road trip Isle of Skye, drive from the Scottish Highlands to Islands, drive from the Scottish Highlands to Isle of Skye, Scottish road trip, Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highlands Road Trip, Scottish Highlands and Islands Road Trip, visiting Urquhart Castle, what to expect at Urquhart Castle, castle on Loch Ness, visit castle on Loch Ness, visiting Clava Cairns Scotland, standing stones in Scotland, standing stones in Scottish Highlands, stone circles Scotland, murder in Scottish Highlands, rock cairns in Scotland, rock cairns near Culloden, rock cairns near Culloden Battlefield, what to expect at Culloden Battlefield, what to see at Culloden, what to see at Culloden battlefield, historic places in Scotland near Inverness, pictures of Culloden battlefield, visiting Culloden museum, what to expect at Culloden museum, how long to spend at Culloden Scotland, Portree Scotland, visiting Portree Isle of Skye ScotlandComment

Scotland Road Trip: Grantown-on-Spey (Day 4)

Scotland Road Trip: Grantown-on-Spey (Day 4)

No adventure in the Cairngorms would be complete without at least one good hike. After a wonderful breakfast at our B&B we headed out to the remote Glen Feshie for an excellent day spent reveling in the Scottish countryside.

Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh to Grantown-on-Spey (Day 3)

Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh to Grantown-on-Spey (Day 3)

We left Edinburgh first thing in the morning and drove about 45 minutes west of town to Linlithgow Palace, situated about a block up the street from the main downtown of the small town of Linlithgow. This palace is definitely one of the top highlights of our trip. After our stop there, we visited a fascinating living history museum as we entered Cairngorms National Park.

United Kingdom, Scotland, Europe, Northern Europe, Western Europe, Adventures in TravelLindseyOctober 12, 2019To Make Much of Time, To Make Much of Time travel blog, Travel Blog, travel photography blog, travel photography, travel blog photography, travel blog, travel blog couple, travel, Road Trip, Europe road trip, visiting Linlithgow, visiting Linlithgow Palace, eating at The Four Marys Linlithgow, places to eat in Linlithgow UK, brief history of Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgown Palace in Outlander, Outlander film locations Scotland, Outlander filming locations near Edinburgh, Outlander village film location, Highland Folk Museum Scotland, visiting Highland Folk Museum Scotland, history of Scottish villages, staying in Grantown-on-Spey, places to stay in Grantown-on-Spey, places to eat Grantown-on-Spey, visiting Grantown-on-Spey, Craig Bar in Grantown-on-Spey, best pies in Grantown-on-Spey, river walk Grantown-on-Spey, Hawthorn trees in Grantown-on-Spey, places to stay in Cairngorms, best places to stay in Cairngorms, Firhall B&B, Firhall B&B review, Firhall B&B reviews Grantown-on-Spey, best B&Bs in CairngormsComment

Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh (Day 2)

Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh (Day 2)

Since we wanted to get an early start for our first and only full day in the city and to make it to Edinburgh Castle in time for our timed entry, we had picked up some breakfast supplies at Sainsbury’s the evening before. Still on a kick of croissants, a remnant from our trip to Paris a few months prior, we had picked some up along with yogurt, and ate in our apartment.

Europe, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Scotland, United Kingdom, Cultural History, Adventures in TravelLindseySeptember 30, 2019To Make Much of Time, To Make Much of Time travel blog, Travel Blog, travel blog, travel blog couple, travel photography blog, travel, travel blog photography, travel photography, Europe road trip, Europe, Northern Europe, Road Trip, Edinburgh Castle, visiting Edinburgh Castle, what to expect at Edinburgh Castle, visiting National Museum of Scotland, what to expect at National Museum of Scotland, Sir Walter Scott monument Edinburgh, Conan Doyle pub Edinburgh, Jolly Judge pub Edinburgh, Royal Mile Edinburgh, Greyfriars Kirk Edinburgh, Greyfriars Kirkyard Edinburgh, Harry Potter cemetery Edinburgh, haunted cemetery in Edinburgh, haunted grave in Edinburgh, Victoria Street Edinburgh, walking tour Edinburgh, what to do in Edinburgh, one day in Edinburgh, two days in EdinburghComment

Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh (Day 1)

Scotland Road Trip: Edinburgh (Day 1)

We arrived at Edinburgh Airport around 11:30am after an overnight flight from Washington-Dulles. After picking up a rental car from Hertz, we terrifyingly adjusted to driving on the left side as we left the airport for downtown Edinburgh, about 25 minutes away. The roads leaving the airport were strewn with signs reminding tired, weary travelers that they should drive on the left side, and I can only imagine how prone to accidents areas like that must be. Dustin ended up being the sole driver for the entire trip. As you can already tell – we survived!

Europe, Cultural History, Scotland, United Kingdom, Western Europe, Northern Europe, Adventures in TravelLindseySeptember 27, 2019To Make Much of Time travel blog, To Make Much of Time, Travel Blog, travel photography blog, Road Trip, Scottish road trip, Edinburgh travel, what to do in Edinburgh, what to do in Scotland, Greyfriars Kirk visit, Greyfriars kirk covenanter's prison, Greyfriars kirkyard, greyfriars kirkyard haunted, greyfriars bobby, review of National Museum of Scotland, what to expect visit National Museum of Scotland, what to expect Edinburgh Castle, walking tour of Edinburgh, Sir Walter Scott monument Edinburgh, Conan Doyle pub in Edinburgh, Jolly Judge pub in Edinburgh, Edinburgh's Royal Mile, Where to stay in Edinburgh Comments

Scotland: 10 Day Road Trip - Highlands and Isle of Skye

Scotland: 10 Day Road Trip - Highlands and Isle of Skye

As a couple who enjoy the outdoors, historic spots and places (Lindsey in particular really loves castles), and interesting geology, Scotland has long been on our list of places to visit. We also both have ancestors from the country, which always piques our interest in checking out a place.