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Day 1

Depart Cleveland Hopkins Airport – Cleveland, OH. Mad dash to get to airport because original flight was cancelled. New flight leaving hours earlier than original.
Arrive John F. Kennedy Airport (layover) – NY. Original plan was a much shorter Chicago layover. Ah well, never been to JFK before. Good food spots in the airport.
Depart John F. Kennedy Airport

Day 2

Princes Mall Shopping Centre
Princes Street Gardens
Scott Monument
Hard Rock Edinburgh

Arrived at Edinburgh Airport and took the airport bus to hotel – The Dunstane. Drop off luggage, receive map and bus information, head out. Took the bus to Downtown Edinburgh (New Town Area). Don’t understand bus system or know where to get off, end up riding ‘til the end of the line that stopped small village about 40 mins outside of Edinburgh. Explore village ‘til bus starts the route back. Chat with locals on bus; they assume I’m a native due to hair color, fascinated when I start talking and realize I’m American.

Bus to Downtown Edinburgh (New Town Area), now understand how bus works, got off in the New Town area of Edinburgh. Massive crush of tourists everywhere, in town for the Military Tattoo and Fringe Festival. Purchased SIM card for phone at Vodafone store; data doesn’t work. Explored Princes Mall Shopping Centre (where Visitor’s Centre was), had the best burger I’ve ever eaten at a street vendor, visited Princes Street Gardens and Scott Monument. Purchased a multi-day Hop On Hop Off Bus tour package. Used this system to get an overview of nearly all of city, New Town and Old Town. Had dinner at Hard Rock Edinburgh, back to hotel.

Day 3

Scott Monument
Royal Society of Scotland
Holyrood Park and Palace
Canongate Tolbooth
Village of Leith
Edinburgh Castle
Royal Mile

Stopped into a different Vodafone store. Fixed SIM card situation. Now have data! I used Hop On Hop Off bus for transport around the city and general overview sightseeing. Did some light shopping and lunch around the Royal Mile. Explored on foot, poking into shops and little museums. Watched street performers in the rain. They were a lot of fun and had a good crowd around them. Ate dinner at The Mad Hatter – so good! Back to hotel.

Day 4

Used Hop On Hop Off Buses to see the other sections of Edinburgh missed previously.
Rail to Linlithgow (first time on a train!)
Town of Linlithgow
Linlithgow Palace
St. Michael’s Cathedral and Kirkyard
Used up the last of available time on the Hop On Hop Off Buses to get back to the Royal Mile.
The Real Mary King’s Close tour – highly recommend
Lunch of traditional fish and chips from a tiny shop on the Royal Mile. Not great.
St. Giles’ Cathedral
Wandered and watched all manner of street artists in town for the Military Tattoo and Fringe Festival.
City of the Dead walking tour, including the Underground and haunted graveyard tour at Greyfriars Kirk.
Back to hotel.

Day 5

Checked out of The Dunstane
Rail to Pitlochry. Got lost after getting off train. Wandered village and outskirts towing luggage for more than an hour. Data working on phone…no service in the area. Sigh.
Check in Ellangowan House B&B and explore village
Pitlochry Church of Scotland
Town centre and shops
Pitlochry Fish Ladder
Pitlochry Festival Theatre
Dinner at Victoria’s
Back to B&B

Day 6

Full Scottish breakfast at Ellangowen B&B
Rail to Stirling, explore town of Stirling
Tour Stirling Castle
Rail to Blair Atoll
Walk/hike to Blair Atoll Castle – Cairngorms National Park area
Tour Blair Atoll Castle and grounds
Rail to Pitlochry
Dinner at The Auld Smiddy Inn (food was so incredible!)
Wander the town a while
Back to B&B

Day 7

Full Scottish breakfast at B&B
Check out Ellangowan House B&B
Rail to Inverness
Check in Glen Mohr Hotel
Explore the River Ness and city of Inverness
Inverness Castle
Bridges over River Ness
St. Andrew’s Cathedral
Dinner at Johnny Foxes (good atmosphere, great food)

Day 8

Breakfast at hotel
Dolphin Discovery boat tour (didn’t get to see any dolphins. Was still a great time.)
Jacobite Loch Ness Discovery tour
Channel locks & Loch Ness
Urquhart Castle
Great Glen coach tour
Dinner at Columba Hotel (was okay)
Birthday Dessert at Nico’s in Glen Mohr Hotel (incredible sticky toffee pudding and coffee)
Night photography around the city of Inverness
Back to hotel

Day 9

Breakfast at hotel
Highland Experience Coach Tour – Journey to the Magical Isle
Loch Ness
Glen Moriston
Glen Shiel
The Five Sisters
Eilean Donan castle & Loch Duich
The Isle of Skye
Walking lunch in Kyle of Lochalsh
Loch Carron
Dinner at Nico’s in Glen Mohr Hotel (dinner was good, atmosphere was nice)

Day 10

Breakfast at hotel
Shopping in Inverness
Check out Glen Mohr Hotel
Rail to Perth
Rail to Glasgow
Check in Holiday Inn Glasgow City Center Theatreland
Explore city of Glasgow
Visit Hard Rock Glasgow
Dinner at La Bonne Auberge

Day 11

Breakfast at hotel
Timberbush Tour Day trip
Firth of Clyde
Inverary town, Inverary Castle & Loch Fyne
Kilchurn Castle & Loch Awe
Shopping
Loch Laich
Glencoe
Rannoch Moor & Black Mount Oban
Whisky museum
Lunch (amazing fish & chips at Nories)
Luss (conservation village)
Loch Lomond
Back to Glasgow
Explore more of Glasgow
Dinner (fast food)
Back to hotel

Oban was my favorite part of the entire trip. Great little harbour town, a little touristy but not crazy busy. Really laid back, had a whisky museum, some monuments, great history, drool-worthy fish and chips. Second fav was Luss, which is a little conservation village with a tiny little stone church and kirkyard right in the center of it.

Day 12

Breakfast at hotel
Hop On Hop Off Bus tour of Glasgow
Glasgow lion
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum
The Style Mile
Bagpipe competitons
Dinner at DiMaggios (good food, modern atmosphere)

Day 13

Breakfast at hotel
Hop On Hop Off Bus tour of Glasgow (different route than previous day)
The SSE Hydro
Riverside Museum
Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum (covering the parts I missed the day before)
Glasgow Cathedral
The Necropolis
Bagpiping practices for exhibitions
Shopping (finishing up souvenirs/gifts)
Back to hotel
Room Service (oh man, that sticky toffee pudding…)

Day 14

Checkout Holiday Inn Glasgow City Center Theatreland (way early, no breakfast)
Walk to Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station
Bus to Edinburgh Airport
Depart Edinburgh Airport
Arrive Toronto Airport
Depart Toronto Airport
Arrive Cleveland Hopkins International

Year traveled: 2015

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Draft: 2 weeks in Scotland

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