Haggis, Whiskey, and Hairy Coos

Hello from Scotland! I made it across the wall into Wildling territory!

I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday because I was too busy exploring the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands. The Monday after Easter is a bank holiday in the UK, so Sam and I booked a trip to Scotland for the long weekend. On Thursday night we took an 8 hour bus to Edinburgh (because taking the train is just as expensive as flying), which wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be because we slept the whole time. The way back, however, in the middle of the day, is a bit of a bitch.

We arrived in Edinburgh at 8:30am on Friday and immediately went exploring. First on the agenda was the Elephant House café, where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, sitting in the back room that overlooks Edinburgh Castle. It’s an eclectic little café that probably still looks the same today as it did twenty years ago when Jo was there. There were a bunch of newspaper clippings on the walls detailing her success, and photos of her visiting the café years after the books became popular. We were there early enough to sit and have morning tea, but it soon started filling up. I can’t imagine what a crowded nightmare that tiny place must be in the summer! Glad we got our own little slice of the magic.

Then, after meeting up for breakfast with an Australian friend I met at a hostel in Athens (who’s studying in Edinburgh), we walked over to Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh is a very small and walkable city, full of medieval and gothic stone buildings that wind up and down hills. Edinburgh Castle is situated in the middle, and it’s a similar deal to the way the Tower of London and Dover Castle are set up. Inside there are exhibits about the military history of Scotland, as well as small chapels, royal apartments decorated like they were a thousand years ago, and finally the Scottish crown jewels of Mary, Queen of Scots. I don’t think I’ll ever grow bored of castle-exploring.

We walked around the Royal Mile (the main street connecting Edinburgh Castle to Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s castle) and ducked into the Wee pub at Biddy Mulligan’s, Scotland’s smallest pub. Finally, we walked around Greyfriars Cemetery, where JK Rowling pulled inspiration for character names, including Tom Riddle. Poor dude, I bet he didn’t realize he’d be the namesake for the greatest dark wizard of all time.

Edinburgh loves to milk the stereotypical Scottish thing. The signs on every store were written in the elvish Lord of the Rings font, and we passed several kilted men playing bagpipes – I know it’s all cheesy, but I definitely loved it. If we had an extra day in Edinburgh, I definitely would’ve also climbed Arthur’s Seat, the cliff that overlooks the city, as well as visited Holyrood Palace and the Royal Botanic Gardens. Next time!

The next morning, on Saturday, we boarded the bus for our 3-day tour of the Highlands with Haggis Adventures. I was a little skeptical about paying for a tour when Sam and I could’ve just rented a car ourselves (bad idea), but I’m really glad we ended up taking this tour. We had the funniest and most enthusiastic tour guides, Caitlin and Jemma, and made great friends with the Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, and South Africans on the tour with us.

Our first day on the tour, we drove from Edinburgh to St. Augustus on Loch Ness, through Cairngorms National Park and stops to small villages. I discovered that in all the tourist shops, the Scottish-themed gifts (like bottles of whiskey, mugs, shot glasses, scarves, etc.) have the name of an original Scottish clan – Anderson being one of them! The derivative “Son of Andrew” (as in Scotland’s patron saint, St. Andrew) split into several clans, including the MacAndrews in the Highlands and the Andersons in the Lowlands. The Anderson crest is a belt with a tree in the center and a motto of “stand sure.” So cool. I have to do the genealogy thing now.

Anyway, we also stopped at Tomatin Whiskey Distillery, which was incredibly fun and informational. Our guides bought us a bottle afterwards to split the rest of the way to Loch Ness! Loch Ness is 23 miles long and incredibly beautiful. Although it’s not the biggest or the deepest, its unique “bath tub” shape and underwater caves make it the largest in volume, big enough to hold all of the UK’s lakes and rivers combined. It’s also stained black from peat, meaning you can’t see your hand in front of your face if you swim a few meters down, and so pressurized that dead fish don’t float and your phone would combust if you dropped it in the water. More people have been to the moon than to the bottom of Loch Ness! So, obviously, Nessie the Loch Ness Monster has to be real. Unfortunately I didn’t make a sighting, but I know she’s there.

That night, we arrived at our hostel near the Loch, Morag’s Lodge. It was so cabin-y and cozy, a big white barn-house in the woods, complete with leather couches, Scottish plaid carpet, and a snug bar for pub quizzes. For dinner there, I tried haggis, which was actually delicious. Who knew lamb organs could be so tasty!

On Sunday, we got up early again to take a walk around a small stone house next to a creek and stone bridge – evidently J.M. Barrie’s inspiration for Neverland in Peter Pan. We then bussed to Scotland’s most scenic area, the Isle of Skye, once again stopping along the way. We stopped at Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland’s most famous castle. It was built in the 13th century, but destroyed by a Jacobite uprising in the 18th century (one of many stories of Scotland’s bloody and gruesome history). It was rebuilt, however, in the 1930s to 98% accuracy, where it still stands today. It’s on a little island, and so picturesque.

We then finally made it to Sky, where I witnessed some of the most breathtaking mountains and cliffs I’ve ever seen in my life. It was unbelievable, and I can’t articulate it. Caitlin’s playlist of Scottish songs was the perfect complement to the scenery. I wish we would’ve had more time in Skye. I’d love to go camping under the mountains.

That evening we bussed back to Morag’s. We had a classic Sunday Roast for dinner, then Sam and I went to watch the sunset over Loch Ness and pet the Highland Cattle – also known as Hairy Cows, or, in a Scottish accent, “Hoory Coos.” Every time we’d pass Hairy Cows, Caitlin would shout from the front of the bus, “HOORY COOS!!” She also shouted “BABY UNICORNS!” (unicorns being Scotland’s national animal) every time we passed a horse, too (because the baby versions of unicorns don’t have horns yet, of course).

Yesterday, Monday, we walked down to the Loch again to try to catch a glimpse of Nessie before heading back to Edinburgh – no such luck.

The ride from St. Augustus to Edinburgh passes through the Nevis mountain range – Ben Nevis being the highest point in the UK. We were so lucky this weekend with good weather. Even though it was a solid 40 degrees, it was pretty much clear and sunny the whole time. Caitlin told us that you can only see the summit of Ben Nevis 50 days out of the year, and we were lucky enough to see it!

Past the Nevis range is the area of Glencoe, famous for James Bond Skyfall and Hogwarts’ location in Harry Potter. Glencoe’s beauty rivals Sky’s beauty…my favorite being the Three Sisters mountains where we stopped to take a hike. One of my favorite parts of the tour was Caitlin’s mythological stories about how all the mountains came to be. Scotland really is a land of faeries and magic and knights and sublime beauty.

Our last stop was at a Hairy Coo farm to pet and feed baby Coo Hazel. Sam would like to point out that back in Edinburgh that night, my 100% Scottish beef hamburger was a Hairy Coo and I should be disgusted. I’m a monster.

Overall, my highlights of the trip have to be:

• visiting Edinburgh Castle
• listening to faerie stories and historical stories of Scotland’s history
• playing (but losing) the pub quiz at the hostel
• meandering little Scottish towns
• Tomatin whiskey tour
• eating Haggis and Sunday roast
• listening to Scottish songs and making a Guilty Pleasures playlist with the bus
• walking through the mountains in the Isle of Skye and Glencoe
• petting/feeding Hairy Coos

I love feeling so small. I already want to go back and either take a 10-day tour with Haggis Adventures, ride the Jacobite steam train around Scotland (the most picturesque train ride in the world), or go backpacking through Skye myself. Nature is unfathomable. I’ll wander back to the Misty Mountains soon.