After I finished my classes at Oxford, I hopped up to Scotland for a week by myself. Turns out there’s nothing better than solo-traveling (especially if you’re in Scotland)! I enjoyed the time visiting museums, exploring the streets of Edinburgh, and traveling up to the Scottish Highlands by myself more than any other part of my whole trip!
What to do in Edinburgh
I will never forget the moment that I walked up out of Edinburgh Waverley train station in the rain and fog and set my eyes on the beauty that is Edinburgh. It was the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. Edinburgh is like something out of a fairy tale.
My phone actually BROKE right before I left to solo-travel. So I navigated Edinburgh by map – pretty old-school but I now know the city so well because of it!
Here’s what you should check out when you’re in Edinburgh:
Take the train to Edinburgh
Okay first of all – DON’T fly to Scotland. I decided to take the train so that I could see more of the English coast and I had no regrets at all! I felt like I was on the train on the way to Hogwarts!
Look at those beautiful views out of the window!
Walk the Royal Mile
Probably the best thing you can do to see the oldest part of Edinburgh is to walk the Royal Mile. This is the mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood House and it’s lined with beautiful shops, cathedrals, and museums. I think I walked the Royal Mile several times a day because it connected to everything that I wanted to see!
Plus, nothing beats the bagpipe players along the street!
Visit Edinburgh Castle
There’s so much history at Edinburgh Castle, so I highly recommend it! Prisoners from pretty much every war were taken here – from the American Revolution to the Napoleonic Wars to the World Wars. Mary, Queen of Scots lived here for a time, as well as so many other Scottish monarchs. And there’s a great view from the top of the castle!
Explore the National Museum of Scotland
This museum was one of my favorites from the whole trip! For one thing – look at that architecture! Since I started watching Outlander about a year ago, I’ve been pretty obsessed with learning about the Jacobites and the Scottish rebellions against the English. There was an exhibit just on that part of history and I spent several hours exploring it!
See St. Giles Cathedral
St. Giles is probably the most beautiful shelter from the rain that I’ve ever had! I explored the cathedral and listened to their choir practice, which was amazing! You really can’t leave the UK without listening to some of the choirs in the cathedrals.
Visit the Scott Monument
The Scott Monument is a classic Edinburgh landmark. It memorializes Sir Walter Scott, and is the largest memorial to an author in the world! It’s a beautiful piece of Gothic architecture that separates the oldest part of Edinburgh from the newer part. Definitely worth checking out if you’re there!
Hike Arthur’s Seat
My friend recently asked me what was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, and I had to answer Arthur’s Seat. I CANNOT say enough amazing things about it. It’s actually a dormant volcano that sits at one end of the Royal Mile by the Palace of Holyrood House. It’s a nice (but steep!) hike to the peak of the mountain, and the 360 degree view of Edinburgh is unreal. I hiked up to the top at sunset – look at that purple sky!
Take the Potter Trail tour
If you love Harry Potter, the Potter Trail tour is an absolute MUST. It’s a magical walking tour of Edinburgh’s Old Town, and the tour guides take you to each part of the city that inspired different parts of the Potter books. Plus, it’s FREE! Which is crazy considering how great this tour is. I learned so much!
Favorite parts of the Potter Trail:
- George Harriet School – likely inspired Hogwarts
- The Elephant House (which is where J.K. Rowling wrote the first few Harry Potter books)
- the graveyard that inspired the setting of Voldemort’s rebirth in Book 4
- the gravestone of Tom Riddle (apparently, it’s a tradition to dress up as Death Eaters on Halloween night every year and have magic fights around the grave!)
- Victoria Street (the inspiration for Diagon Alley)
The Elephant House was one of my favorite parts! It was so cool to sit and eat in the same place where J.K. Rowling spot hours writing. There are thousands of messages of love and gratefulness to her written on the bathroom walls, which I thought was so special to see!
What to do in the Scottish Highlands
Take a guided driving tour
The Highlands are truly majestic and enormous – I had such a hard time choosing what I wanted to see while I was there! Ultimately, I decided to take a guided driving tour to Inverness and Loch Ness for several reasons, but mostly because I didn’t want to have to rent a car and learn to drive on the other side of the road, and because nothing beats the knowledge that someone who grew up in Scotland has about the land and the history! I learned things that I could never have found out otherwise!
I went on the Rabbie’s 2 day tour to Inverness and Loch Ness, and I would do it again in a heartbeat! The price was great, and I LOVED our tour guide. I wrote down a bunch of random quotes he said because he was so funny! I also loved getting to know the other people who were on the tour, and I actually met up for drinks and the Potter Trail tour with some of my friends from the Highlands tour when I got back to Edinburgh!
Visit Pitlochry (and other small villages in the Highlands!)
Pitlochry in Perthshire was one of the first villages that we visited on our way into the Highlands. I just love these small little towns nestled in the mountains. Pitlochry is known for its salmon – the record for largest salmon is 64 lbs! All of Perthshire was just beautiful – look at those old buildings!
Stop at Carrbridge
I was shocked at how many beautiful old landmarks are hidden away in the Highlands. The village of Carrbridge was named for this old packhorse bridge – which is actually the oldest bridge in the Highlands! It was built in 1717, and now people like to jump off of it into the river below, which unfortunately ruins my touristy pictures! 😉
Visit a whisky distillery
Scotland is definitely known for its whisky and so our tour stopped for a tasting at Tomatin Distillery. Whisky is not necessarily my drink of choice (I’m a much bigger fan of English beer), but I liked it more than I thought I would. Either way, it’s a fun Scottish experience!
Go to Clava Cairns by Inverness
There are groups of standing stones similar to Stonehenge all over the UK, and Clava Cairns is older than the pyramids (WOW) and inspired the standing stones next to Inverness that are in the Outlander books/show! I was so excited to see them! Legend has it that a split-stone will transport you through time, but I’m sad to report that nothing happened when I touched it…
Visit Culloden Battlefield
Culloden Moor was another historical site that I was so excited to visit! It was the site of the final battle between the English and the Scottish revolutionaries who wanted to overthrow the English king. The Scottish Highlanders were slaughtered and the battle lasted less than an hour. The Battle of Culloden was pretty much the end of Scottish culture as we think of it – kilts, bagpipes, etc.
Again, my interest in this site was piqued because of Outlander – one of my favorite shows of all time!!
Explore Inverness
Inverness was an absolutely magical city! I loved that the River Ness runs right through the middle of the city, and there were at least three or four different bridges connecting different parts of the city. It was a great city to walk! There were lots of amazing restaurants around, but I decided to stop for a baguette, raspberries, and cheese and eat down by the river.
I spent the night in a bed & breakfast owned by a sweet woman named Hazel. I loved meeting her other guests (two were from Australia!) and Hazel made me a full Scottish breakfast (tomatoes, sausages, bacon, toast, hash browns, mushrooms, beans, eggs, yogurt, haggis, and tea or coffee!), which was quite an experience. Honestly, I didn’t hate haggis!
Ride a boat on Loch Ness
We left for Loch Ness quite early in the morning, so it was misty and ethereal when we first saw it. I totally understand now why there are so many legends surrounding it – it’s such a mysterious place! We had a great boat tour of the loch, and I learned so much about its history too!
Fun facts about Loch Ness:
- could hold about 65 million people
- 23 miles long and 1 mile wide
- 1000 ft deep
- never freezes
- the first sighting of Nessie was by St. Columba around 520 CE
Visit Doune Castle
Game of Thrones or Outlander may recognize Doune Castle, since it’s Winterfell/Castle Leoch in those shows. I LOVE how many castles there are in Scotland to explore!
Guys, Scotland is AMAZING. Hands down, the best country I’ve ever traveled to.
p.s. check out the other posts in my study abroad series – my Oxford travel guide, London recap, and my must-see things to do in Paris.
