Scotland Adventures
The Browns Travel on Sabbatical
We're Heading to Scotland on Holiday! Follow Along...
Our Box Arrived!
Adventure Goodies...
We've Made it to Inverness!
Itinerary for June 26-30
Flight Information:
British Airways flight 1468 London LHR 10:15am (local time) - Inverness 11:55 (local time)
Hotel Accommodations: Arisaig Guest House, Inverness
Our Home Away From Home Before We Join REI
Our Guesthouse
The Lovely Garden Out Front
Every Morning We Had a Complete Breakfast
White or Brown Toast
Eggs (boiled, scrambled, or fried), Sausage, Bacon, Black Pudding, Salmon
Coffee, Tea, and Juice
Exploring on Day 1 - Wednesday, June 27th (We're Having a Heat Wave)
Leakey's Bookstore
Inverness Castle
Your Move
Seabass fillets served with new potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, black olives, samphire and basil oil
Pan Seared Salmon Fillet served with dill crushed potatoes, carrot, celeriac, and butternut squash compote and beetroot pesto
Our First Night in Inverness
Day 2 - Thursday, June 28th (It's Still Toasty 34*C)
Nessy the Loch Ness Monster
Castle Ruins
Urquhart Castle
Walking Around Town
Cute Cottages Along the River
Sunset at 10 pm Over River Ness
Day 3 - Friday, June 29th (another warm day in Elgin)
Original Home of the Johnstons who started the company in 1797
Only the finest wools and cashmeres for their products
Tweed vs Tartan?
Had to Make a Distillery Stop
The Still Room
The Washback Room
One of the views from our tour
Our Accommodations This Week
Day 1 & 2
Day 3 & 4
Day 5, 6 & 7
Saturday, June 30th Meeting the REI Crew!
Day 1: Arrive in Inverness and travel to beautiful Ullapool.
Arrive in Inverness, Scotland today. Meet your guide and fellow travelers at the Inverness train station at 1:30pm to begin a scenic 60 mile drive to Ullapool. A thriving fishing village situated on the shores of Loch Broom, Ullapool is one of the most attractive sea lochs on Scotland's west coast. We have several options for a warm up hike including Rhu Hill, Ullapool Hill, or Corrieshalloch Gorge, an impressive 200' deep chasm containing the Falls of Measach. Your guide will choose your hikes each day based on weather and other conditions. An orientation of the coming day's hikes will be held over dinner. Overnight in Ullapool.
Hiking: 2-3 miles; Terrain: on trail; Elevation gain and loss: 500-750'.
Short Walk to Loosen Up a Bit
Coming Down of the Hill
Our Fearless Leader Ken
Ladysmith Guesthouse in Ullapool
Our cozy little room
Our wee bathroom
Quaint little guesthouse
Sunday, July 1st
Day 2: Explore Inverpolly, rich in flora and fauna amid sandstone peaks.
Following a full Scottish breakfast we explore the Inverpolly Special Area of Conservation. Inverpolly has received special SAC protection in an effort to safeguard its incredible biodiversity. Located just north of Ullapool, Inverpolly is rich in indigenous plant life such as heather, miniature wild orchids and Scotland's national flower, the thistle. It is also home to a variety of wildlife including deer, otter, wildcat and pine marten. Peaks of 800 million-year-old Torridonian sandstone add to the spectacle as they rise majestically from lochan-strewn moors. This afternoon's hiking options are plentiful—perhaps a hike following a portion of a traditional hut to hut backpacking route or a traverse along the rugged coast to look for seals and porpoise! Overnight in Ullapool.
Hiking: 7-8 miles; Terrain: on and off trail; Elevation gain and loss: up to 2,000'.
Monday, July 2nd
Day 3: Hike the hillsides of Loch Broom with views of the Summer Isles.
We drive south on the "Destitution Road" to Little Loch Broom. When the potato crops failed in the mid-19th century, this road was built in exchange for food by the local inhabitants. Today the saltwater loch provides a natural harbor for open sea vessel. Options include trekking the hillsides for stunning views of the loch, heading overland to a fabulous mountain lake below the pinnacles of An Teallach - a true classic of Scottish walking, or hiking along the shore of the loch to the remote crofting community of Scoraig to revel in the glorious views of the Summer Isles and surrounding mountain ranges. Overnight in Gairloch.
Hiking: 6-8 miles; Terrain: on-and-off trail; Elevation gain and loss: 1,000'-2,000'.
Slaggan Bay
After a short 3 mile walk
Almost there...
Myrtle Bank Hotel in Gairloch
Tuesday, July 3rd
Day 4: Walk the coast at Rua Reid, looking for seals, divers, and gannets.
The day is spent hiking the coast around Rua Reidh near Gairloch, where we look for seals, divers and gannets as we ascend from sea level to the 1,000' cliffs. Unique heathland plants thrive here, including bog asphodel and several species of insectivorous plants. The coastline offers many miles of beautiful cliffs, sea stacks and abundant birdlife such as graylag geese, ring ouzel and chaffinch. Visit the quaint shops in the village of Gairloch before heading off to explore the famous gardens of Inverewe, created by Osgood Mackenzie. The gardens are noted for their Himalayan and New Zealand plant collections, as well as their classic English garden. Overnight in Gairloch.
Hiking: 6-7 miles; Terrain: mostly off-trail; Elevation gain and loss: 800'-1,100'
Wednesday, July 4th
Day 5: Hike to the Fairy Lochs, a series of small highland lochlans.
A morning hike to the Fairy Lochs, a series of small highland lochlans that dot the moorland between the hill of Sidhean Mor and Loch Gairloch, provides a wonderful start to the day. The lochs offer an excellent display of local geology and a touching memorial to the crew of an American World War II bomber that crashed here in 1945. The lower hillsides are home to 350 year old Scots pines (affectionately called "granny " pines) and the oldest rocks here (indeed the oldest in the world) are Lewissian gneiss, dating back some 3 billion years. In the afternoon we drive through beautiful scenery to Skye, stopping en route at Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most spectacular castles in Scotland. The largest of the Hebridean Islands, Skye has an area of nearly seven hundred square miles, and as sea lochs riddle the island's landscape we are never more than five miles from the sea. Overnight on Skye.
Hiking: 3-4 miles; Terrain: mostly off-trail; Elevation gain and loss: 750'-1,800'.
Thursday, July 5th
Day 6: On the Isle of Skye, hike a glacier-carved cirque in the Cuillin Mountains.
After breakfast we begin our day's hike in the rugged Cuillin Mountains, the training ground for British climbers preparing for Himalayan ascents. Some of the great options for today include a hike from Glenbrittle to Coire Lagan - this challenging hike follows a beautiful glacier-carved cirque. Overnight on Skye.
Hiking: 5 to 6 miles; Terrain: off trail; Elevation gain and loss: 2,000'- 3,000'.
Our Look Ahead
A View From the Top
Gorgeous Views at Every MIle
We Hiked Many Parts Shown in this Video
Friday, July 6th
Day 7: Trek Trotternish Ridge to "The Table," for dramatic views.
Trotternish Ridge, filled with the strange rock pinnacles of the Storr and the Quaraing, is a long ridge hike that is considered one of the finest in Scotland. Our goal is The Table, a grassy summit plateau that offers dramatic views of the surrounding landscape including the Cuillins, the Western Isles, the mountains of Wester Ross and out to the sea. Time permitting, we make a quick shopping stop for local crafts in charming Portree, the capital of Skye. We dine on delicious local cuisine for our farewell dinner tonight. Overnight on Skye.
Hiking: 6 miles; Terrain: on- and off-trail, grassy with some rocky sections; Elevation gain and loss: 1,800'.
Saturday, July 7th
Day 8: Travel past famous Loch Ness to Inverness where our adventure ends.
A last hearty breakfast is enjoyed before we bid farewell to the Isle of Skye. We head east past famous Loch Ness, generally arriving in Inverness by 12:30pm. Fly home from Inverness late this afternoon, or extend your stay to explore more of this beautiful country.
Saturday Afternoon in Edinburgh
Catch a Train to Edinburgh (we will be here for the next few days)
Hotel Accommodations: Ibis Styles Edinburgh Centre St Andrew Square, Edinburgh
(coolest hotel every!! Young, fun check-in staff that told us about the hotel, got us our keys. We dropped off our stuff before walking around the city and finding a cool little pub for dinner.
Dinner was at The Black Fox (photos coming soon)!
Itinerary for July 10-11
Catch a Train back to Inverness (for our last night before we head home)
Hotel Accommodations: Drumdale Bed & Breakfast, Inverness
British Airways flight 1469 Inverness INV 12:45pm (local time) - London LHR 2:20pm (local time)
British Airways flight 293 London LHR 5:10pm (local time) - Washington, D.C. IAD 8:20pm (local time)