Driving through the remote and evocative Highlands valley called Glencoe, our guide, Liz, and I conspired to find a place where we could simply stop the bus and let our group get out and feel the wonder of this distant corner of Scotland. Liz, an experienced Scotland guide, is doing her first Rick Steves tour — and I’m along. The night before, we were swinging each other and the rest of our group by the elbows around the pub’s dance floor to Scottish folk music. And doing it again was a natural impulse here, intoxicated by the beauty of Glencoe. When we got back to the bus, our driver, Roddie, was standing by…and Liz had tea cakes for all.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
Comments
Glen Coe, I believe, was also the scene of the terrible betrayal and massacre of MacDonalds by Campbells in the late 1600s.
It was indeed the site of betrayal. It’s also beautiful. The river has marvelous waterfalls.
I notice with joy that your interests are slowly but definitely shifting from “learning” about a place to “experiencing” it. Wow! I like it!
Indeed Scotland Is Beautiful Place, The Video Is Beautiful.
Looks like you and your fellow travelers are enjoying every minute of your tour.
I’m planning my next trip to Italy and want to take the Rick Steves tour of Venezia, Firenze and Roma.
Ciao,
der doppelganger
WEDU TAMPA
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So joyful!! Love it! I am thinking of doing a partial motorcoach tour around Ireland and Scotland with my husband and Mother in law who is in her early 80s. She is in good health.
I’m wondering about being on the motor coach and traveling with such a large group – also about rest rooms. I didn’t see one on that motor coach in the video.
I too was reluctant to go to Scotland . We just returned and I LOVED IT!!! I loved all of it…the isles , the glens, the “hills”, the waterfalls and lochs and castles and ruins and battlefields and sheep and hairy “coos” and history and the sea !!! It was so green ! Most of all we loved the people..their generosity and their humour!
I wanted to say that we stayed in a B&B called Achintee Farm at the base of the walking trail up Glen Nevis and that place was our favourite!!!
Glad Scotland grew on you, Rick. Scotland is my favorite European country, been there at least 9 times, and last year, on the same tour you are writing about. On one of our first trips, we stayed with Arthur (can’t remember his last name now) at his home in Glencoe. He was recommended in your guidebook. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my travels. He was the local historian and a very warm host as well. Showed my daughter how to don all 9 yds of a kilt, shared a “wee dram” with us, and gave us a tour of the unique local museum as well as telling us tales of the filming of Braveheart locally. He has passed into history himself now, but when we were there last year, we were pleased to see that he is immortalized on the walls of the small visitor center as one of the notable local people. We drank a wee dram in his honor near a tiny gurgling stream while gazing at the hills of the Highlands and listening to the wild wind whistle.