These days, Scotland is as hot as perennially-popular-with-our-travelers Ireland. Our Scotland tours are selling as well as our Ireland tours. Meanwhile, our Ireland guidebook has long been right up there with Italy and Paris among our top sellers. And so it was clear: We needed a full-fledged Scotland guidebook. So last year, Cameron Hewitt (co-author of many of my guidebooks) spent much of his summer researching in Scotland and putting together our new Rick Steves Scotland guidebook — which just arrived in our Travel Store. We feel as giddy as proud parents. I’d like to pass around cigars. But for a more practical way to celebrate, I’ll share Cameron’s blog post featuring his top 10 travel experiences in bonnie, bonnie Scotland. By the way, if you enjoy Cameron’s take on Europe, be sure to “like” his Facebook page — he leaves soon for more guidebook research in Italy’s Cinque Terre and Dolomites, Salzburg and the Austrian Alps, Bulgaria, Romania, and Budapest.
10 Things to Do in Scotland
By Cameron Hewitt
Last summer, I spent a month traveling all over Scotland to research our Rick Steves Scotland guidebook. (While Scotland’s top destinations have always been well-covered in our Great Britain guide, this is the first time it’s had its own full-fledged book.) All that hard work has paid off, as we’ve just received our first shipment of the Scotland book at our Travel Store.
To celebrate the newest addition to our Rick Steves guidebook family, here’s a list of my favorite Scottish memories…and ways that you can incorporate them into your own travels.
1. Linger in Edinburgh. From the famous Royal Mile — with its great landmarks and quirky shops — to the underrated New Town, Edinburgh entertains. One day gives you just enough time to see the castle and ramble down the Royal Mile. A second day lets you slow down and explore. And a third day (or more) really lets you settle into one of Britain’s finest cities.
2. …But Don’t Miss Glasgow. Scotland’s biggest city is also its most underrated. The working-class yin to Edinburgh’s upper-crust yang, Glasgow has the most engaging foodie and nightlife scene I found in Scotland. It also has some of Scotland’s best 20th-century architecture, a rejuvenated downtown core, and an impressive collection of museums.
3. Toss a Caber at a Highland Games. These celebrations of traditional Scottish culture fill the summer calendar. A Highland Games (or “Gathering”) is like a county fair, dance competition, and track meet all rolled into one. Ranging from glitzy to endearingly small-town, it’s the one day a year when an entire town turns out to socialize, gorge on junk food, and cheer on the strongmen, footracers, and graceful dancers. If you’ll be in Scotland in the summer, check the Highland Games schedule before nailing down your itinerary.
4. Enjoy the Clichés…but Dig Deeper. Kilts, bagpipes, whisky, haggis…for such a wee land, Scotland has so many claims to fame. Be warned: Cliché-hunting can cheapen a trip, and Scotland is only too happy to indulge tourists looking to buy knock-off kilts. But each cliché also comes with an authentic — and often fascinating — backstory. Visiting a kiltmaker on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, you learn the difference between top-quality tweed and tacky “tartan tat.” Touring a whisky distillery — or several — cultivates an appreciation for the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) variations in bouquet, flavor, and peatiness. And trying your hand at playing the bagpipes instills respect for musicians who’ve devoted their lives to the instrument.
5. Hunt for Ghosts. I enjoyed a ghost walk led by a surprise skeptic in the historic town of Stirling. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of ghost-themed experiences in Scotland — where each city has its haunted tours, each castle its apparitions, and each B&B room its mysterious creaks. (As for whether all of the above have scientific explanations…I’ll leave that to you.)
6. Go to the Movies. The hit TV show Outlander has thrust Scotland back into the limelight, like countless pop culture moments before it — from Monty Python and the Holy Grail to Braveheart, and from The Da Vinci Code to Harry Potter. Watching these movies and TV shows — before, during, and after your trip — can enhance your enjoyment and appreciation for Scotland. Real fans can geek out on visiting actual filming locations (we’ve added an Outlander sidebar to the new Scotland guidebook for just that purpose). And cynics enjoy debunking half-truths (whether in Braveheart or in The Da Vinci Code), which also buys you street cred with the locals…who are tired of explaining that William Wallace was never called “Braveheart” until Mel Gibson came along.
7. Take a Hike…and Bring Good Shoes. Tromping through drizzle, watching my feet settle onto bright-green turf only to disappear under a torrent of brown water, I wished I’d brought my waterproof boots. But before long, I just ignored my soaked socks to fully appreciate the symphony of achingly gorgeous glen scenery all around me. This was in the valley called Glencoe, but hiking opportunities abound throughout Scotland.
8. Go Island-Hopping. Scotland — with a West Coast slashed by receding glaciers — has nearly 800 islands. But on a short visit, visiting just a few will do the trick. The Isle of Skye, with pretty pastel harbor towns, jaw-dropping scenery, and a vivid heritage of folk tales and clan battles, can easily fill a couple of days. Or, for a strategic strike, base yourself in the small West Coast town of Oban and spend a day side-tripping to a trio of worthwhile Hebrides: Big and desolate Mull, spiritual Iona, and otherworldly Staffa — an uninhabited bulb of rock where puffins greet arriving boats, and the “other end” of Ireland’s famous Giant’s Causeway disappears into a mysterious cave.
9. Go North to Get Off the Beaten Path. Most tourists in Scotland get stuck in a predictable rut: Edinburgh-Stirling-Glasgow-Fort William-Inverness-back to Edinburgh. And, while there’s plenty to see on that loop, with more time it’s rewarding to break free and strike out for the far north. If rugged scenery tickles your fancy, drive up Scotland’s scenic west coast — called Wester Ross — then along its north coast to John O’Groats. (Just don’t run out of gas.) And if you’re really adventurous, catch the ferry to the Orkney Islands — a world apart, with prehistoric treasures and evocative World War II history.
10. Seek Out and Celebrate What Makes Scotland Unique. While it’s still part of Great Britain — for now — Scotland is so much more than just England’s northern annex. In this age of “devolution” (Scotland gaining more autonomy from London), ask locals what they think about current issues. (At least Scotland and England still share a knack for witty signs.) Even if you’re a closet royalist, check your sympathies at the door and really try to understand what makes Scots Scots. And then…celebrate it.
It goes without saying, but all of this — and much more — is covered in the hot-off-the-press first edition of the Rick Steves Scotland guidebook.
Turas math dhut! (Happy travels!)
