Scotland: Castles and Legends

Scotland in the summer is the ideal vacation spot if you’re exhausted by the heat and the hustle and bustle of city life. It is always cool, rainy, and a little misty there, and I truly hope this place stays exactly like that forever. We had been warned that Scotland can be plagued by midges in the summer, but we got lucky and didn’t notice any insects at all. Apparently, the Isle of Skye can get a lot of midges during the summer months, but I guess it varies from season to season.

Since we had initially planned our route specifically through the Highlands, we decided to start our journey from Edinburgh. However, if you’re looking to drive along the coast on the North Coast 500 route, it’s better to set off from Inverness.

Our first stop of the day was Drummond Castle Gardens. It’s surprising how little people talk about this garden and how few visitors were there, considering it is a true Scottish Versailles. Shortly before our visit, Dior actually held its first fashion show in Scotland since 1955 right here, with guests like Jennifer Lawrence, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Rosamund Pike in attendance. Unfortunately, the castle itself isn’t open to the public as it serves as the private residence of Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, but as is often the case in Britain, the gardens are managed by a trust.

But the main highlight was still ahead of us. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to stay in a real castle, and we finally made it happen. I booked an incredible place for the night — Balintore Castle. It is currently (and most likely still) undergoing restoration by its owner, who purchased it many years ago. Battling local councils, he has been working hard to get it back in order and reconstruct it. He bought it in a state of total ruin and has already brought it to a point where guests can stay and enjoy its unusual, authentic interior design—the bathroom with a sofa in it is worth a mention on its own! The owner happily gives tours of the castle, and we were incredibly surprised to learn that he does the project himself, with just a couple of workers helping him out. Highly recommended!

Well, next on our itinerary was a quick stop at an actual, fully functioning palace—Balmoral Castle, a residence of the Royal Family. It’s not just a castle, it’s the British Royal Family’s true summer stronghold in Scotland, and they say Queen Elizabeth II felt happiest here. Initially, we were all set to visit and stroll around, but since we had a hike planned next, the castle grounds were massive, and tickets were quite pricey, we decided to keep moving. After all, it’s not like we haven’t seen castles before! That said, if you’re a fan of the Royal Family, this is definitely an essential stop on your route.

Our main goal was to conquer one of the Cairngorms peaks, Meall a’ Bhuachaille. First, we pulled up by Loch Morlich, and it was right there that I snapped the most beautiful photo of the entire trip. The lake looks absolutely incredible framed by the forest and mountains. The place was bustling with people on paddleboards, pitching tents, and out in small boats.

Leaving the car nearby, we set off on a hike through the woods. The trail started out fairly gentle as you gradually approach An Lochan Uaine, a stunningly picturesque green lake nestled in the forest. It would have been wonderful to linger there a bit longer, but we had to push onward. From this point, the route gets quite steep, and if you don’t have trekking poles, you’d better have an excellent back and strong glutes because the climb is both long and demanding.

However, the view from the summit—where, by the way, it was incredibly windy—is fantastic, offering a sweeping panorama of the valley and its magnificent, flower-covered peaks which, though not overly high, are absolutely beautiful.

Once we were back down at the foot of the mountain and walking through the forest again, we noticed that trees in one section were being actively logged. This wasn’t just happening in the park either.

It was noticeable all along the road. Logging seems to be everywhere, leaving entire mountains looking completely bare. It looks especially striking compared to our trip to Japan, where the mountains are entirely blanketed in thick forests. But as we later learned, this is completely legal commercial logging. Scotland actually has one of the most active commercial forestry industries in Europe, so don’t be alarmed when you see stacks of felled logs along the way.

Even though Inverness is located so far up north in Scotland, it looks like a fairly typical English town with a neat high street and low, unassuming buildings. It’s only by the sheer number of outdoor gear shops that you realize you’re in the north, right in the heart of the country’s most popular travel region.

While there, the contrast between the old, detailed but slightly neglected Victorian architecture and the rather clumsy (to my taste) 1970s Brutalism really caught my eye. And while the Barbican in London is well-balanced by greenery and water, in towns like Inverness, that kind of architectural mix doesn’t really work in its favor. However, it didn’t ruin our overall impression. The next morning, we dropped by a wonderful spot called Birch Cafe (coffee shop), which turned out to be just one of many great places we discovered there.

We asked the café staff for recommendations, and they suggested visiting a Farm Ness that raises the famous shaggy Scottish cows (which you can even feed!). There were plenty of other farm animals there, too—a must-visit spot if you’re traveling with children.

Next up, of course, was the mandatory visit to Loch Ness—because what kind of road trip would it be without this drive? We had originally planned to admire the views from Urquhart Castle, but as it turned out, you have to book parking well in advance. The castle itself is mostly just ruins, but a massive flow of tourists is pretty much guaranteed when you’re the only major attraction right next to Nessie.

Fort Augustus is also worth a quick stop if you want to see the Caledonian Canal and pick up some souvenirs, though it’s very small and gets quite crowded.

For lunch, we pulled up by Loch Oich. We had bought some ready-made meals at a shop beforehand and enjoyed our food against a truly beautiful backdrop.

And, of course, we couldn’t resist taking a detour to Glenfinnan. It is well known for the impressive 21-arch railway viaduct, and its appearance as the route taken by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.

Initially, we only intended to catch a quick glimpse and snap a couple of photos, but somehow, we kept climbing higher and higher just to get a shot without people in it. Before we knew it, we realized we were on a proper hike. The trail isn’t very long—about an hour or so—and the top offers a particularly sweeping, breathtaking view. Eventually, we reached the Glenfinnan railway station and then took the path along the lake back to the parking lot. We didn’t run into a soul along the way, mostly because people usually just come here for a quick check-in or as part of a tour group where nobody is going to wait around for you.

To wrap it all up, I highly recommend staying in Fort William with a view of the lochs. I think it was one of the absolute best overnight stays of our entire trip. These lakes, especially when framed by a gentle rain, heavily remind me of Norway in the summertime.

Of course, I had seen the Three Sisters of Glencoe long before—this stunning mountain ridge that looks completely different from season to season. Unfortunately, right at that moment, my back started acting up quite badly, so I had to choose a hike that wouldn’t be too demanding in terms of steep climbs. And honestly, we didn’t regret choosing the Hidden Valley for a single second. The trail turned out to be so incredibly diverse and scenic that missing out on a high peak wasn’t an issue at all.

We did break our own rule a bit by opting for an out-and-back route instead of a loop, but I loved it so much that I would gladly hike it all over again. The trail has a bit of everything: a forest, a river crossing, massive boulders, and we even spotted a wild goat! If you’re not looking for anything too extreme, this is definitely the perfect route.

💡 Don’t forget to bring a rain jacket and waterproof shoes. In the Scottish Highlands, it can start raining at any time, even in summer.

We spent the night in a beautiful little village called Drymen, and the next morning, we stumbled entirely by accident upon the “remains” of Buchanan Castle. It’s an absolutely colossal abandoned site where entry is strictly forbidden, but at our own risk, we climbed over the fence and decided to explore. Having previously belonged to Clan Graham, it was sold at the beginning of the century, survived the war, and served as both a hospital and a military school.

Today, however, the ruins are quietly dying in solitude. You see, remodeling the building to turn it into a hotel or residential property is out of the question because the local council opposes such work in a conservation area. On the flip side, tearing it down isn’t an option either because the castle is a protected cultural heritage site. If you ever want to feel like you’re inside a movie where abandoned buildings and the remnants of civilization are being slowly reclaimed by nature, then this is the place to go.

Speaking of our travel style, we have a rather unconventional approach: we don’t stand in lines for tourist attractions. If we see a huge crowd, we either come back at a different time or simply skip it altogether. And that’s exactly what happened with Stirling Castle. Just as we approached, tourists from two massive buses arrived at the entrance right ahead of us, and we realized it just wasn’t our day. Of course, it’s a magnificent castle with an equally gigantic history, but sometimes things just happen that way.

Another spot in Scotland that has played a role in the backdrops of several famous TV shows—namely Game of Thrones, Outlander, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Ivanhoe, was Doune Castle. Truth be told, it looks more like an ancient fortress than a castle, but that didn’t make it any less interesting. Inside, you’ll find grand halls, and honestly, I can’t quite understand how anyone managed to heat such a massive space with fireplaces that, while large, were by no means gigantic. It’s really no wonder that the British are so used to the cold indoors. As a bonus, there is a small trail around the castle where you can walk down to a very charming river.

As for the night, we stayed in a very unusual place. At first, we weren’t even sure if we had arrived at the right spot because the address pointed directly to a church. Then we realized there was also a school on the property, but surely we weren’t going to spend the night in a school? As it turned out, the cottage was located right behind the school. It turns out this tiny cottage is an adjacent to a charming Schoolhouse built in 1857, and the space was once the school’s laundry facility. Though the cottage was small, we felt incredibly comfortable there, and if we hadn’t been pressed for time, we definitely would have gone for a hike nearby.

Early the next morning, we set off back to Edinburgh. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to stop and see either The Falkirk Wheel or the famous Kelpies horse heads, but we’ll definitely save those for a day trip during our next visit to Edinburgh.

And with that, our journey through the Highlands came to an end. It was right then and there that we decided our next adventure would be the NC500—the famous route along the northern coast of Scotland. It’s a pretty packed itinerary, but more on that next time!