Easter in Scotland

Four days off work! A perfect opportunity to get out of London!

I wanted to go somewhere outdoorsy, and had a preference for the UK rather than Europe (mainly due to the unpalatable Sterling-to-Euro exchange rate). So the obvious answer was Scotland!

On Thursday night I left work, headed to the train station, and caught a train up to Luton Airport. I checked in on my easyJet flight and headed to the departure “lounge”. There wasn’t much lounging to be done, because there wasn’t even one chair! Rather, just four enclosures where they herded the passangers like cattle. Had I gotten spoilt flying BA all the time?

Upon arrival in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, I made my way to the Castle Rock Hostel. It has an appropriate name, being situated on a cliff in the city centre, right next to fantastic Edinburgh Castle. The town is old, with cobble stone streets and many old pubs that ooze of history. But I wasn’t there for Edinburgh; I spent Easter 2006 there. I was off to the Highlands this time.

I checked out of the hostel and into my tour. It was a four day tour of the Scottish Highlands. We were greeted by our tour guide / bus driver, Ewan, the long-haired, bearded, kilt wearing Scott from Dunde, who reminded me of a cross between a crazy version of Ewan McGregor and Billy Connolly.

For the next few days we drove for miles and miles, all around Scotland. Lowlands and highlands, inland and coastal, lochs and mountains, and the highlight: Isle of Skye.

My favourite thing from the lowlands were the towns and villages. St Andrews was one of the most picturesque cities I have ever seen, but the real charm was in the small villages on the rivers, lakes and seasides. They all had little white houses, and when contrasted with the blue water and green grasses, it made a perfect scene. The country life was great. Slow, friendly, and the polar opposite to London!

In the Highlands and on Skye it was the natural scenery that was amazing. The scenery ranged hugely, from baron orange rocky glens to fertile green rolling hills. From quiet little bays to huge cliffs with castles on top!

We went moster spotting in Loch Ness, whisky tasting in destilleries and learned about many bloody battles, of which there were plenty in the Socts long history.

Overall it was a great holiday and a perfect way to get out of London. I felt like I was overseas, it just felt nothing like the South of England. Yet I was still able to use my pounds, make phone calls without roaming charges and didn’t have to go through passport control. The Easter mission was a success! And as a final bonus, when I got back to London I was greeted by a much greener and colourful city as the trees had finally sprouted fresh leaves, and flower beds were covered in colour from a variety of flowers. Winter, was finally over!