Eight Days From Edinburgh Part 2

Welcome back! So, if you missed Part 1 you can go back and read it here. Part 2 begins in Edinburgh where we left off and takes us all the way “over the sea to Skye.” And we only got lost twice! 

Remember, we stayed at the Holiday Inn which was right across the street from Enterprise where we rented our car. We just walked across the street to get the car, which was great! We did get the excess coverage and roadside assistance just in case we needed it as we had to quickly adjust to driving on the other side of the road. Our first challenge was getting out of the parking lot and getting back across the street to the hotel to get our luggage haha! Then, we missed the turn for the parking lot and had to go around again. Getting out of the hotel again was our next challenge. There was quite a bit of traffic that we had to cross to go the direction we needed to go. So, my husband in his typical style decided to turn with traffic and find somewhere to turn around. He did pretty well and only curb checked us a few times, and we did eventually make it out of Edinburgh!

Our first stop of the day was at the historic Duone Castle, about an hour’s drive from Edinburgh. Duone Castle was featured in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the Game of Thrones pilot episode as Winterfell, and then in the Outlander series as Castle Leoch. To get to the single track road that led to the parking area, we had to make a turn that seriously was about 180 degrees – we had to do a three-point to make it haha! (We did see several others do the same thing when we left.) We then had to back up part way to let a bus out – I have no idea how it made that turn to get in! 

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This castle, as it is seen today, was built in the 14th century by the Duke of Albany. It is pretty intact, and you can access nearly all of it. After the Duke of Albany’s death, the castle served as a royal retreat, a hunting lodge, and a prison. Fun fact, if you get the audio tour, it is narrated by none other than Sam Heughan (aka Jamie Fraser). The first room we entered was The Duke’s Hall, this is where the Duke would have conducted business and dined in private or with a few select guests. This room was fantastic with its colorful floor, double fireplace, and some furnishings which included very ornately carved chairs. The Duke’s study, the Duke’s bedchamber, and the Duchess’s chambers are also in this tower. 

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The next area of the castle we toured was the Great Hall. This hall was of course gigantic with wooden beams in the ceiling and would have been where large gatherings were held. The Duke would have been seated on the dais in front of the fancy windows if he was eating in the Great Hall. Usually he was represented by a family member and he ate in the Duke’s Hall. There is a large fire basket in the middle of the hall, and something similar would have been used as a source of heat in the 14th century.

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The last area of the castle we toured was the Kitchen Tower. The kitchen was huge, and the fireplace was enormous. Look closely, and you will see my husband is literally standing in it!

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Above the kitchen is the “Mary Queen of Scots Bedchamber” as it is believed she may have spent one night here in 1563. This room also has two closets, one of which is a latrine, which was literally just a hole in the wall, so all of your business would just fall to the ground below.

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From Duone castle, we took a slightly longer route (only longer by 30 minutes) on the A811 toward Glasgow to get on the A82 in Balloch. I had heard so much about how beautiful the drive on the A82 was, that I was willing to go a little out of the way to do the whole drive. I wanted to drive through the Trossachs National Park along Loch Lomond as well as Glen Coe, so this was the route we took. We only got lost once on our way to the A82 haha! And the scenic drive did not disappoint!

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The Trossachs National Park was beautiful. The drive was a little nerve racking at first because there was a huge rock wall on the side of the road (my side), and the lanes were narrow, and we were driving on the opposite side of the road to what we were used to. But we managed to make it without scraping the wall! We stopped at the Inveruglas Visitor Center on Loch Lomond for some photos and grabbed a snack (which turned into lunch) at The Den while we were there.

From the Visitor Center we continued our drive through the Trossachs and stopped for a short hike to the Falls of Falloch, a pretty waterfall just a short distance from the road.  We made another stop near the Bridge of Orchy for some more photos of beautiful scenery, but when we arrived in Glencoe, it took our breath away. Of course, photos never do reality justice!

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It was gorgeous! We stopped several more times at different pull offs for waterfalls and views of mountains and moors. One stop, “The Three Sisters,” had a large pull out and there was a man in a kilt playing the bagpipes. The next time I visit Scotland, I would love to have time to do more hiking in this area.  

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We pulled off so many times for beautiful scenery, that it was dinner time by the time we made it to Fort William. We somehow ended up getting lost again, we took some single track back roads, and drove through one town twice, but we finally grabbed dinner at The Lochy in Caol. 

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After dinner, it was on to the A87 and no more stops until we arrived at our Air B&B in Uig on the Isle of Skye. We wanted to be sure we got to our lodging before dark. Little did I know that it wouldn’t be “dark” until after midnight! Haha! We stayed at The Croft Bed & Breakfast, and our host, Vicky, was amazing! She was full of information and so friendly. We stayed in the house, but I see they have chalet pods available now as well. This place is literally just up the hill from the ferry terminal, which was super convenient! The view of the bay from their property is beautiful! I got to sleep well after midnight, because I kept getting up to look out our window and then look to see what time it was. Haha! It was so light out for so long! 

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