As published in The Florida Villager.
Delve Into a Bit of Scottish
While visiting London, I took the 4 hour train ride into Scotland and I am so grateful I did. Had I flown I would have been there in an hour but I would have missed the beautiful countryside. It was fortuitous that my seat mate was a young woman from Scotland who indulged me by answering all my questions.
Once the train pulled into the station, it was a quick walk to Hotel Du Vin and Bistro where I would be staying for a few days while exploring Edinburgh. It is located in the Old Town of Edinburgh and was once a poor house from 1739-1743 and then became a lunatic asylum known as Bedlam. I learned from the desk clerk that there is apparently a “haunted” room but I saw no apparitions during my stay.
From the cobbled street, you walk into a courtyard that has the most welcoming hut called the Cigar Bothy. Here is where guests gather in leather chairs in front of a fire with their wine and cigars. The floor is heated to keep the Scottish chill at bay.
The hotel itself is brimming with character and all of the 47 rooms are named after a wine. After getting settled, I made my way to the bistro for dinner. The beamed ceilings and dim lighting added to the quaint feel of this 1700’s building. The menu is not extensive but the food was delicious. Later that evening, I heard some music and followed it to the bar upstairs. Several people were sitting at the pewter bar while a couple was in intimate conversation on the plum colored sofas.
Being that I was only here for 2 days, I had to narrow down my explorations. I opted to take a tour to Loch Ness in the hopes of seeing Nessie. On the way to the loch, we stopped at a couple of small villages where one even had an ice cream shop that sold Bourbon ice cream! Once at Loch Ness, I roamed around the ruins of Urquhart Castle, which dates back to the 13th century and then boarded the boat for a cruise in search of Nessie. The last sighting had been back in October 2023, so I figured I had a good chance of catching a glimpse of her, but alas, I disembarked disappointed.
The following day was spent exploring Edinburgh. I visited a couple of sites where Outlander was filmed, toured Edinburgh Castle, meandered down all their closes, which is equivalent to alleys, and of course, took advantage of it being tweed and cashmere heaven. I truly had underestimated my time there. I wanted to take the extensive Outlander tour and visit Rosslyn Chapel from the DaVinci Code. There were several tours that would venture into the bowels of the city, which looked pretty enticing. It is quite possible to spend 2 days just in Edinburgh proper.
You can’t go to Scotland and not visit the area called The Highlands, where I was told the best Bourbon is made. There was Bourbon everything everywhere. Books on Bourbon, candies, tasting shops around every corner and Bourbon infused food. I am not a Bourbon drinker, but if you are, there are several tours that offer great Bourbon experiences.
My only wish was that there was a book on how to understand when the Scottish would speak. My tour guide and I had a hilarious time trying to understand our accents and the different terminology. So, if you find yourself in London and want to explore other places, don’t pass up Scotland. It is just a wee bit of a journey to a whole new world.