Kilt: it’s what happened to the last person that called it a skirt
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Scotland has been on our bucket list for a while, so when I joined Jimmy in the UK this winter, we couldn’t wait to take the short drive north. However, wintertime isn’t ideal, so when our friend Josh said that he was booking a trip out in June, we marked the calendar for our first Scotland road trip.
On a still chilly, but thankfully sunny summer day, we jumped in the car for the 4.5 hour drive to the Glencoe area in the Scottish Highlands. The scenery changes drastically after Glasgow about 2 hours into our trip from Lancaster. Our first stop was at Loch Lomond, the largest freshwater lake in Scotland at 24 miles long and 5 miles at its widest.
We enjoyed a short stroll to stretch our legs and breath in the fresh air of wild Scotland. Shortly after, we stopped at the famous Drover’s Inn Pub, which looks like you took a step back in time as the decor has barely changed since it opened in 1705.
We grabbed a pint and contemplated if this was the spot to jump right in and try haggis for the first time. And we got our answer as they offered haggis on a baked potato, smothered in cheese. Perfect gateway option to what could be an awful experience (see what I did there…for those that don’t know haggis is made out of offal: sheep heart, lung, liver stuffed in a stomach lining). Yeah, the thought is not appetizing but smothered in cheese sounded slightly more manageable.
We were absolutely blown away as it was incredibly delicious. Jimmy thought it tasted like ground-up White Castle burgers. The strong onion and heavily seasoned flavor actually reminded me of a casserole my mom used to make with beef, potatoes, and carrots. I texted her immediately joking that she slipped us haggis when we were kids, and we didn’t know it. Traditionally haggis is served with neeps and tatties, which is Scottish speak for turnips and potatoes.
With Scotland delivering an unexpected culinary joy, we hopped back in the car eager for the beauty ahead of us that Scotland is most famous for, the Highlands. We made a couple quick stops to check out the Falls of Falloch…
the scenic Bridge of Orchy…
And the Lagangarbh Hut in the shadow of Buachaille Etive Mor, one of Scotland’s most iconic peaks.
This was definitely feeling like Scotland now. The grand finale of our drive that day was down a famous single lane road through Glen Etive. This glen was made famous by being used as the backdrop for the films Skyfall and Braveheart.
The road follows the River Etive through the glen and ends at Loch Etive.
We even got to see our first Highland cows, or hairy coos as they are called in Scotland, which have a heritage dating back to the early days of the clans.
How do these guys see where they are going?
After an unforgettable drive to Glencoe, we arrived late to our hotel in Ballachulish. We were relieved to find our hotel restaurant was one of the best restaurants in town and still serving dinner. And look at the view from the dining room!
Scotland surprised us again with a delicious meal including some of the best salmon we have ever eaten, a gourmet venison burger, and a unique rendition of haggis. This version of haggis was to die for…a whisky cream covered haggis-stuffed gnocchi!! So rich and decadent…we couldn’t help but order a second serving.
After gorging ourselves with creamy haggis-stuffed gnocchi the previous evening, we decided that we were due for a 3 hour hike the following morning. We selected a moderately challenging hike called the Lost Valley that takes you between the high peaks of the Three Sisters to a hidden valley with a sad history.
The hike was a fairly steep climb up along a narrow, wooded ravine.
The stream cutting through it created numerous photo ops.
Reaching the top of the walk, the view is over Coire Gabhail, or “Corrie of the Bounty”. After the infamous Glencoe Massacre of 1692 when Clan Campbell turned on Clan MacDonald and slaughtered them in their homes, the few survivors hid in this valley.
After the precarious hike back down holding on for dear life as we inched down some sheer rock faces on the edge of cliffs, we were ready for a drink and some more haggis. We stopped in at the historic Clachaig Inn and pub. Jimmy got a wee dram of whiskey and a pint of an ancient Scottish ale Fraøch brewed since 1000BC. The venison pie was good, but the puff-pastry haggis was the showstopper.
Seriously, we had no idea how much we would love haggis and all the ways it can be prepared.
Finally, Josh made it to town after a long drive from northern Scotland. But, he was ready to rally, so we headed off with him to see our first Scottish castle. Castle Stalker is a picturesque four-story tower set on a tidal islet of Loch Laich.
If you are a Monty Python fan, you may recognize this castle as it starred in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. In the picture below, Josh stands at the spot where the French guards looked down and taunted King Arthur.
Josh loved the movie, and although Jimmy and I never saw it, we still enjoyed hearing the crazy stories about the filming from our tour guide, who happened to be one of the French guards in the film and is the current owner of the castle. He was a great storyteller, and we learned a lot about the history of the castle, the area, and the local clans from him.
After a short stroll around the loch and a bite to eat, we called it an early night as we had big plans for the next day to try to squeeze in all the best hikes and sites around Glencoe.
We started with an easy stroll around Glencoe Lochan. The serene lochan and its wooded shores were a breathtaking contrast against the rugged mountain highlands.
Our second hike took us on a walk up an old military road to a lovely path through coniferous woodland with a series of eight waterfalls named Inchree Falls.
After two hikes, we had definitely earned a treat. We had a ginormous serving of fish n chips that was done quite well, and we topped it off with a traditional Scottish dessert.
Cranachan is a layered dessert made with raspberries, cream, whisky, and oats. We thought it sounded a bit boring but were actually quite surprised by the deliciousness of this simple combination.
To round out our full day touring Glencoe with Josh, we stopped in at Ben Nevis distillery to sample a unique whiskey and walked around the ruins of the 13th century Inverlochy Castle.
As you do in Scotland, we also managed to squeeze in one more short hike on a trail known as An Torr and Signal Rock. This place used to be a gathering spot for the MacDonald’s during troubled times, but also legend has it that the signal to carry out the Glencoe Massacre by the Campbell’s was given here. Today, trees obscure the view from the rock, but the hike through the woodland is still absolutely lovely with stunning views of the River Coe with the Bidean nam Bian range as the backdrop.
The Scottish Highlands are a magical place, and we were so fortunate to be able to share this experience with a friend. We hadn’t seen Josh in years, so we had a great time catching up with him during these breathtaking hikes and delicious meals. We also found out that, although Josh had been traveling around Scotland for a week before we met up with him, he had not tried haggis yet. We had to remedy that. So, for our final dinner, we went back to our hotel’s restaurant to introduce him to haggis in the most visually appealing and least scary way – stuffed in gnocchi and smothered in a whisky cream sauce.
He agreed that it was surprisingly delicious. Cheers to Scotland!
Scotland definitely lived up to the hype offering gorgeous views around every corner. Our biggest surprise was the quality of the cuisine and the haggis…total sleeper!
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