Skye High

 I had very low expectations for the trip. Not that any international travel can't be exciting and interesting and entertaining. But places like France and Italy and Japan and Australia come with well-known and lengthy pedigrees. Any visitor is bound to be wowed by the combination of culture and scenery and food. Not that Scotland didn't have lots to recommend it, and numerous enthusiastic reviews from friends who have been there and loved it. But I'm not a Scotch drinker, I'm not particularly fond of haggis, I don't play golf, and didn't relish a vacation where I would be driving over 700 miles, all of it on the other side of the road. Just returned, I can report back that I was wrong: in spite of those caveats, it's a destination well worth visiting.

There are numerous reasons. Aside from the road thing (and more about that in a minute) it's a very easy place to get around. They speak English (sort of), most everywhere is cashless, they measure distances in miles, and the people couldn't be friendlier. There were other tourists for sure, but with the exception of one or two sites, most spaces in and out were relatively uncrowded. There was an incredible range of things to see, from historic sites to museums to natural beauty on both an intimate level and way beyond. And while there are numerous places for a quick bite if you wanted pizza or a burger, every meal we had was a winner, some ranking up there among the best we've had, including one that's a contender for that title.

The capital of Edinburgh is a compact place, anchored by the castle in its middle. The most touristy place we visited, it's still worth a stop as it's the reason the city exists. But within a 20-minute walk from there is a top-notch art museum, a bohemian village along a stream, a royal palace and a challenging 40-minute hike up an 823 foot extinct volcano to overlook the city. Add in a wide variety of world-class restaurants, and you have a top tier, yet very manageable urban experience.

Of course, it's hard to talk about Scotland without getting away from the southern population centers and venturing into the Highlands. This sparely populated region (with 1/3 of the country's total land but just 4% its population) seems to contain more sheep and cows than people, not to mention some of the most dramatic scenery on the planet. You quickly venture into a landscape of endless farms and fields, ones that sweep to the horizon. And seemingly around every bend is another loch, freshwater lakes that look like endless seas until you note they do indeed have a far shore, with another just over the next hill.

But it is the poetically named Isle of Skye and surroundings that takes your breath away. A land of soaring mountains, deepest valleys and windswept grasses, the weather turns from brilliant to threatening to sinister and back again all in an hour, with numerous feints and surprises. With few roads, some paved, some gravel, most frighteningly narrow, you spend a lot of time going slowly and peeking around corners for oncoming traffic. When you do encounter another vehicle, it means a real-time negotiation as one of you pulls into a "Passing Place" bulge on the side to let the other go by. That kind of necessary cooperation and congeniality may be why it seems the locals are among the friendliest we've ever encountered. But in the end the scenery makes it all worthwhile, causing you to marvel at the harsh beauty that seems endless. 

Beyond that the rest of the Highlands seem chock-a-block full of castles of every type, from opulent to modest, from restored to ruined, and quaint tiny villages that barely merit a mention. Get away from the more well-known places like the castles Dunrobin and Urquhart, and you find a equal number of scenic monuments and natural highlights requiring some trekking, like the ruins of Skelbo or the falls of Fairy Glen. Yes, away from the few motorways the roads are often single tracked, but with farmland on either side as opposed to the edgeless paths of Skye, the stress level goes down by an order of magnitude.

There is much we didn't get to: the university and golfing seat of St. Andrews. the flocks of puffins off the Isle of Mull, the granite architecture of Aberdeen. Still, even without those attractions we came away with moving Scotland high up our list of sites to recommend. Or to put it in local terms, as the Hogmanay toast goes, "May the best ye've ever seen be the worst ye'll ever see." 

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Marc Wollin of Bedford loves to travel. You can see a taste of the trip here. His column appears weekly via email and online on Substack and Blogspot as well as Facebook, LinkedIn and X.