Travel to Scotland – Episode 549

categories: europe travel

Travel to Scotland (podcast) - What to do, see and eat in Scotland

Hear about travel to Scotland as the Amateur Traveler talks to Sarah from www.thegirlwiththemaptattoo.com about travel to this beautiful and historic country.

 

Sarah lived in Scotland for a couple of years and fell in love with this green, often damp country. Sarah says of Scotland “it is a country with an incredibly rich history, a ton of outdoor activities, incredible music, culture, art. And it’s small so you can get around Scotland in a week if you wanted to.”

She recommends a week-long itinerary that starts in Edinburgh or Glasgow (depending on your preferred airline) and then after seeing those two cities heads over to the Isle of Skye and finishes in Inverness. Along the way, we will see the Edinburgh castle (and the Edinburgh Tatoo if you time it right), the Royal Mile, the new Scottish Parliament, the old Holyrood Palace, the vistas from the Glasgow to Fort William and Mallaig train (including the familiar curve of the Glenfinnan Viaduct), a fairy circle, an arts trail, the Scottish highlands, white sand beaches, a ruined castle and the spectacular scenery of the Trotternish Ridge.

We will learn some things along the way about Scottish history. We will talk about the Jacobites and “Bonnie Prince Charlie”, the battle of Culloden, and the suppression of the Scottish clans. We will walk you through a Burns Supper from the salute to the haggis to the last whiskey toast.

Sarah will surprise you with her favorite restaurants which are not just about haggis tatties and neeps or cullen skink. There is a great variety of non-traditional fare available in Scotland these days.

All this will only take a week but if you have more time Sarah makes a case for going further afield to Orkney and the Outer Hebrides.

Come fall in love with bagpipes on a rainy day and the beauty of Scotland.

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Show Notes

www.thegirlwiththemaptattoo.com
Scotland
Visit Scotland
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Loch Lomond
Scottish Parliament
Holyrood Palace
Charles Edward Stuart (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”)
Edinburgh Castle
St Margaret’s Chapel, Edinburgh
Mons Meg
Royal Mile
List of closes on the Royal Mile
Outlander
Whiski Bar (Edinburgh)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh
The Lighthouse – Glasgow
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum
Ashton Lane (Glascow)
Ubiquitous Chip Restaurant Glasgow
Cafe Andaluz
Haggis
Robert Burns
Burns Supper
The Selkirk Grace
Cullen skink (soup)
Glasgow to Fort William and Mallaig train
Isle of Skye
Quiraing
Arts Trail
Jacobite Cruise Company
Urquhart Castle
Jacobitism
English Civil War
William III of England
Culloden Battlefield
Edinburgh Festival
25 Things To Do In Edinburgh
25 Things To Do In Glasgow
How to do a Scotland Itinerary in 7 Days

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Larry responds to Travel to Northern Vietnam – Episode 548

Chris, Greetings from Vietnam! You may recall that I reached out to you from Cambodia last year at around this time. I was in the middle of an eight week bicycle tour of SE Asia. I was really interested to hear the podcast on your trip. I had such a good time touring the Mekong Delta last year that I decided to return to Vietnam for a seven week bicycle tour this year. So, I was pleased to hear this week’s podcast about northern Vietnam. I agree with your guest that you need to skip Ha Long Bay and Hanoi if you only have one week and you want to go to indigenous villages and also Hoi An/Da Bang/Hue. That said, however, I would go to Hanoi and skip the Central Coast if I only had a week. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but your guest is wrong to describe Hanoi as just another SE Asian city. Moreover, to compare Hanoi to Phnom Penh is just plain ignorant. There is a reason why the French chose to locate their capital in Indochina in Hanoi, not Phnom Penh. Hanoi remains one of the best cities on the region. If you are going to tour the indigenous villages, you want to start at the Museum of Ethnography in Hanoi. Aside from this minor quibble, I really enjoyed the episode, which I listened to from Mai Chau in northwest Vietnam. Keep up the great work. Best regards, Larry

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Travel to Scotland (podcast) - What to do, see and eat in Scotland

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Chris Christensen

by Chris Christensen

Chris Christensen is the creator of the Amateur Traveler blog and podcast. He has been a travel creator since 2005 and has won awards including being named the "Best Independent Travel Journalist" by Travel+Leisure Magazine.

8 Responses to “Travel to Scotland – Episode 549”

Michael

Says:

Hi Chris,
Just planning atrip to Scotland later in the year – such great insights as always!!

sarah

Says:

Hey Chris! Thank you so much for featuring me πŸ™‚ Great to chat with you about Scotland!!

Raymond Carroll

Says:

Hi Chris, I’m Scottish and love when I see posts promoting my home country. Scotland is a truly beautiful country that more people should visit. Our weather may not be great but the people and scenery make up for that. Thanks for posting!

chris2x

Says:

My guest had the same impression, it wouldn’t be so green without some rain πŸ™‚

Nick

Says:

A really good podcast and good itinerary for a short period. I think the late Spring is a great period to visit, but look out for the midges! I prefer September as the weather is still good and the mauve heather with orange bracken is gorgeous.
History indeed matters for the Scots, but history is also complex. Often things are simplified by saying the ‘English did this’,etc but for example, many Scottish clans fought against Bonny Prince Charlie and were involved in the suppression and the later clearences.
Edinburgh is simply one of the most beautiful cities in Europe and I totally agree with Sarah. Visit ‘Glasgy’ , a fascinating city.
Finally, try and visit a Scottish Baronial style castle, with it’s fairy tale turrets and suites of armour. Eilean Donan as you leave Skye for Inverness or my favourite, Fyvie between Aberdeen and Elgin.
A really honest and helpful podcast. Well done Sarah! (and Chris of course….)
Thanks
Nick

chris2x

Says:

True, we were simplifying history just a bit there πŸ™‚

Thanks for the tips!

Laura

Says:

Great summary about my bonnie Scotland and I actually learned quite a few things I didn’t know listening to this, so thanks! πŸ™‚ Sarah’s itinerary sounds like a good introduction, but if you have more time, then I’d also highly recommend spending at least a few days on the stunning Isle of Skye on the west coast!

chris2x

Says:

Laura, Sarah did also talk about going to Skye

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