A GIRL & HER BACKPACK IN EUROPE: Adventuring in Scotland

Hey everyone,

After my fantabulous camping holiday with Janita, I had a bit of ‘spare’ time before Mel arrived. Spare time is very easy to fill when you’re in Europe! I headed off to the UK and spent a day in London before heading up to Scotland. In Scotland I caught up with some of the crew from Turkey. Was like meeting old friends! Really cool to hang out with people who’ve shared some of the same experiences as you, especially one like ANZAC Day. We met in Edinburgh where we explored the city for a day – so many hauntingly beautiful buildings. Many are made of sandstone and now almost look black because they are not cleaned regularly. It really makes you feel like you’re in an ancient city or in a Harry Potter novel...

While walking around in Edinbugh Shandon and I saw a guy holding a sign that blared, ‘FREE HIGHLANDS TOURS’. What backpacker would walk past that?!?! So, being the dedicated backpackers that we are, we stopped to ask about it. Could the tour really be free? YES! The tour company is new and they have set up their company so that the tours are conducted on a tips only basis. Ben and I (Shandon was busy) headed out on the tour the next day, which was incredible! We saw so much of the Scottish country side, saw some hairy coos (highland cows) and generally explored the beauty of Scotland. A great day out which also included some interesting Scottish history told with genuine Scottish humour.

After this taste of the highlands we knew that we had to see more so we hired a car and headed out for three days, which definitely isn’t long enough! We saw Loch Ness (no monsters anywhere), tasted some real Scotch Whiskey (which was a bit hard for me to swallow – still definitely a Bacardi girl!), explored the Isle of Skye (which is absolutely awe inspiring – definitely a place to spend a week or two), climbed part of the way up Ben Nevis (the highest mountain in the UK – we only did a part coz we were limited on time), saw Glasgow and then headed back to Edinburgh so I could board the mega-death (which is the name given to the overnight bus back to London) to meet Mel.

An awesome way to spend a few days – with two really great people! Thanks Ben and Shandon :)

Leah, Scotland is a beautiful country. YOU WILL LOVE IT! And the accent is almost as good as the Irish one. Almost!

So that’s another episode in Sarah’s life. Can’t complain, can I!

Have a fabulous week,

Love to you all and a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all my friends and family who have a birthday in July – Heidi, Lyndon, Des, Hannah, Harold, Opa, Uncle John (I’m pretty sure you’re in July!), Jade, Alyssa, Chaz, Shaney and anyone who I may have accidentally forgotten due to the fact that my brain isn’t being used for anything beyond ‘where will I sleep, how will I get there, what price did you say that was, when does my bus/train/plane leave, how much money do I have, where can I do my washing, where is my passport, is there a powerpoint around here where I can charge my computer/camera battery/phone, do you have WIFI, where is the nearest supermarket/ATM, how do I get to the bus/train station, what will I eat, I should update my blog.’

Sarah xx

Yes, for those of you that are wondering. They do drive on the left in Scotland :)

Delightful Edinburgh

A hairy coo - and hairy they are!

For my dear little brother! It's even the correct spelling :) This is on the Isle of Skye in a little town called Portree. I'm sure they would give you a job if you need one :) I can send you their details if you want to pass on a resume :)

My travel buddies - Ben & Shandon. And guess who was the driver for the most part? Ben's excuse was that he was tired and preferred to sleep and Shandon's excuse was that he doesn't know how to drive a manual!! I was pretty happy with the outcome :)