DREAMING OF SCOTLAND

Mike and I are dreaming up a trip to Scotland starting in late April or May 2025 and are inviting you siblings and in-laws in the hope that at least some of you will want to join us. There's plenty of time for the plan to evolve but we've been brainstorming and it feels good to put this draft itinerary together. Please note that some might want more or less time away - we don't all need to do everything together. 

Weather in Scotland is variable and tough to predict but May generally has a little less rain, average daily highs in the 60s, and a relative lack of midges which can become annoying in June. It's a shoulder season so prices tend to be lower and there are fewer visitors than during the summer months. Scotland's latitude is similar to SW Alaska's so we can expect more than 16 hours of daylight per day in May.

Here's the current dream - live links to more information are pink: 

Fly to London, maybe take the Caledonian Sleeper train to Fort William. I loved doing that in 2015 on a sola trip; I slept well and woke up to breathtaking scenery. Alternately, we could fly into Edinburgh or Glasgow (likely through London) and take the train to Fort William. I think we'll purchase Brit Rail passes to save on rail travel.

From Fort William we'd like to take the Jacobite steam train to Mallaig - it's the one they feature in the Harry Potter movies.

From Mallaig we'll take a ferry to the Isle of Skye and stay at least 2 or 3 nights for hiking and castles and (at Mike's request) whiskey.

Then we'll retrace our steps to Fort William for the start of our trek on The Great Glen Way, a 79 mile path along the massive Great Glen fault to Inverness, hiking to the north east, coast-to-coast across Scotland. We'll hike unguided but hire an agency to help us plan how to break up the trek and to make reservations and arrange for our luggage to be transferred to the next stop. We'll hike with small packs that include the layers, first aid stuff, snacks, and water we'll want for the day. 

The usual plan takes about a week and the legs are 7 to 20 miles long. We're planning to break up at least the longest day into 2 and take at least one rest day. I think we could figure out an option if anyone wants in but doesn't want to hike or only on some days.

The hike starts along the Caledonian Canal...

...and runs alongside Loch Lochy, Loch Oich, and the whole length of Loch Ness.

There are lots of youtube videos about this hike but here's a nice short one to give you an idea of the trail and scenery. 

I'd like to spend at least 2 nights in Inverness because of the wonderful culture of live music - you can check it out a bit here. 

There are lots of distilleries there, too...

...and one of the most amazing bookstores anywhere.

From Inverness we'd like to head north by train to Thurso and take the ferry across to the Orkney Islands. This area is very unique, in part because it's so far north and so rarely visited and also because of early ties to Norway and the vikings. There are incredible neolithic sites, a 900-year-old church, stunning scenery, amazing coastal walks, and - of course - more distilleries. We think 3 or 4 nights there.

From Orkney we'll head south again by train, to Edinburgh and neighboring Linlithgow. There is so much to love about Scotland and, for me, one of the very best things is my host family from my late 70s student exchange - Ruth and Norman Middleton and their daughter Val's family.

While we spend time with the Middletons and Davidsons, there's a lot in the area to keep you busy. Linlithgow has the amazing Linlithgow Palace where Mary Queen of Scots was born and many of the Outlander shows were filmed. It sits next to St. Michael's Parish Church, built in 1242, alongside a beautiful loch.

About 10 miles away, the Falkirk Wheel rotates to lift boats to the next level of the east end of the Caledonian Canal and there are the giant Kelpies sculptures.

Edinburgh is amazing - I'd like to spend at least a day there but some of you might want more.

And then home! We think all of this will take about 3 weeks. We're happy to answer questions and look forward to hearing what you think. 😊 ❤️