Spend a Week In Scotland with This Splendid Shambles

Last updated on 14 March 2023

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For the 6th time this year I embarked on an international expedition to a foreign land. Though this time, we didn’t actually go far.

On Friday 23rd, we got up at stupid-o’clock and drove up to Scotland. It took two days, but not because we are super duper slow drivers. We stopped in at one of Dad’s college friend’s place for lunch, and then stayed with Mum’s parents’ friends for Friday night, and then continued on from Yorkshire to Stirling, Scotland.

As well as visiting some of my parents’ friends, we stopped in at Beatrix Potter’s house in the Lake District. It was really beautiful, and awesome to see where she lived and wrote a lot of her gorgeous stories. If you want to hear more about that, then look out for a post on Blogger’s Bookshelf in the next few weeks.

We stopped off at Gretna Green too, and, alas, I didn’t get hitched while I was there. Sadly…

Gretna Green and Beverly Minster

When we finally arrived at the lake chalet we were staying in, it was sunset…and it was beautiful:

I didn’t edited this at all. How amazing is that sunset?!

The next morning, even though we were tired from travelling, we jumped and drove the hour to Edinburgh. One of my good friends from NZ is currently working in Yorkshire, and I haven’t been able to see her yet. But she, and another friend, were going to be in Edinburgh that weekend, so it was the perfect time to meet up. And it happened to be the end of the Fringe Festival too. I didn’t really realise what the Fringe Festival was until I got there. In case you’re unfamiliar: the Fringe Festival happens every August, and goes for the whole month. It’s a combination of theatre, music, comedy, and a whole lot of street culture. And I can tell you, just the day that I was there was amazing.

There was so much going on! We caught a short one-hour show, which was pretty funny, and checked out the multitudes of little markets hidden away. As well as the shows and the markets, there were a whole lot of free things you could go to, and I think next year, I will try and make it up for like a week.

Top row: Edinburgh
Bottom row: Inchmahome island

The next day we drove along the lake front a little bit, jumped in a little 12-man boat and went to an island in the middle of the lake we were staying on. On the island was the ruins of an old Priory, called Inchmahome. It was where Mary Queen of Scots was hidden when she was 4. It was really cool to wander round and check out the ruins, as well as be in the bush.

Tuesday saw us going to Loch Lomond, which was really pretty. We also went to a castle (the first of many on this trip), and looked around a little bit. We found that most places you had to pay for to go in, so we just looked on the outside and went as far in as we could without being told off.

Another Loch we went to was Loch Katrine, but we didn’t see much of it, becuase it was a long lake rather than wide, but there was a boat that you could get to the end of it. We didn’t go on it, but it was a really nice spot.

The town of Callander was near where we were, so we spent an afternoon wandering round the shops and eating ice cream, and buying fresh bread. We also found a lolly/sweet shop, which, of course, my ten year old sister loved. Okay…I loved it too.