Scotland // Part Two…

Last updated on 8 January 2025

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase with one of these links, I recieve a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full Affiliate Policy.

So I’ll just pick up where I left off in the first Scotland post.

On Wednesday we went and saw a giant pineapple. True.Story. It’s this weird building in Falkirk, that has a giant pineapple on the roof. You can read more about that here, if you’d like. It was pretty awesome to see though, seeing as I think pineapples are hilarious. ‘Why?’ you ask.

Well, for several reasons. 1) Season 1 episode 10 of How I Met Your Mother. ‘The Pineapple Incident’. Just hilarious. “Dammit, Trudy! What about the pineapple?!” Too funny. 2) In Psych, there’s a pineapple in every.eingle.episode. It makes for even more fun watching, because you have to spot the pineapple, or pineapple-related item, in each episode. And 3) Just look at a pineapple. How is that not hilarious?!

After the pineapple incident (heh heh heh) we went to check out Stirling a little bit. Although you had to pay to get into the castle (grrr), we got a good idea of it from the outside, and were able to go into the courtyard before we had to buy the tickets we didn’t get.

We always walked through a cemetery (and I got creeped out by all the angels everywhere...), then through a street or two. Something I love about going to a new city is looking down all the streets, and seeing discovering all the little shops and hidden places tucked away. I love wandering down (safe looking) alleys and popping into stores that aren’t on the main street, and aren’t main stream. Sadly, my Mum hates shopping, my little sister has a short attention span, my Dad is a man, and my other sister (19) likes main stream shops.

So basically, it never happens when I’m with them. This time was no exception. I would have liked to look around Stirling (and Edinburgh, too, actually) a bit more, and see more than just a castle and the street where our car was parked…Maybe another time.

We did look into a bagpipe shop though, and talked to a guy who made bagpipes for a living. While we were in there, the man talked about how there are the World Wide Bagpipe Championships, which are held in Glasgow, and there’s a group there is currently regarded as the best in the world.

Then he said the band’s name and we almost died…of both the hilarity and awesomeness of it. The band is called the Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band, and for those of you who aren’t Kiwis that probably sounds funny in itself. But it was funny to us because the Manawatu is where we are from in New Zealand. That’s right my friends. The best bagpipe band in the world at the moment is from my home town…in NZ. What are the odds eh?

Thursday saw a long day trip, mostly spent in the car and in the rain. We did a giant loop of the area, going up to Glen Coe, to Oban, down a bit then back to our cottage. We weren’t going to be going to Glen Coe, but I insisted because that’s where they film some scenes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I had to go. I’m slowly ticking off a whole lot of ‘Harry Potter was filmed here’ places, so there was no way we were here and not going. I did also want to go to and see the place where they film the Hogwarts Express steaming through the Scottish highlands…but alas, we didn’t have time. I will defiantly be going there at some point in my life though.

In Glen Coe.

Left: Castle Stalker Right: Barcaldine Castle (it’s pink!)

Dunstaffnage Castle

Kilchurn Castle

On this round trip, we saw 5 castles. Kind of accidentally. A couple were planned, but some just sort of popped up out of nowhere. It was really cool…but I have to admit, after 5 castles in one day, I didn’t want to see another one.

On Friday we had a ‘let’s not do anything we’re tired’ day. But I make Mum drive me to see Hamish. Who is Hamish…and who are his friends? They are gorgeous highland cattle! I’ve always loved cows. What a weirdo, I know. But I just think they’re the cutest. There was a field of highland cattle back home in NZ near where I lived, and I always slowed down when I was driving past so I could have a good spy on them. When I saw that you could get super close with these chappies in Scotland, I had to go. The biggest golden one who is lying down in the left hand side picture is Hamish, and I don’t know what his friends are called, but I really liked the black one. Just look at those faces! So cute!

I also walked around the lake for a little bit, snapping the odd picture here and there, using some of my new lenses. Speaking of which, I also used my Diana F+ camera while I was away and I love it! I can’t wait to get the film developed and see what the turned out like! I expect the first roll to be ridiculously bad, because I was till figuring out how to use it, but hopefully the second roll (which I’m half way through now) will be a lot better.

Saturday meant home time. Another stupid-o’clock wake up, and a 7 hour trip home. On the we only stopped once. If you’re familiar with English history (I’m not really…), then you might be aware that there’s a ginormously long (but not very high at all) wall that runs from the east coast all the way across the country to the west coast. It’s called Hadrian’s Wall and you can read more about that, and the history, here. We stopped here, took a few pictures then jumped back in the car again because it was incredibly windy…and quite cold.

And then we were home! That’s it, folks! My adventure in Scotland. I don’t have more plans for international travel for the rest of year, as of yet, but I really want to go to France, and seeing as it’s right there, I might go in the next school holidays. Or maybe just for the weekend…Who knows?

Have you been to Scotland? Where did you go?

Is there anywhere in Europe you suggest for me to go next?