A great trip all around.

Scotland | Jun 6 - Jun 18, 2025

This is a chain hotel. It was clean and comfortable, but not memorable. I think this was more of a business hotel than tourist hotel. Their on-site parking is a very small lot and probably one of the most traumatic driving experiences of our time in Scotland. Long car in narrow garage--not a great combination. We did not need the car for the days we were there.

This is a wonderful place to stay just outside of Inverness. The Baronial House is grand and the staff is wonderful. Rooms are of a good size and comfortable buy unique. The shared lounge is a great place to meet and talk with other guests. The staff work very hard to be accommodating. Breakfast was wonderful.

It is a nice small hotel. It is a bit tired, but it was clean and the staff was helpful. It is an easy walk to the grassmarket and old town.

This was the perfect location to end our trip. In the heart of Edinburgh's newtown it is right on St. Andrews Square, next to the tram, and easy walking to lots of shops, restaurants, and attractions. The hotel set up is funky and so are the rooms, but they were clean and comfortable.

The rooms here are cozy with not a great deal of extra space and the lack of an elevator makes getting things up and down a bit of a challenge, but what do you expect in a hotel with only nine rooms. The staff are all helpful, friendly, and outstanding.

I cannot say enough about Taransay House. The owners and their son, the chef, are charming people. They welcomed us with a dram of whisky and throughout our stay did everyting they could and more to make us comfortable. The rooms are modern and comfortable with a beautiful view of the water. Our stay here included dinner and the food for both breakfast and dinner was outstanding.

Gareth was a wealth of knowledge and he shared history, politics, and a whole variety of information. He was engaging and tweaked the tour to our needs and wants.

This is a bit touristy, but still worth the visit. It is amazing to learn about the history of the city and how people lived. I could have used less focus on ghosts and such and more history.

The guides here are wonderful. Make sure to stay and ask questions at the end to get a real feel for the guide and the castle. The work and restoration that is being done is remarkable. Make sure you make it to the "living" exhibits with period dressed docents. They add a great deal to what you see and learn.

Beautiful "castle". Not a castle like Edinburgh or Sterling, but worth a visit. We did not have enough time to spend in the garden, but they looked lovely.

Rhona is a wealth of knowledge and she helped explain the battle of Culloden and its impact on Scotland and the UK. She loves this history and it is clear from the tour.

We saw five different areas in Cairngorms National Park. I was not sure what I was expecting, but the tour and guide were great. We hand the chance to see reindeer, osprey, and to meet two hairy coos up close. The guide is outstanding and I learned more than I could ever remember.

Urquhart Castle was very interesting and it is worth walking up to the visitors' center to see the short movie. The staff in and around the ruins are happy to talk and answer questions. The boat ride is exactly that, a boat ride. There was commentary being played, but it was hard to hear over people. It is a nice way to get to the castle, but I would not race out to do it again.

We did a number of distillery tours on this trip. Talisker is a very slick and well put together presentation. I did not personally feel very engaged. The tasting offered three drams and take home bottles for drivers or non-drinkers.

This is one of the meals and experiences I will always remember. The seven course tasting menu was fantastic and they were able to adapt to our dietary needs. I am not one who usually takes pictures of my food, but it was so good and so beautiful that I had to. The service was elegant, efficient, and friendly.

This is a nice way to see the islands and to get out to the Island of Staffa. However, the rest of the trip is a bit of a let down. You only drive across the Isle of Mull without stops. There is a combination of driver commentary and canned commentary that is interesting. The detour to Staffa is wonderful. We were unable to land on the island due to construction, but we did see all the major sites and were there when the puffins were there. Iona is a sweet little island, but it does not require more than two hours. Other than the Abbey and a couple of shops there is very little. We walked a good deal of the island. The ferry rides were fine.

This was the best distillery tour of the four we took. They provided all sorts of extra information and instead of tasting everything at the end, they give you drams to try throughout the tour. It is amazing to see how the town grew around the distillery and leaves them no room for expansion. Drivers and non-drinkers take homes are provided. Like many places, you get a discount in the shop for taking the tour. I celebrated by bottling my own bottle of whisky which I had to register, sign, bottle, and seal, plus it is a single barrel, really good whisky.

The group was a bit large, but the guide was informative and entertaining. He truly loves Glasgow and has the attitudes and accent of a real Glaswegian. With a large group you spend more time moving than talking, but still very worthwhile.

We asked for this to be added to our intinerary and I am so glad we did. Soul Sisters Cafe is a non-profit that provides meals to the homeless, hungry, and paying customers and trains immigrant women in Glasgow. Their food style is mainly middle eastern, but they did scones for us. We started with a wonderful lunch followed by the class. However, as we talked with the ladies in the cafe, the continued to show us and share things with us. I really want to learn how to make the stuffed Algerian flatbread they made. By the time we left, we felt like part of the family.

This is what you think of when you think of a castle. It is a beautiful location and a wonderful tour with knowlegeable guides. You get the entire history of the castle and there is a lot to see.

I was not sure why we were doing this, but I am glad we did. The Kepies are two statues built in the Scottish countryside. It is worth it to take the tour to get the history of the statues and to have the chance to stand inside one of them. The guide was great and helped us understand why these beautiful statues were there.