Today seems like another good day for a personal post! I can’t believe it’s been two years since we were sitting at our kitchen table making plans for our upcoming adventure to Scotland and Iceland! I’ve been wanting to share these photos forever, but as I’ve discovered with personal photos, if we don’t get to it right away, it’s so hard to make the time to come back to them. But today is the day! So a little bit of throwback Thursday with our adventures in Scotland on the blog today. We took literally thousands of photos, so trying to bring that down to a reasonable number and get just a little snippet to share with you all was a daunting task!
Everything about this trip was completely and overwhelmingly amazing. Scotland is such a magical country! A little bit of real talk haha: this was our first trip overseas and my nerves and stress levels were absolutely through the roof! I didn’t want to miss anything, and I wanted to do the trip right (and also jetlag is killer!!)! We got off to a bumpy start with running into a curb while trying to drive on the “wrong” side of the road in the tiny streets of Edinburgh, destroying our tire and hubcap of our rental car. But after getting a replacement, it was on! We loved exploring the streets of Edinburgh (and the view of the castle from our AirBnB!) and hiking Arthur’s Seat (where the light was the thing dreams are made of). After a couple days in the city, we headed north, with a stop in St. Andrews and Anstruther on the way.
The relaxation we felt immediately upon entering St. Andrews was incredible. Such a slower pace than Edinburgh, and so, so needed. This sweet city by the sea is absolutely gorgeous. Then it was on to Anstruther for what I’m told is the best fish and chips anywhere (not being a fish person, I couldn’t tell you, but Chris definitely loved it!)! Then it was up through the Cairngorms to a farm outside of Inverness, our home base for our explorations for the next several days.
Going through all the photos again just really strikes me how much the landscape varies throughout the country, and how stunning it all is. We put 1500+ miles on our rental car, so we saw a LOT of it, and it was almost hard to take in (even now, through the photos!). From the city of Edinburgh to the rolling hills leading to St. Andrews by the sea, through the Cairngorm mountains, to Loch Ness, and the wildness of the glens. The mountains of Glencoe, and the castles and the sheep and the towns. And Isle of Skye seemed to pretty much have all of it in one place!
I first visited Scotland with my family when I was in 5th grade, and my dad was there for a business trip. I have such clear memories of the way the sun shines over the hills (I’m telling you, it’s dream light!), and visiting Edinburgh castle. We did a lot of driving on that trip too, but as a 10 year old, the idea that the journey IS the destination was a little lost on me 😉  haha! It was also site of some of my earliest photography memories. I remember just blowing throw rolls of film in my little point and shoot, until my parents had to stop me before I used too much film haha. Getting to return with Chris and explore together was everything I dreamed it would be, and we cannot wait to go back, and dig in even more. Get to know the country even deeper, instead of taking just such a broad overview. Hike in the mountains, sit in the cafes a little longer.
I think the biggest lesson from this trip is something I’ve learned while looking back. Even though there were a lot of times I was stressed out to the extreme during this trip, it was still amazing, and it didn’t hold us back. Instead, it lead to an incredible amount of growth. The kind that can only come from getting outside of your comfort zone and trying something new. The differences I see in us between this trip and between
our trip to Paris a few months ago is incredible, and just makes me so excited to see how we continue to grow and change through life and adventures together  <3
So for now, we’ll share just a few of our favorites from the trip, and hope it inspires you to take your own adventure! Images are a mix of digital camera, iPhone, and film.
This cafe was just downstairs from our Edinburgh AirBnB. Crucial for jetlag recovery!
Photo regret: While Chris was eating his fish and chips, there was a group of people who asked to take a photo for them. They were actually from the states, and we had a great chat with them. There was an older Scottish gentleman that I so wish I had asked if I could take his portrait! His white beard and sparkling eyes and very sailing looking jacket and cap was so perfect for the setting. I can still picture him exactly!
The farm where our AirBnB was outside of Inverness. Best. Ever. I still check occasionally to make sure it’s still listed, because we cannot wait to go back!
We also made some new friends via Instagram, who were kind enough to take a chance that we weren’t stalkers, and agreed to do an adventure session with us! They are the best and we love still keeping in touch via Facebook and Instagram!
Loch Ness.
Where Chris stuck his face in. He survived from Nessie…this time 😉
Road trip snacks!
We hiked back to see this bridge, where they filmed the train scenes and also the lake scenes from the Harry Potter movies, the Glenfinnan viaduct. Shortly after getting started on the trail, it started to pour rain, and then hail! We were laughing hysterically as we tried to get our camera gear into the dry safety of Chris’s bag, then get our rain gear out and get ourselves covered. It was so invigorating and probably one of my favorite parts of the trip!
Going back and hiking this spot at Old Man of Storr is absolutely at the top of my must do list!
Another favorite part of the trip. Sunset at Kilt Rock, with the most unbelievable light!
Happy adventuring, everyone!!
