A 12 day journey in June 2009 around Scotland by train made a special mother / 18 year-old daughter trip. Going by train allowed us to experience of the beauty and history of Scotland at a slower and relaxed pace. The time in Scotland was a combination of cities and countryside, staying in four places; two cities full of history and beautiful castles (Stirling and Edinburgh) and two places in the highlands with stunning scenery (Fort William and Aviemore, near Inverness and within Cairngorms National Park).

Even at our destinations we used the train passes to see more. We took a 90 minute train ride and then a ferry journey as a day trip from Fort William to the Isle of Skye, and another day hopped on a 40 minute rail trip from Aviemore to Inverness for a stroll along the River Ness and a dinner in town before returning in the evening. So we were able to see a wide variety of Scotland during the time we were there.

11 - 12 June 2009

Plane and Train Journey to Aviemore

On Wednesday (10 June) we left Orange County for a 3 hour, 15 minute flight to Chicago, where we changed planes to flight to Manchester, England. We arrived there on time, at 7:20am the next morning, after a 7 hour 11 minute flight. After clearing customs we walked a short distance from the airport terminal to the train station located within the airport. The train we planned to take did not leave until 9:29am but we found another one that left at 9:00am, so after having our train passes validated, we were off on the first leg of our journey north to Scotland.

After about a hour we reached Preston and had about 30 minutes until the next train, so we ate a snack at the station while we waited. The next train left at 10:41am with a destination of Glasgow. We passed adjacent to the Lake District and then through some beautiful countryside before crossing into Scotland a little after noon. About one hour later we arrived in Glasgow, where we had to walk about 10 minutes between two train stations in order to catch the next train to Perth.

The third train trip took a little less than an hour, and we arrived in Perth at 2:36pm. Our fourth and last train to Aviemore left at 2:54pm and we reached our destination at 4:26pm. The town was quite small, with one major street, which included a few stores, hotels, cafes and the train station. The hotel was a couple of miles out of town so we hailed a taxi to take us there. Our first night’s dinner was included at the hotel so we enjoyed that before going to sleep.

Hiking in Cairngorms National Park and River Strolling in Inverness

Cairngorms National Park is located within classic Scottish highland scenery. Established in 2003, it is the largest national park in Britain. On Friday (12 June) we ate breakfast and then proceeded to walk about a 1/2 mile from the hotel to the visitors center in the Rothiemurchus section of the park. After buying a map we began our hike to several lochs (lakes). We passed through some nice forest and highlands with great mountain views. After about two miles we reached Loch an Eilein. Here, in the middle of the lake, is a small 13th century castle.

From there we turned along a trail that took us back into the highlands. After passing several small lakes we then turned again toward Coylumbridge and our hotel, returning there in the early afternoon. The hike was about five miles in all.

We decided to visit Inverness in the late afternoon so we took a taxi to the train station and boarded one of the frequent trains to the city. It took about 40 minutes to get there and we spent some time walking around the city center and visiting a craft market taking place on the pedestrian streets.

Next, we walked to the top of the castle, which is currently a Sheriff’s Court. After a pub stop we then walked along the River Ness for about a mile to a series of islands, known as the Ness Islands, located in the middle of the stream and connected by a series of Victorian bridges. It was very pretty and peaceful. We had an early dinner at a pub back in town before taking the train back to Aviemore and returning to our hotel.

View the Aviemore Cairngorms National Park Hike video.

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13 - 14 June 2009

Journey to Stirling along the East Coast of Scotland

On Saturday (13 June) we woke to rain. To reach Stirling, our next destination, we decided to take a longer route east and then south to see more of Scotland’s countryside as experience the east coast along the Atlantic Ocean. We took a taxi from the hotel to the train station in Aviemore and boarded the 09:44 service to Inverness. The weather improved significantly during the 30 minutes we had in Inverness and we were treated to nice views from the train window as we left at 10:58 and rode a little over two hours to Aberdeen.

We picked up some sandwiches and drinks during our 30 minute layover in the Aberdeen train station and then continued our train journey toward Stirling, moving along the coast and then inland. Arriving in Stirling at 15:43, almost exactly two hours after leaving Aberdeen, we walked about 15 minutes up hill from the train station to our hotel and checked in. It was located in a former stone school building dating from the 1800s. The remainder of the afternoon was spent walking around town, visiting a shopping mall and eating dinner at a pub.

Historic Stirling Castle and Wallace Monument

Sunday was devoted to learning about Stirling’s rich historic past. After ordering coffee and pastries at a breakfast cafe, we continued to the top of the hill where the Stirling Castle is located. We bought audio guides and enjoyed the commentary as we moved throughout the castle. Much of the structures date from the 14th to 16th centuries and the Great Hall is the largest such medieval building in Scotland. It rained part of the time but we were able to visit several of the buildings while dodging the rain drops, learning about Scottish monarchs, including James V, Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI. The views from the walls were great and reinforced the strategic location of this city adjacent to both the Scottish lowlands and highlands.

During the afternoon we made our way to the William Wallace Monument, about three miles away. We initially thought we could take a short train trip to get us within close walking distance, but when this did not work out, we took a taxi to the monument instead. After a break for soup and drinks in the cafeteria, we made our way up some switchbacks to the monument building. It was then about 250 steps to the top, broken up by viewing exhibits on the life of William Wallace and an seeing an overview of famous Scots.

From the top there were views of Stirling and the castle as well as seven historic battlefields in which the Scottish battled the English. After enjoying the views, we made our way back down and then decided to walk back to Stirling via the famous Stirling Bridge, near the battle where William Wallace defeated the English in 1297. We reached Stirling in less than an hour and then had dinner in the evening at an Italian restaurant in the Old Town.

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West Highland train line sounds:

15 - 17 June 2009

Train trip to Fort William

The train from Stirling to Glasgow left at 11:21am on Monday (15 June) morning so we had breakfast at a coffee shop before making our way to the train station. After the 40 minute trip to Glasgow, we changed to the 12:21pm train to Fort William. The first hour of this 3 hour 40 minute journey was spent going along the Clyde River and ocean inlets, past ports and old shipyards.

The train then turned inland and along the upper part of Loch Lomand before reaching the desolate West Highlands. The ride continued past many lochs (lakes) and it began to rain as we passed through the Moor of Rannoch. We reached Fort William at 4:06pm and were able to walk the 20 minutes from the train station to our bed and breakfast without getting too wet. The weather cleared up as we settled in and then walked back into town to look around. We had an early dinner at a seafood restaurant on the banks of Lake Linnhe.

Day Hike in Glen Nevis

The weather on Tuesday was more promising than the forecast for Wednesday, so we decided to take a day hike in the Glen Nevis area, about a three mile walk from the center of town. We were interested in going to Steall Meadows and a 100 meter high bride veil waterfall. It looked to be three miles round trip from the visitor center parking lot. However, we discovered that it was the wrong parking lot and the hike began from another one five miles down the road. Fortunately a public bus was able to take us most of the way to the trail head and we were able to enjoy a nice hike along a beautiful river and then a somewhat challenging rocky path through a small gorge. Once we reached the meadow and waterfall we relaxed and enjoyed the peacefulness of the area as there were only a handful of people there.

We thought we would be able to walk back to the trail head and pick up the public bus all the way back to Fort William. Because it was a school day the buses were not running as often as we thought so we ended up having to walk an extra 2 1/2 miles to the youth hostel to call a taxi. We figure we ended up walking about 11 miles in all but enjoyed the hike and scenery.

Once back in Fort William we opted for a 90 minute boat cruise around Loch Linnhe where we were treated to views of Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK at 4,409 feet (1,344m). We also passed several salmon farms in the lake. After the boat cruise was over we went to a pub for dinner.

Train Trip to Mallaig and Ferry Ride to Isle of Skye

On Wednesday (17 June) the weather was cold and rainy but nevertheless we decided to make our way on the 8:30am train to Mallaig. This train trip is considered to be one of the most scenic in Europe and has the added bonus of passing along the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is a famous bridge featured in the Harry Potter films. As the train moved closer to Mallaig during the 80 minute journey, highland views gave away to ocean inlets and coastline. We reached Mallaig a little before 10am and went to get a cup of hot tea to warm us up as it was cold, rainy and windy.

We decided to go to the Isle of Skye for a few hours as there were castle ruins and a museum to visit. The 25 minute ferry crossing was great, even though it was still rainy and cold. This ferry held numerous cars on its lower deck and had a nice indoor area to sit in when we weren’t out taking pictures. Once in Armadale, on the Isle of Skye, it was a half mile walk to the Armadale Castle ruins and the Museum of the Isles. The weather was better here and we enjoyed the gardens adjacent to the castle as well as learning about Clan Donald and Scottish history at the museum.

After some lunch next to the pier we boarded the 2:25pm ferry back to Mallaig. We had about an hour to walk around the city and hike up a hill for some nice ocean views. The train back to Fort William left at 4:05pm and the weather was much better than the trip in the morning, which allowed us to take some pictures from the train window. Once we were back in Fort William, we celebrated our last night there with dinner at an Indian restaurant.

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Bagpipe players on the Royal Mile:

Typical train announcement as we waited in Manchester on our last night:

18 - 19 June 2009

Final Train Journey to Edinburgh

We woke up Thursday morning in Fort William to more rain. Since we were a 20 minute walk from the station, we decided to call a taxi so we wouldn’t get totally soaked going to the train station. Our train left at 07:42 and we were treated once more to the beautiful highland scenery along the West Highland Way. After almost four hours we arrived at the Glasgow Queen Street Station. We quickly checked the departure boards for the next train to Edinburgh and found that one was scheduled to leave at 11:45. So we arrived in Edinburgh at 12:40.

It was slow going to the hotel from the train station because there was new tram construction underway along Princes Street, one of the major streets in the city. We checked into the hotel and then went out for a walk in the park. It started to rain so we went to the National Gallery of Scotland for a couple of hours. It was a small but representative collection of art from pre Renaissance to Impressionist. After leaving there we walked around the old town and along part of the Royal Mile. We had dinner at a pub midway on the Royal Mile.

Edinburgh Sightseeing

On Friday we first visited the Edinburgh Castle. It was already crowded when we arrived within an hour of it opening for the day. We spent several hours with audio guides exploring the many places to visit within the castle grounds, including chapels, military museums, prison life exhibits and the room that holds Scotland’s crown jewels. The views of the city and Firth of Forth were great.

After lunch at the Elephant Cafe (of J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter fame) we visited Greyfriars Kirk (Church) and walked the entire Royal Mile with a stops in the Museum of Edinburgh and outside the Scottish Parliament and the Palace of Holyroodhouse. We finished the day with some shopping and dinner at a Bistro just steps from the castle.

Trip back to Manchester and then Home

Saturday we made our way to the airport via a bus service that makes frequent trips from the train stations. Our 45 minute flight to Manchester was delayed by 2 1/2 hours, due to an equipment problem, but we eventually made it there in the late afternoon. After checking into a hotel near the airport we took one last short train trip into Manchester to walk around the city and do some last minute shopping. Dinner was back at the hotel.

Our flight Sunday morning left on time at 10:30am and after 7 hours and 55 minutes we landed in Chicago. During the flight we had incredible views over Greenland and Eastern Canada. We changed planes in Chicago and arrived in Los Angeles in the early evening.

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For three weeks in June and July of 2000 we explored Europe with our kids, who were nine and six at the time. The majority of our trip was spent in Switzerland, but we also visited Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and France. Our transportation was primarily by train, with a few buses, gondolas, chair lifts and boats thrown in for good measure. We relied on a Swiss Pass Family Card, which provided unlimited train, bus and boat travel throughout the country. We also used a pass for Luxembourg trains and buses and bought Metro passes during our time in Milan and Paris.

Seeing things by foot by spending many of the days hiking in the Alps and even trekking to two different huts for overnight stays were major highlights of the trip. Our other accommodations were almost all hostels, which gave us the opportunity to picnic and cook to save the costs of going to restaurants every night. It was the first multi-cultural international trip for the girls and they greatly enjoyed the experience.

25 - 30 September 2003

One of the big splurges on our trip was a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Elizabeth II. The ship made its last regularly scheduled crossings across the Atlantic Ocean in 2003, which made the cruise even more special. We enjoyed the wonderful food, shows, lectures and relaxation on deck as we made our six day crossing to England. The girls especially liked their first cruising experience.

“Mind the Gap” on the London Underground

1 - 5 October 2003

We landed in Southampton and took a short train trip to London. We spent four days there and visited Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, the Cabinet War Rooms, Imperial War Museum, British Museum and the town of Greenwich. One of our first stops was the real Reform Club, where the fictitious Phileas Fogg set out on his Around the World in 80 Days trip. We also took a walking tour of Sherlock Holmes’s London along the Strand. In Greenwich, we visited the Royal Observatory and stood on the prime meridian line, marking 0 degrees longitude. We also toured the Cutty Sark ship.

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24 - 27 January 2004

We arrived in Paris to cold, winter weather. Sandy’s parents met us there and we spent the next few days sightseeing in Paris and in Chartres, about one hour south by train. There we visited the cathedral, one of the best examples of gothic architcture in Europe. We also enjoyed the great food and romantic atmosphere that makes Paris one of the world’s great cities.

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28 January 2004
We traveled to London on the fast Eurostar train, which makes the trip, via the English Channel tunnel, in under three hours. This train trip was a Christmas present from Sandy’s parents. Once in London, we checked into a hotel next to the London Eye and took a walking tour of the National Gallery. We also visited the Reform Club to pay our final respects, before having a celebration dinner at a favorite Indian restaurant.

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