Highlands and History: Riding the Rails through Scotland
A 12 day journey in June 2009 around Scotland by train made a special mother / 18 year-old daughter trip.
Scotland: Aviemore
After flights from the US to Manchester, England, we made our way into Scotland on different four trains before arriving in Aviemore. We were able to enjoy a nice hike in the national park and an afternoon walk and dinner in Inverness later that day.
Aviemore, Scotland Cairngorms National Park Hike Video
Here is our first short video from the road of our hike in the Cairngorms National Park near Aviemore.
Scotland: Stirling
Stirling, our second stop in Scotland, is of great strategic and historic importance. We spent our time visiting the castle, old town and the William Wallace Monument.
Scotland: Fort William
We spent three days in Fort William enjoying several outdoor activities, including hiking and boat cruising on a lake. We also took a day trip by train and ferry to the Isle of Skye.
Scotland: Edinburgh
Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, was our last stop on our train journey. We spent time here visiting many historic sights as well as several museums.
Cosmos: Queen Elizabeth II
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.
Cosmos: London, England
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.
Cosmos: Paris, France
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.
Cosmos: London, England 2
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.