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  • Writer's pictureAnnie Dupee

Scottish Highlands Road Trip

Updated: May 13, 2021

"Maybe God doesn't want us to go on this trip."


Sienna said this to me over the phone the morning we were supposed to leave. The theology might not check out, but we were all feeling the sentiment behind her statement - the omens were not good.


To start with, Pim had lost her debit card while she was out on a walk. Not the worst thing that could happen, but an inconvenience all the same.


Then, Wednesday morning, the day of our road trip, our car rental fell through. We foolishly rented through a third-party website; and while they accepted debit card payments for their downpayment, the car rental agency itself only accepts credit cards. This was a problem because Pim, our primary driver, doesn't have a credit card. Sienna couldn't pay because she doesn't have a driver's license. And despite the fact that I have both a license and a credit card, I am under twenty-five (only by eight months). So I couldn't pay either.



It was as they dealt with the car rental agency that Sienna called and updated me on the problem. The reason I wasn't there with them was because I was experiencing my own issues. Back issues, to be exact.


Two days before we were supposed to leave, my back seized up and I could hardly move. It took me five-to-ten minutes to get out of bed every time I had to go to the bathroom, I didn't have the mobility to change my clothes, and I was in a fair amount of pain. Pim and Sienna spent those two days helping me in every way they could: they bought me pain meds, fetched icepacks, sat in my room to keep me company, and even put socks on my feet when I couldn't reach them.


So when Wednesday morning rolled around and they went to the airport to get the rental car, I got myself up to head to the pharmacy. It took some finagling, but I got both socks on and one shoe tied. I couldn't quite reach the laces on the other one, so I walked out with them undone; thankfully, a very kind lady saw me shuffling down the street and stopped me so she could help tie my shoe.

While I was retrieving the pain medication my GP prescribed for me, a kind man at a different rental car agency took pity on my flatmates and helped them get a new car. At a discounted rate, too!


As they drove back to our flat to pick me up and grab our luggage, I was able to speak with a physiotherapist. She gave me some stretches to do and told me the best thing I could do for my back was get moving. She didn't necessarily say I should go on a five-day road trip where I alternated between sitting in the car for hours and hiking through the mountains, but she also didn't say I shouldn't do that...


After a hectic and worrying morning, the drive was incredibly healing. Scotland's beauty is beyond words. The farther we got from Edinburgh, the more we saw hills and mountains, streams and waterfalls, and breathtaking landscapes that wouldn't be out of place in the Lord of the Rings films.


It was dark by the time we got to Inverness. It took us some time to find the parking garage for our hotel, but we finally got out of the car, dropped off our luggage, and set out in search of dinner.


Driven by empty stomachs and exhausted brains, we settled in a nearby pub called Johnny Foxes. It was decided unanimously that this trip should be dedicated to eating delicious seafood, and the salmon and mussels did not disappoint (spoiler: at every single restaurant we went to, if mussels were on the menu, at least two of us ordered them).


A long day spent in the car demanded an evening walk along the river. We meandered across one bridge, down the banks a ways, and back across a different bridge. Then we retired to our hotel rooms for the night.


THURSDAY


While in Inverness, we stayed in the Highland Apartments by Mansley. Our little hotel-flat was lovely - two bedrooms and two full baths on one end of a long, warm hallway, which led to a combined kitchen/sitting room. We also had a shared balcony, which looked over the river. Inverness is a very cute little town, with a castle overlooking old stone shops and houses, which in turn overlook the rushing waters. Waking up to a cup of tea out on the balcony was perfect.


Our main objective for the day was Loch Ness.

It was overcast, which I personally consider to be perfect traveling weather. I drove (don't tell Europcar) and let me tell you: ever since I moved to Scotland, I've been saying I would be way too scared to drive on the wrong side of the road. But you know what? It wasn't bad at all. Sure, I didn't always have a good grasp of where the left side of the car was in relation to the edge of the road, but Pim gave me a heads up every time I drifted a little too far to that side. I love driving, and driving in the UK was way easier than I anticipated.


We stopped at a lookout point to admire Loch Ness, and it captivated us for some time. The water was smooth as it reflected mountains and a misty sky. At that point I was still pretty achy and stiff, so I relied on hiking poles to trek around the banks. It was so incredibly peaceful, watching the water ripple gently, slapping flies away from our faces, listening to the trickling of a nearby stream. We kept our eyes peeled for old Nessie, and officially, on the record, we did not find her. Off the record...well. A majestic beast like that surely values her privacy.


Our next stop was a castle on the opposite side of the loch, so we drove around the whole northern end to get there. Most of the drive was next to the lake, and every few minutes one of us would say, "Wow. Look at that," all breathless with awe, and someone else would respond, "Yeah, it's so beautiful," in much the same way.


A portion of this drive took us up into the mountains, and on a whim I stopped at a lookout point near the top of one. The wind was chilly, but the view...mountains rising around us on every side, a stream flowing south, a waterfall just past it. It really did feel like we were venturing through Middle Earth.


We hiked a little ways farther up the mountain for an even better view, and Pim filmed me singing Pippin's song from the Return of the King. Easily one of the top ten greatest moments of my life. All this fool of a Took wants is to make Billy Boyd proud.



It also sparked a discussion: if we were in the Fellowship of the Ring, would we choose to climb the Redhorn Pass, or would we go through the Mines of Moria? Pim and Sienna are convinced that I could make it through Redhorn Pass, over the snowy mountains, because my family hikes a lot (True. The Dupees would have LOVED this trip). Sienna and I also agreed that we could see Pim accidentally knocking a skeleton in a suit of armor down a well, waking up all sorts of beasts in the Mines and ultimately leading to our untimely deaths (none of us know how to fight a Balrog).


We did eventually make it to Urquhart Castle; unfortunately, it was closed. We still got to admire it from a distance and get some good pictures, which, for a group of Millennials, is about as good as it gets.


We returned to Inverness for dinner at Prime Steak & Seafood. I had venison and mussels, a hearty meal that made up for the complete lack of food since a meager brunch at McDonals that morning. Tired from a full day of sight-seeing, we went back to the hotel to make hot chocolate and watch Chalet Girl.


FRIDAY

In the morning, we bid Inverness goodbye. Where the previous day was overcast, Friday was all blue skies and sunshine; it was one of the most beautiful days we've had in a while. And our first order of business was to visit Dunrobin Castle.


I will remember this castle fondly as having the layout of a mullet. Business up front, party in the back. Lovely but unassuming from the car park; in the back, extensive gardens that stretched out towards the sea.


We did tour the inside, which had all of the things you look for in a castle: taxidermy deer, paintings of old rich people, elaborate china table settings, a perfect dusty library, views of the surrounding area. But the real treat was the outside.


The ground sloped down towards the ocean, cultivated into beautiful gardens with rows of flowers and tall green hedges. We watched a falconry show before exploring and taking a million pictures. It was the epitome of peace: the salty smell of the sea, golden strands of sunlight peaking through trees, the castle perched majestically above it all.


All too soon, we were back on the road. Our goal was to reach the Isle of Skye just after five o'clock, and we would have, if I hadn't completely sabotaged our drive.


I didn't mean to, I promise! I just got distracted by how beautiful the scenery was. Distracted enough to miss a turn. And then drive north for a full hour before I realized I had missed a turn.


That's right, folks: we made it all the way to Ullapool before I discovered my mistake. Personally, I feel like it was an easy one to make - we were driving on the only road through a valley surrounded by mountains, which connected with another road maybe once every twenty miles. So my brain said, One road? One road! And shut off the part of itself dedicated to following directions.


Before any of us knew we were going the wrong way, we stopped at a lookout point to admire a lake and its dam. With the rusty mountains, deeply blue water, and the sun sinking in the sky, it felt like we could have been on another planet. I couldn't decide if it looked like Scotland or Utah or Mars.


Then we kept driving on that One Road, heading north, an hour out of the way, all the way to Ullapool.


For the record, Ullapool looks like a cute little town. It's right on a lake, and there were a lot of boats in the harbor. I only discovered my mistake because we came to a crossroads, and when I went to check on which turn I should take, none of our maps were running.


So back down that One Road we drove. We did eventually make to Skye, albeit two hours late, and Sienna and Pim were very forgiving. It helped that the drive into the Isle of Skye is stunning. The sun was setting, so everything was bathed in a soft purple light, and as we drove over Skye bridge it looked like we were about to drive straight into heaven.

One of the friends we made in our masters course lives on Skye. Garrow met us in Portree, where he works at a pub called Eighteen Twenty. It took us a while to find because, as is classic in the Highlands, we had no cell phone service. But once Garrow found us, we had a great time catching up over fish and chips.


It was fully dark by the time we set out for Garrow's house, and the Air BnB his parents own. It took about half an hour to drive there, through backroads and past sheep farms. The full moon illuminated lochs and mountains and tall, tall grass as we drove farther and farther into the countryside.


I have no idea how we would have found Garrow's house without him. In fact, we just wouldn't have. It's so far off the grid I was tempted to change my name, cut my hair, and become a shepherd to escape the pressures of the outside world.


We stayed up a little bit, drinking whiskey in the sun room. It was the first time I've had straight whiskey, and I'm pretty sure I choked every time I took a sip. That stuff is strong. And as I tried to look like my throat wasn't on fire, we chatted about our masters course and our novels and how sad we are that we didn't get to finish our program in person.


I showered and went to bed first - we stayed in two little huts, Sienna and Pim in the bigger one and me in the smaller one. I guess you would call the set-up "glamping". We had running water, plumbing, two outlets, a tea kettle, and electricity. Personally, I love little cabins like that. I slept so well while we were on Skye, and I attribute a lot of that to my little hut.


SATURDAY


This was probably my favorite morning. I woke up at eight-thirty to sunlight coming in through my little windows, so I made a cup of tea and sat at the desk to journal. The weather was the epitome of Scotland - overcast, chilly, and a little rainy. Standing just outside my little hut, seeing the rolling fields and nearby sheep in the daylight, hearing nothing but the wind and the rain, was the most at peace I've been in a long, long time.


I think that's why I'm drawn to the little hut. It's so small and cozy and simple. There's a charger for my phone, a water cask I can fill up at the spigot outside, a soft light over the bed - in a busy and full-to-bursting world, sometimes I just crave that kind of simplicity.


Once we were all up and ready, we drove back to Portree for lunch. While the drive had a certain mysterious, adventurous appeal under the full moon, it was beautiful in the daytime.


In Portree, we walked down to the water and got food at a restaurant called The Lower Deck. I had a delicious Highland beef stew, because it was absolutely appropriate weather for stew. Pim and Sienna both ordered - you guessed it - mussels!


We also stopped at Isle of Skye Ice Cream Shop, where I got orange sorbet in a gluten-free cone. Some may have argued that it was too cold, windy, and rainy for ice cream. We would have ignored them and gotten it anyways. And if you're ever there, you should get it, too!



Saturday was meant to be fairy day. Our first stop was the Fairy Pools, about half an hour south of Portree. It was a bit more of a hike than I anticipated, and rainy enough that I soon regretted wearing my glasses.


That being said, the hike is a beautiful one. It's through a valley, next to a lovely river. The fairy pools themselves aren't like a cold version of hot springs, which is what I expected; instead, they're wider spots along the river where the water gathers more. There were a few places where we had to jump from rock to rock across the river, and our shoes got muddy and soaked. Thankfully, the fog wasn't covering the entire view, which Garrow warned us could happen. It just rolled around the tops of the mountains, making the whole day the peak of Scottish aesthetic.


And as cold and rainy as our hike was, I still recommend it! The river is so pretty. Just make sure you wear hiking shoes and take water with you.


Originally, we planned to leave the fairy pools and head an hour north, back past Portree, to Fairy Glen. But by the time we made it back to the car, we were freezing and muddy and wet, and all we wanted was to dry off and sit somewhere warm. So we went straight back to Portree and called around until we could find a restaurant that wasn't fully booked.

Tongadale Hotel had a bar out front, which was full, and a restaurant in the back, which was completely empty except for the three of us and Garrow. He had been at work all day, but got off in time to meet us for dinner! I had the venison burger and chips, which were incredible.


More discussion questions: would you carry your dead husband's calcified heart around with you? We agreed that we would not. Sorry, Mary Shelley.


After dinner, we stocked up on snacks and drove back to Garrow's place. Pim, our driver, was an absolute champ. It was pitch black (the full moon abandoned us), pouring rain, and our windshield kept fogging up. Visibility was worryingly low, but Pim got us back to Garrow's in one piece, without hitting any sheep (which is a real concern, they love sleeping on the road), while I freaked out in the passenger's seat.


The plan was to go back to the sun room to have some more whiskey and talk, but I didn't make it. I've gotten more and more introverted over the past few years, and sometimes I just need time alone. By the time I changed out of my muddy, wet clothes and made another cup of tea, the idea of snuggling into my sleeping bag and reading was much more appealing than the idea of walking back out into the cold rain. So while Pim, Sienna, and Garrow hung out a little longer on that last night, I took some time to be alone and recharge.


SUNDAY


The final day of our road trip. We hugged Garrow goodbye, loaded ourselves into the rental car, and drove south.

We took a different road back so we could cut through Glencoe, and I wish we could have spent more time there. It was as idyllic as all of our other stops, but we only had a few minutes to spare if we wanted to get the rental car back on time.


The scenery kept me in awe the entire drive. Sometimes it looked like we were driving through central Pennsylvania, past rolling hills or through forests or down the main street of a small town. Other times we could have easily been in Colorado, staring up at enormous mountains - points of our trip reminded me particularly of Durango. Standing at the edge of a lake with a mountain in the background took me back to Glacier National Park. The beauty of so many amazing places I've been is hidden away in the Highlands.


The end of our trip wasn't as crazy as the beginning, but it was still a little crazy. We pulled up next to our flat, threw our luggage inside, frantically vacuumed the seats, wiped the mud off the doors, and took off for a gas station. We were operating under the assumption that Europcar closed at eight o'clock, because that's what we read online.

It turns out it closed at seven o'clock, but we were able to just park the car and put the keys in a return box. At that point, we were all sore and exhausted, and the Uber ride back to our flat was a quiet one.


We've spent the past few days recovering from our mini vacation, and we all agree - this was one of the best trips ever. I wish we could have had more time to explore the places we went, and to go to all sorts of other places, too, but we had a great experience nonetheless.


As you may remember from the beginning of this post, my back has been in bad shape lately. Thankfully, I woke up every morning of our trip with a little more mobility and a little less pain. By Saturday, I was able to sit and put my shoes on normally instead of balancing my foot on a table while I struggled to grasp the laces. I saw a chiropractor when we got home, and he adjusted my back and said I should be right as rain by next week.


Coming soon: a gallery post of all the pictures I took on our trip!

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