After a whirlwind tour of Edinburgh we woke up ready for our next City, STIRLING! Bob and I decided to rent a car (yes they drive stick shift, and yes they drive on the left side), which was so much fun. Having the freedom to go whenever and wherever you want is a game changer for international travel. We jumped on the tram back to the airport to pick up our little car!
So, note to self, everything in Europe is smaller......and Bob Longmire is not small. He figured out right away that his feet were too wide with shoes to not get tangled up in all of the pedals so he literally drove the entire time (over 1000 miles). It was a little inconvenient especially when wet and mud was the norm.
I am seriously so proud of him though because not only did he successfully learn and navigate driving on the left, but he did it with no shoes on and with a left handed stick shift! Hero!
Our first stop was Blackness Castle. I think this castle was one of my favorites because it is a gorgeous castle AND we had the entire thing to ourselves. We seriously only saw one other group towards the end of our visit. It was amazing.
Bob was mesmerized with the castle defense structure and tactics. Even down to this little room accessed through a floor panel in a separate room where guards would shoot attackers coming through the entrance! (confusing I know, but we took a picture of the plaque to help).
Alright, now all of my Outlander fans....y'all are gonna recognize this place as Fort William from the show! Yes, THAT IS where Jamie was flogged!
And this gate? Where the Highlanders entered to Fort to save Claire. (Don't worry Ill show it to you from the outside too!)
The interior, although uninhabitable, was still in really good bones shape. It was amazing to envision the rooms and layers. It truly is like time travelling and BTW dungeons are super terrifying....but I digress.
We explored every inch of that castle and had an epic time doing it! Bob didn't bang his head once!
Okay Outlander fans.....here's the outside gate and the window to the left where Jamie jumps through to save Claire from BJR! So fun right? The castle was incredible and we thoroughly enjoyed every moment learning about Blackness Castle.
On our way to our Bed and Breakfast we stopped in Falkirk to see the Kelpies. Gorgeous horse heads built to honor the horses that helped shape the land. Built right over canal intersections, the Kelpies were a treat.
It rained all day on us, but we didn't mind and we arrived at the Castlewalk B&B for our night in Stirling!
Scottish Breakfast anyone?? Our first Bed and Breakfast experience was scrumptious. We had a lovely morning view of the City and a full Scottish Breakfast with Black pudding, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage, bacon, and eggs.
Plus Coffee. Happy girl.
Oh plus, cereal, porridge, yogurt, fruit, and toast. We were stuffed. Actually it worked really well for us to have a big breakfast and then eat dinner. Made our life really easy for the majority of the trip.
We took the short walk to Stirling Castle and found ourselves enjoying the architecture and colors.
We meandered into the cemetery at the base of the castle and thoroughly enjoyed walking its rows and visiting its inhabitants. So many dashes lived centuries before me. Cemeteries are so restful and peaceful to me. I find a lot of joy in them.
We made our way to Stirling Castle which still remains very in tact and has been vastly restored to represent how it might have looked in its heyday!
Castles are mammoth facilities. Its amazing to think about the opulence and lifestyles of the past Lords and Ladies. Honestly it was really eye opening to see how vast the chasm was between the haves......and the have nots. There was utter poverty, and there was the wealth. Nothing in between.
Stirling Castle was a fun way to spend our morning. The history of the Scots and especially Mary Queen of Scots is fascinating and visiting these places where those ancient persons walked is a cool feeling.
Then we got to visit Midhope Castle, aka Lallybroch, for all my Outlander friends. This is not a main attraction and sits on private property on the Hopetoun Estate. You have to access it on a private road and it is only open to a few people a day, BUT this was one of the highlights of our trip!!!
This picture below?.......If you know you KNOW!
Again, we were the only 2 people on sight and got to enjoy exploring the outside. I loved every second. We even got to explore the surrounding grounds and trails a bit.
After begrudgingly leaving Midhope we stopped at two other castles Linlithgow and Doune Castles. Unfortunately both were closed to the public, but we could see the outside and explore the grounds a bit.
Both of these were Outlander filming locations Linlithgow AKA Wentworth Prison, and Doune Castle AKA Castle Leoch.
I would have loved to explore the interior of these castles and learn the actual history, but alas, site inspections and sketchy masonry closed them until next Spring.
These structures are amazing and truly incredible to still be standing and in such great condition overall. Things were built to last all those years ago, that is for sure.
We left Stirling in the pouring rain for our drive into the Highlands to Glencoe. I was SO excited about the next portion of our trip and the drive through the rain, mountains, and single track road was delightful. Time to head to the Munros (mountains) and Lochs (lakes).
Living in the desert I love waterfalls. I was taking pictures of every waterfall until I realized that it rains so much in Scotland the mountains literally cry several waterfalls all the time. Look right, Look Left.......guaranteed waterfall.
We made a couple of stops along the way to see the sights and to give Bob a break from driving.
The entire country goes very peaceful the farther you head into the Highlands. Its quiet and gorgeous and the Lochs are dark, deep, pools of water. (yes those are actual swimmers up there in that shot......If I had had a wetsuit.....)
We arrived at the Scorrybreac Guesthouse later in the evening, had a delicious dinner at a nearby inn and settled in for our 4 nights on the only King size bed we would ever see! AHHHHH.
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