My trip to Scotland and Ireland

Since my trip to Scotland and Ireland in 2019, so many people have asked me for travel trips for those places. Now that travel restrictions are lifting and spring and summer are upon us, I’m getting even more requests, and decided it’s finally time to compile a post about my trip.  This may sound strange, but I think I’ve been holding off writing it because it was such a special trip to me and I haven’t wanted to reduce it to a blog post full of tourist tips. But I do want to share the magic I experienced there. I have quite a bit of close ancestry from Scotland and Ireland, I’m over 80% British and Irish, and my great-great grandma emigrated from Dundee, Scotland, and I felt a real connection to the land when I stepped foot on it.

I hope these tips help you make the most of your trip.

When I went:

Early October, 2019. I booked tickets after seeing a deal on a Scott’s Cheap Flights email. I had been dreaming of going since I was a little girl and always felt pulled to the culture, so when the chance came up, I took it without even knowing who I’d go with. I’m so glad I made it happen just before COVID hit.

Who I went with:

My sisters! Being kid-free for this particular trip was essential for all the exploring we were able to do. Thank you to husbands and helpers who allowed us to do that.

How long I was there:

Seven days in Scotland followed by five days in Ireland. I could’ve stayed forever.

What to pack:

In the fall, Scotland is chilly and rainy and Ireland is windy! In addition to your usual packing essentials, I suggest these:

•Light raincoat

•Warm, wind-breaking winter coat

•Comfortable, waterproof hiking or rain boots

•Packable umbrella (or buy one there)

•Long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and layers

•Beanies

Scotland

I flew into Edinburgh, where my sister, who lives in Hong Kong, met me. She was already at our rental–the coolest apartment she found literally next door to the Elephant House, where JK Rowling wrote much of Harry Potter. There’s a shrine of sorts to her in the bathrooms there.

Before I could get to her, though, I had to pick up our rental and find my way to the city from the airport. I ended up with a stick shift/manual because that’s all they had, and luckily know how to drive one and have experience driving on the other side of the road from my years in Australia, but it was still a little disconcerting with the shift on my left side and my phone not working for directions. But my pre-GPS years paid off. I followed the signs and miraculously made it there without getting lost or in an accident.

Our apartment overlooked Greyfriar’s Kirkyard and Edinburgh Castle, both of which are musts for visiting.

A few other things I loved in Edinburgh:

•Holyroad Palace (don’t miss the gardens and the abbey)

•Calton Cemetery

•The Royal Mile (the road leading up to the castle. So many shops, cafes, and alleys to discover)

•St. Giles’ Cathedral

•Arthur’s Seat Hike (My sister went before I came and loved it.)

•Victoria Street

Edinburgh is such a beautiful, history-rich city and I fell hard for it. We loved breakfast/brunch at The Edinburgh Larder and tea at the Balmoral Hotel.

After two days in the city, we drove north and hit a couple Outlander sites, which will make any Outlander fan very happy. We saw Midhope Castle and grounds (Lallybroch), Doune Castle (Castle Leoch), then made our way to Glencoe, which was so beautiful. It was interesting to read up on the history of the area. The white cottages against the towering, moss-covered mountains and hairy coo were spectacular to see.

Isle of Skye

The next day, we headed into Skye and the Fairy Pools, the Talisker Distillery, the Neist Point Lighthouse, and the picturesque Eileen Donan Castle. We stayed in an Air BnB nearby. That night, we got dinner at a pub where we heard the men of the village speaking Gaelic and it was so cool. 

*Note: The roads on Skye, especially if wet, can be tight to navigate. Make sure you have a good car, a confident driver, and know the rules of the road, most notably that one one-lane roads, whoever gets to the passing place on the side of the road first pulls into it to let the other car pass. 

The next day was one of my favorites of the entire trip. We headed to the colorful little seaside village of Portree, then hiked The Quairang, which was one of the most beautiful pieces of earth I have ever witnessed. We also saw the Fairy Glen, which was an otherworldly area that felt enchanting with its series of ridged green hills. At some point, we also stopped to take a peek at Kilt Rock, which was worth seeing. 

Our last day in Skye, we headed back toward Inverness and visited Culloden, the historical site and museum of the Battle of Culloden, which essentially ended the traditional Scottish Highlander way of life, then stopped by the ancient Clava Cairns, fascinating prehistoric burial grounds. When we drove back to Edinburgh that night, I felt like I was going home. I can’t get enough of that city and dream of going back all the time. Maybe this standing stone will get me there?

Ireland 

We took an affordable flight through RyanAir from Edinburgh to Cork, Ireland, which was just over an hour.  From the moment we arrived there, we noticed how friendly the people were and how gorgeous the green landscape was. Our first stop was Blarney Castle, where we kissed the famous Blarney Stone for the lifelong gift of eloquence and the assurance of returning to Ireland, and toured the castle. The grounds were as cool as the castle itself. There were standing stones, a waterfall, fairy garden, and all sorts of folklore to learn about, which I loved.

We visited the seaside town, Dingle, and hiked to the top of Valentia Island. We stopped at the Stone Circle in Kenmar, built thousands of years ago in the Bronze Age. There was a Hawthorn tree on the grounds where people tied their wishes to the branches. The kind old man who worked there told us they build roads around trees like that before cutting them down. They’re revered as sacred trees and it’s bad luck to cut them down. He told us stories of people who placed their wishes on the tree and the miraculous ways they came true. We quietly added our wishes to the others. Did mine come true after the trip? Yes. Of course it did. Because Ireland is the land of magic.

My sister was smart to find a local driver to take us through the Ring of Kerry. He was absolutely delightful and knowledgeable about the area and Irish culture and history, which made it so fun. He took us to a farm with historical 2,000-year-old beehive huts on the land, where we explored and held lambs while he spoke Gaelic to his farmer friend. He showed us the land, (Ladies View was stunning), and beaches, which were just breathtaking. We saw lots of rainbows and fairies. 🙂

Next, we stayed in an Air BnB in Dorney and visited the Cliffs of Moher, also known as the Cliffs of Insanity for those who know. That scenery was definitely a highlight of our trip. That night, we hopped to three different village pubs where there was live Irish music (and attempted Irish dancing by me). It was some of the best fun I’ve ever had. McGann’s Irish Pub was our favorite for the music! If you encounter Eddy on guitar, Geraldine on vocals, and Kevin on the banjo, say hello.

I didn’t take note of many food places on our trip but there are plenty of good places to find. There’s something about just happening upon a cafe and experiencing it without even consulting Yelp first. I will say Murphy’s ice cream in Ireland was delicious!

Of course, you could spend a lifetime in Scotland and Ireland seeing all there is to see, but I feel like we made the best of the time we had without it being too busy for us to slow down and really enjoy and get a feel for where we were. If you have other recommendations for these areas, please, please share!

For more on my trip, you can check out my Instagram highlights for Scotland and Ireland.

Some of you have asked for books about these countries. I linked a few below for you:

Inspired Traveller’s Guides by Sarah Baxter: The most stunning illustrated guides to the coolest places in the world, including Scotland and Ireland.

Celtic Tales: A beautiful illustrated book of celtic stories.

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon: A woman’s journey through time to discover her Irish family’s secrets. The audio is fun to listen to.

Outlander audiobooks by Diana Gabaldon. An epic romance that will make you fall in love with Scotland. I especially loved book one and two and the Starz series. (Check content first. VidAngel is an option too.)

Faery Tale by Signe Pike: A memoir of the author’s travels to Ireland and the meaning she finds through Celtic folklore and tradition.

The Lost Queen by Signe Pike: Outlander meets Camelot. Such a cool, history rich, transporting novel.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley: A woman goes to a Scottish seaside town to write a novel and starts having ancestral memories about her Scottish ancestor. One of three in a connected series.

If you’re interested in Celtic folklore, I also suggest watching Song of the Sea (kid-friendly) and Secret of the Kells (a bit scary for my younger kids), which my sister introduced to me. Men in Kilts is really fun to watch too!

Happy travels,

Kim