In July we spent two weeks in the UK, visiting London and Scotland. Our time in London coincided with the heat wave that saw the highest temperature ever recorded in the country. It made for some interesting travel experiences. Scotland was much more temperate but also much wetter. We took in tons of history and some great food and drink. Here are the highlights. Click on a photo to view full size as slideshow.
Great view of London on a 6:45am arrival from Chicago. Arriving at Paddington Station after taking the Heathrow Express from the airport, super easy.Looking up the Thames from the Golden Jubilee Bridge.Houses of Parliament.Hampton Court Palace outside London. Construction started in 1514 and after a major expansion it reached its present state in 1694.Cynthia Erivo concert, part of the BBC Proms, at Royal Albert Hall, London.Nighttime London vibes.Tower Bridge.21st Century “The Shard” photobombs 11th century Tower of London.St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge across the Thames.The Tate Modern art museum’s air conditioning offered a break from the heat. The art on the left is made of mini blinds.Trafalgar Square, 102 degrees fahrenheit.Trafalgar Square lion.The Churchill War Rooms are a series of basement offices used by the British government during WWII. This is the Map Room.Buckingham Palace front gate.London’s street banner game is strong. these are in/near near Picadilly Circus.Euston Station chaos due to heat-related rail shutdowns. We were supposed to be going to Edinburgh, but ended up on a couple different trans and eventually ended up in Glasgow. Long story…Our unexpected night in Glasgow was a hit. We had the best meal of the whole trip at Glaschu Restaurant and learned why all the statues in town are wearing traffic cones.For the first hike of the trip we took the high road up Conic Hill, above the bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.Entering the Highlands. Three Sisters peaks near Glencoe, Scotland.Water of Nevis Point, just below Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.Crossing the “Cable Bridge” on the way back from visiting Steall Falls (background), Britain’s second highest waterfall at 120 meters.Glenfinnan Viaduct, AKA the Hogwarts Express bridge.We entered the Isle of Skye the fun way, by taking a ferry from Mallaig to Armadale. Our car seems to be enjoying the ride.Picked up a bottle of peaty goodness to bring home after touring Torabhaig Distillery on the Isle of Skye.Our Airbnb in Breakish, Isle of Skye.The Old Man of Storr is a 164ft pinnacle of rock. The Cuillen Mountains are in the southern distance.Sheep. Everywhere.The Quiraing is a landslip on the northern end of the Isle of Skye. It makes for some really wierd formations to hike amongst.The Quiraing Path was a wee bit wet, but it made for some great moody scenery.You never know who you’ll run into off the beaten path. Two friendly hikers took our pic and then we ran into this lone sheep hanging out hundreds of vertical feet above his friends.Our trail led through spires high in The Quiraing formation.Colorful houses line the harbour in Portree, the largest town on the Isle of Skye.Wavy river along the path to the Fairy Pools.The Fairy Pools are normally trickling waterfalls and placid pools stretching for over a mile along a trail. The rain caused them to be a raging river at the time of our visit.Dunvegan Castle stairs.Eilean Donan castle, strategically located at the intersection of three Lochs. It was blown up in 1719, but rebuilt in the early 20th century.Eilean Donan castle from the viewpoint above town.Meeting the locals. Can I keep him?Hiking near Loch Ness on the way to Inverness.When the sun shines on that green…Loch Ness viewed from Dores Beach.Church Street in Inverness after a light rain.Inverness spires along the River Ness.The winner of the “best bangs” award goes to this cow at Culloden Battlefield.Culloden Battlefield is a National Trust site that marks the location of the final battle of the Jacobite Uprising in 1746. (It didn’t go well for the Jacobites.)Clava Cairns near Inverness, a Bronze Age cemetery complex featuring ring cairns and standing rocks dating back up to 4,000 years.Nick tried haggis (stuffed in chicken, wrapped in bacon and covered in gravy) at The Mustard Seed in Inverness. My face says I’m still not sure about it.Hike to An Lochan Uaine, or Green Lake. Legend states that fairies wash their green clothing in the lake, giving its distinctive color. It is customary to wear green in tribute while visiting.Views from Cairngorms National Park.Entering Edinburgh on the Queensferry Crossing. Our Vauxhall Corsa outside our Edinburgh digs.Old Town Edinburgh is famously picturesque.Victoria Street in Old Town Edinburgh.Ross fountain and Edinburgh Castle.Edinburgh’s Royal Mile leads from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Hollyrood House.Palace of Hollyrood House, the royal family’s official residence in Scotland.The dining room at the Palace of Hollyrood House.Edinburgh viewed from Calton Hill.This is the actual Dolly The Sheep of 1990s cloning fame at the National Museum of Scotland.That’s a wrap. Edinburgh high kick from the Vennel Steps.Shortly after takeoff from Edinburgh Airport we flew over the Isle of Skye and could see our Airbnb from the previous week (marked by white arrow). The Skye Bridge is visible crossing the narrow water at center right.
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