Ireland and Scotland

Fortunately, it was a direct flight so despite the delay, the flying process was simple, and I grabbed a bus to the city center and made it to my hostel without any issues. The itinerary for the first day was simple: meet up with Jess, a college friend of mine who lived in Dublin, and see what she thought was worth doing! 

Step 1: Walk her dog and catch up. Easy enough. She happened to only live a few minutes from my hostel, so we explored around the area and recapped the last seven years of life and adventures.

Step 2: Food. After a good trot, we were both hungry and stopped by her favorite pizza place for a slice.

Step 3: Beer. We headed into the downtown areas to meet up with her boyfriend Craig for a couple “proper pints of Guinness” at Kehoe’s pub and a few games of Guinness golf. (One drink try to get the beer right to the top of the Guinness label on the glass)

Jess and Craig headed home and after another couple pints at the hostel and a local pub it was time for some zzz’s myself. What a wonderful start to the trip. 

The next day was focused on fully adjusting to Dublin time and exploring the city. I woke up at 6AM and went on a long walk looking for any breakfast place open at that time (along with a nice call to Madison), then returning to the hostel to work on my blog for a bit. A free walking tour was next up on the agenda and unfortunately it was quite mediocre. We couldn’t enter many of the places I was hoping to see, leaving us receiving an unsatisfactory history of many of Dublin’s historic buildings from the outside. Bummer. Still, there were some great gems including seeing a fake memorial plaque installed on a bridge as a prank (for the craic- Irish for fun) and the Molly Malone statue where we sang her song, the unofficial Dublin anthem.

An afternoon nap and nice dinner in town made up the evening’s activities, and I ended up calling it an early night to get completely adjusted to the Irish time zone.

The third day pays for all. (If only the 3^rd KingKiller book would be out…, but I digress)

This was the big day: Book of Kells, Guinness Storehouse, and St. Patrick’s cathedral followed by exploring Temple Bar. It was all of Dublin’s biggest tourist hits in a single day. And it was epic. Day in Dublin Strava

Book of Kells – One of the best-preserved illustrated bibles from the 800’s, it’s preserved in Trinity college’s library in a small museum exhibit. While the exhibit itself had some interesting (albeit dense) history, and the book had some incredible intricate illustrations (on the one page you could see), the real highlight to me was the beautiful Old Library of Trinity. The smell of the books as they aged. The dark wood walls. The soft light trickling in. All it needed was a couch and a fireplace and I would never leave.

Guinness Storehouse – The famed ale. The original location. What more could you ask for? The storehouse has been impeccably turned into a museum with the bottom floors dedicated to beer making and the top to beer drinking. I paid a little more to learn to pour a perfect pint of Guinness. (This was a little disappointing as our docent was subpar and didn’t teach/guide us, I learned more from the bartenders at various pubs) The experience finishes with another pint on the amazing sky deck with 360-degree views of the city. 

St. Patrick’s cathedral – Not the most ornate or beautiful cathedral I’ve been inside, but it still awed me with its intricate design and incredible history, including being home to Boyle’s grave (of Boyle’s law fame). Immediately after getting into the cathedral the fire alarm blared and everyone was evacuated (Notre Dame was referenced more than once by the attendants). Luckily it was only a 30-minute emergency, and I was able to return and explore as much as I wanted

Following all of that I met up with Jess for dinner and drinks, getting to explore the touristy Temple bar area and listen to amazing live music. Temple bar may be the first true touristy area that I’ve enjoyed in my travels. Live music and beer just make everything better, even if it’s a little overpriced.

Finally, it was time to bid Dublin adieu, and after a good night sleep and a bus back to the airport, I snagged a rental car for the next part of the adventure. (After a little bit of trouble finding the actual rental car lot… Actually, a lot of trouble, I walked in a circle for nearly an hour)

Cork was the first stop of the road trip, and after getting used to driving on the wrong side of the road it was an easy 3 hours down to the city listening to the Rhythm of War audiobook. Thirty minutes of searching for parking later, I snagged a quick lunch and then decided to head to Cobh, a nearby town recommended by my barber.

It was the right call; Cobh has an incredible cathedral and a viewpoint with beautiful colorful houses in front. Well, “viewpoint” may be the wrong way to describe it. You may need to climb up a stone wall to view it properly and I got yelled at by the owner for liability reasons. Nonetheless, I got some cool photos and didn’t get hurt. That’s a win in my book. 

Then it was time to get to my B&B in Killorglin for check in, a cute little place right on the river, followed by a wonderful dinner in town. There are few joys like getting completely lost in a meal and I enjoyed every second of the experience. Check out Kingdom 1795 if you are ever in the area. It is 1000% worth it.

Waking up the next morning with clear skies meant it was time for the first big hike since Kilimanjaro, Carrauntoohil, the highest point in Ireland. Between jumping fences, hiking up grassy hills and along ridges, getting my feet soaked in marsh areas, and some interesting rock scrambles, the trail was a unique climbing experience. Each small summit along the ridge provided new views and the occasional sheep and the cross at the summit marked another peak-bagged for the year! 

After the hike I grabbed lunch in town, changed, and started driving the Kerry and Skellig ring. Over the drive I stopped at quite a few viewpoints, taking photos of the incredible landscapes and historic sites/ruins along the way, culminating with an incredible sunset along the coast. Unfortunately, the sunset also meant I had to miss a few sites along the southern coast I wanted to see as I quickly headed back to Killarney, trying to minimize the amount of time I spent driving in the dark.  

Killarney was popping. Music on the streets, bars full, it was incredible. I wish I had the energy to fully partake but instead I grabbed a mediocre dinner at one of the few places still serving food and a solid ice cream before heading back to the B&B for the night. 

Sadly, it was time to bid adieu to my now favorite part of Ireland and make my way to Galway, with a couple of notable stops along the way: Ballybunion for the cliff walk and the famed Cliffs of Moher. 

Ballybunion was a recommendation from Jess and was beautiful, a couple serene beaches with incredible cliffs overlooking them provided breathtaking panoramic views. I seriously could’ve done the entire trip in southwest Ireland and been content, the amount of beauty in that area is astounding. 

After Ballybunion I skipped my planned lunch in Limerick and headed straight to the Cliffs of Moher to make sure I had enough time. (Well, I meant to go straight there, I ended up taking the wrong exit on a roundabout, having to pay a toll and looping back to where I was 15 minutes earlier. I want to blame google but I’m just an idiot sometimes) 

Anyways I drive up to the Cliffs of Moher and…. I’m not going to lie I was disappointed. Shocking right? There were so many tourists, the stone wall blocked the views, and the angle by the visitor center was only ok. 

I started walking along the trail and quickly realized my first impression was wrong. As the people thinned, the views got more and more spectacular with stunning views of the beaches below, sun hitting the water perfectly, and of course amazing angles of the sheer cliffs. I ended up spending hours walking around and admiring each new viewpoint. A reminder to myself to not judge too quickly… and my motto that if you want to avoid tourists all you need to do is walk more than half a mile from the lot. 

With the sun starting to set, I hopped back in my car and made my way to Galway, playing Ed Sheeran’s Galway girl as an interlude to my audiobook. 

Galway started off great, finding a parking spot two minutes away from my hostel. I got my bags out, checked into the hostel and found out that the pub crawl was starting in 5 minutes, and of course signed up immediately.

After the disappointing social scene of the Dublin hostel, I decided to ignore my body asking for food and sleep (I hadn’t eaten yet that day) and just send it. At the first stop my stomach was letting me know this was a poor decision so I ran to the only spot that was open and quick: McDonald’s. 

I know I know. But this trip I promise there was only one. I grabbed some food for the entire crew and went back to enjoy the meal with everyone. Conversation was good and we headed to the second bar when my fatigue hit. Hard. I withdrew from the group, watching the NFL games and trying to rally for the third bar but ended up having a single drink before calling it a night.

Two hours later and I was in Northern Ireland! 

After getting off the bus I walked the mile to my hostel and checked in. The hostel itself was nice, but there were no bathrooms on my floor, less than ideal. (Between the insane amounts of snoring this trip and the lack of nearby bathrooms my hostel days felt like they were coming to an end.) 

I hopped in bed to relax and plan out the next couple of days before setting out to explore the area around the hostel.  I found an Italian place nearby for dinner and the giant sundae for dessert definitely made the meal worth it. 

Taking a detour through Queen’s University campus, I headed back to the hostel where I wrapped up the night by contacting one of the famous Black Cab drivers to get a historical tour of the city the following day.  

The next morning, I slept it and was feeling fantastic… so I tortured myself and went on a run. (Figured it was time to burn some of the calories I’d been eating… and drinking) Over nearly 6 miles I got to explore the city and get a feel for the location of all the historical buildings. 

Then it was time to grab lunch at a local bar before the black cab tour… The lunch was good, the tour never showed. I spent some time trying to figure out what happened (the owner pawned me off to one of his partners and the guy’s car was in the shop) and I ended up spending a few hours in a “woe is me” mood before snapping out of it and beginning another exploration of the city. 

I walked along the river before heading back into town and ending up in St. George’s market just in time for a wedding expo! It was funny seeing a year into my future as I walked around the booths, a pleasant surprise on a rough day. 

As I made my way back towards the hostel, I swung by Lavery’s pub for a flight of beer. Then, feeling hungry and not feeling bar food, I swung by a local pizza place! 

Unfortunately, they got my order wrong, so I had to wait nearly 45 minutes for the pizza to arrive, but they did give me the wrong order free (Although after putting it in the hostel fridge I forgot about it. Whoops. I hope someone ate it.)

My final full day in Belfast was focused on seeing the Giant’s Causeway, and happened to include a bunch of stops along the way (apparently, they joined the Giant’s Causeway and Game of Thrones tours during Covid)  

I made my way to town and found the bus stop in time for the 9 AM departure. Our first stop was to Carrickfergus castle, which was honestly more of a reminder of why I don’t like most driven tours than anything else. 15 minutes to walk around was just the wrong amount of time. 10 minutes too long for just pictures but 30 minutes too little to go inside and truly experience the castle. (Plus, you needed a separate entrance ticket) 

We hopped back on the bus and drove by the filming location for the Wall of the North before arriving at our next stop: the town of Carnlough (where Arya jumped into the water to flee assassination). You can only look at a filming spot (especially without a reference point) for a couple minutes so after I headed to a local coffee spot for a bite of breakfast. 

Then was time for the Cushenden Caves, (where Jaime Lannister and Euron Greyjoy battled) The caves themselves were also beautiful although trying to take a photo proved painful and instead of waiting I just snapped a quick photo. (Wish I had gotten a selfie in retrospect)

Another Game of Thrones spot was on the docket next: The Dark Hedges. These trees were strikingly beautiful although the daylight definitely took away from the ominous effect. 

We journeyed to lunch next, where I separated from the group, electing for some quiet at the pub side of restaurant. A needed break from the crowded restaurant. 

Continuing on, the tour’s next stop was Bushmill’s distillery (the oldest licensed whiskey distiller in the world) Not one to miss the chance, I took our 40-minute break and sampled 3 of Bushmill’s Irish Whiskey’s, enjoying their triple distilled 21-year aged drink the most. 

Then it was finally time! The main event, the most exciting part of the day: The Giant’s Causeway.

And it wasn’t great. Let me set your expectations if you ever go to the Giant’s Causeway. It is not this massive peninsula, and the stones are all relatively the same height. It’s a cool geological feature but the scale was underwhelming compared to what I had imagined. 

That being said, it was still fun to explore around, (Other than getting yelled at for getting too close to the water) and a great place to take some photos. 

As we had an hour and a half, I spent the remainder of my time there walking the trail to a viewpoint up top which had panoramic views of the surrounding area. 

The tour ended with a two-hour drive back to the hostel where I distracted myself with phone games, napping, and an audiobook.

The night ended with some extremely messy burgers back in Belfast and a brief round of games at the hostel before heading to bed.

The next morning started bright (well technically not even bright yet) and early with a 5AM wake up. I grabbed my stuff as quietly as I could and made my way to the local bus stop, just catching the bus to the airport in time after having some trouble finding the actual entrance.

Three hours later I was in Edinburgh on my way to the hostel! 

After taking the amazing public transport straight from the airport into the heart in Edinburgh, I made my way up the steep walk to the hostel (in classic double backpack turtle mode).  With check-in not for a few hours I relaxed and rested in the common areas before heading out to explore the city. 

Starting at Victoria Street, said to be the inspiration for Diagon Alley, I stopped briefly at a coffee shop planning to work on my blog, but it was absolutely packed. Instead, I made my way down the Royal Mile taking in all the sights before heading back to the hostel (with a brief detour to Greyfriars Kirkyard to see Tom Riddle’s grave) 

I found a nearby spot for lunch and got the last table available. A random couple saw there were a couple of extra seats and asked to join me. With no reason not to I acquiesced, and we ate together although there was not much conversation. 

Heading back to the hostel, I relaxed in the room taking a much-needed nap before heading down to the hostel’s restaurant for dinner with my hostel roommate. They were getting all set up for Oktoberfest, which was quite entertaining, and soon after a local universities med school came through on a pub crawl. That could only mean one thing: 

It was time for drinking! 

We met up with some other people from our hostel and turned into a bar crawl with two spots: one with live music, one with too many shots. 

The crew narrowed down as the night continued and I drank more than I needed to before falling asleep after 4 AM. Ouch. 

The next day was rough. Most of my plans went out the window and I spent the morning recovering. Desperate to get some food in my stomach I walked to a local bakery and had a compulsory bagel with lox. 

Determined not to let the day be a complete waste, I made my way to the Vennel Viewpoint, took a few pictures, and then immediately returned to the hostel for a nap.

The night was marginally better, heading to an Italian restaurant for a wonderful dinner and pairing that with a scoop of ice cream from Mary’s Milk Bar, a premium ice cream shop right next to the hostel. 

Knowing the next day was going to be chaotic and filled with driving I chilled at the hostel before heading in for some early z’s. 
 

Packing up all my stuff the next morning to head up to the Isle of Skye went smoothly and soon enough I was back at the airport and in the rental car. 

Then it was time for a long day of driving. 

After nearly three hours I made it to Fort William and found a pub for lunch. The place was the most stereotypical pub I’ve ever experienced, and it was a perfect place for a lowkey meal. The next stop was the highlight of the day: The Glenfinnan Aqueduct. Aka. The Hogwarts Express. 

After making the half mile walk in the drizzling rain, I stood, along with nearly 100 other people as we waited for the delayed train to make its famed crossing. 

Finally, the beautiful steam engine sounded in the distance and then came into view and for just the briefest of moments it felt like I was transported to that day back at eight years old when I saw the Hogwarts express for the first time (although I missed the nearly headless nick scene when I ran to the bathroom… just a weird memory.) 

I made my way back to my car and continued the last 80-minutes to the BnB (no air in the title). 

I just need to rave about this BnB for a second: Lundie View B&B. The owners of the establishment were phenomenal, the rooms beautiful and I can honestly say that I would go back to this place in a heartbeat. 

After dropping of my stuff, I headed to the first highlight of the highlands: Loch Ness! A mere 20 minutes from where I was staying. 

I explored around the southern coast of the loch for a few minutes before finding a lively spot in town to eat and have a couple of drinks. After over 5 hours in the car, it was a much-needed relaxing night before the next day’s adventures in the Isle of Sky. 

The next day was a long one! I had a delicious breakfast at the B & B then headed out early to begin the road trip of the Isle of Skye:

Eilean Donan – At the entry point of the Isle of Skye, this castle stood prominently on Loch Dulich. I arrived during a brief break of the rain. It was also ~20ish Euros to enter so I elected to just enjoy the views from the outside

The Storr – The #1 spot for the Isle of Skye adventure. Pouring rain, brutal wind and a wrong turn that resulted in my shoes getting soaked couldn’t take away from the insane beauty of this place. Fortunately, my camera was able to use the last of its battery to take some shots at the top. 

Lealt Falls – Pretty but I’m not a fan of just driving up to waterfalls. Between the number of tourists, smaller size of the falls, and difficulty of getting a good viewing angle I only spent a few minutes here before moving on. 

Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls Viewpoint – A better waterfall than Lealt and some dramatic cliff views but once again there were too many people and limited angles to see the waterfall. Would’ve loved it more if there were some trails down to the water. 

The Quiraing – A beautiful hiking spot that I ended up using to call Madison and talk for an hour, definitely didn’t properly experience it. 

The Fairy Glen – The second highlight of the day, this place felt straight out of a fairy tale with tiny steep hills, along with steep rock faces and a unique stone pattern. I hiked through and to the viewpoints and just loved taking it all in.

Unfortunately, the goal to get to the Fairy Pools and Dunvegan Castle were just a bit too much for a single day (a good lesson learned that it’s probably at least an overnight trip if you want to fully appreciate all the beauty of the Isle of Skye, and especially if you want to hike a bit

On the way back I stopped in the main city of Portree for dinner, but all of them were completely booked. Instead, I elected for cheeze its and a soda to keep me company on the two-hour drive back to the B&B.

The next morning after another amazing breakfast it was time to head back to Edinburgh via a 5-hour drive. Fortunately, I had a friend who I had met during my college grad trip and had stayed in touch with who happened to live along the way. 

We met up and he showed me around the house he and his wife were in the middle of restoring and had an amazing time catching up about work, travel, and life. 

Another two hours of driving and finally I was back in Edinburgh… and done with driving for the trip. Thank God.  

I hoped back on the metro all the way into downtown Edinburgh and begin the same trek back up the main hill in the city and to my new hostel: Castle Rock Hostel.

The hostel was cool and as the name suggested, had a castle theme. After checking in I made my way up to the room and was greeted by a couple older guys in town for the concert. We shot the shit for a bit before I headed into town for dinner at Baba, a recommendation from Ema, a friend I made in Portugal who had lived in Edinburgh for a couple of years.

All the single tables were taken so I sat at a large community table and enjoyed a hodgepodge of delicious Mediterranean food along with some superb mocktails (I decided to take a drinking break) 

A long day in the books, I made my way back up to the hostel and chilled for a bit before calling it a night. 

The next morning it was finally time for a proper exploration of Edinburgh. The route started by walking down to the Scott Monument, a defining landmark of the city I had seen multiple times over my trip without ever truly stopping and taking it in. 

Then I headed to Calton Hill, climbing to the top dotted with neoclassical structures before continuing on my way with a brief stop to the end of the Royal Mile and a view of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Next up was the true objective of the day: Arthur’s seat, the highest point in the city and a recommendation by everyone I had talked to about visiting Edinburgh. 

Knowing there was a Strava segment… I sent it. I hiked as fast as I could and made it to the top out of breath but stoked. (I think I may have taken some frustration out on how slow Kilimanjaro hiking was) 

Up top it started drizzling but the view of the city was still absolutely spectacular. After spending some time taking it in, I headed back down another path and made my way to the Meadows, a large park in the city. More importantly, there was a hot chocolate stand that Ema had recommended at this park that I had to taste, and I can conclude it was absolutely worth the recommendation.

My six-mile journey around the city culminated with a walk under the castle and back to the hostel. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing at the hostel, having a nice lunch at the nearby Scotch whiskey museum and working on writing my blog, and generally taking a needed breather after multiple days of exploring Scotland. 

At dinner time it was time for the funniest coincidence of the trip. One of Madison’s closest friends (Keegan) happened to be in Scotland with her boyfriend (Dante) and we decided to get dinner with the three of us! I picked a nearby restaurant, headed down, and they weren’t there. 

After waiting 5, 10, 15 minutes I looked up on google seeing if I had done something wrong… and lo and behold there were two restaurants with the same name. I made my way to the correct meeting spot and finally we were sitting down and enjoying a nice meal, heading to a nearby bar and even making plans to see each other again the next day.

The next morning, I had a couple things left on my list that I needed to finish before flying home the next day: Dean Village and Edinburgh Castle.  

I stopped for a quick bite of breakfast before beginning the long walk to Dean’s Village, a quaint village a mile away from the main town. While it was picturesque, I felt like it was hyped up a little bit higher than it should’ve been. Still, it was a wonderful backdrop for a good audiobook and some photos. 

After stopping by a beautiful cathedral, I made my way back into Edinburgh proper and walked through the Princes Street Gardens. (All the while listening to Edgedancer the Brandon Sanderson novella) 

Then it was time to see the castle which had been looming over all my activities in Edinburgh over the last week. The castle was more of a walled village, with tons of buildings surrounded by the impressive 900-year-old structure (though much has been added from the first date) I spent a couple of hours meandering around and taking in the exhibits (including the armory and a hilarious virtual reenactment of the prisoner chambers).

I found a nice local restaurant for dinner and then met up with Keegan and Dante for drinks at a nearby bar that had the hardest to find entrance of my life. We chatted and drank, and it was a great way to call an end to a wonderful two weeks in Ireland. 

The next morning, I made my way to the airport and began the painful process of a 3-leg flight back to Seattle… At least there were some cool views of Greenland along the way!