Student Bloggers
Exploring Scotland
Date
May 19, 2015
St. Andrews, Loch Lomond, Oban & Isle of Skye
Holy moly I only have a week left in Edinburgh! It’s crazy how the time has flown by. As the time wound down I realized there was so much I still wanted to see in Scotland. So I packed my bags and headed for the West Highlands and took a day trip to St. Andrews. There is still so much of Scotland I want to see (The Outer Hebrides, the Borders, Shetland Islands, etc) but I’m happy with what I have seen!
Starting off with St. Andrews, we visited the castle ruins, the University of St. Andrews, cathedral ruins, the old golf course, the North Sea, and walked around and shopped. I had been excited to visit a Scottish beach and I wasn’t disappointed. It was cold and windy, the water was freezing, and it was an overcast day! Typical Scottish weather for you! St. Andrews was a charming town and I definitely recommend it if you’ll be in Edinburgh.
Our next trip was extremely exciting! We had planned a train tour of Scotland’s west coast and it did not disappoint!! Our first stop was at Loch Lomond - Scotland’s biggest and most beautiful loch. After a little bit of walking around, we were back on the train to Oban. Oban is a fishing port on the west coast that is a prime sailing site to reach the isles. We had planned to visit the Isle of Mull, but unfortunately I am terrible at reading ferry timetables and it didn’t work out… I had my very first fish and chips since arriving in the UK and since I messed up the ferry timetables, we went to see the Avengers instead! I love going to movies, so I was excited to finally see one again! The next day we left for the Isle of Skye. The Isle of Skye is famed for its beauty and geologic history, and it was incredible! We did a lot in just one day, but I still would love to revisit and see more! I’ve attached loads of pictures that do not do it justice, but hopefully it gives you a clue as to just how beautiful Scotland is! :)
One of the most exciting parts of the trip was taking the train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct - made famous by the second Harry Potter movie! It was surreal. I was so so so tired on the way home, trains have a tendency to make me sleepy, but you have to fight it if you don’t want to miss out on the scenery.
Looking ahead: One more final exam and then a flight home to Iowa!