It’s just about two hours from Orly Airport in France to Edinburgh Airport in Scotland but it feels like another world. Most immediately it’s cold. I really didn’t realize how far north Scotland is, but checking the map its up there with Copenhagen and Moscow.
First thing we did was rent a car. I’m so happy that our extraordinary travel pro Tammy Cane [theartoftravelbytammycane.com] booked the trip and put Shawn’s name on the rental agreement. Cuz we both forgot that in the British Isles, they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheels are on the “wrong” side too. But Shawn being a “lefty” and a bit dyslexic anyway drove like the native Brit that she is – or at least was. It’s actually quite terrifying. I did my best to help by saying “left, left, left” as we made turns and we only ended up on the wrong – or is it “right” – side of the road a couple of times.
Our first stop was the venerable Greywalls Hotel [https://greywalls.co.uk]. It’s a beautiful old property near the sea. We had no idea that it actually sits on the grounds of the Muirfield Golf Club – one of the most famous in Great Britain. And the host of several British Opens, most recently in 2002 and 2013. You can walk up to the course from the rear doors of the hotel and, on this particularly sunny day, it was stunning. I would have loved to play, but learned that it was very much private and guest play was only allowed on days that we would no longer be around (I think Tuesdays and Thursdays). But no matter, it was a thrill just to see it up close.
We stayed in a room affectionately referred to as “the Kings Loo”. Apparently there was a King that loved to play golf here at Muirfield and they built him a “loo” right next to the course where he could sit on his “throne” and see the course. Many years later it was converted into a big hotel room and we were very happy to stay in it. The bellman told us that in 2002 Ernie Els stayed in this room while winning The Open Championship and Padraig Harrington stayed there in 2013.
Headed into Edinburgh the next morning on a bustling, beautiful Saturday. There were lots of people in town as a Scottish Independence Rally/March was occurring. We heard that about 100,000 people were participating.
We saw part of the march on our way to the Scottish Whiskey Experience [https://www.scotchwhiskyexperience.co.uk] which is right on the street called “The Royal Mile”. It’s a cool place where they take you on a tour in a little Disney-like trolley to show you the history of Scotch Whiskey, and then provide some instruction on how its made. Actually very cool and a fun, worthwhile experience. Afterwards there is the obligatory tasting of single malt whiskeys from the various regions – Highland, Speyside, Islay and Lowland. I thought it was great and Shawn started to get a slight appreciation of whiskey.
Next we walked The Royal Mile. It runs from Edinburgh Castle right through the center of town. Filled with street performers, churches, statues, restaurants, bars and shops, its a very fun stroll – especially post the Scotch Whiskey Experience! After one more whiskey for me at 99 Hanover Street (per the recommendation of my very good friend Kevin Cassidy), Shawn drove us back to Greywalls with a constant “left, left, left” reminder from me. All together, we were very impressed with Edinburgh. Truly a really nice, picturesque city.
I think we would have liked to stay another day in Edinburgh, but it was time for us to head out to Stirling Castle – one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland [https://www.stirlingcastle.scot]. The castle has some very well restored rooms and there is a lot of history here, as many important battles were fought right on this spot.
Then it was time for a bit of whiskey at the Deanston distillery [https://www.deanstonmalt.com]. This is an old school distillery that provides a cool tour and a tasting experience. Also right next to a beautiful river that provides power for the entire facility. Very cool visit.
We were having fun, but both of us were starting to come down with a bit of a cold – and the rainy chilly weather wasn’t helping – so we headed to our next lodge, Cromlix House [https://cromlix.com]. An exceptional, award-winning hotel, they upgraded us to a huge room with a four post canopy bed, a separate living room and a giant bathroom with a great bath. Perfect place to recover.
The famous Loch Ness was close by so the next day we went for a boat cruise. This loch is unbelievably beautiful. It’s so deep that it is the largest body of water by volume in all Europe. We didn’t see the “monster” but if you are in town, you have to take a boat ride on Loch Ness.
After Cromlix House, we headed north to Inverness, but first we made a stop at the super windy and cold National Wallace Monument. [https://www.nationalwallacemonument.com]. It memorializes the achievements of William Wallace, the Scotsman portrayed by Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart. Very cool and cold place!
Then, we took a pretty long drive north to see the brand new Macallan distillery [https://www.themacallan.com/en/the-journal/new-distillery/]. This place, which opened in June of 2018, and was constructed at a cost of over 140 million pounds is absolutely stunning. The tour – which you really should book far in advance – is controlled by the tour guide’s IPad and is really fantastic. It’s very different from most of the other distilleries whose operations haven’t really changed much over the past 100 years. The building is very modern with lots of glass, copper and steel, but the undulating roof is made to blend into the Scottish highland landscape and is covered with soil, grass and trees. Even though the other distillers are a bit “put-off” by the size, scale and “poshness” of this facility, it really is amazing and was a big highlight of our trip.
The greatest highlight was a falconry experience at the fantastic Inverlochy Castle Hotel [https://inverlochycastlehotel.com]. Our falconer was the only licensed falconer in the British Isles and he brought four incredible trained birds. A hawk, a bald eagle, and owl and an actual falcon. Falcons are apparently the hardest to train, but a properly trained bird can fetch up to one million pounds because they race in the Middle East for massive purses. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience!
We also did some skeet shooting at Inverlochy. I was great in the practice session, but as soon as the six shot competition started, I folded under the pressure and Shawn was the champion.
Next up for us was another beautiful drive to the west coast of Scotland – did I mention that all the driving is absolutely stunning – to the Isle of Erika Hotel near the village of Oban [https://eriska-hotel.co.uk]. Although this place is a year-round resort, we think https://eriska-hotel.co.uk probably better in the warmer months to take advantage of it’s private island location and great looking golf course.
The sea-side village of Oban however, is quite lovely year-round and its star is the famous Oban distillery. We took a great tour with a private tasting of five different expressions of their famous single malt, including the very rare 21 year old version. The tour guide was really great guy who joined us for the tasting and it quickly felt like we were sitting with a Scotsman at a local pub. For the price, however, if you can find a bottle of the Oban Distillers edition, you should grab it. It’s fantastic!
Our tour of Scotland was quickly coming to an end as we took at two and a half hour drive back to Glasgow. Another drive through the stunning Scottish countryside!
The final Scottish destination was the incomparable Crossbasket Castle. It’s a bit out of town, but a stunningly renovated 17th century castle. This one is really amazing and a great place for special event like a wedding.
We ate a lot of fine meals in Scotland. Each of the hotels/castles we stayed in were part of a group called the ICMI collection [https://icmi.co.uk/index.html] and each has a fine dining restaurant by an apparently famous chef named Albert Roux (the first in the UK to earn one Michelin star, then two and three!). All are very good, with extensive wine lists in a superbly elegant surrounding.
Now it’s off to the coast of Tuscany to meet some great friends from Manhattan Beach!