DETAILED ITINERARY FOR SCOTLAND

Scotland’s Geography

Before you go, you should know that Scotland consists of four primary regions. The Central Lowlands, or Midland Valley, is where most of the population resides due to the flatter terrain and central location. Primary cities are Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland perched on the Firth of Forth on the eastern coast, and Glasgow, near the mouth of the Clyde River to the west. Loch Lomond to the west and St Andrews on the east coast are well-known landmarks in this region. The Highlands are a mountainous region to the north, known for rugged landscapes and lots of lochs. The primary city is Inverness, regional capital of the Highlands. To the north of the Highlands are the Islands, or Northern Isles, windswept archipelagos that include the Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland. Furthest south in Scotland are the Southern Uplands, a hilly swath that borders England and is Scotland’s least populated region.

What to See in Edinburgh

We spent a sunny three days in Edinburgh, followed by an overcast day in Glasgow, and were able to visit most of the significant sights in that brief time.

The Edinburgh Castle compound contains dozens of fascinating rooms along with several very good museums. And while the onsite signage and castle map are great tools, the audio tour adds a significant dimension. St Margaret’s Chapel is an exquisite, intimate space with several lovely stained glass windows. The Royal Palace and Great Hall are must-sees as well, rich in history and crown jewels. Remembering that the castle was also a military garrison and fortress accounts for the excellent War Museum, which covers multiple conflicts including both World Wars, and the Mons Meg and One-O’clock Gun on the ramparts. Even the short walk through the old prison is interesting. Gail’s Advice: Buy the two-hour audio tour! You can even reserve it online before you travel, which I did, and then pay for it when you collect your headset at the castle. Then take your time at the castle and soak up the history!

What we enjoyed most on Calton Hill were the panoramic views of Edinburgh, especially the Firth of Forth to the north and Holyrood Palace, the Salisbury Crags, and Arthur’s Seat to the southeast. Our favorite monuments on the hill were the unique Admiral Horatio Nelson Memorial, the small circular temple that is the neoclassical Dugald Stewart Monument, and the unfinished, open-air Scottish National Monument. Gail’s Advice: Take a cab up Calton Terrace to the top of the hill, then walk down the broad stairs to Waterloo Place upon leaving. We did this, and thus had the energy to explore the hilltop thoroughly!

We also loved wandering through Old Town, including Grassmarket and Victoria Street, down the Royal Mile (High Street) to St Giles Cathedral and the Sir Walter Scott Memorial, over the North Bridge to Princes Street and pretty St Andrew Square in New Town, and along the Princes Street Gardens. Edinburgh is a perfect wandering city. Just be sure to look both ways before stepping off a curb, as the intrepid Scots drive on the opposite side of the road from most of the world.

Regretfully leaving Edinburgh behind, we boarded a spotless train at Waverley Station that deposited us in the heart of Glasgow within an hour. Gail’s Advice: Pay the nominal upcharge for a first class ticket and a spacious car with clear, open views and plenty of luggage space. 

What to See in Glasgow 

Our hotel, the Millennium, was on George Square, a lovely green space with monuments and park benches surrounded by civic buildings, restaurants, and shops. Opened in 1855, the Millennium is the only remaining Georgian building on the square, and we liked it for its location, high ceilings, spacious rooms, and tall windows with views of monuments to author Sir Walter Scott, inventor James Watt, and poet Robert Burns.

Not to be missed, Glasgow Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow. The first stone church was dedicated on this site in 1136, with most of the present cathedral built in the 1200s. It is the only medieval cathedral, along with St Magnus in Orkney, to have survived the fervent Scottish Reformation virtually intact. Glasgow Cathedral is dedicated to St Mungo, also known as St Kentigern, a beloved Bishop of Glasgow in early medieval times. He is credited with erecting a small church on what would eventually become the site of the cathedral, and was buried here in 612. 

Historical Note: The Middle Ages or medieval period lasted a millennium, roughly from the 400s to the late 1400s, beginning with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ending with the dawn of the Renaissance or Age of Enlightenment.

Glasgow Cathedral’s stained glass windows range from Flemish roundels created in the 1500s to an impressive collection of stained glass created in the 1950s to the modern blue Millennium Window of 1999. Occupying the hill behind the cathedral and affording expansive city views, the Necropolis was opened in 1833 to accommodate local leaders and common citizens, who are buried here amid elegant sculptures and monuments. 

The treasure of the Hunterian Art Gallery at the handsome University of Glasgow is the stunning Mackintosh House. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was a Glasgow-born architect, designer, and artist and his wife, Margaret Macdonald Macintosh (1864-1933), was a gifted artist and designer in her own right. Their home displays innumerable creations in their distinctive, often whimsical styles, including furniture, fireplaces, flatware, lighting, and accessories, all beautifully presented.

Cabs are clean, friendly, and inexpensive in Scotland (unlike in Oslo, Norway). After touring the Mackintosh House, we hailed a taxi whose gregarious and well-informed cabbie happily agreed to show us the sights around the River Clyde in an unforgettable tour. 

On the River Clyde, an iconic symbol of Glasgow Harbor is the Finnieston Crane, which loaded Scottish-engineered steam locomotives onto ships for delivery around the world. James Watt (1736-1819) was a Scottish inventor whose steam engine contributed substantially to the Industrial Revolution, which transformed Great Britain between 1760 and 1840.

On either side of the river, two red brick roundhouses featured lifts that enabled horses and carriages to descend to the Harbor Tunnel, which opened in 1895 and closed in 1943 after the bridge above it was constructed. Pedestrian access to the tunnel remained open until 1980.

After exploring Edinburgh and Glasgow on our own, we boarded our small cruise ship of the French Ponant fleet, with its perfect 100 cabins, for four inspiring and educational days sailing around the Highlands, Inner Hebrides, and Northern Isles. 

PLEASE READ THE ITINERARY BELOW FOR THE REST OF THIS MEMORABLE TRIP!

Photo above: Monument to the Royal Scots Dragoons on Princes Street, with Old Town Edinburgh in the background.

This part of the itinerary encompasses the Highlands and Northern Isles regions of Scotland. After boarding our small cruise ship in the port of Greenock near Glasgow, we enjoyed four inspiring and educational days sailing around the Scottish Highlands, Inner Hebrides, and Northern Isles. 

What to See in Fort William

The Highlands of northern Scotland are composed of ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian periods, uplifted during the later mountain-building period known as the Caledonian Orogeny (alas, perhaps not as exciting as it may sound). Inverness is the capital of the Highlands and lies on the eastern coast, while Fort William lies on the western coast at the head of Loch Linnhe and the foot of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Great Britain at 4,411 feet. Today, the two coasts are connected efficiently by a modernized Caledonian Canal. Constructed between 1803 and 1822, Neptune’s Staircase is a series of eight locks that raise the western end of the canal by 62 feet over a quarter of a mile. The locks enable sailboats, houseboats, and other small craft to transit between Scotland’s east and west coasts without having to navigate the sometimes treacherous Hebrides and North Sea. 

Nearby Glenfinnan is significant as the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie (Stuart) rallied the Scottish clans in 1745 to ignite the Jacobite Rebellion. Thus began the Prince’s effort to restore the Stuart monarchy by returning his father, James Francis Stuart (James VII), to the throne of England. The Glenfinnan Monument was erected in 1815 on the shore of Loch Shiel in memory of the clansmen killed during that unsuccessful endeavor. Loch Shiel itself is cold, crystal clear, and 17 miles long with rugged hills rising on both sides. Standing on its shore, you would never doubt that you’re in Scotland. 

Another jewel of the Highlands is the Eilean Donan Castle, built in the 1200s and named for a 6th Century Irish saint. It sits on a promontory overlooking three sea lochs, or tidal lakes, which create a natural moat. Today the castle offers tours and an interesting historical museum. Scotland is dotted with castles, and Donan is a fine example.

Geological Note: Before the supercontinent Pangaea began breaking apart 200 million years ago due to continental plate tectonics and volcanic activity, the Scottish Highlands and the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States were a single, connected region.

What to See on the Isle of Skye

Enormous skies and creeping tides are just two of the memorable features of the Isle of Skye, which is connected to mainland Scotland by a modern bridge. The dramatic terrain of Skye was carved by ancient volcanic and glacial actions. From surprising 3,000-foot peaks and large lochs to tiny fishing villages, Skye is an eyeful. Skye’s largest town, Portree, is also its capital. Situated on the shores of Loch Portree, the bustling fishing village delights with quaint buildings, artful views, and welcoming pubs and restaurants. Gail’s Advice:  Have a pint and rest your feet at the Isles Inn, a busy but comfortable pub just off the town square. 

What to See in Orkney 

Sometimes called the Orkney Islands or the Orkneys, Orkney is an archipelago off the northeast coast of mainland Scotland. Not to confuse, the largest Orkney Island is called Mainland and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its rich concentration of archeological treasures defined as The Heart of Neolithic Orkney. Its largest town, Kirkwall, was settled by Vikings, and its outstanding cathedral was erected in the 1100s to honor St Magnus after his canonization. St Magnus Cathedral was changed and expanded over the next 300 years, and its interior is rich in medieval décor and Viking and Scottish artifacts and is well worth seeing. Originally Roman Catholic, the handsome cathedral was carefully preserved during the Scottish Reformation of 1560, as was Glasgow Cathedral.

One of many notables to find rest in the cathedral was John Rae (1813-1893). A Scottish surgeon with a case of wanderlust, Rae crossed the North Atlantic to explore northern Canada and the Northwest Passage, as well as the waters near Hudson Bay and the Arctic coast near Victoria Island. The carved stone cover of his crypt depicts the adventurous Scot reposing in his arctic wear with a book and a rifle by his side. The only more unusual crypt I’ve seen in my travels is in Arles, Provence, France where a crypt cover appears slightly raised on one end, allowing a delicate carved spirit to escape to the heavens.

In the Neolithic period (7000 to 1700 BC), tribes settled into communities and began to farm the land. Skara Brae is one of the best-preserved Neolithic settlements in Europe, its underground seaside dwellings constructed around 3000 BC. Trenches connected family dwellings, each with a door that could be secured for privacy. Even prehistoric furniture was preserved at Skara Brae, which was buried for millennia in a sand dune and finally unearthed by a storm in 1850. 

The Ring of Brodgar is an enormous ceremonial site on Orkney that includes 36 stones of the original circle of 60, plus a dozen prehistoric burial mounds. Erected between 2500 and 2000 BC, the circle is 340 feet in diameter, the length of a football field. Nearby, the Stones of Stenness originally consisted of 12 stones towering 20 feet high, with four still standing today, in a circle 100 feet in diameter. This site dates to 3100 BC, and may be the earliest henge or circle monument in the British Isles.

What to See in Shetland 

On our final day in Scotland, our small ship docked in Shetland’s capital city, Lerwick, with its fine natural harbor. The town was founded in the 17th Century as a herring and white fish seaport to trade with the Dutch fishing fleet. The small Old Town is built on the harbor and includes Fort Charlotte, first constructed by Oliver Cromwell, later burned, and restored by King George III. 

Similar to Orkney, Shetland is a remote archipelago roughly 100 miles off the northeast tip of Scotland and just 90 miles from Norway. Only 15 of its 100 islands are inhabited. The Shetlands have been designated a Global Geopark by UNESCO for their geologically diverse landscapes and seascapes carved by prehistoric ice. Today, more than half of Shetland is blanketed by peat bogs, which have a remote beauty not unlike the English moors. Peat was a primary source of heating and cooking fuel for Shetlanders until the 1980s, when bog preservation became a regional interest.

Shetland’s Neolithic roots are evident in numerous archaeological sites, including extensive earthworks at Jarlshof. For nearly 4,000 years various clans constructed dwellings on this historic site. The earliest began in 3300 BC at the dawn of the Bronze Age. The Iron Age (1200 to 600 BC) saw more construction, including an enormous stone tower called a broche, whose circular foundation is all that remains. During the Viking Age, from 800 BC to 1050 AD, Norse longhouses were built on the site. Numerous dwellings from all three eras were buried in sand and preserved for centuries until storms uncovered them in the 1890s. As in Orkney, excavation is ongoing, and you can’t see a mound or grassy dune without wondering what history lies beneath. 

Scotland is worth visiting for so many reasons. I hope the highlights above will inspire you to explore, either by reading or visiting!

Photo above: Detail of a crypt in St Magnus Cathedral, village of Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland