Scotland 2016

A tourist trip to Edinburgh, Inverness, the west, and Glasgow

  1. Scotland driving trip
    Scotland driving trip
  2. Edinburgh

  3. Ken and me in our British Airways seats. A little better than the Cathay coffins. https://t.co/5F2L4IMhY2
    Ken and me in our British Airways seats. A little better than the Cathay coffins. pic.twitter.com/5F2L4IMhY2
  4. Arrived in Edinburgh; our two week vacation in Scotland begins! Well today's a bit of a jet lag mulligan, already nearly 5pm. Gastropub?
  5. Less than six hours in Scotland before my first haggis.
  6. Edinburgh tourism: Grayfriar's Kirk (with Bobby), Casterly Rock, Whore of Babylon. pic.twitter.com/YNwO69TeFT
  7. Stockbridge, a pleasant little neighborhood in Edinburgh. Two cheesemongers, five fancy coffeeshops, a butcher. pic.twitter.com/pctcjPGxx5
  8. One more charming Stockbridge, Edinburgh photo. https://t.co/b1jtP6OnbE
    One more charming Stockbridge, Edinburgh photo. pic.twitter.com/b1jtP6OnbE
  9. Edinburgh: Prestonfield House, Scottish National Museum, Scott monument. pic.twitter.com/FW228ostBI
  10. Edinburgh: various art, most from the Scottish National Gallery pic.twitter.com/ZTOsarwYnM
  11. Having a pint at The Raeburn, a comfortable pub in Edinburgh. Reading The Economist about Trump and racism in the US. Feeling far from home.
  12. Dining in Edinburgh is good, love the gastropub trend. Best meal of the trip so far at Tom Kitchin's Scran & Scallie  http://scranandscallie.com/ 
  13. The fancy water we keep finding is Speyside Glenlivet, a name which is 2 kinds of whisky mashed together. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. https://t.co/pltgyD6r1S
    The fancy water we keep finding is Speyside Glenlivet, a name which is 2 kinds of whisky mashed together. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. pic.twitter.com/pltgyD6r1S
  14. Sad to be leaving Edinburgh, lovely city. Nice stay at the Nira Caledonia, a townhouse hotel in Stockbridge. Next stop Inverness. Keep left!
  15. Driving adventure in Edinburgh thanks to Google Maps literally having wrong streets in the middle of a major European city. Keep left!
  16. Inverness

  17. Arrived safe at Inverness via various tiny roads. Quickly becoming a fan of pub culture. https://t.co/wHZyujTQfd
    Arrived safe at Inverness via various tiny roads. Quickly becoming a fan of pub culture. pic.twitter.com/wHZyujTQfd
  18. Some photos from our lunch stop in Dunkeld, site of a 1689 battle between Cameronians and Jacobites. pic.twitter.com/WgWJMVOiIZ
  19. Fine French dining in Inverness, followed by a soak in our hot tub while finishing a bottle of whisky.
  20. Cheers from Sunny Scotland and its massacre of the Jacobin uprising of 1745, at Cullodin / Cuil Lodair. https://t.co/SRe8P06hJ7
    Cheers from Sunny Scotland and its massacre of the Jacobin uprising of 1745, at Cullodin / Cuil Lodair. pic.twitter.com/SRe8P06hJ7
  21. Whisky success at Benromach, a small Speyside distillery. Lovely tour and of course nice whisky. (No photos 😢 )  http://www.benromach.com/ 
  22. An amazing cèilidh pub in Inverness; like a jazz club with drop-ins, but Scottish folk music https://t.co/9PH7of0Nc6 https://t.co/JpkpP2lj5a
    An amazing cèilidh pub in Inverness; like a jazz club with drop-ins, but Scottish folk music  http://www.hootanannyinverness.co.uk  pic.twitter.com/JpkpP2lj5a
  23. Isle of Skye

  24. Planning another tourist day; take a boat on Loch Ness, tour a castle, visit the Caledonian Canal lock system, or tour a different castle?
  25. This tweet via Facebook led to a meeting with Barry C, an old Media Lab chum, currently cycling across Scotland. Social media at its best.
  26. Remarkable scenery in Glen Shiel on the drive from Loch Ness to the Isle of Skye. pic.twitter.com/IoLdYumq8x
  27. View from our room at the Kinloch Lodge, on the south side of the Isle of Skye. https://t.co/fO5BsCzYuP
    View from our room at the Kinloch Lodge, on the south side of the Isle of Skye. pic.twitter.com/fO5BsCzYuP
  28. Today's plan: traipsing around the Isle of Skye. Main activity is looking at rocks in pleasing configurations.
  29. Reading about turf, peat, moors, mires, bogs, and fens. Water + plants grow coal-like fuel, also smeltable iron.
  30. Rocks in pleasing configurations n there Isle of Skye. pic.twitter.com/Nx3R93bLUx
  31. Really great museum and gardens for Clan Donald in Armadale, Skye. Finally staring to understand Scottish history. pic.twitter.com/CaSmiRUQ5U
  32. Pondering the purpose of toast cooling racks.
  33. GPRS is Scottish for "our cell service sucks in the countryside"
  34. Fort William

  35. A few more photos of the hotel and its lands. Sadly, the Baron Abinger is no longer in residence. pic.twitter.com/tUlXNIPfG3
  36. Jefferson Davis stayed here in 1869! Which is a bit awkward as American celebrities go, but some similarity to Bonnie Prince Charlie.
  37. Some snaps at Eilean Donan. Our hotel is a nicer castle TBH. pic.twitter.com/Imcmw0ltAH
  38. About to take the Hogwart's Express, the muggle version from Ft Williams to Mallaig. Still has a magic steam engine.  http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/jacobite/jacobite-steam-train-details.cfm 
  39. More photos from yesterday's steam train excursion. pic.twitter.com/zrN8QqbaPV
  40. Isle of Eriska

  41. I respect the preservation of Scots Gaelic, but they sure do print a lot of signs in a language almost no one speaks https://t.co/ADarMbJMg3
    I respect the preservation of Scots Gaelic, but they sure do print a lot of signs in a language almost no one speaks pic.twitter.com/ADarMbJMg3
  42. Best hotel / restaurant of the trip so far: Isle of Eriska. Great food! Even has its own crannog. (Not my photo) https://t.co/JLBFCpJRDt
    Best hotel / restaurant of the trip so far: Isle of Eriska. Great food! Even has its own crannog. (Not my photo) pic.twitter.com/JLBFCpJRDt
  43. I can't be sure if this cheese we like is named Sticky Bishop or Stinky Bishop and I kind of like the ambiguity.
  44. Visited the Bonawe Iron Furnace, 18th century pig iron smelter fueled by charcoal. Seemed tiny! pic.twitter.com/wpHQRgU97g
  45. Also visited the Cruachan power station, a reversible hydro plant. They pump water up when power is cheap, generate for high spot demand.
  46. Loch Lomond and Glasgow

  47. Cameron House, near Glasgow. After 8 days in the hinterlands it's nice to be back in civilization. Also appreciate relaxing, not much To Do.
  48. The magazines in my Loch Lomond hotel are Town & Country, Scottish Field, and something with a feature on Brian Blessed.
  49. Somewhere between Maxwell Park and Kelvingrove. Glasgow, city of physicists.
  50. Ashton Lane, pretty much cute bar central. A bit subdued at 2pm. pic.twitter.com/RvjCYXhIUb
  51. Understanding Mackintosh as a form of modern design that is not minimalist straight lines, more humanist # https://t.co/BYSOtDcVN5
    Understanding Mackintosh as a form of modern design that is not minimalist straight lines, more humanist # pic.twitter.com/BYSOtDcVN5
  52. One of my favorites at the Mackintosh House is this bedroom piece by Margaret Mackintosh. Unabashedly feminine. https://t.co/UPoWE7HJAU
    One of my favorites at the Mackintosh House is this bedroom piece by Margaret Mackintosh. Unabashedly feminine. pic.twitter.com/UPoWE7HJAU
  53. Last day in Scotland, a few more Glasgow photos. pic.twitter.com/2wrEUWuGzO
  54. btw Scotland is great and you should totally make plans to visit. Nice mix of cities and countryside. Friendly people, good food.
  55. Also you guys haggis is really good and not creepy or funny at all. Think of it as somewhere between spicy sausage and corned beef hash.
  56. Map link of our route