On Scotland!
Oh yeah, we went to Scotland.
Welcome to the Tuesday UnRecipe post for all subscribers—a behemoth summary of our fall trip to Scotland. Special thanks to Visit Scotland for so many helpful suggestions as we planned out our trip! On Friday, paid subscribers will receive the first in the cookbook chronicles. As always, check out my past posts here and learn more about my day job here. Thanks for reading!
It’s been over a month now since we up and went to Scotland without telling very many people. I’m weird and superstitious about travel—I like to keep trips to myself until right before we leave, hoarding all of my excitement and anxiety inside while I do all of the insane research that I typically do.
This trip was easier and harder to plan for than others we’ve taken for two reasons:
It was centered around our Big Activity, hiking half of the West Highland Way, which nicely determines your itinerary with very little flexibility.
The rest of the time, we only had one or two days in a place and therefore had to choose just a few places to eat, which usually is my sole focus and how I plan entire vacations.
In this recap, instead of waxing poetic about travel as I have in vacation recaps of the past, I’m sharing the highlights, including everything from the hikes to the meals.
West Highland Way
Sometime over the last holiday season, when we were down in the depths of yet another Christmas with COVID, I stumbled upon a route for the West Highland Way, a hiking trail that winds its way through um, the West of Scotland into the Highlands. I became extremely obsessed and printed out a picture of one of the trails for my vision board.
Colin and I enjoy hiking but haven’t yet done any crazy adventure hikes. For some people, the idea of camping outside and carrying your gear on your back feels like the right amount of adventure. For us, hiring someone to deliver our wheelie suitcases to the next hotel and hiking with backpacks felt like a much more relaxing way to spend our days. I’m absolutely not surprised to report that that was the right call and that the idea of carrying gear on my back has become, if anything, wildly less tempting to me after seeing others do it.
This hike was one of the most incredible things we’ve done on a vacation, and I’d recommend it (even a part of it!) to anyone who has an appetite for a walk through a beautiful part of the world.
Here’s how we broke down the trip:
Day One: Milgravie to Drymen (12 miles) Someone told us that this was the “hike to get to the hike,” implying that it would be the most boring stretch of trail we’d encounter. I, for one, thought it was charming to hike out of town, through fields, and into the low hills. Drymen was—unbeknownst to us—the biggest town we’d see in the next four days, and a highlight of our visit there was enjoying a beer with what seemed like most of the local population at The Clachan Inn, which claims to be the oldest *licensed* pub in Scotland.
Day Two: Drymen to Rowardennan (15 miles) This hike kicked our butts and set unrealistic expectations that my Apple Watch will hold me to forever. The view from the top of Conan Hill (which felt more like a peak to my thighs) was incredible, and the forests on the way down were magical. Rowardennan (the place where the road literally ends) was such a beautiful place to spend the night. The best part was snagging an espresso and sugary treat at Bocsa Bean before we set off the next morning.
Day Three: Rowardennan to Inversnaid (7 miles) The shortest day was also the prettiest. Walking alongside Loch Lomond was so beautiful and profound that I felt like I had stepped through a hole in time and space and landed in Narnia. Inversnaid also won the award for best dinner of the hike. Shout out to the amazing folks at Inversnaid Bunkhouse & Top Bunk Bistro—this is a can’t miss if you’re on the trail.
Day Four: Inversnaid to Crainlarich (14 miles) After we hiked past the top of the loch, the scenery changed dramatically (again) and unfurled into landscapes that were so sparse and breathtaking that I almost didn’t want to try to capture them on camera. We finally made it to Crainlarich, where we stayed at the absolutely adorable Inverarden Guest House, which won for best breakfast of the trip. John, who owns the place, was a fabulous and entertaining host, and we’d recommend it highly to anyone else passing through.
Glasglow
Glasglow! So cool, so gritty, so beautiful. We had just one day here, exploring as much as we could from our perch in Kelvingrove, and I knew where we had to eat: Gloriosa, run by Ottelenghi-trained Rosie Healey. This meal was my favorite of the trip and maybe even my favorite of…the year? It was beautiful. The wine list was incredible. The vibes were high. PERFECTION, I tell you. So good I had to permanently borrow a menu to bring home for the menu wall. Sorry!
Honorable mentions to the coffee at Perch & Rest Coffee and the happy hour at Hooligan, too. Such nice people and such good beverages.
Edinburgh
It seems like Edinburgh must look pretty much exactly the way it did in the 1500s. Gorgeously charming and filled with stones in varying shades of grays, it feels like it takes itself more seriously than Glasglow. Here, we proved one of my theories of travel right: find the people who sell good wine and ask them where to eat. The staff at the wonderful Communiqué Wines steered us towards Spry Wines, where we enjoyed a perfect glass of wine and regretted not being hungry enough to order food. They also highly recommended Mirin, where we were delighted with a bright, quirky space and a pleasantly small menu of Scottish Asian fusion fare. Too short of a visit meant that we missed out on too many other options—but that just means we need to go back!
Honorable mention to the midday tea at The Signet Library. A delightful spot to enjoy delicious teas, pastries, and book-gawking. Lannan Bakery also proved to be the perfect antidote to a rainy afternoon, especially when we found Jess Elliot Dennison signing copies of her gorgeous new book there. Best souvenir ever!
St. Andrews/Surrounding Area
We ended our trip in St. Andrews for some rousing golf and a few unexpected but beautiful day trips. St. Andrews itself was absolutely charming, and we loved poking around in the shops, including the best vintage clothing spot of the trip, Pluto of St. Andrews, and I.J. Mellis & Son Cheesemonger, where we happily snacked our way through the shelves. We drove up to Dunkeld to visit ARAN Bakery (some of the best carbs of the trip!), and found ourselves so taken with the town that we returned a few days later to eat lunch at Dunkeld’s and enjoy the views of the river.
Honorable mention goes to the Old Course, where we had a chilly but carb-filled picnic on Sunday, when the course opens to the community.
Phew! That’s the short version, believe it or not. Looking for more local travel recommendations? Check out , where my talented friend Amy writes well-researched travel guides for cities all over the US. See you back here on Friday for cookbook chronicles!
Thanks so much for the shoutout! This trip sounds fantastic - I studied abroad at St. Andrews so Scotland holds a special place in my heart. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about a trip back!