Scotland: Inverness

On May 23, 2026May 23, 2026 By JC ThrashIn Travel

Part Two: Inverness

The train ride to Inverness was absolutely gorgeous. With wonderful views of the central highlands and Cairngorms National Park, the three and a half hours passed by quickly.

When we arrived at Inverness, we changed trains to get to the Inverness airport stop, where our hotel was located. With limited time in the afternoon, we decided to go out to Elgin and Forrest, just east of Inverness, to check out a super old cathedral in Elgin, and dinner and distillery in Forres.

The Elgin Cathedral was super neat (you guessed it – also covered by the Explorer’s Pass, see Edinburgh), but for folks limited to trains and walking, I probably wouldn’t recommend it. It was quite the hike from the train stop, and there wasn’t much else to do within walking distance. If you’re driving by the area en route to the highlands, however, it’s worth the stop.

Forres was a super cute town, though. We had dinner at Mosset Tavern, which was delicious. We shared a cullen sink (creamy fish chowder) and a smoked fish. The walk from the restaurant to the train station was partially along a creak and through a park, which was nice, and there are other strolls in the area that we were interested in, but ran out of time for. Sadly, we also ran out of time for the distillery (Benromach). Next time!

Our train home was cancelled, and unable to find a taxi, we had to wait at the station for an hour for the next train. Definitely a bummer, as we hoped for an early night to start our next day bright and early. By the time the next train arrived, we were the only two aboard. The conductor chatted with us for a bit, with the thickest Scottish accent we’d encountered yet, but he was very chatty and friendly, momentarily easing our frustrations with the travel issues.

On Wednesday morning, we took the train over to Inverness to catch the bus to Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle. We had originally planned to rent a car, and we’re glad we decided not to; the Ember bus was only £2! It’s a nice coach bus, not a city bus, and very comfortable for the 35-minute ride. The ride feature gorgeous views along Loch Ness; definitely snag a lake-side seat if you can!

The bus dropped us off at the car park of the Urquhart Castle – convenient, since folks who drive must book parking in advance, the lot was already full – and we walked down to the castle for free entry with our Explorer’s Pass.

The history of this castle was incredibly interesting: they don’t have record of who lived there in its earliest times, but from year 1200 and on, the castle switched hands between the Scots and English several times (and before that, Picts and perhaps Vikings?). During an uprising when the fort was in English hands, shortly after being under siege, the English deliberately blew it up, sending the message that, If we can’t have it, we definitely don’t want the Scots to have it!

The castle has multiple levels to explore with gorgeous views of Loch Ness from every angle (no Nessie sightings, sadly). The one thing to keep in mind if opting into the bus is that it only runs about every hour. While convenient to have that reliable transport, we just had to be pretty strategic with our timing. For example, I think the perfect amount of time for the castle would have a been a bit over an hour to 90 minutes, but we had either 55 minutes, or a bit over 2 hours. Big difference!

After the castle, we booked an Ember bus back to Drumnadrochit for lunch (Fiddlers Highland Restaurant, good but pricey), and then back to Inverness to explore the town for the afternoon.

The stroll along River Ness was really lovely, enjoying the parks, gardens, water and architecture during our walk. After a bit under a mile, we reached the Ness Islands, a small island park in the midst of the river. On the other side is the botanical gardens (closed by that point) which we walked along on the way back to the city center.

Several different people (and travel books) recommend Inverness as a home base, but not necessarily a city to spend much time in, but we really enjoyed it. The city boasts several walking areas and parks, and has a lot of natural beauty to offer. In addition to the Ness Islands, we also took the city bus to the northern edge of the city, along the Beauly Firth, the Merkinch Local Nature Reserve. Folks can often spot dolphins from this area (sadly, we did not) but the water stroll was really nice, with beautiful views of snow-capped Ben Wyvis in the distance.

Once we rounded back on the path from the waterfront, we headed up the hill of Craig Phadrig. It was a steep but really lovely hike through a pine forest, with the occassional views of the firth, Ben Wyvis, and Inverness as we continued to climb. Lots of locals go here to walk their dogs. It is a bit confusing as there is no signage on the trails, but we managed to find the top with some advice from one of the local dog-moms.

At the top is the site of an ancient Pictish fort. Now, it’s just a field of grass at the peak, but not long ago, a large tree fell uprooting pieces of the land, revealing remains of a fort wall. Excavation in 1971 determined that: the fort was likely built around 500BC; the ramparts were thought to have stood eight meters tall. According to legend, this is were St. Columba came to meet Pictish King Brude with the mission of converting the Picts to Christianity.

For dinner, we went to the Mustard Seed, which came highly recommended and had won awards. It was mediocre at best, and I much enjoyed the other pubs and taverns we popped into throughout our stay:

Innis Bar – we came here for lunch for soup and shared a toastie. The service was friendly and food decent.
MacGregor’s – we didn’t eat here (just happened in prior to their kitchen opening), but we enjoyed a half pint and a dram
Glenalbyn – we popped into here for a quick pint before dinner. The mood was light with a decent beer selection
Urquhart’s Restaurant – came here for dinner for my last steak and ale pie – it was pretty tasty. We barely squeaked in, though; definitely a place where reservations are needed
Castle Tavern – probably gets touristy during more peak times, but it was a really nice spot for a pint and to relax for a while.

Things we didn’t get to:

When we initially had a car rental, we planned to do a hike in addition to exploring Loch Ness. Since we found such convenient (and CHEAP) public transit to Loch Ness, we opted out of the car. This was the right decision for Loch Ness, the bus was absolutely the right choice, but without a car, we were limited on our hiking options. Based on my research, particularly using Walk Highlands, I had identified two hikes:

Ben Wyvis, one of the largest Munros in proximity to Inverness. My thought here, concerning driving, was that it wouldn’t be too long or scary of a drive. The hike is long though, and challenging, but there is also Little Wyvis if its bigger sister’s 8 miles is too intense. Both have expansive highland views.

Thus, if I could do the trip again, I would have passed on the afternoon in Elgin and Forres, and instead taken the ember bus to Loch Ness on the day we arrived from Edinburgh. We got to Inverness around 1pm, which would have been sufficient time to explore the castle and enjoy the loch views. That would have left our next full day to pick up a rental car and pick one or two hikes that are inaccessible via public transit, like Ben Wyvis or Little Wyvis.

Alternatively, we could have remained scared of the rental car and taken the train back down to Aviemore (we had passed the town on the way north from Edinburgh). I think we hesitated on this due to Aviemore being such a tourist trap town, but there are several hikes accessible from the town center, like Craigellachie. It seems that most visitors probably go into Cairngorms National Park, so perhaps the more moderately challenging Craigellachie hike wouldn’t have been too busy, and boasts excellent views of the national park from the summit.

Lastly, you may be wondering — a trip to the highlands, but no Isle of Skye? We discussed it, but ultimately decided it we’d rather explore less crowded/touristy areas. It’s also such a hike out of the way, five hours from Edinburgh and three from Inverness. We looked into a bunch of tour companies, too, but they were all 10-12-hour marathons, quick tourist-grabs to take some selfies at all the top spots, but no time to actually explore. Next time, we’ll reserve a few days and actually commit to spending some time out there, rather than just a day trip.

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Inverness Lez-Travel rating:

Inverness was an interesting place. I never felt unsafe, but there were some surprised looks upon folks realizing we were together. One bartender asked if we were sisters, and we responded that we were married, and he didn’t bother to try and suppress his shock at the news “Oooooooh. Oh. …Really!? Okay! Uh. Great!” (it was awkward).

Scotland: Edinburgh

On May 21, 2026May 21, 2026 By JC ThrashIn Travel

Day One: Jetlag & Reunions

I can’t remember a time when Scotland wasn’t on the top of my list; I have always wanted to go. Even when studying abroad in London, I never made it up to Edinburgh; I was too poor to afford the cross-island train ride.

But now, it’s finally happened. The long-awaited Scottish voyage.

We flew into Edinburgh (via Philadelphia) and landed around 7:00am. We took a cab to the hotel; it was pretty pricey, but worth it for us, with our bags. There are direct coaches and trams that go to the city centre, but for our hotel location (near Holyrood palace), it would have been a pain. Our cab drive circled the Edinburgh Castle on three sides, and it’s absolutely breathtaking — the pictures do not do it justice, the way it sits up atop a cliff ominously surveying the city from above.

When we arrived at the hotel, our room wasn’t ready just yet. They guided us to the gym and spa area in the basement, which featured some changing rooms. After freshening up, we stored our luggage and headed back out.

Holyrood Park is just by our hotel, and it was a nice, relatively warm day, so we headed that way first. We didn’t have our premier gear, so we held off on the big hike up to Arthur’s Seat and instead traversed the park straight through the middle, which avoided most hills but was still beautiful.

Once through the park, we walked for a while along the perimeter; at the northwest side of the park, we crossed the street and headed towards a pub, the Holyrood 9A. The bartender boasted excellent burgers, but we weren’t quite ready for a full meal and just had two half-pints to sample some of the local beers.

From there, we headed up to the city centre and walked through the Old Town (specifically the Royal Mile), which was touristy and crowded, but lovely to see the old architecture. We listened to a young bagpiper for a moment and then proceeded up the Royal mile to the Museum of Scotland, where we planned to meet our friend.

Two of our closest friends from when we lived in Boston just moved to France (perks of a dual citizenship!). We have not seen them since they moved out there, and were ecstatic when they asked about meeting us in Edinburgh! Their flight landed at 12:30pm, and they planned to meet us at the museum. It was a lovely reunion!

Suddenly hungry, tired, bodies confused and jetlag setting in, we left the museum after exploring just one floor and headed to find a pub for a snack. (Note: the Museum of Scotland is highly rated and FREE. Our plan was to come back on an inclement weather day, but, oh darn, we didn’t have any of those!)

We also popped in to St. Giles Cathedral. Don’t crumble under the pressure to donate (like I did); or, if you spent a long time in there and appreciate the experience, donate on your way out. We thought the cathedral was just fine – but certainly worth popping in if you’re walking by it on the Royal Mile. They ask for a requested donation amount — but it is not required and the cathedral is in fact free to enter.

Our friend had made an early dinner reservation for 5pm, so after our Royal Mile explorations, we headed to The World’s End, a pub at the start of the Old Town. My wife ordered the fish and chips and I got the steak and ale pie, which was delicious.

The jetlagged ladies (our French friends were only one hour off, so this just references my wife and me!) headed to bed just after dinner in the hopes of catching up on lost sleep. (And indeed, I slept for 11 hours).

Day 2: Arthur’s Seat

Day 2 brought us back to Holyrood park; this time, to climb Arthur’s Seat, the tallest peak in the park (and in and around Edinburg). A 300-million-year extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat brags a climb up to a naked rock cliff which 360-degree breathtaking views of the city.

We chose Arthur’s Seat for day 2 because it was projected to be the warmest, sunniest day. Not that we minded a hike in less-than-perfect weather, but we wanted the clear skies to maximize our views! In retrospect, everyone else had the same idea, so it was massively crowded. The hike isn’t very long, with an elevation gain of around 250 meters; translation: there is just not a lot of space to spread out. Next time, I’ll take the road less traveled by – which is a grueling hike up a manmade rock stairway, which seemed very lightly traveled when we had walked by the day prior. Once you climb the stair, you arrive to an open grassy area with a less populated, slightly lower peak to enjoy before deciding whether the climb the crowded main peak or move on.

As we neared the top, the path narrows into stairs that struggle to accommodate two-way traffic. My friends and I watched a family with a young children climb up an incredibly steep incline on a grassy slope that few were braving; “if that child can do it, then we can!” my friend said, to which I replied, “she is much lower the ground!!” We headed up that route nonetheless, and it was worth avoiding the crowds (for the time). The views at the top were amazing, but honestly? Not worth the crowds, as the views at the lower peak were also incredible, and you didn’t have to fight for space.

On our way back down on the southern edge of the park, we continued on south around the loch and a woodsy staircase to reach Sheep Heid Inn, one of the oldest pubs in Edinburgh. We shared some snacks while enjoying half-pints; the food was good and the service very friendly.

Since we had already hiked a ways, we decided to continue the trend and stroll onward to Craigmillar Castle.

It was a long walk, starting off on a narrow sidewalk on a narrow road – not super pleasant – but when we reached the Craigmillar neighborhood, we shifted to a shaded path a bit off the road that goes directly to the castle. As happens in Scotland, the skies opened up out of nowhere and rain began to shower on us; it was coming down rather hard, and we were only moderately prepared, so we reached the castle a bit cold and damp. Fortunately, the rain stopped and skies cleared for our castle exploration.

Craigmillar Castle, although admittedly off the beaten path of Edinburgh, was super neat. It was not particularly crowded (and we entered with our Explorer’s Pass*), and super fun to explore.

It was a big day with a significant number of steps, and we earned our dinner – Indian, at Dishoom. It’s a local chain with a few locations in London and across England, I believe, but well worth it – some of the best Indian food I’ve had.

Day 3: Day Trip!

For our daytrip, we boarded the train for a few stops up to Linlithgow. Our hope was to bike along the canal path, but finding places to rent bikes were limited, and mostly outside the town center. Instead, we strolled up to Linlithgow Palace (also included in the Explorer’s Pass). Like Craigmillar, Linlithgow is castle ruins, but a good deal larger than Craigmillar. You can use an audio guide (downloaded to your phone) which is included in admission, but lord, the narrator talked SO SLOWLY we couldn’t stomach it and instead relied on the signs to learn about the castle.

On the castle grounds is a beautiful view of the loch, which you can also enjoy from the various towers you are able to climb. Stairs throughout the palace take you to various levels and sublevels, and even after all the time we spent there, I’m certain I missed something.

For the afternoon, our friends headed off to a farm to look at some highland cows (“Hairy coos!”) while my wife and I hopped the train up to Stirling Castle (ALSO included in our Explorer’s Pass! We’re all about getting our money’s worth, and then some!) Stirling Castle – not ruins like the others – was massive; some of the castle is still in use, but you’re able to walk the grounds, ramparts (my favorite part), and view some palace rooms that are staged appropriate for the time. The walk up to the castle from the train station is not for the faint of heart, but the views were worth it.

On our return from Edinburgh, we took our bartender from day for his word and returned to Holyrood 9A. It’s a cozy spot, and the burger was quite good, indeed! We also tried haggis for the first time. It was tasty, but also breaded and deep-fried; is that cheating?

Day Four: Botanical Gardens & Water of Leith

Our perfect weather couldn’t last forever, and Sunday morning was CHILLY. Leaving the hotel in the morning, we decided to start at the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens; too far to walk and too inconvenient for public transit, we treated ourselves to a cab.

Despite the cold, the botanical gardens were absolutely gorgeous. Beautifully manicured, with much already in bloom, we spent two hours there are still only captured a fraction of the area.

Following the gardens, we stopped at a pub – The Stockbridge Tap – for a pint and some Scottish eggs before heading to the Sunday Stockbridge Market. Our friends explored some of the man antique and thrift stores while my wife and I feasted on some meat pastries at the market.

From Stockbridge Market, we strolled over to the Water of Leith walkway, following the river path up to Dean Village, an adorable neighborhood nestled around the river.

For dinner, we went to the Salisbury Arms in the southern part of Edinburgh for a traditional British Sunday Roast, which was delicious — a meal I could not have afforded when I was studying abroad in college! The portions were huge, so my wife and I shared one, which was plenty. We took the long walk home around the Holyrood Park to digest, wrapping up our day with a game of Spades in the lounge.

Day Five: all alone

… well, not really. Just that our French friends had to depart Edinburgh! My wife and I took the opportunity to bop around the city to capture all that we had missed in the previous four days. We started by hiking up to Calton Hill, which (and I know I’ve said this a few times) offered beautiful views of the city. From there, we braved Edinburgh Castle, despite fearing the crowds, besides it’s covered in the Explorer’s Pass! The grounds were indeed so crowded that we didn’t stick around for long (queue to get in, then queue to see each individual part of the castle), but it was neat to see, and worthwhile only because we had “free” entry with our explorer’s pass.

From our exit from the castle, we passed through the fancy area of Grassmarket. We popped in Cloisters Bar, which featured some specials, and shared fish and chips. The food was just fine, but the beer selection was vast and unique. The bartender allowed us to try a few options before making our selections, and we enjoyed some beers we hadn’t seen before, particularly cask pours that were smooth and flavorful – yum!

After our lunchtime snack, we moved into the Meadows – a large urban park alongside University of Edinburgh. The cherry blossoms were in bloom and lined most of the park paths on either side for a striking stroll. We walked the length of the park, ending at Dagda Bar, which was fine at best – honestly, it seemed a bit run down and the bartender sat at his laptop behind the bar giving zero shits about the job or his customers.

Our casual day somehow turned into the most walking we had done over the long weekend, even our Arthur’s Seat hiking day! Granted, we pretty much walked the extent of the city, starting with the climb up Calton Hill, but when we got back to our hotel, we crashed hard after packing up our bags.

On Day 6, we take a train to Inverness, which I’ll cover in my next post!

Notes:

What they don’t tell you about Edinburgh: THE HILLS. Yes, I knew Edinburgh was hilly. I did not know that it was a 3-dimensional city, like a real-life Minas Tirith. Everywhere you go involves streets with steep inclines and alleys with a massive staircase. So. Many. Stairs. A 5 minute walk alone can be a significant workout, and will always take you longer than you expect.

Explorer’s Pass: I didn’t know this was a thing until we arrived in Scotland, but it was well worth its value. The pass gives you free entry into many historical sites of Scotland, including most castles and cathedrals in the greater Edinburgh area, most notably, Edinburgh Castle and Stirling Castle. We also used it for: Linlithgow Palace, Craigmillar Castle, Uruqhart Castle, and Elgin Cathedral.

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