- Few months ago,
I've done one of the most standing trips in the land
where many films took place.
Various authors were inspired to write,
but also several clans battles happened.
Welcome to the breathtaking Highlands in Scotland.
(upbeat music)
Hey guys, welcome back to the channel.
If you're new here, my name is Alejandro.
I'm an engineer based in the UK
and on this channel we explore
the engine that help us live a more purposeful life.
So our trip was in October when we were allowed to travel.
We flew to Scotland and then started the road trip.
We visited mainly five areas.
I wanna save your time so I'm leaving timestamps below.
Feel free to skip and watch the one you actually care.
But before starting,
I need to offer my apologies to the Scottish people watching
as many of the places I'll pronounce during the video
might not be in line with the Gaelic pronunciation.
Inverness.
Our first segment was London Heathrow to Inverness,
one hour 45 minutes.
And we came back the same way, one hour 35 minutes
with British Airways.
We arrived at Inverness airport around 10:35 a.m.
It was way too early for check-in
so we dropped our suitcases at the hotel,
literally a two minute walk from the airport.
This was our base for the first four nights.
After that, we took a taxi to fetch our car
at the rental car company.
This was only 15 minutes away.
Why didn't we pick it up from the airport?
Well, it turned out to be hundred pounds cheaper
from the city and the taxi was 23 pounds,
so it was a winning deal.
We got our car by midday
and we were ready to start the road trip.
It was raining a lot.
In fact, it was non-stop rain for 80% of the trip.
Our first stop in the Highlands was 18 miles away
30 minutes drive, Urquhart Castle,
a 500 year old castle literally by the Loch Ness.
We thought it was a castle
that we could take few photos on the way and leave
but the entrance was nine pounds per person
with free parking.
You know, can't complain too much
if we didn't do our homework properly, can we?
The castle was located in an incredible green area
and it was absolutely beautiful
regardless the miserable weather.
The next thing for us was to drive 23 miles or 40 minutes
to have lunch at village called Dores.
We had a little walk along the Loch Ness beach
and then had some tasty lunch in local pub.
Okay, fine.
Ready for the next top.
We drove 37 miles or 50 minutes to a town called Aviemore.
Apparently there was a stone circle worth seeing.
Unfortunately, it was not super exciting
as it was only a bunch of stones
on the side of a residential estate.
To see stones, honestly, you better visit Stonehenge.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there was some history there
but such a long drive only for that,
I personally think it's not worth.
We saw the city center and train station
which was like traveling back 100 years.
Indeed worth visiting that train station
if you're not too far away.
We didn't have enough time
to squeeze in the national park, unfortunately.
It was dark and quite cold already.
So time to go back to the hotel
around 36 miles or 45 minutes drive
to finally check in, have dinner and get some rest.
That was an intense first day.
The following day, we had breakfast
and headed to the next place.
Let's talk about Glenfinnan.
This was 88 miles or two hours 15 minutes drive.
We are right at the Glenfinnan viaduct,
a location that became famous
mainly because of the Harry Potter films.
This was a 21 arched viaduct overlooking Loch Shiel
and the Jacobite monument.
There were multiple viewpoints to take stunning photos
as well as a beautiful trailer.
We spent here probably a good three hours as we didn't rush
and tried to enjoy as much as possible.
Fort William.
Right after Glenfinnan we wanted to go to Ben Nevis.
The intermediate stop was Fort William around 17 miles
or 30 minutes drive.
We stopped at the old Fort, site of a former fortress.
Not much left to see there but still some nice views
across the Loch.
I wouldn't say this is a must,
but it can be an interesting stop
to get some coffee and stretch our legs a bit.
After this, we were on our way to Ben Nevis,
the highest peak in the UK,
something we wanted to see after our trip to Snowdonia
the second highest peak.
On the way we stopped by at the Braveheart Village,
one of the locations of the iconic film with Mel Gibson,
we kept driving and went all the way
to the Glen Nevis car park,
one of the most amazing driving experiences on earth
as it truly nature all the way.
From there, it was around 1.2 miles or 35 minutes hike
to this waterfall.
The Scotland's second highest waterfall
with a drop of 120 meters.
In fact, this took longer
because of some uneven rocky wet and slippery areas
as well as steep paths.
Luckily we have proper hiking boots,
but still we were to be careful.
In my case, I was with a 30 liters backpack
with all my camera gear, trying to be extra careful
at every step,
I have to say that I was a bit upset
as the weather was really terrible
and didn't allow us to enjoy as much as we were hoping.
On the other hand, as we got closer to this waterfall,
it was all worth.
We went there around 4:00 p.m and came back by sunset.
No doubts that we took unbelievable photos
but the drive back was already very dark
and to be honest, not enjoyable with such a low visibility,
heavy rain and curvy roads.
Next time we go, we'll definitely do it much earlier.
We drove back to Inverness, our base.
This was around 80 miles or two hours and 15 minutes drive.
A bit longer due to the night drive and heavy rain.
The first leg of our trip was done already
on that first weekend.
That means some towns and villages close to Inverness
in addition to Glenfinnan and Fort William area.
So we had another two days in Inverness
before heading to Kyle.
So the following day we went to Culloden Battlefield,
the site of the 1746 bloody battle of the Jacobite rising.
The rain was very intense, but after that weekend,
our mindset was ready to face it.
Kyle.
It was Wednesday 5:00 p.m and it was time to head
to the next place.
So we checked out from our hotel in Inverness
and drove to Balmacara.
This was around 84 miles or two hours drive.
Funny enough, we were running out petrol
and struggled to find a patrol station on the way.
We checked in in the hotel and picked up the car
to find a petrol station.
The first one we tried, it was eight miles away in Kyle,
but closed.
We tried another one, 12 miles away in Broadford area
and it was like seeing an oasis,
full tank and ready for the next day.
The lesson here is not to be overconfident with our tank.
Next time we'll make sure we check petrol stations
everywhere we go as in some areas in the Highlands,
it's not so simple to find one.
We only stayed for a couple of nights here,
but truly just one day seeing stuff.
The highlight here was the Eilean Donan Castle,
just five miles away, six minutes from our hotel in Dornie.
You probably saw on my Instagram some impressive photos
but in case you didn't, this is a small island
where three lakes meet.
It's a truly charming castle.
Alright, so the next big thing was coming.
Isle of Skye, a place known for its stunning landscapes,
villages, and castles.
It's hard to mention every place we visited
as we drove a lot here.
I can say that our first point was The Storr,
a 700 meter tall rocky hill on the North of Skye.
This was 50 miles away, one hour 50 minute drive.
Before arriving at The Storr, we had a stop in Portree.
We knew another big trail was coming
so we needed some chill, coffee and bagel.
Full stomach, happy heart, all set for The Storr.
We parked somewhere close and started hiking uphill.
It was steep and extremely muddy.
Our boots were literally dark brown.
Certain segments were just about walking on
15, 20 centimeters of mud.
It was a constant climb.
The positive side was that The Old Man of Storr
was not covered in mist so we could face it.
The rain stopped for a few minutes
so I quickly took out my camera and shot some photos.
On the way back to our parking area,
we found out a yellow plastic on the car's windshield.
Gosh, bad news.
We have fine waiting for us, 60 pounds.
Apparently we parked in the yellow lines.
We went online and pay the same day 30 pounds I think,
the discounted price, if we paid within two weeks.
The next stop in the Highlands was Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls
a panoramic view of waterfalls, cliffs and sea.
This was a quick intermediate stop
as we wanted to go to the Quiraing
and the Quiraing, another big trail,
just 13 miles away, 25 minutes north.
This time we made sure there was a proper car park.
We paid for it.
This trail was a loop returning to the same point
and covering around 4.3 miles or seven kilometers.
It was a medium length and in theory,
it was a hard difficulty.
Although for me, The Storr was much more challenging
to be honest.
Perhaps because it was raining all the time
and in the Quiraing, the sun decided to show up,
that makes a big difference.
From the very beginning,
we could tell this was a special walk.
Outstanding views, pretty much everywhere.
As we progressed uphill,
we were very close to the cliff edge
and some significant drops, so needed to pay attention,
to take the right steps because it was a bit sunny,
everything looked easier.
There was times still for the final spot,
which was nine miles away or 30 minutes
in the amazing Highlands, a place called The Fairy Glen.
A very old landslide, full of stories and sensational area.
There was one particular point called Castle Ewen,
where we took some epic photos.
We were exhausted at that point
after hiking in all those places, to be honest.
So we headed back and checked in at the hotel.
This was around 20 miles or 35 minutes drive.
It was a beautiful bed and breakfast in Portree.
In fact, it was so safe that the owner
said that never locked at all.
We parked the car and grabbed some takeaway dinner in town,
just five minutes walk,
as a new regulation took place that day
where restaurants to sit in needed to close at 6:00 p.m.
We ate our food at bed and breakfast, showered and rested.
Next stop in the Highlands was Fairy Pools,
20 miles away or 30 minutes drive in Glen Brittle area.
A bunch of waterfalls blue and green
coming from the Glen mountains.
The work was around one and a half mile or 2.4 kilometers.
The water was indeed crystal clear
and the land was full of autumn colors.
It felt like a different planet in certain moments.
We spent a couple of hours there
and after that we headed to the famous
and iconic Talisker Distillery only four miles away
or 15 minutes.
But just before, we had a quick coffee in this place here,
which was sensational.
This was the best coffee we tried
in the whole Isle of Skye so far.
They get the beans from a place in Edinburgh,
but they roast it locally.
Everything was perfect at that place for us.
So we enjoyed our coffee with some stunning views
and the rainbow as well.
The next place in our Highlands journey
was going to be the light house.
This was 30 miles away or one hour drive
and the most westerly part of the Skye.
This was an iconic light house,
built a century ago in a rocky cliff
overlooking the causeway and the coast.
And we parked and went downhill to the light house.
It's pretty much everywhere we found tons of sheep
on the way.
As we were approaching the sunset
in the beautiful Highlands, we drove to Dunvegan Castle.
This was around 13 miles away or 34 minutes.
The castle was closed, but we drove a mile or so extra
to a nice viewpoint.
And that was it for the day friends.
We arrived at our bed and breakfast,
had an organic beer in town
and then grabbed some healthy pizzas.
Saturday arrived, and we started to feel physically tired.
So we decided to do a local trail called, Scorrybreac,
but before, we went for coffee
and actually the best coffee in town.
I say it was as good as the one we try
in the village of Carbost.
After we walked 30 minutes to the trail starting point
and from the 1.7 miles or three kilometers,
and it was very refreshing
with some stunning views as always, really felt local.
We were both running out of energy
and thought it was time to drive back to Inverness
with one very last stop at the Red Cuillin viewpoint,
still on the Isle of Skye.
Finally driving back 122 miles,
around three hours to Inverness
for the last night before flying home.
Our Highlands trip was coming to an end.
It was time to say... goodbye.