A wee tale of Scotland

The national animal of Scotland is a unicorn. While most countries would choose a real animal as their emblem, it seems befitting for Scotland to be represented by a mythical creature. This is, after all, a land so steeped in myth, legend, folklore and superstition. And in more recent years, the magical wizarding world of Harry Potter.

I love Harry Potter. I generally don’t read fiction that much, but it’s a story that has had me enchanted since I first read it nearly 20 years ago.

While staying in Edinburgh I went on a Harry Potter walking tour. During the tour, we visited some of the places that inspired J.K. Rowling’s writing, like a small, old cemetery containing long-forgotten tombstones with names like Tom Riddle and McGonagall…

We also visited some of the places where she wrote, like The Elephant House (where she wrote the first few books) and the Balmoral Hotel (where she checked herself in to for 6 months to finish the last book). There are a few stores in Edinburgh selling HP merchandise. I’m glad I am limited by one suitcase for the year so I only bought one t-shirt.

I also did a photography walking tour one evening with a local photographer. She showed us places with beautiful photographic potential as we wandered through the hidden passageways, charming closes and pretty streets that are so intrinsically part of Edinburgh. The architectural consistency is so pleasing to the eye that it’s not hard to see why this place has been a muse for so many writers, artists and poets.

We arrived in Edinburgh in October to a city sprinkled with the beautiful yellow and orange hues of autumn. The distinctive feature of Edinburgh’s skyline is not its buildings, but its natural landscape.

In the city, and a short walk from where we stayed, is Calton Hill, which provides a beautiful view of the city, and at this time of year, the perfect place to watch the sun as it sinks directly behind the castle. The rocky peak of Arthur’s Seat, and its collection of surrounding hills forming Holyrood Park, sits at the edge of the city. At the summit is a panoramic view providing an utterly breathtaking vantage point of the entire city, the sea, and green hillsides as far as the eye can see.

Other than the beauty of Scotland, the food scene is also amazing. We took a day trip to Glasgow just to eat. We had lunch at Ox and Finch where I had the best pork belly dish of my life. But it was also freezing cold that weekend, and we hadn’t bought winter coats yet, so we spent most of the day pub hopping in search of the best pubs (and fireplaces). The Ben Nevis, The Finnieston and The Pot Still were all delightful.

The food in Edinburgh is also fantastic — the highlight was an Indian restaurant called Dishoom. There is also one in London, which we tried to go to, but couldn’t get in, so we were very happy to be able to go. The cocktail bars were also on point. Dylan and I have always been partial to a cocktail or two and in our travels, it’s become something of an obsession to find the best one in each city. In Edinburgh, it’s Bramble. But Monteith’s also did an amazing “bee’s knees”.

We were also really happy to have some social interactions in Edinburgh, as two of Dylan’s work colleagues live in Scotland. One lives in the remote Shetland Islands, but we met up for one day in Edinburgh. The other lives just outside of the city, so we worked from CodeBase co-working space together, which is surreally located at the foot of Edinburgh castle. He also invited us for dinner with his family at his house. His wife cooked us a delicious curry and traditional Scottish dessert called cranachan.

During our month’s stay in Edinburgh, we also hired a car and went on a three day trip to the Highlands for a long weekend.

It rained all day as we drove from Edinburgh to Fort William, but the rain is completely tolerable when you can stop to eat lunch at an 18th century stone pub with a roaring fireplace: The Drovers Inn, situated at the northern end of the alluring Loch Lomond. We got a seat right next to the fire and enjoyed a pub lunch that warmed us right to the core.

After lunch we continued on through the Western highlands, passing through Glencoe Valley and its picturesque village. Descending down the hill and into the valley revealed a dramatic landscape of steep rocky mountains, flowing rivers, rolling green hills and cascading waterfalls. The sky was dark, the clouds were wrapped low around the mountains and the rain swept sideways across the sky like sheets of fine silver bullets. It was wild and it was stunning.

We arrived late in the afternoon at our Airbnb and then went in to town for dinner and drinks. We found a quaint pub called Garrison West, which had a roaring fireplace and comfy fireside couches. We enjoyed some local gin and beer with a delicious meal for dinner and then moved to the couches to enjoy dessert and wine by the fire late into the night.

The next day we drove to the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is a beautiful railway viaduct on the West Highland Line, which operates the famous Jacobite steam train during summer. It’s a beautiful piece of architecture located in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

I wanted to see the bridge because it’s a beautiful subject for photography, but also because it was used in the filming of Harry Potter movies as part of the journey for the Hogwarts Express from King’s Cross to Hogwarts, including the famous flying car scene from the second film. After falling over in mud and taking photos from every possible angle we walked back to the car and headed on towards the isle of Skye.

Skye is connected to the west coast of the mainland by a steep arched bridge. As you drive up towards the midpoint of the archway, the other half of the bridge seems to disappear and it feels as though you will drive straight into the clouds, but then you reach the apex and an unobstructed view of the island is revealed as you descend down the other side. It’s a striking view. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time to explore the iconic landscapes of Skye as we were booked to stay in Inverness for the night, but we enjoyed a delicious wood fired pizza for a late lunch and took a hot chocolate for the road.

On the way to Inverness, we stopped for a quick photo at Urquhart Castle. It was once one of Scotland’s largest castles and its ruins sit spectacularly on the edge of Loch Ness. We caught the sun setting over the Loch, casting magnificent shades of pink and purple light across the water. We arrived late in Inverness and enjoyed dinner at a family-run restaurant called Urquhart’s. The next day we took a fairly substantial detour on the way back to Edinburgh to stop in the small seaside town of Anstruther to try some award winning fish and chips for lunch. There are few things in life better than enjoying hot chips in buttered white bread by the sea…

So far on this trip, we’ve been to 25 or so different cities. Edinburgh has been our favourite, and is the first that we think we could live in. Winter is quickly approaching — the days are getting shorter, the weather colder and the last autumn leaves have fallen from the trees. But as evening falls in Edinburgh, small orbs of light appear all over the city, glowing softly, lighting the cobblestoned streets, hidden passageways and small shop fronts. It is truly a magical city. And one that won’t easily be forgotten.