Scotland - August 18 - September 3, 2026

August 18, 2026 - Marietta, GA to Edinburgh, Scotland 

Anthony, my new favorite driver, took T, Alan, and me to the ATL International Terminal where we had a quick check-in, then headed to the Delta Sky Club. We enjoyed dinner because the menu offered was not appealing. In a flash, we were on the plane, and I was sound asleep before take-off.

August 19, 2026 - Edinburgh, Scotland

Arrival and processing in Scotland was efficient and speedy. We took the tram to downtown, but due to a recent fire, the street to our hotel was blocked, so we had quite the hike to our hotel, Mount Royal. We stored our luggage before takin the Hop On/Off Bus to explore the city. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Abbotsford Bar and Restaurant.

August 20, 2026 - Edinburgh

Happy Birthday, Lily!! This morning, after a quick breakfast at Black Sheep, we walked the Royal Mile. We had sunshine most of the morning, but then it became quite chilly!!

We returned to the hotel to rest. We had an early lunch/dinner then walked to the castle to fulfill  a Kleimon Bucket List dream - to see the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.  It was beyond spectacular! I know Rob would have been especially proud of the US Army Field Band's performance.  As crazy as it sounds, we remained warm (multiple layers of clothing) and blissfully dry throughout this amazing performance.

August 21, 2026 - Edinburgh to Aberdeen

On the move as we said farewell to Edinburgh and Alan drove us to our next location in Aberdeen.  We did a wee bit of grocery shopping for our apartment before settling in to plan tomorrow's destinations.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Mi Amore's.

August 22, 2026 - Aberdeen Scotland

A full day of exploration beginning with delicious scones and coffee/tea at Pinky Promise Coffee Shop in Stone Haven. We then viewed the North Sea before stopping by Dunnottar Castle, where we had to "Reverse Park". 

Next, we visited Ballater, a charming town filled with cute shops and two events featuring local vendors/artists.  Lunch at The Bothy was followed by ice cream at Shorty's where Princess Diana frequently took William and Harry for treats.

We then went to Balmoral which is closed in Aug/Sep because the royalty are there. 

 Driving home included a quick stop by Tarland Golf Course and Craigeviar Castle.  Best of all - a day of glorious sunshine.

August 23, 2026 - Aberdeen to Inverness

Departed Aberdeen this morning with plans to stop for coffee in a cute town, only to learn that most are closed on Sunday! Luckily, Starbucks in Elgin, saved the day!

Back on the road, Alan discovered (shock) another castle, with a golf course - Cawdor Castle & Gardens.

We arrived in Inverness around 1430 hours, so we walked around town until we could check into The Thistle House. Alan is returning the rental car because tomorrow we take a train to our next destination. Second day of gorgeous sunshine.

August 24, 2026 - Thurso

We traveled by train to Thurso in "Chamber of Commerce" weather.  Our trip took us along lovely Scottish terrain that ranged from flat grasslands to rolling hills.  Along the way, we saw distilleries, oil rigs in the North Sea, statues, jack rabbits, red deer large birds, countless sheep, and a single grouping of "hairy cows.

 Our accommodation here is directly on the beach with a postcard worthy view. 

 We explored charming Thurso, enjoyed drinks in a local pub, and dinner at the Park Hotel, before walking back to #4 Braeford House.

August 25, 2026 Thurso to Orkney Islands

Happy Birthday, Connor!   Today we took the ferry from Scabster to Stromness, Orkney Islands, 

and then took a taxi to our homebase, Castaway Guesthouse in Kirkwall.  We roamed the town, visited St Magnus Cathedral, The Orkney Museum, and supported the local economy in 60 degree, sunny weather.

August 26, 2026 Tour of  the Heart of Neolithic Orkney 

Another stunningly beautiful day with George from Orkney Travel as we drove by Scapa Flow to visit the Stones of Stenness, 

Ring of Brodgar,

 the gorgeous cliffs of Yesnaby,

 Skara Brae Village, 

Earl's Palace and the Kirbuster Farm Museum.

August 27, 2026 - South Orkney Island

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad, today would have been 80 years! Alan picked up the rental card and drove us all around in a manual shift car on the "other side" of the road shifting with his left hand.  We crossed over the Churchill Barriers/Causeway, 

then visited the Italian Chapel,

 St Mary's, Karen Duncan's Jewelry Store on the Craft Trail, 

St Mary's Church, Tome of the Eagles, Oland's Summit, Clouduhaul Standing Stone, St Margaret's Hope, 

Knitting Craft Workshop, lunch at Barrier View, the Viking Totem Poll,

 The great Wall of Deerness, the Deerness Distillery

 and Deerness Store where I puchased a signed copy of a Jewish book.

August 28, 2026 - Last Full Day on Orkney

We began our day with a fabulous breakfast at Archive Coffee Shop.  Next, we stopped by the Highland Park Distillery for gifts, visited the Scapa Crafts Orkney Chair where we were fortunate enough to have the owners, Jackie & Marlene Miller, explain their craft. 

 Then we drove to the Tingwall Harbor on our way to visit the Broch of Gurness.  

Our glorious weather was fading so we stopped for coffee at the Swannay Brewery/Orkney Roasting before stopping by the Brough of Birsay and Kitchener Memorial. 

 As the rain increased, our enthusiasm to sightsee diminished, so we simply drove through Stromness before a delicious dinner at Heigil's.

August 29, 2026  Orkney Islands flight to Shetland Islands

This morning we flew to Sumburgh, Shetland Islands along with a field hockey team.  We barely drove a mile in our rental car when we were trapped behind a herd of escaped cows!  

After breakfast, we visited Jarishof, then walked to the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse where the view was breathtaking and the variety of birds amazing! 

We also visited Scousburgh Beach!

An added bonus was watching a shepperd and his dogs herd sheep onto a trailer. Our final stop was the unique St. Ninian's.

August 30, 2026 - North and West Sections of Mainland, Shetland Islands, Scotland

Alan drove north until the road ended at Isbistess, and then we started visiting various places back to where we are home-basing in Lerwick. My personal favorite was the Cliffs of Eshaness, 

and then we moved on to Tangwick Haa Museum, snacks at Braewick Cafe, Mavis Grind where you can throw a stone into the Atlantic Ocean, then turn around to throw another stone into the North Sea,

 Sanderness, and finally, a stunning view of Whiteness Bay.  We relaxed a bit before dinner at the Dowry in downtown Lerwick.

August 31, 2026 - Islands of Yell and Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland

From Lerick, we took a ferry to the island of Yell, then drove northward to take another ferry to the island of Unst, the northernmost island of Scotland.

Once on Unst, we visited a Viking Longship, and then had coffee and treats in a cute coffeeshop, The Otter's Nuck.

Then, once again, we drove as far north as possible, this time until we reached all sort of signs telling us that it was a satellite site and aliens would be transported to Mars!  Quite funny.  We were also on our constant search for Highland Cows.  We spotted a couple.

The scenery on both of the islands was amazing, and the weather was incredible. 

 We reversed our ferries and arrived back in Lerick in time for T and I to do a little shopping, then we stopped for drinks at the famous Thule Pub before heading back to dinner at the Dowry.  We had a fabulous day!

September 1, 2026 Last full day in the Shetland Islands

We began our day with a drive by Detective Director Perez's home and the Courthouse from the TV series "Shetland" before supporting the local economy of Lerwick to include a stop at Pete's Coffee House.  Next stop was The Shetland Museum and Archives followed by a drive through the small islands of Hamnavoe, Tronda, Burra and Papil.  Then we toured the Scalloway Museum where we were charmed by two Shetland ponies. Time to repack our suitcases before dinner.

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