A Tale of Four Castles – Travels in Scotland Besides driving on the wrong side of the road, scrambling up mountains, and drinking beer and Scotch, we also spent some time visiting castles during our trip to Scotland in 2012. Edinburgh Castle We visited Edinburgh castle on our first day...

The Fellowship of the Ring – The Ring of Steall that is Why The Ring? One of my favorite scenes from the movie Braveheart, is when William Walace is running through the mountains of Scotland.  I had always thought that if I ever get over to Scotland, I need to find those mountains and...

Five months after purchasing the kilt in Edinburgh, it ARRIVED. Charlie the dog was mildly concerned or perhaps hopeful that it contained something for him.  They needed to weave the “Marshall” tarten before they could hand-sew this beautiful work of art! These were very...

If you are just joining the blog conversation, Chuck and I spent 10 days hiking in Scotland. Our first taste of Scotland’s West Highland Way was in Kinlochleven, After stashing our bags  at the McDonald House and finding our rain gear, we started walking. Our destination was a bit...

Edinburgh was fun but we traveled from Michigan to Scotland to hike. Let the Kinlochleven Scotland Adventure begin! The basecamp for our hiking adventures in the Great Glen was the MacDonald Hotel in Kinlochleven. When Chuck called to make reservations at the MacDonald Hotel, he first emailed...

The Scott Monument was not on the list but it was a good workout. We climbed the 287 steps to the top and enjoyed the splendid view of Edinburgh which included Arthur’s Seat. We didn’t spend a lot of time looking at the exhibition on Sir Walter Scott’s life on the second...

Buying a kilt in Edinburgh was very high on Chuck’s Scotland to-do list. In fact it was the very first thing we did after lunch at the Albanach. I had no idea it could be so complicated. Step 1:  Select your kiltmaker. Chuck researched kiltmakers before leaving Michigan and selected...

Chuck’s first Scottish pub experience was at the Albanach Pub in Edinburgh, Scotland. We found vegan food and beer. What else does a person need?  We ordered a Guinness and a Belhaven IPA. The waitstaff was incredibly friendly and the food was very good but it isn’t the food or...

Scotland Hiking Trip Itinerary: with Chuck Marshall. Ten days, 5 hikes, 7 pubs, 4 castles, 5 different beds, and nearly 50 miles of trail. Day 1: Depart from Detroit. Day 2:  Survived the Amsterdam layover, located “The Albanach” for a beer and lunch, purchased a Kilt, and explored the city...