While Edinburgh is great, getting out of town is always a good thing.  Few tourists choose to wander off the well-worn cobblestones of the city, and those that do tend to stick to rather predictable routes up and down the motorway towards (in)famous sites like Loch Ness – beautiful, but not the most picturesque by [...]

Tourists don’t tend to come to Edinburgh to go to the beach. Much of the cities international appeal comes from the gothic Old Town and the grimy history in which it is steeped. As a result the coastal areas of Edinburgh tend to be a bit overlooked. Which is a shame as they are some [...]

Although Edinburgh’s bustling city centre is laced with monuments and relics of Scotland’s long and illustrious history, there are equally intriguing pieces of history just a stone’s throw away, in nearby Linlithgow. While the true heyday of the small Royal Burgh was admittedly in the days of Scotland’s Stuart Kings and Queens, the town is [...]

As the birthplace of Scotland’s national bard, Robert Burns, Alloway is quintessential visiting territory for anyone wishing to experience Scotland’s rich artistic and cultural heritage outside of the capital. Often overshadowed by the larger, historic Ayr in which it’s situated, Alloway is a secret cultural treasure of the West coast of Scotland. The village is [...]

When people think of the north of Scotland, they might picture a rainy, desolate place that not many venture to for fun. Other than seeing Loch Ness and possibly spotting Nessie, what else could there be to do up there? Surprisingly, a lot. It may not be a metropolis like its more southern counterparts, but [...]

If you’re in need of a short break from the hustle-and-bustle of Edinburgh, just hop on a train bound for Stirling: the ancient seat of Scotland’s Kings and Queens of old. Just an hour northeast of Edinburgh, Scotland’s smallest ‘official city’ is quite a lively place for a town of its size – Stirling’s population [...]

If you’re visiting Scotland, you probably want to see some cool castles, right?  But with literally hundreds of them scattered across the nation, how does one choose where to go? The good news is, in my opinion, one of the best in terms of being not only beautiful but educational, is Edinburgh Castle.  But there [...]

Due to various reasons – some political, some geographic – Scotland isn’t a major train travel destination.  There are a few select rail lines, and many of them just provide trunk route service to take travelers to mainline destinations; to reach some of the best sights, you need a car. But I’m often asked what [...]

Edinburgh is a city laced with jaw-dropping architecture, and one can easily lose themselves for days within the Royal Mile alone; however, if you find that you may need a break from the hustle-and-bustle of the city centre, there are many and more treasures tucked gently away into the nearby countryside. Rosslyn Chapel is one such treasure, nestled just seven [...]