While Ireland & Scotland are close in size, I can’t shake this feeling of Scotland being Ireland’s big brother. The two share plenty of traits such as an abundance of lush green green grass dotted by sheep, little rivers that bend this way and that way, and a strong chance to see rain throughout the day, but Scotland(especially the highlands) gives off this sense of majestic grandeur I haven’t seen since New Zealand. It’s a vastness that directly contrasts with the cozy little hills of Ireland. It also doesn’t help that Scotland’s cities seem very close together. The two biggest, Glasgow and Edinburgh, are separated by an hour train ride. Inverness and Aberdeen are about two hours north of there. The rest of Scotland seems to be filled with farm fields that separate small towns. Even Glasgow felt quite a bit smaller than places like Dublin and Belfast.
So the cities felt small and the countryside big. I loved every second of it though with a picturesque view around every corner, all of which were created by multiple wonders all at once. Great, wide rivers were shouldered by looming mountains. Mountains were lined with proud pine forests. Forests were covered in a thin veil off moss. And the moss was sparkling with a sprinkle of fine mist. Everywhere you look there’s something worth staring at. It got to the point where I just woke up expecting landscapes that lords would commission artists to paint and I was never disappointed.
Price
To be fair, just like in Ireland, it wasn’t a cheap stay. I spent an average of about $50 USD/ day and then when I wasn’t even paying for accommodation(thanks aunt Lisa!) But I was probably spending more on food and other stuff because I knew I wasn’t buying hostel stays. For the most frugal travelers, you might be able to hike the highlands only worrying about paying for food, drink, and other travel-related supplies at about $15-30 USD/day. But if you plan on living the hostel life, be prepared to live off of $40-70 USD daily. Hotels will bump up that price by $30-40.
Livin’ The High Life
I traveled the highlands with my aunt Lisa and accompanied her on a campervan trip through the highlands. The rental came to 1800 pounds for 10 days and petrol was about 70 pounds every three days. All in all, it was quite an expensive endeavor for here but unforgettable nonetheless.
Having come from trains across most of Ireland, I can safely say campervan travel is more anxiety-inducing but also more of a “complete adventure.” By that I mean it’s much easier to see more. “Does that castle look interesting? Okay, let’s pull over and check it out.” You can spend the whole day doing that seeing sight after sight. There’s no stopping at designated locations or strictly adhering to the itinerary of a tour. You get to only see what you want to see – when and how you want to see it. The freedom of that alone is something I can’t suggest enough. In many ways, I prefer that to tours or taking trains or buses to every town/ However, the aforementioned anxiety can cause problems in its own right.
Keep in mind that the North Coast 500(or NC500 as most call it) has plenty of scary one-lane roads to contend with. Being able to adjust to driving on the left side of the road can be a hard enough adjustment for us Americans. If you throw in crumbling one-lane roads, other inexperienced tourists, and 60MPH tiny roads pushed against steep cliffs, you get a nerve-racking adventure potentially filled with jumped curbs, dinged side mirrors and calls to insurance companies. Some people don’t even think people should be driving and similar vehicles on roads that small! And they’re probably right!
Conclusion
Either way, we made it and I’m terribly grateful for it. However, I’m even more grateful for WHAT I saw. It was an unforgettable experience made possible by my aunt and her will to conquer the task of besting those treacherous highland roads. If you get the chance, I highly suggest you do the same.
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