Two Weeks Based in Scotland

We just wrapped up two weeks based out of Central Scotland, specifically in Falkirk. This was an itinerary pivot for us. We were originally planning to be in Margate, down in Kent, but when our son Aaron had the opportunity to come visit, we needed to find an Airbnb that could accommodate 3 people. We chose Falkirk for it’s central location in Scotland, and for the price of our accommodation.

When we lived in London a few years ago, we took an amazing driving vacation through Scotland, so we knew what a beautiful country it was. But as full time nomads, there are a few things that make it a bit more difficult for our type of slow travel. One: it is pricey. Generally speaking, the UK is much more expensive to nomad in compared to most of the world. And Scotland was more expensive than our time in Wales or Yorkshire. We chose to stay in Falkirk because it was the most budget friendly option we could find on a train line. Two: To really do Scotland right, we believe you need a rental car. The most jaw dropping scenery, incredible hikes, and cozy inns can’t be found right off a train line. We found ways to turn the proverbial lemons into lemonade and had a fantastic time with our son, but we’d definitely recommend staying in other parts of Scotland and having a car.

Falkirk

Our apartment was fine. And Falkirk was fine. But our best experiences over these two weeks was when we traveled outside of Falkirk. It is the second Airbnb we’ve stayed in that had this same couch (IKEA!) and it works well for guests. We even learned a new coffee method during this stay: pour overs! We were a bit further of a walk to a grocery store than we would like, at just under a mile, but we were only 4 blocks from the train station so that was good. The city just didn’t have our type of vibes…

Falkirk is located equidistant from Edinburgh and Glasgow in central Scotland. It is a good sized town of about 35,000 people and the Edinburgh-Glasgow trains run about every 25 minutes. Really there are three claims to fame for Falkirk: William Wallace history, The Kelpies, and the Falkirk Wheel.

It was here, in 1298 where William Wallace’s forces were defeated by the British. Braveheart anyone?

The Kelpies were built in 2013. They represent the importance of horses in the Industrial Revolution period that was so important to Falkirk. At 30 meters tall and weighing in at 300 tons, they are massive. We walked the canal towpath to see them. If you are passing through from Edinburgh on the way north to Inverness, I’d highly recommend a stop!

The Falkirk Wheel is quite an engineering marvel. It opened in 2002, and serves as a way to connect the Union Canal to the Forth and Clyde Canal, reconnecting Edinburgh to Glasgow by canal for the first time in 100 years. We walked along the Union Canal to reach the Falkirk Wheel, and loved that we were able to see a few boats travel the 79 foot heigh difference between the two canals.

Edinburgh

We spent two different days in Edinburgh. Our first day we had a lot of rain! We had hoped to show Aaron the castle, but it seems like the ticketing policy has changed since the last time we were there. Back in 2019, we believe we were able to see the castle grounds without purchasing a ticket. When we went this time, you had to have a ticket far outside the entrance, and they were sold out for the day. We walked to Royal Mile a bit, and then visited the National Museum of Scotland just before the skies opened up. This is a free museum (as we found are most of the museums in Edinburgh) and it is chock full of historical objects from the earliest peoples through the Industrial Revolution to today. There are a lot of artifacts, and it was a good place to get out of the rain for a few hours.

We came back to Edinburgh in our second week after we dropped Aaron off for his flight back to the US. This time we walked a LOT from Haymarket station in the west all the way up Calton Hill to see the monuments, then down to Holyrood Palace, Arthur’s Seat and the Scottish Parliament on the east end of the Royal Mile. As you can see, we had pretty gloomy weather on our second visit as well!

We also stopped at the Royal Botanic Gardens (also free!) and enjoyed a walk through the gardens. Finally, we walked back to the train station along the Water of Leith Walkway. This was a great day to explore the less touristy side of Edinburgh and explore some local neighborhoods.

St. Andrews

We had a fantastic day trip to St. Andrews and had amazing weather! This was a good example of where a car would have been fantastic. We took two trains and a bus to get there which took about 2 1/2 hours. Then we did the return trip in the afternoon. If you had a car, it would only be just over an hour from Falkirk. But we are so glad we went! We booked a walking tour through St. Andrews and had a wonderful guide who took us to the 1st, 17th, and 18th holes and filled us with The Open trivia along the way. I didn’t realize that it was a public course, and it was so crazy to be walking alongside the course while people played and yelled FORE! We learned that it is not super easy (or cheap!) to get tee times, but it would be the experience of a lifetime. The town is also lovely, with a university and an old abbey overlooking the sea. I would definitely recommend a trip to St. Andrews for the day if you are in Edinburgh!

Glencoe and Oban

While we had a great time at St. Andrews and in Edinburgh, we knew that no trip to Scotland is complete without seeing the Highlands. Really the only way to do so is by car, so we trained to Glasgow, bussed to the airport, and rented a car for 2 days. We drove up to Glencoe, which is an area we hadn’t been to on our previous trip. Not surprisingly, the weather was pretty rough, but we still got in a 6 mile hike in the rain! The clouds were so low you couldn’t see the peaks of the mountains. It was beautiful in the rain, and we can only imagine how breathtaking it would be with blue skies.

We booked a room at The Clachaig Inn, a rustic hotel geared to hikers and with a cracking pub and bar. They had some true Scottish food at the pub, and we had a great time eating the local fare and trying some local whisky and gin. After a hearty Full Scottish Breakfast the next morning, we set off for our next stop, Oban.

Oban is a popular town on the west coast and is well known for its local distillery and seafood. We enjoyed both on our visit! Our first stop was the Oban Distillery where we tasted the local offering. Then it was time for lunch, and we had an incredible seafood spread of locally sourced mussels, smoked salmon, and crab. Finally we walked up to McCraigs Tower which offers great views of the sea and surrounding islands. This is a great stop for a day to two to explore the west coast.

This was our third time visiting Scotland, and we still haven’t been to Loch Ness or spent time in Glasgow! There really is something for everyone, from cities to golf to whisky to hiking. We think it suits best as a vacation spot, and we’d recommend at least 10-14 days with a car to experience it all. Will we be back as nomads? Probably not, but we’d say it is a can’t miss vacation destination for anyone who likes adventure!