Travel to Scotland and Ireland
Dear GoMad Nomad,
What do you know about travel to Ireland and Scotland?
Sincerely,
Lee
Hi Lee,
It’s been more than a decade since I’ve been to either place, so I’m far from being an expert at these destinations, but I do remember my favorites. One of our writers, Juno Kim of RunawayJuno.com, has recently been to both places.
In Scotland, Edinburgh is an obvious starting point. The city is teeming with Scottish culture and history (for example learn about historic established titles, the highlands or the many lords of Scotland). Juno enjoyed tasting at the Scotch Whisky Experience if that’s your sort of thing. Here were her first impressions of Scotland.
Many travelers rightly make a road trip to the Scottish Highlands. I remember doing some hikes around Glen Coe, which was a gorgeous area. Here’s what Juno saw in Glen Coe and some more photos from the Highlands of Scotland.
If you’re still not convinced, here is some more great photography: Scotland’s 50 Shades of Green. She also said Loch Ness is quite beautiful. If you’re a golfer, you might want to hit St Andrews, the birthplace of the game. Off the west coast, I hear the Isle of Skye is stunning, but I’ve never been.
In Ireland, I visited the Dingle Peninsula years ago and Juno recently went there. Definitely recommended for its beautiful scenery. Here are her photos of Dingle. And here’s more material on Ireland from her.
If you’re interested in climbing of some ancient castles, here’s are five spectacular castles to visit in Ireland.
She liked the small town of Westport and it is a good base to explore the Wild Atlantic Way. Here’s more on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Dublin has got loads of literary history, and is, of course, the home of Guinness. It’s also got some delicious food and drink. Here are our Top 10 Irish Foods.
If you make it up to Northern Ireland, Giant’s Causeway is an awesome sight. You won’t believe these volcanic rock formations.
I wish I could help you narrow it down more by your interests. I might suggest some specific places if I knew what you liked. But without that knowledge, these are great general recommendations.
If you want more photography to inspire you, here are the photo gallery links:
That should give you some ideas! Enjoy your research!
Sincerely,
Stephen
* thanks to Juno Kim for the photos
For Scotland, I can’t possibly recommend the Isle of Skye enough. Incredible place.
A week driving around Scotland was one of the best trips I ever did. To that effect, I recon renting a car is the way to go in Scotland.