Day 1 - Edinburgh

• took a late afternoon flight from Gdansk to Edinburgh
• walked the Royal Mile and enjoyed the view of Edinburgh Castle
• enjoyed dinner and a few local brew at the famous Greyfriars Bobby Pub - braved the famous “Haggis, Neeps & Tatties”
• experienced the craziness of a Saturday night in central Edinburgh

Day 2 - Edinburg 

• started our day with a traditional Scottish breakfast (including haggis)
• joined a Walking Tour of the Old Town  with Sara and her lovely dog Pacino
• wandered around St Giles Cathedral, the 901 year old church
• learned about Deacon Brodie, a notorious thief and the inspiration for a Robert Louis Stevenson classic novel “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”
• learned about Scotland’s favourite son, Robbie Burns
• took in the views of Edinburgh castle and learned of its varied past, from royals to witchcraft
• enjoyed wandering down Victoria Street or as they call it, Diagon Alley
• oved the tale of Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh’s most famous dog
• visited and toured “The Royal Yacht Britannia” - spectacular 
• enjoyed a few pints and traditional Cullen Skink at the Deacon Brodie Tavern 
• enjoyed live music played by locals at Sandy Bell while sipping on a few featured Whiskeys

Day 3 - Edinburgh to Inverness

• visited St. Gilles Cathedral (901 years old this year)
• visited The Writers Museum
• window-shopped along the Royal Mile
• took a guided tour of Edinburgh Castle where we visited St.Margaret’s Chapel, the National War Museum and The Honours of Scotland, where Crown Jewels are kept
• watched The One O’clock Gun salute 
• boarded the afternoon Scottish Rail train to Inverness
• walked around sleepy Inverness

Day 4 - Inverness to Isle of Sky

• visited some Highlander Cows
• tried to spot Nessie  in a famous Loch Ness (no success today)
• visited Eilean Donan Castle
• crossed Sky Bridge to Isle of Sky
• enjoyed lunch and a wander around beautiful fishing village of Portree 
• visited some amazing waterfalls and took a sneak peek at the Old Man of Storr
• took a brief stop at Kilt Rock 
• witnessed the Isle of Sky’s stunning coastline
• visited Loch Carron viewpoint 
• followed a tradition of dipping your face  in the Slighan loch
• enjoyed a shot drab of whiskey at Seuma’s Bar on the way

Day 5 - Inverness to Loch Ness and Culloden

• took a boat cruise up the famous Loch Ness trying to spot the legendary Nessie
• explored the ruins of the 13th century Urquhart Castle
• visited the highland village of Beauly
• explored ruins of the “Beauly Priory” (Church) featured in the Outlander TV Series
• made friends with James Frazier the Highland Cow and his hairy sister “Kate the Cow”
• enjoyed some “water of life” at the Singleton Whiskey Distillery
• listened to tales of the Jacobite rebellions and the brutal battle at the Culloden Museum and Battlefield
• attempted a journey through time at the 4000 year old stones (Outlander Style) at Clava Cairns

Day 6 - Inverness to Pitlochry

• wandered around Inverness - widely regarded as the Capital of the Scottish Highlands
• visited St Andrew’s Cathedral and Old High Church (sadly Inverness Castle is closed for renovation)
• shopped at the Leakeys bookshop - the largest second-hand bookshop in Scotland, the only one with an open log fireplace inside!!
• enjoyed Ness Walk along the river 
• boarded an evening train to Pitlochry

Day 7 - Pitlochry to Perth to Sterling

• took an early morning train from Pitlochry to Perth
• wandered around Perth and visited 800 years old Church of St. John the Baptist
• visited Museum of Perth - Home of The “Stone of Destiny” - an ancient symbol of Scotland's monarchy, it was used in the inauguration of Scottish kings for centuries and now current Monarchs
• caught a train back to Pitlochry and explored more of the village
• took an evening train to Sterling

Day 8 - Stirling

• spent the morning exploring the magnificent Stirling Castle - one of Scotland's most historically important sites - once a favoured residence of the Stewart kings and queens
• visited The Church of the Holy Rude - where in 1567, the Coronation of Mary Queen of Scots’ son, James VI, took place 
• attended a concert by Aberdeen City Music School
• visited The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regimental Museum - fantastic!
• learned about famous argument between two priests resulting in building a wall dividing the nave from the choir, so the church served two divided congregations for 280 years 
• visited Stirling Old Town Jail - a fascinating journey through the history of local crime and punishment
• enjoyed a traditional Steak and kidney pie in a Victorian pub
• climbed up the castle hill to see the sunset

Day 9 - Stirling to Edinburgh

• took an early morning train from Stirling to Edinburgh 
• wandered around beautiful Dean Village - a medieval village on the Water of Leith, Edinburgh's largest river
• walked the entire famous “Royal Mile” - the heartbeat of Edinburgh's history and heritage, that starts at Edinburgh Castle’s entrance and leads to the gates of Holyrood Palace
• took a peak at super modern New Parlament building - not so impressed!
• had a pint at “The Tollbooth Tavern”- cosy traditional Scottish pub serving beer since 1820
• toured Scotland’s National Museum where we saw “Dolly” the cloned sheep 
• visited more pubs at the Grassmarket in search of  the perfect Sunday Roast - one of them being The White Hart Inn - oldest pub in Edinburgh
• settled on the “Black Bull” with a perfect roast beaf, roast potatoes, carrots, greens and Yorkshire pudding
• visited The Vennel - one of the most popular photo spots of the Edinburgh Castle
• browsed through the shelves of The Armchair Bookstone -  a unique second-hand and antique bookshop

Day 10 - Edinburgh to Gdańsk

• early morning flight to Gdansk

✈️ GETTING THERE
- The airport is very well connected top the city center
- Airlink 100 bus to Edinburgh city center (£5 or £8.50 return) runs every 10 minutes 24/7 (every 20 minutes at night), reaching the city center in 30 minutes
- The second option is the tram, but it doesn't run at night
- The airport is a quite large, with various shops, bars, and restaurants (opening at 4 a.m.), so you need enough time to find your gate

🚍 TRANSPORT
After much consideration, we decided to avoid renting a car and instead traveled by train. It worked out great. We booked most of our journeys in advance (they're cheaper) using the ScotRail app – you have to activate your ticket immediately before your journey, and then you can't change or return it.
* Edinburgh to Inverness - 3h34m, £17.10
* Inverness to Pitlochry - 1h37m, £15.20
* Pitlochry to Perth and back - 30m, £18.70 (return)
* Pitlochry to Stirling - 1h16m, £14.30
* Stirling to Edinburgh - 55m, £12.10

EDINBURGH
- Edinburgh has a well-developed bus network (board through the front door and show your ticket).
- It's worth having the Lothian Buses and Trams app.
- Tickets can be purchased from the driver or in the app.
- UBER also works.

INVERNESS/PITLOCHRY/STIRLING
- We traveled mostly on foot.

ISLE OF SKYE
- We booked a full-day (12-hour) tour with HighlanderTours. We toured the Isle of Skye - Portree - Old Man of Storr - Kilt Rock - Quiraing - Sligachan.

LOCH NESS
- Our second full-day tour was Loch Ness - Urquhart Castle - Beauly - Culloden - Clava Cairns.

☔️ WEATHER
- We were prepared for rain, but not for such changes. One hour it could be beautiful and sunny, the next it would be windy and rainy, then the sun would come out again 🙈
- We generally wore jackets and sweaters (early June), although at times it was too hot for shorts and T-shirts.
- Waterproof trousers (worn over the top) and comfortable waterproof shoes were very useful (in the cities, cobblestone streets and lots of stairs are common).

🏰 ATTRACTIONS

EDINBURGH
- Free Walking Tour - a fantastic 2-hour tour with Sarah and her dachshund, Pacino 🥰 , we learned a lot of history and interesting facts (e.g., who is buried in parking space 23) - "free" means you leave a tip at the end
- National Museum of Scotland (free) - quite compact, but fantastic (a bit like the Natural History Museum in London), interesting exhibitions about natural history and culture, a display case with the famous Dolly the sheep, and a beautiful architectural building. WORTH IT - go up to the terrace on the 7th floor - great views of the castle and the city
- Edinburgh Castle - it's worth booking a ticket in advance; if you have tickets, you can buy a guided tour - a bit more expensive, but the ticket is included. We took the guided tour. IMPORTANT - At 1:00 PM there is a One O'Clock Gun Salute
- Royle Mile - leads from the castle to Holyrood House - along the way there are historic pubs, buildings, and nooks and crannies
- Writers Museum (free) - tiny but charming, you can see the inside of a typical house
- Victoria Street - colorful houses, famous from Harry Potter
- The Vennel Viewpoint - an Instagram-worthy view of the castle, looks great after rain
- St. Gilles Cathedral (free) - a fantastic building, the church is 901 years old
- Sandy Bell Pub - a classic pub, great service, live music around 9:00 PM
- Royal Yacht Britannia - easy to reach by tram from the city center, apart from the yacht, there's not much around; you enter through a shopping center - there's a boarding gate on the second floor, we bought tickets on site without any problems
- Dean Village - a charming village with a stone bridge, now part of Edinburgh
- Haymarket - a hub of pubs and nightlife; It's worth visiting The White Heart Inn Pub - the oldest pub in Edinburgh, or The Last Drop - where convicts were brought for their last drink.
- Greyfriers Bobby's
- Route: Pub - with the famous statue of Bobby the dog. The story goes that when his owner was buried in the cemetery next to the church, Bobby would come to sleep on his grave for another 14 years. The cemetery is just behind the pub, and the famous grave is marked with cobblestones.

INVERNESS
- Besides the famous antique shop, there are a couple of beautiful churches and a riverside walk.
- More of a base than a destination in itself, with plenty of mountain and sports shops.
- Leakey's Bookshop - probably the largest in Scotland, two floors filled with books, with a wood-burning fireplace in the center.

ISLE OF SKY Tour
- purchased at https://www.highlandexperience.com/inverness/
- full-day (12 hours, 7:30 AM - 8:00 PM)
- route: Isle of Skye - Portree - Old Man of Storr - Kilt Rock - Quiraing - Sligachan
- 15-seater minibus, driver explains interesting things along the way and gives free time at attractions and viewpoints
- PORTREE - a small fishing village, full of cafes and shops for tourists, famous for its colorful houses by the harbor

LOCH NESS AND CULLODEN TOUR
- We purchased it at https://www.highlandexperience.com/inverness/
- Full-day (8:30 AM - 5:00 PM)
- Route: Loch Ness - Urquhart Castle - Beauly - Culloden - Clava Cairns
- The Loch Ness boat trip was very short because we only went to Urghard Castle (maybe 30 minutes). There's a bar and toilets on the ferry.
- Urghard Castle - or rather, the ruins, are very interesting. The visitor center has a restaurant, shop, and a small museum. It's worth seeing the film (10 min)
- For lunch, we went to Beauly, a small village nearby. The main attractions are the ruins of Beauly Priory and the nearby Robertson's - The Larder & Highland Cows Farm - (a 15-minute walk from Beauly), where you can see Highlander Cows 🐮, the famous hairy cows - absolutely adorable!!!
- You can easily get to CULLODEN by bus. The battlefield is free, but the museum is worth visiting (£12). There was also a guided tour at 4:00 PM (40 min, £4).
- For Outlander fans, the famous Clava Cairns stone circles are very nearby (free).

PITLOCHRY
- a beautiful little village with stone houses
- a great base for walks
PERTH
- a bit rundown and forgotten, we went for 3 hours and that was enough
- the very interesting Museum of Perth (free), where you can see the Stone of Destiny, interesting archaeological exhibitions
- a beautiful church next door
STIRLING
- the castle - fantastic, probably our favorite; free guided tours every 30 minutes (10:00, 10:30, 11:00, etc.) - he showed us around the entire castle for an hour; we were there just after it opened (9:30), but later it was crowded; there's a café on the castle grounds, and a fantastic Regimental Museum
- the church (£5) - a beautiful, original wooden ceiling from the 15th century, information cards available in 88 languages (!)

🥘🍷 FOOD
- We mostly ate in pubs - £12-18 for a main course, beer £6-8, dessert £8-10
- Sunday Roast - a surprise, as most pubs in Edinburgh don't serve it, but we finally found it at the Black Bull on Haymarket
- Flight of Whiskey - usually 3-4 shots to try, prices start at around £20 and depend on the type of whiskey, of course
- Whiskey around £6-8, pubs often have a "whiskey of the month" promotion - then a shot costs around £4-5
- Coffee £4-5
- The famous HAGGIS isn't that bad, it tastes and looks like fried minced meat with spices, served with mashed potatoes and cauliflower puree 😉 (starter £6, main course £14)

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 GENERAL
- All hotels had a kettle, coffee, and tea in the room
- British plugs, of course - you need adapters and remember that they have small switches near the socket
- magnet £3-4; 3 postcards for £1
- ATMs everywhere, but be careful because they sometimes give out Scottish Pounds, which are not readily accepted outside of Scotland (it's best to exchange them for English Pounds).
- If you bring home some paper pounds (like we did), which are no longer in circulation (due to Covid), you can easily exchange them at the post office. Just bring your passport and you'll get beautiful new plastic pounds.
- INTERNET - most hotels, restaurants, etc. have internet; we also used Airlo (2GB was enough for Facebook, trains, and navigation).
- Scottish people are incredibly friendly, talkative, and very helpful. We loved it!