After months of planning, Jordan and I have finally made it to Scotland! We are road-tripping the Scottish Highlands for two weeks and hope to experience genuine Scottish culture. We had a lot of questions when we first started planning: Where do you stay in Scotland? How can we get around to multiple locations? Do we have to rent a car and drive on the opposite side of the road? What is summer weather like in Scotland? Where can we find food that we will both eat?
Lucky for us (and you!), we found all those answers and more. This Scotland series will answer all your questions about traveling to Scotland, and I’m excited to share what we’re learning about Scottish culture! Without further ado: The Little Town of Crieff!
We flew from Chicago to Glasgow via Icelandair Airlines with a brief layover in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The first leg was six hours long, and the second leg only took about two hours! We left Chicago at 10:30 pm, slept on the planes as best we could, and were ready to rock & roll by the time we arrived in Glasgow around 1 pm. Our bags arrived as expected (thank goodness), and we caught a taxi to Enterprise down the road.
Tip #1: Don’t expect to Uber out of Glasgow Airport!
- Glasgow and Edinburgh, the two largest Scottish cities, have Uber, but none were available when we were there. We waited for about 20 minutes watching the Uber app spin before we realized that taxis were lined up along a designated lane at the airport! The taxi driver popped our luggage into the back, cheerfully greeted us in a lovely Scottish accent, and dropped us off down the road at Enterprise for only £10.
Tip #2: Don’t book a rental car at the Enterprise at the airport!
- Enterprise conveniently has another location just three minutes down the road, which is where we picked ours up. We saved 15% on our overall cost just by switching locations!
Everyone at the Enterprise spoke English, and they accepted our U.S. driving licenses with no issues. Some countries require you to get an International Driving Permit before you drive in their country, but since the primary purpose is to translate your license into English, an American license works perfectly fine! Enterprise offers roadside assistance and coverage on tires and glass. Not so fun fact: If someone else hits you here, you’re still liable for the damages up to a certain percentage. We haven’t hit anything yet, so fingers crossed!
UK cars have steering wheels on the right side of the car, and you drive on the left side of the road. Driving as an American is exactly as weird as you’d think! It was nerve-wracking for the first hour or so that we each drove, but we got it down quickly.
Now for the best stuff: Comelybank Guesthouse! We drove one hour north from Glasgow to Crieff, a lovely market town with winding roads and picturesque views. We stayed at Comelybank Bed & Breakfast, which was suggested to us by our British friends Tim and Jack, who we met by chance at Mardi Gras in New Orleans! The men met us for the weekend and introduced us to Tim’s family, who run the B&B during the summer months.
This was such a great stay! It was affordable, beautifully quaint, and centrally located in Crieff. Marion and Ron were gracious hosts, included us as a family since we were with the men as guests, and gave fantastic recommendations for excursions into the town.
Tip #3: If you stay here, try the pub directly next door!
- We went each night for hours, drinking and chatting and enjoying the local Scottish culture. Fun fact: During the summertime, the sun doesn’t go down until after 10 pm and rises by 4 am. So strange!
In Crieff, my favorite place that we visited was Drummond Castle Gardens. Turns out, Ron used to be the custodian there before he retired! The castle itself is not open for visitors, but the gardens are gorgeous. This is a great place for outdoor photos. The paths through the gardens are stroller and kid-friendly, and there is a small cash-only snack/coffee trailer that is adorable! Plenty of benches and tables are nearby for a spontaneous picnic in the sunshine. Peacocks also call the grounds home, although they aren’t very interested in people. They were beautiful to look at and happy to freely wander the gardens! Tickets to Drummond Castle Gardens cost £10 for adults, £4 for children 5-16 years old, and £22 for a family (not sure what the qualifications are for family status). I would suggest planning 1-2 hours for this stop.
Our first two days in Crieff were relaxing, and I feel like we got a genuine experience of Scottish culture. Luckily, we still have 12 more days of road-tripping the Scottish Highlands! Onward we go!
Next stop….Road-Tripping Scotland: 3 Exciting Things to Do in Edinburgh!
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