I have been dreaming of traveling to Scotland since I was a little girl and this summer I finally got to go and took my little girl with me. It was so incredibly special to me to have Hazel and Tim with me. To watch Hazel run through the fields, climb rocks and explore the rugged terrain freely made my heart soar. Seeing Tim enjoy the culture as he hopped from pub to pub making friends with every bar keep and trying haggis and blood pudding made me smile. Being able to celebrate my birthday in the country that captured my heart before I ever set foot in it was absolutely magical. Scotland was everything I dreamed it would be and more and it was absolutely amazing to experience it with my family! I can’t wait to go back and hope to vey soon!

For those planning a trip to Scotland here are some of my recommendations. Plan for two or more weeks so you can experience Scotland right. Ask the locals what to order for food and enjoy trying new things. Spend a day or two in Edinburgh but for the rest of your trip head out to the highlands and go hike, horseback ridding, etc. You cannot come to Scotland and not get lost in it’s gorgeous nature! Bring your hiking boots and go get lost! 🙂 Isle of Skye is a must see. Don’t skip it! Go to as many pubs as you can, you will meet amazing people there. Tim’s favorite was The World’s End in Edinburgh. Stop to watch the street performers. If you’re a Harry Potter nerd go ride the Hogwarts Express. Buy a kilt and listen to the bagpipes.

Scotland is an amazing country and it’s close to two of my other favorite places, Ireland and London. I highly recommend taking a month to explore all three and enjoy a UK holiday. The food is GREAT, the people are friendly and inspiring and the landscape is out of this world. There is a reason so many films choose to film their movies in these gorgeous places.

Scotland and all of the UK is very family friendly and is a great summer holiday for the family. Hazel loved climbing, hiking and exploring with us. Tim especially loved that their were family oriented pubs where we could eat dinner and he could order delicious beer. He could write a whole blog post on how different and how much better the beer is in Scotland. It kind of spoiled him for drinking beer in America. I can’t drink beer because of my celiac disease but I’ll take his word on it.

Overall Scotland should be on everyone’s bucket list and if you’ve been debating on whether or not to book a trip, do it now! Flight deals always change and you can sometimes find $400 tickets direct to Scotland but I usually find it cheaper to fly to London and then take the train to Scotland which is such a lovely experience! While you’re there you can even check out King’s Cross Station and visit Platform 9 3/4.

Happy adventuring!