Adventures in Scotland and Ireland

When we learned that our friends Jim and Jenny had booked a trip to Scotland and Ireland, we jokingly asked if we could tag along, having always wanted to visit those places. To our pleasant surprise, they said yes. They were going with a few other friends who did most of the planning and welcomed us. All we had to do was pay, book our flights and lodging, and enjoy. 

We spent four days based in Edinburgh and five days based in Dublin. Here’s a rundown of our adventures in Scotland and Ireland, where speakers’ accents tickled our ears, cars drove on the left side of the road, and rain made a regular appearance.

Castles

When you think of Scotland and Ireland, you may picture towering castles, and rightfully so. With a lengthy history of conflicts that required places of defense, castles abound: more than 2,000 in Scotland, according to Juniper Tours, and 30,000 in Ireland, according to IrishCentral. With that many to choose from, exploring a few castles is high on most visitors’ to-do lists, including ours. 

Full of history and intrigue, these fortresses take guests back in time. Stirling Castle, for example, was the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots, who lived in the 16th century, long before electricity and automobiles. Strategically located at the junction of Scotland’s Highlands and Lowlands, the castle played a key role in numerous battles, as depicted in exhibits taking space in some of its rooms. 

In Craigmillar Castle, narrow stone staircases beckoned us upward, leading to assorted areas, including a large dining hall where jesters performed and a suite where Mary Queen of Scots was believed to have recuperated during an illness after the birth of her son. ​

Standing majestically at the top of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, the largest in Scotland and one of the easiest to get to, gives guests a glimpse into early military prisons and prisons of war, as well as weaponry of that time period and a dungeon. But the most alluring sight there is the oldest crown jewels in Britain: a crown, a scepter, and a sword.

Attracting about half the number annually as Edinburgh Castle, Ireland’s popular Blarney Castle popular draws more than 400,000 a year for a chance to kiss the storied Blarney Stone and gain the gift of gab. Not wanting that gift or to wait more than 1.5 hours to see inside the castle, we enjoyed touring the expansive grounds, which were incredibly beautiful. ​

Cathedrals

Both Scotland and Ireland are also home to numerous cathedrals, in recognition of their religious heritage — both Protestant and Catholic. 

The Gothic architecture of Protestant St. Giles’ Cathedral in the center of old-town Edinburgh lures visitors to explore its inner beauty. Entering made our jaws drop in awe. Gorgeous stained glass windows illustrated history and culture. And huge archways stretched to the ceiling, designed to encourage viewers to look upward, toward Christ.

In Dublin, Protestant Christ Church Cathedral stands only about one-third of a mile from Catholic St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which appears to be more of a museum than a working church, even requiring an entry fee. But services still take place there. The massive building is divided into various areas that house interesting artifacts and together form a cross shape. It’s an amazing sight to behold.

Countryside and critters

Getting out of the city to view the lush, green countryside is essential for a true appreciation of Scotland and Ireland. A tour to the edge of the world-famous Scottish Highlands greeted us with bright green grass, bushy trees, and expansive bodies of water that gave us a breath of fresh air after a few days in the heart of the city.

No trip to the Highlands would be complete without a sighting of the legendary Highland cows, or coos, as the locals call them. Covered with long hair, these cattle are well equipped to handle the harsh cold, wind, and rain that are common to the area.

Outside Dublin, we saw grassy panoramas dotted by sheep and cattle in every direction. Dry rock walls separated fields, and houses dwarfed in the expanse.

One of our favorite experiences was watching a working sheepdog (a border collie) demonstration. After the dog’s handler explained the process, he put his eager dog to work. She took off running to the far end of the field. The next thing we knew, sheep were running toward us, herded by the small dog based on her handler’s whistle signals. Depending on what the dog did, the sheep would speed up and slow down.

A spectacular excursion in the Irish countryside is a trip through the Burren, or “rocky place,” to the Cliffs of Moher, which drastically drop 700 feet into the Atlantic Ocean. A rare sunny day gave us stunning views of the cliffs against the contrasting blues of the sky and sea as we navigated the far-reaching paved walkways and stairs for different perspectives of the magnificent wonder that’s a UNESCO Global Geopark.

Cuisine

Because cows and sheep are the main livestock in both Scotland and Ireland, they’re also major food sources. We found lots of options of beef, lamb, and potatoes — and very few nonroot vegetables. 

Wanting to immerse ourselves in the culture, we bravely sampled unfamiliar cuisine. A full Scottish breakfast introduced us to black pudding (blood sausage), tattie (potato) scones, and the infamous haggis. We didn’t love the black pudding, but we did like the other options. Because of the spices and grains cooked into haggis, it has an appealing flavor.

While in Scotland, we also tasted: 

• A Scotch egg — a soft-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and breadcrumbs and deep-fried 
  
• Sticky toffee pudding, which is more like cake than pudding, and delicious
  
• Meat pie
  
• Cullen skink — a smoked haddock soup
  
• Cranachan — a cream and raspberry parfait
  

In Ireland, corned beef was nowhere to be found, although I did see a reuben sandwich on one menu. We didn’t find shepherd’s pie like we had hoped to. What we found instead was lamb stew, beef and Guinness stew (delectable!), bangers and mash, fish and chips, and seafood chowder — all of which we enjoyed. 

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