Stray and Savor Takes Scotland: our travel guide
"There are two seasons in Scotland: June and Winter"- Billy Connolly
We certainly kicked off May on a high note. With a friend’s wedding in Scotland, Stray & Savor turned the occasion into a 6-day vacation! Who doesn’t love an excuse to travel? Thankfully we got some great weather and with a combination of planes, trains, and automobiles we were able to see quite a bit of the country. Here’s is what we ate, drank, and saw.
*For reference (because we were a little confused ourselves):
The United Kingdom is a country made up of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Great Britain is an island made up of England, Wales, and Scotland.
The currency is the Great British Pound.
Glasgow
We started our trip in Glasgow and stayed at the Dakota Hotel, part of a chain of boutique hotels in the UK. It was a surprisingly spacious room and turned out to be in a great location as it was a 5-minute walk to the Charing Cross station and a 10-or so minute walk from the Queen Street station (the main station).
*Side note: while the hotel was beautifully decorated and modern - the key card system was not. Be sure not to place your room key near anything magnetic or it will need to be constantly re-activated (you’d think in 2025 they would be less sensitive to credit cards and phones).
There was no way we were letting jet lag get us down, so after chatting with the lovely hotel staff and dropping our bags, we headed out to conquer day 1. No adventure can start on an empty stomach, so we opted to grab a bite at Singl-end (Single End), a cafe and bakery serving up delicious cakes and breakfast foods.
Then it was time to hit the first site - Stirling Castle. It was a quick 40-minute train ride from Glasgow and ended up being one of our favorite castles due to the scenic views of the lush green landscape and ample areas to explore.
We worked up a hunger and headed to the Finnieston neighborhood for happy hour and dinner. For pre-dinner drinks we started at the Kelvingrove Cafe, which had great cocktails and a patio. The star of the evening was the Crabshakk. The food was delicious, fresh, and reasonably priced. We were a little disappointed in the whole crab but had our minds completely changed by the scallops, crab cakes, and the Turbot.
If you’re looking for a restaurant or pub, I would suggest starting on Argyle St as it is lined with a number of options. A few that looked delicious that we didn’t get to try included the Gannet and Santorini.
For post-dinner drinks we made our way across town to the Absent Ear speakeasy in Merchant City. Would highly recommend making a reservation as walk-ins are limited but there’s a bar on the top if you can’t get in or have to wait. The menu was art based and super creative; every drink is made with an unexpected yet fitting twist.
Edinburgh
On day 2, we took a day trip to Edinburgh. The two cities have completely different feels so I would highly recommend making time to see both. The trains between the two were easy to navigate and ran regularly throughout the day making travel a breeze.
Once we arrived at the Edinburgh train station, we made our way immediately to the Scran & Scallie for lunch. It had been recommended to us by a couple we met the evening before and luckily, we were able to snag a reservation (though they do take walk-ins). This was a beautifully decorated gastropub and although it was a bit tucked away in Stockbridge it was easy to get to via bus. We would highly recommend the fish and chips with an honorable mention for the extra spicy Bloody Mary. If you’re looking for a sweet treat after your meal pop over to Twelve Triangles right next door for a delicious baked good.
After lunch we took a walk through Inverleith Park and before heading to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, which is free (huge plus).
After getting our fill of nature we stopped in the cutest clothing store called Treen on St. Stephens Place. The boutique had a wide selection of cute vegan and sustainable clothing. We then headed to Edinburgh Castle. Tickets do sell out, so definitely secure your time slot in advance. By a stroke of luck, we were able to secure the last 2 tickets of the day while at lunch (phew!). Getting to the castle is easy but be warned it is a steep journey to the entrance so be prepared to activate those glutes if you plan to visit by foot.
After the castle we walked down Royal Mile and Princes St. before heading back to the train station. While Princes St. is known for its shopping, we wouldn’t say there was much to see on the main strip (maybe we needed to zig zag?). If you’re looking for a knick-knack or a gift, however, the shops are plentiful.
Inverness
Day 3 started with us heading for the Highlands. Since we only had a couple of days before the wedding, we chose to settle in Inverness. It’s an easy 3.5-hour train ride from Glasgow that takes you through the beautiful and scenic countryside and stops in adorable and historical towns like Pitlochry. News to us, we found out we happened to be traveling on a Bank Holiday but thankfully that did not appear to impact the public transportation too much.
We had a few hours before we could check into our Airbnb, so we decided to take a walk along the river and grab a drink at a local distillery.
After a lovely walk we ended up at Uilebheist Distillery and Brewery. Knowing absolutely nothing about whiskey, the bartender was super helpful in picking out a few for us to taste at various price points. We split a tasting of 4, which cost £45. If you love whiskey that tastes like burnt rubber, we would recommend the two whiskeys on the left in the picture below. *Sidenote- this place does whiskey tours and is also a hotel.
Inverness definitely isn’t the foodie capital of the world, but we were able to find some great eats.
For dinner we ate at Cafe 1 which was so good and locally sourced. Somewhere in between fine dining and a pub, the service was great and although the menu wasn’t too expansive, we found some tasty options like scallops and Scottish Monkfish to share. As with the castles in Scotland, be sure to make reservations ahead of time!
On day 2 in Inverness, we found the Jacobite Loch Ness boat tour. Unfortunately, we didn’t find Nessie but fortunately we got perfect boat weather. It was a relaxing 2-hour experience with sights, a funny captain, and a full bar.
The transit system is quite different from Glasgow and Edinburgh with buses running only every 1 to 2 hours. Because we didn’t have a car and didn’t want to wait for the bus, we did not make the trip to Urquhart Castle (more like ruins) but we were able to see it from the boat. The view from the boat did not leave much to be desired - so don’t feel bad about skipping this excursion.
After our morning on the water we stumbled upon the cutest wine bar, the Walrus & Corkscrew, for a pre-dinner drink.
We were pretty dead at the end of the day so got into our PJs early, ordered some mediocre Indian food, and binged quite a few episodes of Made in Chelsea (please let us know where we can stream in the US).
A few additional honorable mentions go to the Mustard Seed and the River House. Both restaurants fill up quickly making a reservation in advance is essential.
Even though we were only there from Monday-Wednesday we were still able to find some fun nightlife. Surprisingly (at least to us), many of the pubs have live music which is definitely worth checking out. Hootananny and Johnny Foxes were the two we stopped by and had a great evening. I don’t know that either would be my first option for food, but the drinks were great.
Overall, Inverness was a beautiful city, but I don’t think you need more than 2 days there unless you plan to take day trips or explore more of the highlands. Not having a car made it a bit more challenging to get around and explore the surrounding area -but not impossible.
Castle Douglas/Gatehouse of Fleet
Our last stop of the trip was Castle Douglas and Gatehouse of Fleet for the wedding. To get there we rented a car in Glasgow and drove two hours to the sea. It was our first time driving on the opposite side of the road, but we made it there in one piece (prayers up). The ride was scenic, and traffic was fairly light which made the ride enjoyable. Part of the drive was through a few different national park areas so if you have the time, you should stop and look around.
We stayed at the Sea View Snugs at Laggan with most of the wedding party. It was a beautiful compound with separate “snuggies” ranging in size and amenities. The snugs are situated on the coast so the views are beautiful and with a 10–15-minute walk you could be at the water (don’t be surprised if you pass a few cows and sheep on the way down). As it is quite remote, don’t forget to stop for snacks and other necessities before arriving. Restaurants are several miles away. We would stick with the recommendations provided by Laggan.
Our snug was the Ben, which was perfect for 2 people with a private patio. The snugs are tucked into nature as you can see by the chicken that stumbled upon our room.
The morning of the wedding we were able to sneak away in and discover the riches of the area. Just a 20-minute drive away we found ourselves at Dundrennan Abbey which had so much history as it’s thought to be the last place Mary Queen of Scots was in Scotland before taking the ill-fated journey to England (Mary’s cousin imprisoned her for 19 years and then chopped her head off).
After spending 30 minutes walking around the abbey grounds we made our way to the cute town of Kirkcudbright, an artists haven with lots of shops, restaurants, and cafes. The main historical attraction was under construction at the time we went, but it was a great little town with shopping as well as a coastal boardwalk.
Honorable mention goes to Millars L’Atelier Du Vin, a new local wine bar. While we weren’t able to visit (it was only noon) it looked like a cute and much welcomed addition to the town. We had lunch at the Swally n’Scran and could not recommend it more. We got the catch of the day and the smoked salmon on a crumpet which was amazing and tasted so fresh. It was just enough food for the two of us to split and not badly priced for seafood.
Dining options at the Laggan weren’t plentiful but the Murray Arms was a good close option. It also doubles as a hotel and there is a shuttle service that can arrange pick-ups and drop-offs to and from the restaurant. We couldn’t pass up one last opportunity to eat fish and chips - and we were not disappointed. The service and food were both above average!
Did we find it racist?
We felt super welcomed the entire time we were there, but people are naturally more reserved. Although we can’t speak to their life experience, we were pleasantly surprised to see black and African people in every town we went to who were pleased to see us. We found that people were more than happy to help us with any questions or suggestions.
Last Thoughts
Overall Scotland was a solid trip and we would recommend it for anyone that loves hiking/nature. Six days felt like enough time for us, however, if we had more time we would’ve loved to explore the Isle of Skye. There’s so much history and many historical sites in Scotland that you could easily spend more time exploring the smaller town. Glasgow and Edinburgh are so different from each other so we would suggest seeing both, but if you had to choose we thought Edinburgh had a bit more going on. Ultimately the Scots aren’t beating the bland food allegations, but the greenery, vibes, and the people made it all worth it!
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