Cruising Scotland from Edinburgh to Shetlands.. United Kingdom trip

Tour of Scotland, from Edinburgh to the Shetland Isles, through the Highlands.
FANTASTIC!

This year I decided to spend my summer holidays in Scotland. A trip
long 16 days, specifically from 21/08/07 to 06/09/07.Ci had already been
April 2005, but I had promised to come back to visit the
further north, go right to the Shetland Islands.

 

Departure

Childbirth from Milan Malpensa Airport at 12.50 and landed in Edinburgh at 14.20. I take a rental car and I went straight to the B & B that I booked earlier to leave the luggage.
I take a stroll downtown and in the evening I go to see the Edinburgh Military Tattoo festival that takes place right in front of the castle.
What about Edinburgh? It 'fabulous, all the old town is wonderful! Here is all the many pubs, restaurants, shops, shopping malls ... You may not bored!!
A must is a visit to the castle from which there is a spectacular view over the city. Very interesting is also the official residence of the royal family in Edinburgh, the palace is reached along the Royal Mile.

Oban - games of the Highlands

22/08/07 I leave Edinburgh and I went to Oban, where the next day there will be the characteristic "Highland Games.
Oban is a beautiful town on the west coast, near the Atlantic Ocean. There are various shops, pubs and restaurants and a beautiful waterfront, where you can go for lovely walks.
Highland Games are athletics, but the setting is rather remote. The participants are dressed in kilts and the characteristic instruments of race are quite rudimentary (there is the launch of the trunk for example, or the tug of war). Besides this, there are dance competitions and traditional Scottish bagpipes.

Going to Ullapool

24/08/07 I leave to go to Oban to the north. The landscape that I have before is characteristic of the Highlands. The woods and forests give way to moorland, forming a beautiful contrast of colors ... green, yellow, purple, brown.
Arrival in Ullapool, on the north-west and I stopped there for one night.

Thurso

From Ullapool going to Thurso on the north coast to take the ferry that will take me to Stromness on the Orkney Islands.
Along the way I stop at Smoo on the north coast, beautiful scenery and Possibility to access some caves. Not far away, I stop to admire a white beach and the sea from the Caribbean colors.
To get to Thurso, after crossing the Highlands, the road is narrow and only one lane (2 directions), so you often have to dock in one of several "passing place" to move the cars arriving in contrary.

Orkney Islands

We start to Stromness (Orkney Islands) and get there after 2 hours approx. navigation. In northern Scotland the gusts of wind are quite strong, so the sea is quite rough. Once at the top, give it a ride to the island, looking for a place to stay for a couple of days. Decides to stay in Kirkwall, the main town and starting point for Shetland. The landscape of Orkney is characterized by an infinite series of cultivated fields, cows and sheep everywhere. If it were not for the sea, I would think of being in the Po plain ^ _ ^. The costs, however, are beautiful and the sea is beautiful in places happen to see the wrecks of ships that German scuttling the bay of Scapa Flow.
Must-see in Stenness to admire the famous "Standing Stones" and the distillery in Kirkwall, the northernmost of the world, where it produces the whiskey Highland Park.

The Shetlands

Departure for Lerwick - Shetland Islands.
Childbirth at 23.30 and arrived at about 7-7.30 am. The landscape of these islands, in contrast to the wild and Orkney is very reminiscent of the Highlands.
Almost everywhere, in addition to the many sheep and cows, there are the famous Shetland ponies, horses very low and very tender.
A Party that Lerwick is the main city, other cities are quite small and obvious is the influence of Nordic and Viking, the air we breathe and are known by colorful houses.
In some areas you can cover several kilometers without encountering any village, but the colors of the landscape are really beautiful!

Leaving the islands

I leave the Shetland Islands to return to the northern coast of Britain, but I must first make a stop in Kirkwall, where he would spend the night.

Loch Ness

I come from Kirkwall on the "mainland" and head for the mysterious Loch Ness.
I make a trip to Inverness, the city very much, here's more ... many pubs, shops, malls and a beautiful castle.
I stop at Fort Augustus where accommodation in a cozy B & B..
01/09/07 I decided to take a cruise on Loch Ness, I must say that the water is very dark and not see anything of what is underneath. It 'really a' business, understand what really lurks in the depths of the lake.

Ullapool

I leave the Loch Ness and go back to Ullapool, where I take the ferry to the island of Lewis. navigation takes approx. 3 hours. The island is quite large and I went immediately to the site of standing stones which was second only to Stonhenge as size and number of standing stones.
Beyond that, the island does not offer much of interest ...

Aviemore

I leave the Isle of Lewis, the sea is very rough due to bad weather.
I go in the direction of Edinburgh and I stop to Aviemore in the central area.
The city is full of locals and there are a number of tourists.

Edinburgh

I head to Edinburgh, the last leg of the journey.
I do a 'last visit to the city and reluctantly, September 6, 2007, get on the plane taking me back home and that will mark the end of my trip!!
I will miss all of Scotland, the landscapes of the Highlands, the warmth of the people, the smell of burning peat, the Shetland pony, lakes, castles, cliffs, the Atlantic Ocean, whiskey, beer to cider. .. EVERYTHING!!