Scotland's National Tourist Routes

Campbelltown, Scotland

 Fancy a driving holiday? Spoil yourself, rent that dream car, book a chalet for a week and explore roads like these!

Scotland has 12 National Routes for you to enjoy diverse landscapes, towns and villages. If you're planning a trip to Scotland you are going to want to check these out.

For our First Anniversary Luis and I took a road trip through the highlands. It was amazing and I'd wished I was an awesome blogger to photograph and write about it all. I have very few photos of our trip. We left from Glasgow and took a few tourist routes to get up to Thurso--the Northern most point of mainland Scotland. It was amazing!

We drove on tiny one lane roads {pictured above} nestled deep in the Scottish mountains. I remember coming over the crest of a hill and stopping the car to look down on hundreds of majestic deer. It was a site I won't ever forget. We just sat there for ages watching these deer. We started counting their antlers and trying to find the oldest one. We actually found an 18 point! It was all just incredible. We sat there for probably an hour. Just waiting for the deer to pass the road.

We drove through small villages and big cities. Any chance we got we drove the coastal routes. There is just something about the ocean that never gets old. We passed castle after castle and saw wildlife and derelict estates just about everywhere.

I would encourage anyone who is visiting Scotland to rent a car and head out on one of these routes for a few days. It is an amazing way to see this country!

Let's Talk About Rain Gear

I am coming up on my 6th anniversary of moving to Scotland. I never thought in a million years we'd still be here. But we are. I must have lived here too long because I don't even think it rains that much. Seriously, what's wrong with me?! Even the locals know it rains a lot!

I get a lot of emails about rain gear. What should you buy? What will you need? Should you buy at home or wait until you get to Scotland? I'm going to share with you my opinions on the matter.

Are you ready? This is big.
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Wait until you get here.

The advice I usually give is to wait until you get here to purchase your rain coat. I'm sure many of you who receive this such email aren't exactly satisfied but I really think it is best to wait. You need to experience the rain a bit and decide what you need. Do you walk a lot? Cycle? Hike? Drive your car everywhere? The stores here cater to our climate. You'll find just what you need when you get here. I'd hate for you to spend so much time and money on it only to realize what you bought at home isn't working for you here. Although, you can buy those wellies anywhere. Knock yourself out.

For those of you who don't take my advice and really do want to bring rain gear/coats with you I will share with you some pieces that will work for you here.

 

 

+ Get a winter coat and rain jacket with a hood and pockets. This is a must. You never know where
you will be when it starts to rain. It's easy to just pull your hood up and keep walking. Getting something with a collar and a hood is perfect. We get a lot of wind here. You'll want to feel snug and warm in there. I walk everywhere so I need pockets to throw my keys in or keep my gloves where I can get to them. Or snacks for Sebastian when I don't want to go rummaging through my bag.

+ Umbrellas are sort of superfluous here. The wind is so strong it will turn it inside out. But, the umbrellas that go down further and make a dome around you are perfect for a downpour. You won't use it all the time but they are nice to have.

+ Hats! I wear a hat all the time. ALL the time. We have strong winds here in Scotland and your hair gets whipped around and all up in your face if you aren't wearing a hat. I keep it simple with a beret that can stay in place if I need to put my hood up too.

+ Rain boots. Get them anywhere, any size, any style. They will all work. Find yourself a pair with good soles and support and you're ready to go!

That's my advice and I'm sticking to it.

Cove Bay

We had a few sunny days last week that just had me itching to get out over the weekend. We all had colds but that didn't stop us when the sun came out on Saturday. I have a few places I'd been dying to see but I'm saving those in my back pocket for warmer days. Oh, I just can't wait.

We headed to Cove Bay instead. It is a suburb on the south-east edge of Aberdeen. This village-like town boasts gorgeous rocky cliffs and never ending waves crashing on the rocky shore. The very small finishing community berths their boats on the shingle beach {a natural harbour with a beach of pebbles or small cobbles instead of sand}.

I was hoping to get out onto the rocks but the wind was fierce. Fierce I tell you! I was having a hard time standing on my own two feet let alone if I tried to climb slippery rock. So, we stayed on shore and watched the seagulls ride the waves on the North Sea.

If you go to Cove Bay bring all your winter gear. It was cold! But very beautiful. Like something out of a novel. It's nice to spend some time in beautiful places. It does my heart good.

Interview with GoAbroad.com

Not long ago I was interviewed by GoAbroad.com. It was really fun! Some of these questions I'd not ever been asked before. Check out the interview {here}.

Take a look at where My Life in Scotland has been around the web {here}. My favourite experience was with BBC Radio Scotland. I mean....it's BBC!

{Ask Mary} Rental Costs and Transportation

 

Teri asked:: "I want to rent, not buy. Doesn't have to be a huge place, 2 bedrooms/2 bath and welcomes a small dog. What does this cost?

The cost of a flat depends on where it is you want to live. East, West, North, South are all different. They also offer different accommodation. I'll tell you that you probably won't find a place with 2 bathroom's without it being a much bigger property. Most people only have 1 bathroom here. But you'll just have to look.

Bedroom's tend to be on the smaller side as well as every other room. Closet space is limited and you will have a washer in the kitchen. You may or may not have a tumble dryer. I tend to really like smaller spaces. Always have. So I don't have a problem with any of these things but I know that it can be an adjustment for some expats are they are used to much bigger homes and have a lot of things.

Pets aren't usually a problem here it is something you'll need to discuss with your landlord. Scotland is for dog lovers I'll say that. They run free off their leash  at the park and the beach. Some walk around town not leashed and we've never ever had a problem with them bothering us. They tend to be very well behaved.

Most places here in Scotland you can just do a search online and see what you're looking for, call about it and get it. But here in Aberdeen is oh so very different. The real estate market is so healthy and growing that there are not enough places to meet demand. You will need an estate agent. They will help you find a property.

 

You can search for accommodation and get more general idea of cost and what you'll get on these sites::

www.rightmove.co.uk

www.s1homes.com

www.lettingweb.com

Some terminology that will be helpful in your search::

PCM = Per Calendar Month {pcw=per calendar week}

Cloakroom = Hall Closet or sometimes a half bath. The cloakroom denotes a small room off of the main reception hall. Which can be used for anything. Some people just have it as a closet and it you're lucky it will be a half bathroom.

Double Glazing = Double Paned Windows

Fitted Kitchen = refers to the furniture that is in the kitchen. There are two ways of furnishing your kitchen with cupboards, tables, countertops, appliances. You can either have them standing on their own or you have them fitted or screwed to the wall, floor, etc. A fitted kitchen has everything fitting perfectly with the measurements of the kitchen. It is custom to the space and not independent.

Terri also asked:: "Can I live in the country as long as I can get public transportation into the city?"

You can live where ever you want. We have really good public transit here and you can get into town without too much trouble. One thing to be aware of though is that you might need to take more than one bus/train to get into the city from the country. That takes time. A 30 min drive might end up to be 2+ hours on the bus {one way}. In harsh weather buses are known to skip stops to make sure they are back at the bus depot on time. Those country stops get forgotten. Not to mention you don't have a bus coming every 15 min. You might only have 2 or 3 per day and if you miss it...well, you can't go out that day.

When searching for a property I would most definitely make sure that you are on a good bus line. Buy yourself a monthly pass. Which might require you to buy more than one monthly pass to cover the bus system in the village you live and the one in the city. Just be aware of what you're really getting. The rental costs will be cheaper but you'll make up that cost in bus fare, council tax and isolation.

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If you have any questions you'd like answered please don't hesitate to ask!

marydebastos {at} gmail {dot}

{British Recipe} Bacon Roly Polies

 

 

This post has been sponsored by Great British Chefs.

Every Christmas I pick a British recipe to try. We  make something from each of our cultures. But since none of us are British I'm on the hunt to find a really great recipe to add to the Christmas meal. I have found a winner!

Great British Chefs have some great apps! Which are FREE. Boom! They are easy to use and you can bookmark your favourites to try at a later date. I picked these Bacon Roly Polies off the Kids app. When I saw these I thought there is no way my kid could make something so...posh. Well, I am here to tell you that every step is so easy for even a child's little hands to do. I'm really impressed. Sebastian helped me crumble the dough, roll it out, sprinkle the cheese and placed them on the cooking sheet. Easy peasy!

While Sebastian is napping I have eaten 3 of these savory rolls. I love them and I'm adding them to my regular breakfast rotation. If you are wanting to add a British recipe to your Christmas brunch, I would say go for these Bacon Roly Polies. You can find the recipe here!

I'm also going to try these Mince Pies, Mint bon-bons and Children's mulled-wine jellies! Get to cooking a British Christmas this year!