My first visit to Scotland, long overdue, was catalyzed by cheap flights on Ryanair from Paris to Glasgow. The inclement climate most of the year and narrow tourism season, combined with heavy demand and accomodations bookings, makes Scotland a destination that requires advanced planning. May is a lovely month, warm with long days, but before the summer tourist crush and the legendary mosquitoes. With time restrictions, we decided not to wander too far from the Glasgow-Edinburgh axis of central Scotland, and this turned out to be wise due to heavy city traffic and slow rural highways. The Scottish folks are effusively and genuinely friendly and make touring pleasant and cozy. The scenery in the parts where we toured resembled more the genteel and prim England than the savage wild of western Ireland.
Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh is the third royal residence after Buckingham and Windsor Palaces, and the well-maintained interiors are accordingly fit for a queen. The adjoining Queen's Gallery was displaying her Fabergé eggs and other trinkets, and a steep stroll up along adjacent Holyrood Park affords panoramas over greater Edinburgh and the North Sea.
Lawn bowling, of course.
Striking stained glass windows inside St. Margaret's Chapel, part of the imposing Edinburgh Castle complex.
Friendly Mike and Ann run Tantallon B&B, just a quick walk across the Meadows from the heart of Edinburgh. Our room peered out over the tranquil backyard garden
North of Glasgow, the Loch Lomond straddles the frontier between the Scottish highlands and lowlands, immortalized in English literature. The tiny port village of Luss is thoroughly touristed but picture perfect nonetheless.
Where can you stay in a historic chateau overlooking the Loch for £12 per night? The Loch Lomond Youth Hostel, where the opulent interiors match up to the elegant facade, and some of the rooms overlook the Loch and the Trossachs.
In town, Glasgow that is, a nice cup of tea on the pedestrian Sauciehall (SOCK-ie hall) Street can be enjoyed at the Willow Tea House, originally designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh for Mrs. Rose Cranston. Many of the original furnishings have been shipped off to museums but the breathtaking Room DeLuxe remains intact.
Another Mackintosh design, the House for an Art Lover in south Glasgow, was only constructed a half century after his death, based on plans that he had submitted to a German architectural contest in 1902. The current facility, open to tourists and used for functions, was completed in 1996, and showcases the height of Mackintosh's art nouveau flamboyance (along with the divine Hill House in Helensburgh, north of Glasgow).
