It is so popular nowadays to read in motivational posters: jump on a plane, leave everything behind, go on a journey, have your experiences. If one leaves it out, life is not the same.

After all those impressions in my life, how could I possibly leave this social convention out of mine? So on a lovely English economic lesson, (with topic so light, and ideas so bight) I sat down to do my own econ, and ended up calculating a journey to Ireland. Which (as time passed) was enriched with Scotland as well. So in the end it turned out that a 6 day journey with 7 towns would not cost so much, thanks to Fly Be (domestic airline, with 20-30 pounds for a seat, one way) and thanks to all my friends living around Scotland...

So after I set a small budget for me (budgets are of course just for the clear conscious, you WILL end up spending way, way more), I got in touch with my dear friends and buying all the plane, rail and bus tickets.

In the end, with some extensions along the road (e.g. Scotland), my route was all cleared for me:

•          From Nottingham I caught a plane to Dublin
•          From Dublin I took a bus to Belfast
•          From Belfast I flew to Aberdeen
•          From Aberdeen I went by train to Inverness
•          From Inverness I got on a bus to visit the Loch Ness (the village of unbelievably hard-to-pronounce Drumnadrochit)
•          Then I took the train back to Aberdeen and spent the next day there and in the Dunnottar Castle
•          From Aberdeen I went to Glasgow by bus
•          From Glasgow I arrived in Edinburgh by bus
•          From Edinburgh I went by plane to Nottingham… back again.

Lovely 6 days for sure, and suprise-suprise even when I thought I would be alone, I had some great company I did not expect at all. Nice co-incidence for sure.

 After summing up all those information, let me tell you the story of how my plan worked out.

Round 1

Ireland: Guiness-Whisky and some Leprechauns (who stole my cap)…

In the rough 2 days I spent in Ireland, I came to the conclusion, that this country is very much likable. So are the people. 

Dublin was one of the best places I have been to. If you have the opportunity do not leave out the Guiness Factory, which is an awesome kickass place, full of Guiness, and also visit the Old Jameson's Distillery too. There you can learn the differences between Scotch, American and Irish whisky and also, armed with this knowledge, you will be able to determine which is your favourite.

I wish I could tell you more about the city, but shame on me, I was there only for a day. What I have experienced it, that the Liffey River is really lovely with all the little bridges, and O'Connel Street is so magnificent. I was lucky enough to meet someone on my way to Dublin, so I had some company along to explore the Temple Bar (and the moon, which was, look at it! so big), also I tried some fine Guinness, and as I was so forgetful, I left my cap somewhere along the pub crawling. Still, I prefer to say that leprechauns have stolen it, so I would not sound so… whatever

But all good things must come to an end, so did my stay in Dublin, and the next morning (without my cap, on a really cold dawn), I left for Belfast. The road was breath-taking with all the misty mountains and ruins of old castles, but still, I was a bit (I’d like to stick with) tired.

(The minute I stepped into Belfast I decided to buy a new cap.) The weather was horribly windy and cold, but luckily it was not raining (yet). (After finding my new cap in a Primark) I went on with the adventure, visited the Christmas market outside the Town Hall and high street I headed towards the Titanic quarter. I was still amazed by how kind the Irish are, all trying to have a little chat when they found out I am a tourist.

As for the titanic quarter, it is really a place you need to see. With the monument, memorial plaques and the museums you can spend a day there just wandering around, seeing exhibitions, imagining and experiencing the legend. It was moving and interesting at the same time.

The road must go on, and the next morning I was ready to leave for Scotland, the home of the brave and the free. (And they sure do need that bravery during winter when the weather is just cruel. At least it was like that for me) 

I thought Ireland had bad weather. I have never been so wrong.

The moment I entered Scotland my plane got in a strong cyclone, and soon I was praying for my life. It turned out that I was not tough enough for the Scottish winter, yet. 

Round 2

Scotland lvl: WINTER

Aberdeen was my next destination, where a friend was waiting for me. So after I landed safe and sound (which in that case was quite a miracle for me), armed with a bottle of fine Irish whisky, I went to meet him, and the city as well.

Aberdeen is a world famous city as a result of the North Sea oil and gas reserves. THe town has a beautiful beach, a breath-taking harbour with large ships, some fine museums, but I did not find it out for a couple of days, as on my arriving a strong storm made me unable to do the city tour.

But the next day I was much luckier. After a good night sleep I got on a train to Inverness, the city in the Highlands. Loch Ness is just a 30 minute bus drive from the town, and I would highly recommend you to pay a visit, as there are castles, villages, Loch Ness & Nessie exhibitions, as well as countless Nessies, the Loch Ness Monster legends around the lake. Although I had to fight the elements, like hailstorms and strong winds, it was a wonderful day.

The next day I decided to see Aberdeen. Foot Dee is a small fisherman’s village, next to the beach, just outside the harbour. It has preserved the past, and it is a wonderful place to get lost in. The maritime museum of Aberdeen is also a great place, one can get a glimpse of what life is like offshore at the oil drilling islands.

It is easy to make daytrips from Aberdeen. I went to Dunnotar Castle in the afternoon, a majestic ruin of Scottish history situated on a cliff, surrounded by the Northern Sea. This is a place where time stood still for the past centuries. Among the walls of the castle you can capture history coming alive. You can almost see William Wallace or Mary, Queen of Scots walk past you there. 

Slowly snow has arrived (not Jon, but the real thing), and Aberdeen was covered in a thin layer by the time I had to leave for Glasgow. I must say Glasgow was not as great as I expected, but I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Let's just then leave it like this here. From there I hopped on another bus, and arrived in Edinburgh an hour later, just in time to see the night lights of the city. It was fascinating, but I have already told you about Edinburgh way back in October.

And in the end there came a point when I had to leave for Nottingham. My journey was over. It was amazing, and even with the weather being so… let’s just say Scottish I had an great time.

So I hope that you will all have your adventures in the near future, and I also hope that some might be inspired by my experiences. Thanks for reading, have a happy new year!

  I hope you liked my article, you can find the previous ones here.