Almost Ready to Travel!

Almost Ready to Travel! 

photo from: https://www.roughguides.com/scotland/#travel-facts-about-scotland accredited to "Sunny and cloudy at the same time at Rannoch Moor, Scotland © Shutterstock"

Less than two weeks away from a trip to Scotland gets you taking care of some last minute details!

One of those is figuring out the time difference between Maryland & Scotland.  According to Travel Math, we will be five hours ahead of everyone stuck in Maryland!   

There are also some other basic facts that I found might come in handy while in in Scotland.  The Rough Guides travel guides provided some of these basic facts:

"Travel Facts about Scotland

  • English has been the main language of Scotland since the 18th century. Around 60,000 people also speak Gaelic.
  • The population of Scotland is just over 5 million. 480,000 reside in the capital, Edinburgh, while Glasgow has a population of 580,000.
  • Scotland covers an area of just over 30,000 square miles, with a 2300-mile-long coastline and over 31,460 lochs.
  • Scotland is a constituent territory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Elements of government business are devolved to the separately elected Scottish Parliament"

https://www.roughguides.com/scotland/#travel-facts-about-scotland

I was also excited to see that Rough Guides said that our travel dates are considered the best times to travel to Scotland:

"Deciding the best time to travel to Scotland may well be wedded to the weather. June, July and August tend to be the most popular months to visit Scotland - days are generally mild (or even warm) and the light lingers longs - though local school holidays make them the busiest period."

The site goes on to give some other basic helpful hints:

"Things you need to know before going to Scotland

  • Scotland is not England. Scots are not English - don’t confuse the two. Scotland and Scottish people have their own identity and heritage.
  • Don’t confuse “Scots” with “Scotch”. The former refers to people from Scotland, while Scotch means things of Scottish origin, like Scotch whiskey, or shortbread.
  • If you pause to listen to a bagpiper performing on the streets, leave a tip (especially if you’ve taken a photo). It takes a lot of skill to get a tune from those pipes.
  • That said, you don’t need to leave a tip in pubs, and 10% is customary in restaurants."



As always, food is on my mind, so I did a little more exploring on what to expect.  Based on what I found, I will surely have plenty of hearty breakfasts!   But I would also like to stop by a chippie for lunch if possible!  But what is a chippie? A chippie, or a fish and chips shop should be around on some of our travels according to The Rough Guide to the Scottish Highlands and Islands. "Chippies, abound, the best often found in coastal towns within sight of the fishing boats. Deep-fried battered fish is the standard choice – when served with chips it’s known as a “fish supper.”



Of course, we will need to save some room for some traditional Scottish desserts like a Clootie Dumpling!   

"Among traditional desserts, “clootie dumpling” is a sweet, stodgy fruit pudding bound in a cloth and cooked for hours, while Cranachan, made with toasted oatmeal steeped in whisky and folded into whipped cream flavoured with fresh raspberries, or the similar Atholl Brose, are considered more refined."


Photo Credit:  The Spruce Eats/ Cara Cormack found at 

Now I a really hungry for our Scotland Trip!

It is also a good idea to learn a few of the common terms that we may hear in Scotland.   So I took a picture of the glossary in the back of the The Rough Guide to Scottish HIghlands & Islands. This may come in handy in case someone points out a CAIRN (a mound of stones) & I mistakenly think they are talking about the KAREN complaining over in the distance.  Or someone tells me to go around the NEUK (corner) then through the PEND (archway or vaulted passage) and continue into the WYND (narrow lane).  Otherwise, I could be completely lost! 

Photo Credit: page 426 of the 2021 edition of The Rough Guide to Scottish HIghlands & Islands.

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