Smitten by Scottish Highlands

Guys, I am already having withdrawals.

Hands down had the most magical three day weekend exploring the highlands in one of the world's most beautiful country, Scotland (watch vlog here).

My friend's and I have been planning to explore the highlands since the start of first semester. We were all aboard on renting a car and arranging everything from our accommodations, food and road trip itinerary. However it was easier said than done, and the more I researched, the more it became way over our head. What was the issue you might ask? Well,

You need to be over the age of 25 to rent a car from most car rental companies
We were all not too familiar with the roads (the last thing I want on a amazing road-trip is worrying about endangering mine and everyone else's life lol)
There was just way too many places in the highlands to explore = more driving = a very tiring journey (especially for the person in charge of driving)
There is literally no cellular and network reception in most parts of the highlands = no Google maps = spending most parts of our road trip being lost for directions
All those planning was still going wayyyyy over our budget (especially during peak periods of Summer) #BrokeStudentLife

So we decided to opt for the next best thing: a guided tour and oh my God, the tour prices made us cry. It was either too expensive, not trustworthy and did i mention too expensive?! It was all dark skies and gloomy nights until Sridevi suggested we take a look at tours offered on Heartland Travel's website and I kid you not guys, the 3- Day Scotland tour of the Highlands, Skye and Loch Ness was everything we were looking for! I honestly could hear my bank account crying tears of joy upon seeing how affordable the tour package was. HOWEVER, there weren't any tours during summer and the only available ones were in a weeks time in April (Wohoo! we get to explore the Highlands sooner than planned). Long story short, Sri, Namrata and I booked it without any hesitation! TIME TO PACK OUR BAGS!!

To my delight, our tour group was small with only 6 of us; Mark, Linda & Amanda from St Andrews University and the 3 of us with our charismatic tour guide, Nori. I have never come across a tour guide like Nori, he was just an energetic Scotsman, full of passion, sense of humor and a knack for storytelling. He engaged with everyone on the tour and the six of us in the group got along really well and had a blast throughout our road-trip on the Haymish (the mini tour bus). We honestly couldn't have planned a better roadtrip/tour ourselves.

On board the Haymish for an adventure!

DAY 1: HIGHLAND FLING

Departing Dundee, our first stop of this incredible adventure was Doune Castle, near the village of Doune in Stirling.

An Outlander fan? Then you may recognize this castle as it is the fictional 'Castle Leoch' in the TV series. Doune castle was also one of several locations used to recreate Winterfell for the pilot episode of Game of Thrones (GoT fans, take note of this ;) ).

We made a pit stop at Callander to grab lunch and some delicious pastries from Mohr Bread for our picnic later during the day.

Before reaching the stunning Glencoe mountains, we stopped for a short walk up to Creag an Tuirc, a hill overlooking and offering a beautiful view of a small village called Balquhidder and Loch Voil. Here, Nori told us all about the Clans (an ancient version of a Mafia basically) that used to occupy the lands in this area.

Walking up Creag an Tuirc

View of Loch Voil from above

We also managed to come across a pretty waterfall on our way back down.

We had lunch facing one of the top views in the UK; the Three Sisters mountain range in Glencoe. I felt oh so tiny among the majestic trio of mountain that stood before us.

...and all I could wonder was 'what would it be like wayyy up there?' (must be so darn beautiful).

We continued our journey further north to Fort William, a town well known as a gateway to the great Ben Nevis, UK's tallest mountain. I wish I could say we were there to hike up Ben Nevis but it was for something much better. Something I have been dreaming since I was a kid to see; the ever famous Glenfinnan Viaduct on which the Jacobite steam train aka Hogwarts Express crosses!! (*squeals in excitement*). I was already in my favorite Harry Potter sweater, running up to the viewpoint and bracing the rain (which lasted for like 5 minutes) as we reached right on time to catch the The Jacobite crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct in all its steam glory.

Take me to Hogwarts please

And right after the Jacobite had crossed, the rain decides to miraculously stop and Mr.Sun showed up again (talk about "perfect" timing -___- ).

After grabbing some groceries for our dinner later, we then visited Eilean Donan Castle, situated on a small island where three sea lochs meet (Loch = Lake in Scotland). This iconic castle was also another awaited spot for us desi babes as a famous bollywood (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and kollywood (Kandukondein Kandukondein) movie songs were shot in this very spot.

Now does it look familiar my dear Indian friends?

Sri living her kollywood dream

So yes, the three of us had to channel our inner Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Aishwarya Rai and heck, even Shah Rukh Khan lol :P Am i famous yet? After our mini shoot at Eilean Donan, it was time to head to our accommodation, a quaint Stationmaster's Lodge at Stromeferry with a stunning loch view.

We also managed to catch a glimpse of a spectacular rainbow over Loch Lochy on our way.

Our cosy room

Stunning view right outside our lodge

Hungry and exhausted from an active and eventful journey, the six of us agreed on prepping Sri's delicious egg curry and pepper rice for dinner (as the four of em have never tried egg curry in their life) and oh my! it was so delicious even Nori said "its the best dish I have ever had throughout the tours".

Even looking at this picture is making me salivate already. #IndianFoodPorn

DAY 2- LEFT MY HEART AT SKYE

This day was all about exploring the magical Isle of Skye. As we crossed the Skye Bridge over Loch Alsh, our first stop of the day was at the viewpoint of the intimidating Black Cuillin and the Red Cuillin mountains that dominates the landscape on Skye. We listened as Nori told us about the great clan battle that took place around the slopes below the Cuillin mountains.

Fun fact: Some scenes from the movie 'Stardust' was filmed using this scenic backdrop.

We then went on a search for eternal beauty located at foot of the Black Cuillins known as the world famous Fairy Pools. A 15 minute walk along the footpath led us to an almost sparkly, crystal clear stream of pools and waterfalls.

I was way too tempted to take a dip but that would not have been a FAIRY good idea wouldn't it? (i'm so lame :P)

Before heading to our picnic spot for the day, we stopped at the capital town of Skye called Portree to grab our lunch and have a short stroll around it's picturesque harbor with its edge lined by a stretch of brightly painted buildings.

On our way, we stopped to view one of the most photographed landscapes in the world, the Old Man of Storr, a huge rock pinnacle created by a colossal ancient landslide.

It was however interesting to listen to folklore and legends associated with the formation of Old Man of Storr from Nori.

We had our mini lunch picnic on the cliffs of Tobhta Uachdrach which featured amazing view of the sea and honestly, I wish every meal I had in my life came with a view like this. Mother Nature, you are a stunner!

Next stop: Kilt Rock. Scotland is so in-tune with mother nature even the landscapes follows traditional fashion aka I'm talking about the rock formation resembling a Scottish kilt.

Do you see what I see?

The waterfall that plummets over Kilt Rock gives it an even more 'wow' factor.

As we stood on the fenced cliff edge admiring the view of the falls, we also heard distinct unusual sound. Nori pulled our legs by saying there was a fairy folklore behind it, but turns out the noise was due to sound vibrations coming from the fence (pffftt..i knew that :P) .

After Kilt Rock, we went for a hike up The Quiraing, one of Scotland's most iconic landscape consisting of high cliffs, plateaus and pinnacles of rock.

Fun fact: landscapes of the Quiraing was used to film some scene from Stardust and was also used to inspire the fictional ‘Giants’ Land' in The BFG.

By this time, after all the walking we have done, our legs were starting to feel a wee bit jelly. However, the weather was amazing, the view was remarkable and you know what you get when you put me and cliffs/edges together?

THIS.

Happiest kid when I'm way up high. The only kind of high I wanna be lol

From visiting magnificent landscape of hills and mountains, our next stop was the complete opposite. We ended up in a miniature landscape of small cone-shaped hills and rock/stone arrangements with an otherworldly effect to it. Due to the legends of Skye involving the fairies (As told by our guide Nori) and it's unusual location, this place is called the Fairy Glen.

It's the kind of place I imagined theTeletubbies would live in if they existed in real life (lol).

Rock spirals said to once be a portal to the Fairy kingdom

We were then off for a long drive to our last stop of the day; Neist Point, the most west-end tip of Skye. This place was not in the original itinerary but it was so sweet of Nori to squeeze it in for us as it was in our bucket list as well (BEST TOUR GUIDE EVER TBH).

Neist Point offered stunning views of the high cliffs (yasss cliffs) and the lighthouse. If you are here during the summer months and if you are lucky enough, you might get the chance to spot minke whales.

Back in our comfy lodge, Nori made us dinner; the famous haggis, vegetarian haggis, mash potatoes and turnips. YUMMY!

DAY 3: ALL BOUT DEM WATERFALLS

You know your trip is about to come to an end when you have to pack your bags to check out (NOOOOOOO!).

Bye bye :(

We bid farewell to our beautiful lodge and made our way to Fort Augustus on a quest to spot Nessie in the Loch Ness.

Fun fact: Loch Ness is Scotland's second largest loch and contains MORE water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined. Crazy eh? That ought to make you wonder that there may be something undiscovered in those waters. Well I surely do think so...nature is so full of surprises.

We made a short stop at Invermoriston Falls along the way to Fort Augustus.

Nessie has finally decided to come out of hiding lol

The Caledonian Canal links the west of Scotland to the East along three main lochs; Loch Lochy, Loch Oich and Loch Ness.

As we headed south from Fort Augustus back home, we pulled over at Druim an Aird to visit to one of the Falls of Pattack.

There was a lady swimming in the waters (not pictured obviously) and in my head, I was just like "HOW ARE YOU NOT FREEZING?!".

Nori also made a stop at 'Coffee, Cakes, Clothing and Other Yummy Things' to try one of the best cakes in the highlands and that's exactly what we did.

I hands down had one of the best carrot cake with cream cheese frosting in my life. It was so good that we went for seconds. It was however slightly overpriced but I'm guessing that its due to it's location being far off from town center.

After loading ourselves with coffee and cakes, we continued our journey through Pass of Drumochter (1,509 ft) , one of the highest paved roads in Scotland. The landscape showed a gradual change from monstrous mountains to smaller hills and farmlands as we traveled further away from the highlands (i did not want this trip to come to an end T_T). As we approached Perth, we made a stop at The Hermitage, a scenic woodland trail in Dunkeld, .

We were then lead by Nori via a path leading into Ossian's Hall which was overlooking the gorgeous Black Linn Falls.

The thunderous gushing of Black Linn Falls, earthy scent and surrounded by lush firs - truly a spectacular end to a wonderful trip.

At Dundee, we bid the rest our group and our fantastic tour guide, Nori goodbye and faced withdrawals instantly.

One happy bunch!

Guys, if you are looking to explore the highlands, I 100% recommend Heartland Travels, don't even have to look anywhere else. I had the best time and it was truly an awesome experience. I would also like to thank the Scottish weather for being so good to us for the past 3 days lol...it was either sunny or slightly cloudy 90% of the time (lucky us!).

VLOG [watch in HD] :