Home
>
Vacation Rental
>
Scottish Roadtrips -- Encountering Porridge with Salt and Other Dangers

Scottish Roadtrips -- Encountering Porridge with Salt and Other Dangers

Edinburgh and beyond

Roadtrips around Britain

It's hard to overstate the poetry of Edinburgh. Even when crossing the North Bridge in a screaming gale, fearing you lost your nose five streets ago. It's hard to be grumpy with the magnificent Old Town spread out in front of you, and Arthur's seat rearing up to your left.

But if you're in Edinburgh for a while, I highly recommend getting out and driving through some of the countryside. As those who live in Scotland (but not in Edinburgh) like to say occasionally, Edinburgh isn't as Scottish as the rest of the place. So if you really want to get a feel for the soul and history of this porridge-with-salt, haggis-neeps-and-tatties country, you'll need to get out.

Spires, spectres and spirits (of the whiskey kind)

So have a float around Edinburgh, and soak in the ? this might naff, but really the only word to describe it ? soak in the majesty of it all. Really. Go there. You'll see. Pop up the Royal Mile and drop in on the city's number one tourist attraction ? that castle. For a dose of depressing and chilling history I vigorously suggest you take a night tour of Edinburgh's graveyards, which still sometimes have pieces of bone surfacing if it rains too hard. Interesting, and cheaper than a colostomy.

For those who're fond of brisk walks and the best views in town, there's Arthur's Seat ? an extinct volcano sitting plum in the centre of the city. And for those fond of a drink ? welcome to the happiest time in your life. The Grassmarket is a probably the best place to start, with pubs like Biddy Mulligans, and The Last Drop. Whistle Binkies on the South Bridge for live music. And to finish the night? Well, this is a quick plug for the Penny Black. Be warned, it opens around 6am and it's not always pretty. But it's a damn good romp if you're already seeing double.

To get out and about to see the surrounding areas, you've got trains and buses which can take you to most places, but if you want to be able to go where you want, when you want, it's very hard to beat renting out a little car for a few days. If you're booking through the internet to save money, sites like http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.uk (http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.uk) are good because they have contracts with all the biggest car rental companies, and you can then directly compare prices and grab a good deal.

Nearby for a quick trip

So, once you're motorised, you should wander through nearby border towns like Peebles. Great for a pint and chat in beautiful surrounds. The Tweed River is great for fishing too, if you feel you're up to facing the weather.

A must-do would be Stirling, visiting its castle, and wandering around the site at Bannockburn where the Scottish won their independence fighting the British hordes in 1314. There's also the National Wallace Monument nearby ? a tribute to the country's most famous freedom-fighter. He was the poor man who was embarrassingly portrayed by Mel Gibson sporting a dodgy mullet in Braveheart. Where's Ewan McGregor when you need him?

Onwards and upwards for monsters, battles and hairy people armed with firewater

Then, keeping onwards, and sort of to the West, you've got Oban and the little ferries which can get you to the Scottish Isles. Because you're in the area, it'd be very silly not to go to Fort William (only a millimetre or two away on the map). From here you can explore Glen Nevis ? the area is the natural wonder version of the man-made beauty to be found in Edinburgh. You'll need a lucky streak, though, if you want a cloudless day when climbing to the peak of the area's most popular mountain, Ben Nevis.

From here you could either start heading back in a roundabout fashion turning east and frolicking through Perth, Dundee and St Andrews, or set your car to speedy and head on up to Inverness to take a trip out monster-hunting on the freaky dark waters of Loch Ness. Another battlefield heavy with history is a small trip away from Inverness ? the moor of Culloden. The last battle to be fought on British soil ? it was bloody and quick, and followed by a very nasty period of brutality and suppression of the Scottish way of life, even though the battle wasn't really Scottish versus English. It was more a spat between rich boys over a crown.

If you haven't turned back by now, it would seem you're in for the long-haul. Further on up would then be your only option ? the beautiful and lonely Highlands await. Go, and drink firewater with the reddest and hairiest Scotsmen of them all.

Alyssa Betts
http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.uk

recurring housekeeping Arlington Heights ..

In The News:

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.

FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.

Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.

Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.

Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.

Scottish Roadtrips -- Encountering Porridge with Salt and Other Dangers

Vacation Rental