2021 is all about the staycation. The travel companies know it, and we know it. Cornwall's holiday homes, hotels and hostels were 98% booked up for this summer as of April 2021, according to Cornwall Live, while the Peak District has had a huge increase in visitors this year, according to ITV. However, staycationing may not always feel like the ‘vacation’ we crave. Be it the weather, the similar culture, listening to people speak the same language you hear in the (home) office everyday…
Just across the border, Scotland awaits. Technically, I left my home country of England, but I thankfully didn't have to pay through my nose for the privilege of having a swab stuck up there. I made sure I incorporated many aspects of a vacation into this staycation though, so I truly feel like I’ve been ‘away’.
A beach in the Highlands (yes, really!)
I've previously staycationed in Edinburgh, Scotland, so although I'm currently doing my best J K Rowling impression and writing this piece in the Scottish capital – with a mention of the famed boy wizard thrown in for good measure – I'm offering a new angle to hero the Scottish Highlands aspects of this trip. Although this piece does feature a few Edinburgh anecdotes, for a more Edinburgh-based piece, you can click here.
So, here we go, here's how to really staycation like you're on a foreign vacation...
Tap into what ignites your holiday fire
Is it an adventurous escapade? An all-inclusive blissful break? For me, solo travel truly gives me that sense of travel and adventure – though usually I'm headed to medinas in Morocco or white-sand beaches in Cuba. A little less warm, but just as beautiful, an escape to the Highlands offers mountains, waterfalls and gorgeous scenery galore, just like Morocco; however, the choice of tipple is whisky instead of Cuba's rum. I joined a day tour, instead of my usual week-long group tour, and it was brilliant. It sounds silly to say, but apart from my trip to Loch Lomond where I actively sought out solitude to write, solo travelling isn’t usually a lonely experience. You meet people alllll the time. However, unlike pre-Covid, there was little to no mingling between groups on this tour, which made for a more solitary experience for solo travellers – something I also learned living in Sydney last year. Blaaaaady Covid.
A view from the tour bus
It's not all wandering around gorgeous places in your own world though. Yes, while solo travel usually meant making new friends, in the age of staycations, it might mean bumping into your existing ones instead! Back down in Edinburgh, it seemed as though everyone had the same England-to-Scotland idea as I met up with two friends and their travel companions; one to climb Arthur's Seat and another for a morning smoothie at Hula.
Top of Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh
Stick to your travel routine
My pre-travel routine always included grabbing a magazine and a few snacks from WHSmiths – though usually at an airport instead of a train station. I made sure I did the very same at Kings Cross.
Once in Scotland itself, another non-Highlands-and-actually-Edinburgh experience (don’t worry, I’m getting to Highlands content in the next paragraph!) was hopping aboard a sightseeing bus. I've lost count it how many of these I've done in various cities, but I find them so helpful in getting my bearings, travelling between the main tourist sights, and gaining some insight into the city's history and culture.
Lunch stop views in Mallaig
Downing an ice-cold lemonade is another act that just gives me the holiday feels. I ensured to keep up the tradition, accompanied by a fish and chips, in Mallaig, while overlooking the harbour. I also spent some time there overlooking the gorgeous loch, under the bright blue sky. You'd be forgiven for thinking we were in Switzerland there. Actually, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in Switzerland, or Iceland for that matter, anywhere in the Scottish Highlands! The White House, Glencoe (its actual postal address) gave me major Vik vibes.
The White House, Glencoe
Try the local food and drink
Food is such an important part of travel culture, and trying new dishes will really feel like you're away from home. While Scotland is still in the UK, there are some different culinary offerings you can get your teeth into, including black pudding, haggis, shortbread, single malt whisky, gin... In the town of Pitlochry, you'll find a sweet shop near the main public car park that serves multicoloured rainbow ice cream (I can hear the influencers flocking already!) and whiskey ice cream, made using real, local whiskey.
Pitlochry
Chat to people
Engaging with locals is another huge part of travel, and in the Highlands, there's no language barrier... well, not a huge one. Fun fact: once you reach the roads just outside Callander, Stirling, all the road signs are in both Gaelic and English. But yes, back to the main point; although the interaction between you and other travellers may be at a minimum during these Covid times, I've honestly never met more helpful staff, tour guides, waiters and waitresses! These service people are a wealth of knowledge. A stop at an Edinburgh gin shop led to a delicious dinner at Maki and Ramen, where I ate both maki and ramen. The sales attendant in the gin shop recommended it.
Back in the Highlands, I learned so much about the Scottish clans, English-Scottish history (FYI, Scone Palace and the stone of Scone is pronounced ‘Scoone’, offering a whole new dynamic to the scone/scone debate) and little local facts from the guide, such as the existence of request-only train stops. The guide also provided little language insights, for example, 'inver' means 'flowing into', i.e. Inverness means flowing into the Loch Ness.
The tour featured live commentary, punctuated with various Scottish music. My two favourites were listening to Skyfall, after venturing through the other-worldly landscape where James Bond stays with M towards the end of the eponymous film and, after seeing the famed Hogwarts Express viaduct, which is actually called Glenfinnan Viaduct, we listened to music composed for the Harry Potter films. It really felt like we were in a movie, travelling through those landscapes, listening to that music.
Jacobite steam train crossing Glenfinnan Viaduct
Final word
Right, so a big elephant in the room to conclude this piece: UK staycations and the weather. Now, of course, I would love to travel somewhere with guaranteed weather; however, Scotland showed UP on this trip. Not one drop of rain graced my head and it was mostly sunny throughout. Glencoe was notoriously a moody grey, but we got the benefit of seeing two rainbows without rain, so I'll take it. Overall, a fabulous trip, and I cannot wait to return!