Wee trips I have planned in Scotland for the coming weeks…

As I mentioned in a previous post when I went to Leven Beach in Fife recently, Scotland is slowly but surely starting to open up to tourism once again. After months in lockdown it has been a welcome relief to catch the tail end of the summer and start exploring my home country once again! With that in mind, I’ve booked 3 small trips in Scotland in the coming weeks! These are:

2 days exploring Ayrshire’s coastline

In hindsight, I should have booked another night or two here to take a bit more time exploring Ayrshire as I prefer a slower style of travel than something more fast paced. However, as this will be my first overnight stay anywhere in months because of previous lockdown restrictions and my own caution, I initially opted for just 2 days. As a result of the limited time I will have to explore Ayrshire, I’ve decided to stick mostly to the coast for this visit, although I would love to go back at a later date and explore inland more as well as making a jaunt across the water to the Isle of Arran.

For my coming trip though, I want to spend as much time as I can walking along the coastline and spending time at some of Ayrshire’s beaches. In particular, I’m keen to catch some sunrise and sunset moments along the Ayrshire coastline. Also, anyone who knows me well knows I love a good feed! I will therefore be eating out for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner each day (depending on how much I can eat haha) at local cafes and restaurants which I plan to review on this blog for you too. Hopefully I can find a good few to recommend for you!

Unfortunately, one of the main attractions that I was hoping to visit whilst in Ayrshire, i.e. the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, will still be closed when I visit due to Covid19. This was a bit of a disappointment as I was particularly looking forward to this museum. A few other indoor attractions I had been keen to see as well will also still be closed so I’m hoping to experience the outdoors as much as possible whilst in Ayrshire in order to counter this. It’s a beautiful area so I’m sure I won’t have any problems doing that and we’re predicted sunshine for the days I’ll be there so fingers crossed it stays like that!

3 days based in Glasgow city centre

My trip to Glasgow was booked as a sort of spur-of-the-moment venture after finding a ridiculously cheap deal on a hotel that would normally be around 4 times the price it is right now! I hadn’t been planning any city centre trips for the time being, but after getting such a good deal on a central hotel – and being told from people in the city that it is still relatively quiet in Glasgow city centre – I decided to go for it!

I’m still debating whether we should go by train into the city or drive in as our hotel is very close to one of Glasgow’s main train stations. If I do go by train it will be my first train journey since before Covid19 came to Scotland. I’m therefore still somewhat reluctant to do so even when travelling off-peak. However, our hotel only has limited parking spaces available and it may be hard to get parking in the city centre. That and it will be a lot quicker to get there by train as well. I shall decide nearer the time I guess and will let you know if I do and if so, how it was regarding adherence to Covid19 restrictions.

As for my plans of what to do in Glasgow over 3 days, I’m still currently itinerary building, but I would love to go to as many museums and galleries as I can depending on what’s open as a result of Covid19. I’ve also recently become an auntie again and so I may scour the shops for some cool wee outfits for my baby nephew as well as some clothes for myself. In fact, I may give a wee shopping guide to Glasgow at the end of it so you know what type of shops are in Glasgow and where to find them in the city! If the sun’s out though you’ll see me exploring Glasgow’s many parks, street art and/or enjoying a local beverage in a beer garden somewhere. And of course, as ever, I will be on the lookout for some cool wee cafes, bars and restaurants.

3 days spent in Aberdeenshire

I have 3 days in Aberdeenshire booked! I fancied a wee venture a little further away from my Edinburgh base to compliment my other trips past and present. Seeing as we have the car with us to go up to Aberdeenshire, my plan is to experience lots of areas of natural beauty and/or historic significance surrounding Aberdeen, rather than going into Aberdeen city centre much on this particular trip. The main reason for this is that in the future – once Covid19 has subsided more – I plan on making a journey up by train to Aberdeen and therefore will have lots of time to explore the city centre on foot then. Due to the fact we have the car on this visit though, and parking in a city centre is never easy, I thought I’d take advantage of the freedom of the car to get around Aberdeenshire a bit rather than just Aberdeen city.  That said, should it rain considerably then you may see me delve into the city for some museum and gallery hopping. Also, I’m on the lookout for some amazing restaurants, pubs and cafes so you may still see me wander into the city to experience some of that.

I had also been hoping to take part in a bespoke chocolate making class at a chocolate factory whilst up in the Aberdeen area, but they are unfortunately not conducting classes right not due to Covid19, so again, I will be focusing more on outdoor pursuits while in Aberdeenshire! The way I see it is that the situation with Covid19 in relation to Scottish tourism is still not 100% perfect, but it’s certainly a lot better than it was! Whilst we still can’t do everything we’d want to at this time of year, there are still plenty of areas of beauty and things to do which are available to the public right now – so I’m staying positive!

I look forward to sharing these wee trips with you once they’ve occurred in the coming weeks and hopefully this is the beginning of plenty more wee ventures around Scotland for me again and we don’t need to take a step back regarding lockdown!