In early 2023, Dr. Ross Brown and I started talking about a “Grand Whisky Tour of Scotland”. Though it started as a “we ought to…” and quickly progressed to a “we need to” discussion. We both love Scotch Whisky, Ross had never been to Europe and Scotland is a gentler introduction to the other side of the Atlantic than France or Germany, and as I am of Scottish descent (~55% according to family lore and 23&Me: Duncan, MacHam, and Baird) I will take any opportunity to roam the hills, glens, shore, and consume Aqua Vitae at the source.
It took us a year and a half to align schedules, buy airline tickets, research distilleries and Scotch, obsess over logistics, and pour over maps. Multiple guide books were bought and devoured for general itineraries, historic sites, and “cant miss” spots on the map.
Both of our work schedules were nuts and the days and nights leading up to the trip were crazy busy dealing with the daily details that would allow us to check out of everyday life for a short stint. On September 11, 2024 we left the US for a 10 day tour of Caledonia!
The itinerary was shuffled on day two and we were met with blue skies and perfect weather every day that were tour Scotland, with the exception of one drizzly morning and afternoon. We drove our huge RV on tiny roads through Edinburgh, Sterling, Speyside, the north coast, Inverness, Loch Ness, the Highlands, the Isle of Skye, and Glencoe – sampling Uisge-beatha na h-Alba the entire way.
I can be the quintessential tourist, with multiple cameras slung about my neck and in my pockets, whipping out a light meter, or setting up the “perfect” shot. I am aware of how annoying this can be for the people with me, so I limited myself to one 35mm camera, one lens, my iPhone, and a GoPro. I brought rolls of slide file and 400-3200 ISO/ASA B&W film to document our travels. Ross, to his credit, was so patient and didn’t complain even once when the camera came out or when I had to swap film constantly.
We have been adventuring and traveling together for over 20 years and get each others strengths, challenges, and quirks. We had a blast taking turns driving and navigation and, our RV laughing for 850 miles of some of the best Scotland had to offer.
A fine trip, fine company. stunning scenery. great whisky, and memories that will last a life time. We also brought back more than a few bottles of scotch – all stuff that you can only get at the distilleries. Five bottles came home with me, all carefully packed and padded. I picked up one bottle of Glenturret especially for my son, who is coming to appreciate Scotch. I try to help foster an appreciation of the good stuff.
To say ‘thank you’ for letting me be a camera nut, I made a 50 page photo book from the shared album of both of our pictures after we got home. Thick paper, matte finish, and hardcover. Not cheap, but worth it as a memory of the trip and experience. I made it online with Mixbook after doing a couple evening of research. I don’t have a discount code or get anything from sharing who I used. I think that I am going to start doing a yearly “best iPhone photo dump as well. So that I have a physical copy of the 1TB of photos that live rent free on my phone.