SMALL-TOWN GIRLS, MIDNIGHT TRAINS

— travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams —

travel inspiration for small budgets and big dreams

Where to stay in Inverness: Jean and Bill’s

[SGMT] Where To Stay in Inverness — During our two nights in Inverness, we stayed at Jean and Bill Munro’s home, which we booked through Airbnb, and it was perfect. Jean and Bill are both retirees and they have a spare room in the second floor of their home which they rent out to visitors. The room […]

Inverness to Kyle of Localsh

* They say it’s the journey, not the destination. On the train ride from Inverness to Kyle of Localsh, that’s certainly true. The train journeys between Fort William and Mallaig and between Inverness and Kyle of Localsh are generally acknowledged to be among the best in the world in terms of scenery. More people seem to favor the former but […]

Culloden Battlefield

* Because I don’t have the words. If you want to know a bit more about the Jacobite Rebellions, Andrew Ross MacDonald’s website is a good place to start. Andrew, of Hame Tours, is a local historian, folklorist and traditional Scots singer and his guidance was extremely valuable to us in understanding Scotland’s heritage and […]

Outlander

* Scotland wasted no time being Scotland. Mere minutes after we pulled out of Edinburgh on our way to Inverness, the skies — already overcast to begin with — started dropping big beads of rain on the roof and windows of our train. No matter. The gloomy weather only enhanced the drama of the scenes unfolding outside. Mountains, […]

Inside the Caledonian Sleeper

* * Sleeper trains can save you time and money, but of the ones I’ve had the opportunity to try, the most that can be said about their comfort level is that they’re tolerable. I’ve been on one of the top bunks of a 6-couchette compartment and I can tell you it’s no fun not […]

Inverness

* * In 1746, Prince Charles Edward Stuart had a price of £30,000 on his head. * On the run after the Battle of Culloden, where so many Highlanders lost their lives to his doubtful cause, he hid in the Highlands, asking for help, food and protection from countless people, and not one of them […]