glasgow – Bronze Butterfly

This is a continuation of my recap of my time in Scotland. After landing in Edinburgh, traveling up to Stonehaven, and enjoying some time at the Aboyne Games, my friend and I journeyed to Glasgow to continue our adventure.

Instead of taking the LNER train, we rode ScotRail. We weren’t able to upgrade our tickets for this leg of our trip, but we ended up with good and comfortable window seats. We were joined by an adorable young married couple – Lola and Hal – on their way to Glasgow for a fun weekend. We had a fantastic conversation and enjoyed the sights as we chugged along for two hours.

We arrived at the Glasgow train station and started the walk to the Maldron Hotel. This was our first time at a modern hotel in Scotland: the hotels we stayed in before (and after) this one were mostly boutique style and more historical. The sleek and modern decor was fun and fresh. We dropped off our bags, freshened up, and prepared to meet our tour group for dinner.

Our tour was hosted by Clan Graham Society, the organization endorsed by the head of Clan Graham, James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose. The tour was organized to commemorate Clan Graham Society’s 50th Anniversary and was coordinated by several members of Clan Graham – specifically, Kate Graham and Kiersten Graham Dick, along with Gordon Graham – and every detail was considered with care. All members of the group, except for a few folks like me, have a connection to James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. Clan Graham is extraordinarily warm and welcoming, and I joined the organization as a friend of Clan Graham. My friend, who was my roommate for the entirety of the trip, has a Graham-affiliated surname, so she’s a member of Clan Graham and encouraged me to join. I’m so thankful for her encouraging me to become part of the group!

In our ten day tour, we visited sites that were historically relevant to Scotland as a whole, as well as sites relevant to Graham history specifically. Every other day or so, we traveled to another town or city, each one significant in its own right.

We enjoyed delightful meals at the Maldron each day during our stay (we were there two nights). On the first full day in Glasgow, we were supposed to go to the Isle of Arran, but the weather was unfavorable (one of the strongest storms of the summer happened on this day). While the group made alternate arrangements, my friend and I – still quite tired from our time in Stonehaven and Aboyne – decided to sleep in and explore Glasgow in the afternoon instead.

While walking around, we came across many interesting and old buildings that were photo-worthy. But, despite Glasgow being full of gothic, Victorian and art nouveau structures, the city has a distinctly modern, “concrete jungle” feel. It’s undeniably metropolitan energy gives it an edge and pulse that wholly unlike the laidback energy of Edinburgh. To be frank, I love both cities and will happily return many times, if I’m able.

After grabbing a delicious hot chocolate from Hotel Chocolat (complete with chocolate whipped cream rose, no less), we stumbled across Frasers department store, and I became an instant fan. As a lover of the department stores of yesteryear, Frasers reminded me of the kind of stores that are becoming rarer to find stateside. It was so nice to walk in and get an experience similar to Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Liberty or Selfridges. I found an amazing formal gown that I had to purchase, and had a wonderful chat with one of the sales reps at Frasers. I’m so pleased that we stumbled upon this store, because none of the other cities or towns on our tour had a Frasers.

Hotel Chocolat is always a must when in the UK

Once we finished shopping, we made our way back to the hotel. I snapped photos of interesting things I saw on our walk, including Nelson Mandela Place, a street named after the South African former President, Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and anti-apartheid activist. I also saw shops and architectural details that I loved.

Snapshot of Nelson Mandela Place street sign

Restaurant I want to try when I return to Glasgow

Before we walked the final block to our hotel, we stopped off at the DoubleTree by Hilton to check out their restaurant, Cask & Clyde. The menu had a fair amount of options, and I found a couple of things that looked good (namely, the soup of the day – lentil – and macaroni and cheese). I also enjoyed an old fashioned while I waited for my food.

I enjoyed my Cask & Clyde experience, and will definitely return when I get back to Glasgow. After we were full, we returned to our rooms and relaxed for a few hours before dinner.

The next day, we loaded our luggage onto the tour bus in preparation for checkout. Our bags stayed on the bus as we journeyed to our first stop on day 2: Mugdock Castle. This was the original stronghold for Clan Graham more than 800 years ago. The castle is now mostly in ruins, but Mugdock Country Park is still an incredible site and well worth the visit. The castle is about a 15 minute walk from the entrance. On the trail to the castle, you will see the remains of Craigend Zoo, as well as many dog owners taking their friendly pups for walks.

When we arrived at the castle, Clan Graham’s chieftain, Richard Graham, presented the caretakers of Mugdock Castle with a 50th anniversary commemorative plate. It was a touching ceremony and I’m so glad I got to witness it. Inside the castle, there are a number of Clan Graham artifacts, including a number of pieces emblazoned with royal crests. The site is a beautiful one that is listed by the Scottish Tourism Board. While the day was misty and cool, the walks to and from the castle were refreshing and picturesque.

Sign depicting the original structure of Mugdock Castle

Mugdock Castle timeline and sketch of James Graham 1st Marquess of Montrose

Closeup of crest which roughly translates to “Royal and United as One”

History of persecution of suspected witches in Scotland

Biography of James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose

We returned to the main entrance building and warmed up with lentil soup, sandwiches and coffee and tea. The guides graciously answered our questions and gave us a delightful end to a fantastic day at Mugdock.

Chuckling with the professional actor outside of Mugdock Castle

We boarded the tour bus and made our way to the next city on our tour, Stirling. However, we stopped momentarily at Loch Katrine, then followed that with a later stop at a local shop which had some highland coos in a neighboring field, and I got the treat of a lifetime when I was able to feed those sweet coos!

Stop near the Trossachs and seeing highland coos

This full day of activity was only a glimpse of the magic to come on my Scotland vacation! I’m excited to share with you the next part in a few days, where I will discuss my time in Stirling. Until then, take care, and thanks for reading!

This summer, I spent two glorious weeks touring different towns in Scotland. My trip started and ended in Edinburgh and, despite making the most of my time in Scotland, I always feel that I could have benefited from another week . . . or two. I looked back fondly on my trip, and I’m so glad I get to share the details with you all!

As I already said, my Scotland trip started with Edinburgh Airport. Despite this being my favorite UK city, this was actually my first time flying directly into EDI airport (I always choose Heathrow, since London is usually my first stop in the UK). Since this was a Scotland-only trip, it made sense to fly in directly instead of landing in Heathrow or Gatwick and then taking the train for 4 hours.

I started my trip by exploring the airport. From what I could see, there wasn’t much to do in the International Arrivals gates: it’s basically disembark, customs, and go outside to catch your Uber or taxi. I did find a couple of little shops and eateries in the main ticketing area, but most of the good shopping and dining were on the departure side exclusively, right beyond security. And, since I wasn’t departing, I couldn’t access that area until my return flight.

In any case, I got some breakfast and waited at one of the cafes until my friend arrived, then we were off to start our Scottish adventure. We took the airport shuttle to one of the train stops, then we took a LNER train to Stonehaven. We purchased our train tickets once we arrived in Edinburgh, since we weren’t sure if we’d have travel delays that would impact our ability to make our reservation. Once I familiarized myself with the LNER website, purchasing the tickets was a clear and simple process. As someone who has booked a couple of UK train tickets over the years, I recommend that you always upgrade if you can, and always confirm that your ticket has an assigned seat number. Otherwise, you may find yourself standing for the entirety of your trip (I’ve seen it happen to others)!

The two hour ride north of Edinburgh is charming and picturesque. One delightful part of the LNER train experience was our decision to splurge on first class seats. The seats were reasonably priced [even as a last minute purchase], comfortable, and the railcar had adequate space for our luggage. I’ve ridden a number of trains stateside, and a few overseas, but this was the first time I enjoyed a lovely meal as part of our ticket price. I’ve paid far more for shorter train rides, and trust me, there were no refreshments included!

However, the absolute best part of the ride, was the people. We had a wonderful chat with one gentleman on the train, who was going to Aberdeen, just a little further north of our stop. The train conductors are always so polite and helpful. Their personalities are one of my favorite things about train travel in the UK. One of the best experiences I’ve ever had was the conductor I met during the first time I came to Scotland, who helped me sort out a seating issue with the kind of professionalism and kindness I could only hope to encounter in others.

We arrived in Stonehaven and took a cab to the Ship Inn, a cute bed and breakfast overlooking a harbor. The cabs have a fixed rate during most of the week (only 5 GBP!) and will take you anywhere in town. We got to the hotel and checked in. Like many Scottish hotels, the bar is also the check in desk, so you can grab your keys and a strong beverage at the same time.

Our room was tidy and comfortable. Shortbread cookies and tea sachets were refreshed daily. The Ship Inn also had excellent breakfast options, which were suitable for my flexitarian tastes as well as the pescatarian/vegetarian preferences of my friend. We enjoyed a traditional Scottish breakfast daily, complete with baked beans, tomatoes, vegetarian sausage, eggs, hash browns, tomatoes and toast. After washing down the hearty breakfast with coffee and juice, we were ready to start exploring.

I failed to mention why we went directly to Stonehaven instead of staying in Edinburgh for a bit. During the 2024 Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta, my friend exchanged information with Richard Baird, Commander of Clan Baird, who was visiting. He told her that there would be a highland game in Aboyne, Scotland, in early August, and the game just happened to be scheduled a few days before our pre-planned Scotland tour. So we arrived in Scotland 4 days earlier than originally planned, allowing us enough time to enjoy the Aboyne Games before starting the scheduled tour.

The decision to spend some time in Stonehaven – Richard’s hometown and the town closest to Aboyne – was a great one. The day after we settled in, we had a chance to meet up with Richard and his lovely wife Polly, and he gave us a fantastic tour of his beautiful home. We even had a chance to drive his ATV, which was perfect for riding over the hills and dips of his estate. We got to see the beautiful herds of sheep and goats feasting on the heather, and we even got to see a new litter of hunting pups that were born just a few weeks prior.

One of my friends from London had never gone to Stonehaven or Aboyne, so we met up the day before the games, and we all went to the games together. The Aboyne Games are a marvelous opportunity to enjoy a truly traditional highland game experience. Many of the games that you may enjoy stateside are HUGE affairs, drawing people from hundreds of miles away. However, traditional games were a local and more intimate experience, a small, fun community gathering that people cherish each year.

This year’s Aboyne Games were blessed with full sunshine and warm temperatures (almost 80 degrees Fahrenheit, a bit of an anomaly!). I had a wonderful time meeting some members of Clan Baird as well as some other clan members. Since we came from outside of Scotland, we were delighted to see an international tent. We received a personal greeting from Granville Gordon, 13th Marquess of Huntly and Chieftain of the Aboyne Games. We celebrated our time with a taste of Cock O’ The North whisky liqueur (after which, we promptly purchased our own bottles to take home).

I can’t say enough good things about my time in Stonehaven. I even got to try some fish and chips at Meydan, located in the town square. Sadly, I didn’t get to go to Carron: this restaurant is the home of the original deep-fried Mars bar! Alas, maybe I’ll get to try it next time. My only wish is that there were more things to do in the evening, but that’s just my night-owl tendencies talking. Stonehaven is a small, charming town, so I managed my expectations and enjoyed it for what it was. The easy, laidback energy of the town was soothing: I loved seeing the same few folks walking by the hotel, striking up conversations with local self-appointed ambassadors (the best kind of people) and taking in the harbor views.

We spent a few days in Stonehaven before heading to Glasgow, to start the beginning of the tour.

I’ll be back soon with Part 2, where I’ll discuss my time in Glasgow. Thanks for reading!

Tag: glasgow

My Heart Belongs to Scotland – Glasgow and Clan Graham

My Heart Belongs to Scotland – Stonehaven and Aboyne