Travel Talk

Time for Another Trip to Scotland

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Greetings,

I’m writing this from “The Cottage” on Little Corn Island and I’m delighted to share with you that soon, I’ll be returning to a favourite country of mine called Scotland. To say I’m ready to get back overseas, see more of this wonderful country, taste its savoury dishes and reconnect with old friends would be an understatement. This time, I’m headed to Inverness for The Social Travel Summit where  the brightest minds in travel connect at an annual conference to share experiences, share best practices,  and of course work together in the future.

On my last trip to Scotland, I briefly visited Inverness but this time I’m going to have the opportunity to get a better feel for the place. I’m also taking a scenic tour of the surrounding area which I’m quite looking forward to. Besides the summit itself, I’m also going to be taking a food and drink tour in Edinburgh after. This is going to hit the spot for a few reasons and I’ll share them with you in a moment. There were other tours which hopefully at some point I’ll be able to experience but right now and at this point in my life, I’m looking to be back in a big city and try some incredible foods.

As many of you know, I’ve basically spent the last two years of my life taking on a very ambitious building project. One where I built not one but two houses from scratch on a very small and very remote island off the coast of Nicaragua in the Caribbean Sea called Little Corn Island. The second house should be done by late November or early December which will make this project a complete two years of my life. It has been incredibly rewarding but also challenging, building somewhere with no hardware stores, cars or even roads for that matter and in a foreign language on top of it all.

That said, it’s the struggles in life which ultimately make you the man or woman you become, isn’t it? Enough about all that though, let’s discuss some of the highlights of the food and drink tour I’ll be taking in Edinburgh after the Social Travel Summit, yes? I’ll be staying at The George Hotel which looks lovely and has been an Edinburgh landmark for the last 130 years. It has recently undergone a multimillion pound refurbishment so excited to see the results, naturally. I’ll also be going to Edinburgh Castle which I’m MOST looking forward to, as you know I’m a huge fan of castles. The closest I’ve been is when watching The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo which was sensational by the way, it most certainly whet my appetite.

We’ll be dining at the following restaurants in no particular order: Timberyard, Contini Cannonball, Paul Kitching 21212 and the Tower Restaurant. To say I’m looking forward to sampling some of Scotland’s culinary treasures would be an understatement. Living on a small remote island has lots of perks but varied cuisine is not one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I love seafood as much if not more than the next person but it’s time for a change. On the drinking side, no food and drink tour of Scotland is complete without a visit to a gin distillery and a whisky experience, yes? We’ll also be doing a few other fun things of the culinary variety.

I’m leaving in a few days and thought I’d share with you my immediate plans. As it happens, I’ll most likely be gone for about a month or so which is exciting before returning to finish what I started. I’ll share with you this my friends and that is, that even if you find your favourite place on this planet and build a house there, spending time there is still pale in comparison to traveling the world and discovering what it has to offer. There is nothing quite like travel and one of the few activities where every penny you put in is well spent. Travel doesn’t just bring a smile to your face but it changes who you are for the better making you more knowledgeable of the world, culinarily inclined, confident and openminded.

I could go on but I believe I’ve said enough, stay tuned for lots of savoury content from Scotland.

If you’re considering a trip, read a recent post of mine about why NOW is the time to visit Scotland.

Tips hat,

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