Over half-term, my two friends and I went on a road trip across the UK -- they started in London, met up with me in Salisbury (near Stonehenge), and came to stay for a couple nights in Bristol. Then we made our way through Liverpool, up to Glasgow, then onto the Isle of Skye, before finally ending in Edinburgh.
Instead of the tiresome process of explaining the whole trip in order, I thought I would pick out some highlights to share. So here it is, a semi-exhaustive list of The Top However Many UK Road Trip Moments I Can Think Of In No Particular Order. Or, TTHMURTMICTOINPO. Catchy right? Here goes.
- Reuniting With Friends
Taylor and Nicole are two of my dearest friends, so I greeted them in the only way appropriate for our reuniting -- by banging on their car window and scaring the crap out of them. I know they would do the same for me, because that's what friends are for. - Stonehenge
We shelled out the big bucks in order to get up close and personal to the mystical stones themselves. When you arrive, a shuttle bus takes you a couple kilometres down the road to see them -- and the driver briefs you on the rules. However, we sat at the back of the bus and had no idea what he was saying for the most part. The only rule we heard was "don't touch the stones". Of course, I wasted no time in accidentally breaking this cardinal rule when losing my balance during a particularly "animated" Stonehenge-photoshoot pose. I am pretty sure I can never go back there again.
Before I touched the stone.. so innocent, so naive. - Being a Tourist in My Own Town
I've basically got my "Bristol Experience" whirlwind tour for visitors down pat. It involves some sightseeing (Cabot Tower and/or the Suspension Bridge), some "authentic" British cuisine (you will eat beans on toast and you will enjoy it), some local pubs, and cats. How could there not be cats? Our team also won at our local Pub Quiz, which would be really impressive if not for the fact that there was only one other team. Still proud of us.
We all wore our most summery outfits 
Bag of Nails aka Cat pub aka My Happy Place - The Playlist
With this being a road trip, we spent a lot of time in the car. So we spent a long time leading up to the trip virtually screaming song suggestions at one another in a Facebook group chat. We thought that we had crafted the perfect mix of cheesy karaoke jams, British inspired tunes, and what we called "Majestic mountain driving music". However, we forgot to take into account that these songs were in no way separated by "genre". So we would be driving through the gorgeous, breathtaking Scottish Highlands, when suddenly "My Humps" would come on and RUIN EVERYTHING. Like, damn it Fergie, can't you see this is not the time?? Takeaway point here -- make sure to categorize your playlist. However, some happy accidents did occur -- like the time we were racing against time to see the "Hogwarts Express" train passing over the famous viaduct from the films, and Hedwig's Theme came on. You win some, you lose some.
But we missed the train anyway. - The Weird Conversations
When you hang out with anyone for long enough, the conversations tend to take a turn for the weird, as you run out of "normal" topics to talk about. Somehow we ended up planning the plot of an entire novel about the three of us being stuck in pods and imagining our whole lives up until this point, while evil sheep scientists performed experiments on us. Other conversational highlights included the birth of Lady Baa-Baa, and the writing of several of her greatest hit songs such as Baa Romance, Baa-barazzi, and Shepherdo (to the tune of Alejandro). There were a lot of sheep around, okay? What else were we supposed to talk about?? - Getting Beatle-Mania
When we went to Liverpool, we planned on seeing the famous destinations behind Strawberry Field and Penny Lane. And of course, we played both songs on repeat on-route to said destinations. As a result, I never want to hear either song ever again, thanks.
- Encounters with the Locals
While wandering Liverpool near the Cavern Club, a lady came up to us and struck up a conversation in hopes of luring us into whatever club she was promoting. However, she had the thickest Liverpool accent you can imagine. We are pretty sure she complimented Nicole's eyebrows, but we're not 100% sure... - Living the City Life in Glasgow
Much of our time in Glasgow was spent just wandering around this modern, art-filled city and taking in the sights. However, the best part was discovering the green spaces that were hidden among the busy streets. Near the People's Palace, we lay out in the grass and enjoyed the uncharacteristically sunny weather, resting our feet from a long day of walking. A detour after a lovely brewery dinner took us to the Necropolis -- a towering and sprawling cemetery. We climbed up winding paths that led us to the top of the steep hill and watched the sun set over Glasgow. It was a welcome sight after Nicole and I were forced to unwillingly stare at some guy's butt crack at the table in front of us during dinner.
- The Wildlife
Somehow, seeing adorable sheep frolicking the hills of Scotland just didn't get old. But I was on a mission... I needed to see a Hairy Coo (highland cow). So when we were driving up a terrifying single-track road on the Quirang mountain range, and spotted a glimpse of brown fur and horns, we immediately made Taylor pull the car over. This was it, this was my moment, it was a real life Highland Cow. But it wasn't facing the right way and we NEEDED photos. So we did the only logical thing -- we started mooing at it. At first it didn't work, so we switched up our moo-ing strategy: from sounding like an angry cow, to attempting to mimick a baby cow in trouble, in hopes that the cow's parental instincts would kick in. Well, somehow it worked and we managed to get this beauty of a photo. Sometimes it pays to look like an idiot.
So glorious, so free. - The Views
As we drove further North through the highlands toward the Isle of Skye, we got increasingly excited as the hills got bigger and more majestic. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves here.
How is anywhere allowed to be this pretty?
Just some casual sheep.
Views from the Quirang - Dipping our Feet in the Fairy Pools
If you ever plan to visit the Fairy Pools of Skye (which you should), I would suggest doing so in the early evening. As the sun begins to set, the landscape becomes drenched in gold and the light catches and sparkles in the clear blue water. It's truly magical. However, I nearly ruined this magical moment by slipping on one of the rocks while wading through one of the pools. I nearly fell into the water -- and even scarier, I nearly drenched my camera. Luckily, I caught myself in some kind of weird push-up position, my arms locked to save my precious camera, and only like eight people saw me wipe out. It's cool.
- Our Stay in Skye
We stayed in Dunvegan, a tiny town on the Isle of Skye. Disappointingly for me, this name has nothing to do with actual vegans. We called a cute little cottage our home for two nights. It was a relaxing and cozy stay -- I already miss having crumpets and coffee made by our lovely host, while watching sheep frolic outside. While in Dunvegan, we took the chance to experience the beauty of some of Scotland's most breathtaking parks. And by breathtaking, I mean we couldn't breathe from laughing when Taylor fell off the see-saw in a playground made for children. We are totally mature adults.
Before she fell. So innocent, so naive.
We also saw Dunvegan Castle --the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland. However, my favourite part was definitely the gorgeous gardens that surrounded it. (Though I mean, they were a bit underwhelming after that exceptional childrens' playground...).
- Going Home
We drove from our Air Bnb in Skye to Edinburgh, about a five and a half hour journey. It was here that I said goodbye to Nicole and Taylor, and started my equally long train ride back to Bristol. I got a little bored on the way, and started illustrating some of the nearby town names that I passed. For example:
When you're on a train for 5.5 hours, this is the height of comedy.
Our UK road trip was definitely one of the most amazing things I've experienced in my 24 years on Earth. But there's something comforting about arriving back to the city you've grown to call home, devouring two bowls of porridge, and crawling into your own bed. But the thing about travel is, the more of the world you see -- the more you realize there is to see. And what better way to see it than stuck in a car for endless hours, making up songs about sheep with your best friends? In my opinion, probably none.
Until next time,
C.
C.
