Home
>
Vacation Rental
>
Scottish Roadtrips -- Encountering Porridge with Salt and Other Dangers

Scottish Roadtrips -- Encountering Porridge with Salt and Other Dangers

Edinburgh and beyond

Roadtrips around Britain

It's hard to overstate the poetry of Edinburgh. Even when crossing the North Bridge in a screaming gale, fearing you lost your nose five streets ago. It's hard to be grumpy with the magnificent Old Town spread out in front of you, and Arthur's seat rearing up to your left.

But if you're in Edinburgh for a while, I highly recommend getting out and driving through some of the countryside. As those who live in Scotland (but not in Edinburgh) like to say occasionally, Edinburgh isn't as Scottish as the rest of the place. So if you really want to get a feel for the soul and history of this porridge-with-salt, haggis-neeps-and-tatties country, you'll need to get out.

Spires, spectres and spirits (of the whiskey kind)

So have a float around Edinburgh, and soak in the ? this might naff, but really the only word to describe it ? soak in the majesty of it all. Really. Go there. You'll see. Pop up the Royal Mile and drop in on the city's number one tourist attraction ? that castle. For a dose of depressing and chilling history I vigorously suggest you take a night tour of Edinburgh's graveyards, which still sometimes have pieces of bone surfacing if it rains too hard. Interesting, and cheaper than a colostomy.

For those who're fond of brisk walks and the best views in town, there's Arthur's Seat ? an extinct volcano sitting plum in the centre of the city. And for those fond of a drink ? welcome to the happiest time in your life. The Grassmarket is a probably the best place to start, with pubs like Biddy Mulligans, and The Last Drop. Whistle Binkies on the South Bridge for live music. And to finish the night? Well, this is a quick plug for the Penny Black. Be warned, it opens around 6am and it's not always pretty. But it's a damn good romp if you're already seeing double.

To get out and about to see the surrounding areas, you've got trains and buses which can take you to most places, but if you want to be able to go where you want, when you want, it's very hard to beat renting out a little car for a few days. If you're booking through the internet to save money, sites like http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.uk (http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.uk) are good because they have contracts with all the biggest car rental companies, and you can then directly compare prices and grab a good deal.

Nearby for a quick trip

So, once you're motorised, you should wander through nearby border towns like Peebles. Great for a pint and chat in beautiful surrounds. The Tweed River is great for fishing too, if you feel you're up to facing the weather.

A must-do would be Stirling, visiting its castle, and wandering around the site at Bannockburn where the Scottish won their independence fighting the British hordes in 1314. There's also the National Wallace Monument nearby ? a tribute to the country's most famous freedom-fighter. He was the poor man who was embarrassingly portrayed by Mel Gibson sporting a dodgy mullet in Braveheart. Where's Ewan McGregor when you need him?

Onwards and upwards for monsters, battles and hairy people armed with firewater

Then, keeping onwards, and sort of to the West, you've got Oban and the little ferries which can get you to the Scottish Isles. Because you're in the area, it'd be very silly not to go to Fort William (only a millimetre or two away on the map). From here you can explore Glen Nevis ? the area is the natural wonder version of the man-made beauty to be found in Edinburgh. You'll need a lucky streak, though, if you want a cloudless day when climbing to the peak of the area's most popular mountain, Ben Nevis.

From here you could either start heading back in a roundabout fashion turning east and frolicking through Perth, Dundee and St Andrews, or set your car to speedy and head on up to Inverness to take a trip out monster-hunting on the freaky dark waters of Loch Ness. Another battlefield heavy with history is a small trip away from Inverness ? the moor of Culloden. The last battle to be fought on British soil ? it was bloody and quick, and followed by a very nasty period of brutality and suppression of the Scottish way of life, even though the battle wasn't really Scottish versus English. It was more a spat between rich boys over a crown.

If you haven't turned back by now, it would seem you're in for the long-haul. Further on up would then be your only option ? the beautiful and lonely Highlands await. Go, and drink firewater with the reddest and hairiest Scotsmen of them all.

Alyssa Betts
http://www.vroomvroomvroom.co.uk

interior house cleaning Morton Grove ...

In The News:

Homeowners association meeting minutes and membership lists can expose names, addresses and emails that scammers use to craft convincing phishing scams.

Lima, Ohio, has installed 3,120 floating solar panels on its Twin Lakes Reservoir, projecting nearly $10 million in electricity cost savings.

Amazon's Alexa for Shopping now lets customers verify suspicious emails, texts and phone calls against the company's own communication records.

Lindsey Brooke Isaacs spent 13 days in jail after a Flock camera flagged her Dodge Durango near a fatal Florida crash that killed three people.

AI-powered smart grocery carts are linked to 32% higher spending, according to new research, as Instacart Caper Carts expand across U.S. stores.

A VPN encrypts your connection on hotel, airport and café Wi-Fi abroad, but streaming catalogs and live sports access still depend on provider rules.

Gmail's Verified Sender Program launches September 8, 2026, giving U.S. political committees a more reliable path to your personal email inbox.

Elroy Air's Chaparral can carry over 500 pounds and fly 450 miles without a runway, and the FAA just tested it under a new federal program.

Bedrock Robotics says its autonomous excavators are doing paid earthwork on active job sites in Texas and Nevada with no operator in the cab.

A dedicated banking computer isolates your financial accounts from malware and phishing, but passwords, SIM swapping and outdated software remain risks.

The OlloNi SS1 AI robot pet uses a 4K camera and facial recognition to learn your family, but its removable Red Heart memory module raises questions.

Nine identity theft warning signs range from unfamiliar credit inquiries to SIM swap attacks that can quietly drain your bank account funds.

Robot.com's R-dog uses articulated legs and wheels to climb stairs and deliver packages, while its built-in screens display paid ads along the route.

MyChart phishing emails mimic real patient portal alerts with fake lab results and malware tricks that target Windows users across the country.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Google's Motion Assist places animated dots on Pixel screens to combat motion sickness in vehicles, but the Android 17 rollout remains limited.

Moving to a 55+ community can quickly expose your data to scammers and data brokers before you even unpack, putting your whole family at risk.

Amazon Prime Air drone delivery plans to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities by the end of 2026, but your yard and ZIP code may determine eligibility.

The FBI reports nearly $21 billion in cybercrime losses for 2025, up 26%, as AI scams make fake voices and identities more convincing than ever.

Uber teen accounts now feature live video streaming from the driver's camera, but encrypted recordings stay on Uber's servers for up to 14 days.

Router firewalls and software firewalls serve different roles in protecting your home Wi-Fi from unwanted traffic and suspicious connections.

A Chrome extension with 70,000 users and a 4.7-star rating began injecting fake update warnings after a threat actor acquired and weaponized it.

Amazon's Alexa+ rolls out free to Fire TV devices across the U.S., but hands-free microphones and stored voice data raise key privacy questions.

Meta's new teen accounts settlement sets a default two-hour daily limit on Instagram and Facebook, plus night mode and school mode restrictions.

The CareCloud data breach exposed Social Security numbers, banking information and medical records belonging to more than 3.75 million people.

Scottish Roadtrips -- Encountering Porridge with Salt and Other Dangers

Vacation Rental