The Young Scotland Adventure.

Those who know me, know I love, love, LOVE Scotland, and I go every single year to see my family. I was lucky enough to bring all my marvellous friends along for the journey this time. So, why is this place so significant to me? Well for one, it’s the place of my birth, I might not have the accent anymore, but Scotland is in my blood. My name, or Clan should I say, is the Young clan, check out my family crest:

Yes, I have a family crest, how cool is that!

Young is a fairly common surname in Scotland, being frequently found in the Borders region and the Northeast regions of Angus and Kincardineshire, Youngs were known for holding various important positions such as sheriffs and military leaders. They were granted many lands and occupied various well-appointed castles such as;

Aldbar Castle or Auldbar Castle, near Brechin, Angus was held by the Clan Lyon before passing to the Youngs and then to the Chalmers of Balnacraig.

Rue Castle, near Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders, is the site of a castle once held by the Youngs that was torched by the English in 1513 and 1545. Harburn Castle, near West Calder, West Lothian was built by the Youngs in 1804 but is now a hotel and conference centre. Of course, a Scotland family history lesson is not complete without a little Tartan now is it? So, my family has two linked to their name, Young Weathered and Young Modern.

Beautiful aren’t they! Okay, so I might be biased so let’s just move onto the wicked week of wildness!

I cannae believe it! The whole Family got back together for a highland adventure! I can't remember the last time all of us were in a room together, before this week that is!

The holiday started early, Saturday morning I woke up about 3am and I was shocked to see Steph, Karl and Ryan already awake, after making myself a cup of tea, yes milk first, get over it. We got all our stuff into the cars, we hit the road. Due to some double booking on Jonny's part, he had to meet us on the Sunday. The 7-hour journey wasn't that bad, I have done it every year for the last 10, sometimes twice. So it was as they say, a cake walk.

The next day we headed to the East Fortune Sunday Market and Car Boot Sale, it was upsetting to see how empty this place had got; when I was younger it used to be buzzing, but now there was only a handful of stalls. Of course, that didn’t stop us; we grabbed some wonderful doughnuts, which were really the only reason I wanted to go there in the first place. We sat in the car and watched an event over at the Museum of Flight. After a little drive around, it was time to pick up Jonny from the airport; airport parking prices aside, everyone couldn't say I didn't take them anywhere nice at this point.

Monday, we jumped into the cars again and hit the hills to whiteadder reservoir, we skipped stones and then we lost Karl, Jonny and Ryan for about two hours. They ended up having a wild time in the streams and hills while myself and Steph panicked, but in the end, everyone was safe and we each saw some amazing sights.

The following day we got our 12 mile walk on! Loch Lomond is beyond beautiful! We took the Cashel Forest walk and saw views that were out of this world! Ryan and Jonny were on a mission and ran ahead of us, so Myself, Karl and Steph had some housemate bonding time. Once we met up with them, and finished the amazing walk, we took a little drive around to check out a bit more of Loch Lomond before we drove the 2 hours back to the caravan. After spending all day walking, I sure as hell felt it and it was probably the hardest drive of my life!

Wednesday the rain and wind came! Come on, we can't go Scotland without one bad day. Weather wise that is, but we made the best of it like we always do. Karl, Ryan and Jonny got their go karts on, only Scotland would let people hire out karts in 40-60mph winds. Jonny fell off on the first turn, Ryan kart broke down and Karl practically got lifted off the ground, but obviously they thought it was incredible. As the wind picked up even more, Karl, Steph and I braved the roads and headed to the Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre in Edinburgh. We stayed for food and then headed back to the caravan to meet the others with a boot full of drinks and food. We stuck on Harry Potter, obviously; and made a drinking game out of it. The wind rocked us to sleep, or maybe the drinking did, but we all unquestionably had a good night sleep, we were most likely all still suffering from Loch Lomond.

Thursday, we ventured into the centre of Edinburgh and the first thing we did was check out the Edinburgh Dungeons! It was a laugh from the moment we walked through the doors. The actors were mind-blowing, the rides were wicked, and the pictures took were out of this world! Thanks Karl! I took them up to the Castle and then we walked a quarter of the Mile, hitting some of the awesome shops on the way, the Harry Potter themed ones were clearly my favourite. Next, we headed to Auld Hoose to get some much-needed grub! This charming little pub just a short walk from the Mile was worth it! The food proportions were ridiculous, and it all tasted remarkable. We then headed back towards the Scots Monument, walking through the outstanding Princes Street Gardens. To top off the wicked day, we went to this cute little hidden bar called Hoot the Redeemer, and oh my god, what a fantastic bar! Table service for COCKTAILS! Fabulous cocktails! The atmosphere was breath-taking! If you’re anywhere near Edinburgh right now, make sure you make time for this sexy place! Finally, to end the brilliant night, we hopped off the bus a few stops early so we could enjoy the night air and we walked alongside the beach back to Seton Sands.

The last day of any holiday always seems too quick and so rushed, but we didn't let the sadness sink in, we woke up early and headed to Doune Castle, where the awesome Outlander TV series was filmed! We then headed up Arthur's Seat to check out the views one last time, after a full morning of walking it was refuelling time, so we headed to Fort Kinnaird to get some much-needed food and of course some much-wanted shopping. We then went to Luca's Ice Cream in Musselburgh and indulged ourselves one last time! Finally, after packing our bags we headed over to my brothers Caravan, to play some games and say bye to him and his girlfriend, who are fortunate to get to stay and live in Scotland!

The 7-hour trip back was a horrible, not the drive itself, just the knowing feeling that I was leaving, one day I will move to this beautiful place, but for now, I will enjoy the small moment I get to see it!

Happy Holidaying!

Photos: 
https://www.revivephotographic.com/
https://www.scotclans.com/scottish-clans/clan-young/