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Our 2-week England/Scotland Road Trip

In August this year, we decided to take a road trip from London to Edinburgh. With just two weeks' time, we wanted to explore different places and thought why not rent a car so we can make different stops along the way. We flew into London, picked up the rental in London, returned the car in Edinburgh, took train to London, then flew back to the States. It was pretty cost effective, and saved us time traveling from place to place. Here's our detailed itinerary.

Day 1-3: London

Day 4: London -> Stonehenge -> Bath

Day 5: Bath -> Castle Combe -> Birmingham

Day 6: Birmingham -> Manchester

Day 7: Manchester -> Hadrian's wall -> Glasgow

Day 8: Glasgow -> Glenfinnan Viaduct -> Isle of Skye

Day 8-10: Isle of Skye

Day 10: Isle of Skye -> Castle Eilean Donan ->Inverness

Day 11: Inverness -> Edinburgh

Day 12-15: Edinburgh

Day 15: Edinburgh-> London

More detailed posts to come...

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Iceland

Finally made it to Iceland after years of talking about it! Instead of seeing the northern light, visiting ice cafes and ice caves, we opted to go in July to take in all that outdoor Iceland has to offer. Oh and that midnight sun was surreal! We spent a little over 5 days here and really wished we had a couple more. The weather was basically the same everyday in July, cloudy and in the 50′s. Our favorite part of the trip had to be ziplining by Vik. We booked ahead of time and were the only customers on the during our time slot. Nothing beats a private tour zipping through the vast landscape! Our tour guides were very friendly and told us stories about the place and how they started their business, they even factored in a bit of bungee jumping during our trip (haha, a bit out of my comfort zone but to Jon’s delight). We then drove three plus hours northwest to  Jokulsarlon to see the ice part of Iceland. In hindsight, with our tight schedule, we should had just done the glacier tour by Vik. We ended up missing our reserved hike because how far apart things were. Regardless, it was neat to catch a glimpse of the glacier lagoon where chunks of glacier is slowly melting before floating back into the ocean. We rushed through Fjaorargljufur Canyon, which I really wished we had spent more time at. The drive there was a bit bumpy, but the walk above the canyon and the waterfall made it all worth it.  Thingvellir National Park was the only place where we had to pay for parking. It was cool to walk between the two tectonic plates, and we also saw people going diving and fishing. 

Day 1: Reykjavik 

Day 2: Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Dyrholaey, Reynisfjara beach

Day 3: Vik, Jokulsarlon

Day 4: Fjaorargljufur Canyon, Laugarvatn

Day 5: Kerid crater, Thingvellir National Park, Reykjavik

Tips: We stayed at airbnb’s and most were comfortable but had trouble sleeping through the night because of the light. Bring an eyemask as not every place has blackout curtains. Eat fish and drink lamb soup! Their seafood is so fresh. I had my best fish and chips ever at Surf & Turf en route from Reykjavik to  Seljalandsfoss. Their lunch special was just about $12.    

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Banff National Park - Lake Moraine, Icefields Parkway

The last leg of our trip was to Banff National Park. This was the reason I wanted to go on this trip! It was as beautiful as I had expected. The only thing was parking was really hard. After dropping a member at the Calgary Airport (the drive to Calgary from Montana was beautiful! There were fields of these yellow rapeseed flowers), we headed into the park around 9am. By then it was already too late to see Lake Moraine and Lake Louise. Since we were still recovering from the hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook, we took it easy and canoed down part of the Bow River for an hour. After lunch, we took a short hike to the Johnston Canyon Waterfalls. We parked at the train station and took a bus there. There was already no parking by the time our bus took us here. The trail was very scenic, but overcrowded. The line to see the lower fall was so long that we went straight to the upper fall. 

The next day we drove to Lake Moraine at 7am, and still waited an hour to get into the parking lot. The view was breathtaking! I’ve never seen water so blue. By the time we finished here, the road was already blocked and it was impossible to get to Lake Louise. We decided to drive north to see the Icefields Parkway. It took us roughly two hours to get to the Athabasca Glacier Viewpoint. We ate lunch here and took a short hike to the bottom of the glacier. Unfortunately this was the end of our trip and we couldn’t go further into Jasper National Park. We got back to Lake Louis around 3:30pm, and the road was still blocked so we left the park before our park pass expired at 4pm. 

The next day we drove to Spokane Washington and flew home.

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Glacier National Park

This is my favorite park of the trip. The first picture really doesn’t do Saint Mary Lake justice. We were on the wrong side of the lake and couldn’t capture the blue of the water. I’d say it’s almost like the Moraine Lake blue. We drove in early in the morning and hiked to St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls. We then went to Logan Pass, and it took a while to find parking here. It was definitely worth it though. Hiking in snow in July was an experience! From time to time we would see people sliding down the hill on their bellies. Though the trail to the Hidden Lake Overlook is only 1.4 miles one way, it took us a really long time to ascending treading on snow. We also saw some mountain goats and marmots on this hike!  

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Yellowstone National Park

We got into Yellowstone slightly after lunch. Our first stop was at the Old Faithful, where we got to watch different geysers going off. It was a nice break from hiking to just leisurely walk around the hot springs. Yellowstone was noticeably more crowded, and parking took a while. We stayed at the Old Faithful until 5pm and headed to our AirBnb after a long day at two parks. 

The next morning we came in at the east entrance and headed to the Mud Volcano and caught a few more hot springs. We then drove north and stopped by the Observation Peak and Mammoth Hot Springs. Along the way, we stopped multiple times when we spotted wildlife. We saw herds of bison, elks and even a wolf! 

Around 2pm, we started our four-hour drive to our AirBnb outside of Glacier National Park. 

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Grand Teton National Park - Phelps Lake, Taggart Lake, Bradley Lake

After picking up the final member of our group on Sunday morning, we started our five-hour drive to Grand Teton. With the long summer days, we were able to fit in a hike to Phelps Lake.

The next day we hiked roughly eight miles around Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake. Our time here was filled with snow capped mountains, wild flowers, lakes and woods. We wanted to do more hiking here instead of at Yellowstone. It was definitely a good idea since there were less people here, and no bear sightings either! 

After the eight-mile hike, we were ready to take a break and started driving to Yellowstone.

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Salt Lake City - Antelope Island State Park

En route to Grand Teton, we flew into SLC and had a day to spare in the area. We decided to spend the day at Antelope Island State Park, which is just an hour north of the city and right by the lake. We figured why not go see the salt lake when in Salt Lake City? With the high salinity of the water, Jon was able to easily float in just three, four few feet of water. The only problem was there were swarms of gnats on the beach, making it impossible for us to set anything down or stay on the beach. After dipping in the water briefly, we left the beach. The highlight, I think, was the scenery. This place is so beautiful and relaxing, I wish we had spent more time here. We saw patches of salt flats, herds of bison, a coyote and an antelope. Visitors were all very respectful of the wildlife and kept their distance. I would definitely come back here, and maybe catch the sunset and stargaze a bit next time. 

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Southwest Harbor

We spent the next morning at Southwest Harbor to check out this fishing town. Lobsters can’t get any better when restaurants are right off the docks! Perhaps it was because of the holiday weekend, we didn’t see much fishing in action. It was a very serene town, where every picture you take is postcard worthy.

I wish we had more time to explore this area. We were here for less than two days minus the commute, and this place definitely requires a few more! We only went to two restaurants (Sweet Pea’s Cafe and Thurston’s Lobster Pound) and they were both fantastic! Definitely try some lobsters and blueberry pies! 

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Acadia National Park

We went to Acadia National Park over the Fourth of July weekend, and the weather was beautiful! Since it was a holiday weekend, the drive from Boston was horrendous. Parking was also difficult inside the park, and we were recommended to take the park shuttle (Avoid if possible! They’re overly crowded and only come every half an hour). 

All logistics aside, we had a blast inside the park. We got in around 9am, drove up to Cadillac Mountain Summit and then parked by Jordan Pond. From there we hiked to Bubble Pond and Eagle Lake. We then took the shuttle and got back to our car at Jordan Pond and drove to Sand Beach. From Sand Beach, we hiked up to the Beehive, which is a must see! There’s a lot of climbing and some narrow paths, but it’s not nearly as scary as Angel’s Landing at Zion. From there we went on the Gorham Mountain Trail, which took us back to the shore. We continued on the Ocean Trail going by Thunder Hole and back to Sand Beach. There was a lot of pretty scenery along the way, and friendly fellow hikers. We got to Sand Beach close to 6pm in time to catch the sunset. Note this is on the east side of the park, so we didn’t actually see the sun, just beautiful clouds and skies. We also decided to stargaze at Sand Beach. Nothing beats sitting on the beach, listening to crashing waves and gazing at the stars after hiking all day. On our way out, we stopped by Cadillac Mountain again to take in the night view. 

Since parking and transportation was a bit of a hassle, we ended up only eating the food that we brought. PB&J sandwiches for dinner aren’t so shabby when you have much to feast on with your eyes.  

Top: Gorham Mountain Trail

Second row: Jordan Pond, the Beehive

Third row: mushrooms from the Jordan Pond to Bubble Pond

Fourth row: Sand Beach

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Dushanbe Tea House

On the way to the airport from Rocky Mountain National Park, we decided to stop by Boulder and check out the Dushanbe Tea House. This tea house was a gift from Tajikistan to the city of Boulder. Everything was hand crafted, shipped from Tajikistan and reassembled in Boulder. Look at that delicate table top! It felt like we were having tea at a royal courtyard. Their selection of tea is also pretty extensive. Our friendly waitress explained the differences and recommended a couple of delicious teas. It was definitely well worth the visit.

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Rocky Mountain National Park

We spent two days on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. It felt just long enough for us to go on every hike and site possible without snowshoes. The views are simply breathtaking. One can’t help but recognize how small and insignificant one is in this world. I appreciated the lack of cellphone service and use of technology. Being in the wilderness reminded me of how little control I actually have. The weather changed very quickly. We were on our way to Dream Lake, and were maybe just 10 minutes shy of it when we saw the clouds turn black and a strong gust of wind blew by. We decided to turn back because a mix of rain and snow on the ground would not be good. A thunderstorm and trees would also be a very bad idea. Sure enough, as soon as we got back to the parking lot, it started to rain and hail.   

All in all, people that we’ve met are very friendly. We were able to strike up a conversation with just about everyone we met. They seemed to be truly enjoying themselves in their magnificent surroundings. Would definitely love to come back and explore more.   

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Garden of the Gods

After Pike’s Peak, we went to Garden of the Gods. The Perkins family donated this park to the city of Colorado Springs, so there is no admission fee. The walk around the park was very enjoyable and you’d even occasionally see climbers exploring.  

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Pikes Peak

Approximately 2 miles above sea level, Pikes Peak has great visibility on a nice day. We took Cog’s Railway and saw some amazing views along the way (1.5 hours each way). We took the 10:40am train. It was cloudy on the way up but it cleared up on our way down. It makes such a big difference with and without the sun! We had around 40 minutes once we were at the peak, which went by so quickly with so many pretty pictures to snap! It was a bit chilly even in May (approx. 40F), but that just made the experience all the more real. And that cup of hot chocolate really hit the spot...

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Red Rocks Amphitheater

What a treat it was to visit the Red Rocks Amphitheater! It is conveniently located just 30 minutes outside of Denver. Definitely a must see. It is open to the public during the day when there is no event at night. We were fortunate enough to catch a concert and stayed from 5:30 to 10pm. The music was meh, but it was really all about the amphitheater and the view! It was also quite a different experience when everyone around you was smoking something. Oh Colorado! People were swaying to the music no matter who was on stage (there were at least 5 groups that played before the main band came up), and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was certainly a great place to people watch and let your mind wander. 

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Nova Scotia

My favorite part of the trip was going to Cape Breton. None of the hikes we went on were too strenuous (Skyline & Franey), and the views were just spectacular. I love that there weren’t too many people when we went, and you can really just sit back and take in the view. I saw some of the best views of the ocean I’ve ever seen. The water was so blue and sparkling, it makes you lose track of time and just want to marvel at his wonderful works.

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Valle de los Caidos & El Escorial

I had another chance to visit Spain in June this year for work. What a crazy year it’s been! On Saturday my friends took me to El Escorial with a first stop at Valle de los Caidos. This has to be the most thought provoking day trip from Madrid ever! Valle de los Caidos (first 3 pics) is where Franco and his fellow soldiers are burried. I was told those that were captured to build the monument were also burried in the crypt. The basilica is built inside the mountain, kind of like a dead end tunnel. The concept is actually quite cool. No pictures were allowed inside, so you’d have to go experience it for yourself. It felt sacred, solemn and a bit eerie. There are statues of angels around the walls guarding the basilica, not the cute kind of angels but the I’ll kill you if you look at me kind. At the end of the “tunnel” there are two doors that lead down to the crypt with “por dios y por españa” inscribed above the doors. During my last trip to Spain, I learned that Spain’s civil war left an inerasable mark on the Spaniards. The war was ultimatelly won by the party led by Franco, who was kind of a dictator. It didn’t occur to me that he was religious, or that he fought in the name of God. I’m still chewing on this. The cross, by the way, is the highest memorial cross in the world!

We then headed to El Escorial (last 4 pics), which is the burrial site and monastery for the kings. Again couldn’t take pictures inside. This is a more pleasant place to visit compared to valle de los caidos. I got an audio guide and it explained the functions of each room and a whole lot of history of the royal families. Apparently they married off their princes and princesses to other royal famililes in Europe, and at different points actually reigned over several countries because of marriage. Here, you get to go down to the crypt and see the coffins. I’d have to say, I’m not really a big fan of coffin sightings. It was interesting to think that I was standing so close to the remains of the kings/queens from centuries ago. The town with its mix of architecture and restaurants was beautiful. I’m not sure if I’d be up for visting anymore graves anytime soon though.

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Lower Antelope Canyon & Horseshoe Bend  (march)

The two are very close to each other and could be done within a few hours. We went with Ken’s guided tour for the lower antelope canyon. The tour only lasted about 40 minutes, and there were groups in front and behind us, so we couldn’t really linger much. It is so beautiful though! There are two tour companies at the lower canyon, and it seems like they each go to a different section of the canyon. They also had a photography tour, which was much longer and more expensive. I will have to try that one next time, because 40 minutes just wasn’t enough to take everything in.

Once we get to the entrance of horseshoe bend, it was only a one mile walk to see the actual bend. It was hard to take a good picture of it without getting real close to the edge. Some people were using drones to take pictures.