With an open weekend ahead, I decided it was a perfect opportunity to do a day trip in Scotland! After some research, I decided to make my way to Stonehaven, Scotland. A charming seaside town with the ruins of a beautiful castle near by. I hopped on a train, were an adorable little Scottish grandma shared a Twix bar with me and stopped at Dundee, warming up with hot chocolate with a cold and rainy day ahead.
I hopped on the train to Stonehaven, which followed the coast along the North Sea and arrived at the Stonehaven train station. The first stop of the day was Dunnottar Castle. I walked past a beautiful forest area with colorful yellow and orange leaves and an adorable little bridge. I walked past town and made my way up the coastal pathway, spotting the harbor down below. I stopped at the Stonehaven War Memorial, which looked very daunting with the fog and the mist of the rain. As I walked closer to the castle, the castle is set on these beautiful green cliffs with the teal waters of the North Sea below. It was a beautiful sight and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. I could only imagine what it would look like on a sunny day. I was also able to snap some amazing Polaroid photos too.
In the rainy, Scottish weather, I explored the grounds of the ruins of the castle, checking out the kitchens and the chapels, and the stables. There was moss hanging onto the wall that had one of the brightest shades of green I have ever seen and that was very cool. The ruins are apparently haunted as well!
I walked down to explore the beach by the castle and the water was very cold and my pants and jackets were also soaked from the rain by then. I would love to come back during the summer! I wish I was able to jump in.
I made my way into town, checking out the colorful harbor and and the pebbly beach, eyeing surfers and paddle boarders on the sea. I walked around the charming town of Stonehaven, exploring some local shops and even stopping at a thrift store to buy £3 pants because my jeans were THAT wet. For a backwards dinner, I stopped at a local sweet shop to grab honeycomb and biscoff gelato! If you ever get the opportunity to try such flavors, I definitely suggest! The spot reminded me of Honeydukes from Harry Potter. I then made my way to a local cafe for some hot chocolate and a warm, baked potato before making my way back to the train station to catch my ride back to Stirling.
Despite the rain, I had a fantastic day! Stonehaven surprised me with the beautiful views and the charming town. My day ended quite well as I watched two drunk Scottish dads pull up on the train and open a bottle of wine and cheese. They offered me some, but I kindly declined. My travel diary did get a bit wet as well, so I had to do some damage control that.
That Sunday, I went for a muddy run around the loch and threw on my little Scottish "jumper" afterwards and made my way to the library for some school work! Cheers to the next week!
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