My magical trip to the Scottish Highlands - Part 1

So last week I turned 21. However, I still feel like 15-year old lanky Heleayner with braces. Anyway, I'm waffling...

A few days ago my family and I returned from a beautiful week away in the Scottish Highlands, and it was the most peaceful and relaxing place that I have ever been to...despite the 10 AND A HALF HOUR CAR JOURNEY! "Why didn't you fly?" I hear you say... I asked my parents that question only an hour after we had set off. THANK GOD for service stations...that's all I'm saying. 

I did all the touristy things that you're meant to do when you visit Scotland. I visited Loch Ness (although I didn't catch a glimpse of Nessie...maybe that was a good thing?), drank whiskey, visited museums, and ate copious amounts of shortbread. 

Mum pretending to be a professional photographer with her new camera

We stayed in the lovely and quintessential Capercaille Cottage, situated in the Sutherland hills of the Northern Highlands. This charming cottage was fully equipped with everything we could have possibly wanted for a cosy holiday; including a roaring fire, hot tub, and even a roll top bath in my en suite! I know I know, I'm jammy, but after all, it was the week of my 21st birthday. What's a beauty addict meant to do? How else was I meant to use my Shay and Blue bath oil? 🛁 

*Crying while having flashbacks of myself laying in this bath with a glass of Pinot Noir"

We set off on Saturday the 24th of March at 2:30 in the morning. I hadn't gotten any sleep as I was up all-night chatting to my sister, so the panda eyes were in full force 🐼. We got to the cottage at about 4 in the afternoon that day, and one of the first that I said to my Dad not long after we had entered the cottage was "can you put the fire on?!". Seeing as he had just driven over 600 miles to get to the other side of England, he wasn't best pleased. Even so, 10 minutes later the fire was roaring 🔥. Looks like I wasn't the only one freezing my tush off. 

Seeing as we had the entire week to explore the wonders of The Highlands, the first couple of days were spent chilling out by the fire, eating shortbread, and listening to my Mum say "Isn't it beautiful Carl?" about 100 times. Lorraine was very excited, bless her.

My birthday was on Monday 26th March (the same day as Keira Knightley's 😜) so, with the very small chance that you happen to read this blog post Keira, I hope you had a spectacular birthday!

After a scrumptious champagne breakfast, my parents presented me with a big box wrapped in paper that looked like it had been bought from Liberty London. I doubt that it was, considering the cost of my present. I'm surprised they could even afford wrapping paper! As I unwrapped the gift, which was seemingly very heavy, I realised this was not the Daniel Wellington watch that my Mum had been asking me about a few weeks prior; it was *drum roll please*... A MACBOOK...A ROSE GOLD ONE!

My MacBook in all it's glory ft. Adwoah Aboah channeling her inner Josephine Baker

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to receive it, I was so in shock that I think my Mum had the rescue remedy at the ready 😂. To tell you the truth, I think I even saw a tear in her eye! I'm not sure if that was because she was so overjoyed to give me a present that would make University work much easier (which it very much does), or the fact that she had just spent a substantial amount of money. I'm hoping it was the first reason.

I had wanted a MacBook for a long time, but I knew how expensive they were, so I plodded on with my Levano laptop, which was perfectly useable, however she got a bit slow in her old age. 


In-fact, I am writing this blogpost on my MacBook right now! And I just want to say, one thing Apple don't tell you, is how bloody fabulous they are for short sighted people! My eyes are no longer strained; I don't even have to wear my glasses when using it! *ahem, bit of free marketing for Apple? Not that they need it*. 

Anyway, back to the rest of my birthday...

This piece of haddock was bigger than my head! No, I did not eat it all, I had to save some room for birthday cake.. 

After I had recovered from the shock of the gift I had just been given, (it took a while) we decided to venture into the nearby city of Inverness. We spent the day exploring the local cafe's, Cathedral, shops, and we even saw some bagpipes! To finish off the birthday celebrations, we drove to a very quirky restaurant in the burgh of Tain, named Platform 1864. It was an old train station that had been converted into a restaurant, with the railway line still intact, and trains to Inverness running every 10 minutes! The restaurant served a typical Scottish menu of Haggis (yuck), steak, and fish. Being pescatarians, my Mum and I went with the haddock, and it was absolutely delicious. Thankfully, no one chose the haggis. 

Once we had finished wining and dining at the restaurant, we drove back to the cottage,     and spent the rest of the evening sat in front of the blazing fire; drinking wine (Pinot Noir obvs) and chatting the night away...I might have even gotten a bit tipsy!

Anyway, so that this post doesn't end up being a 5,000 word essay (I write enough of those), I am splitting it into 2 parts. Actually, now that I'm reading back on it, I'm realising that half of it is me banging on about my birthday and how much I love my MacBook! I do apologise, I won't mention it again...promise😜

Right, I think it's about time I go! See you in "Part 2"! Where I'll be talking all things castles (a.k.a my future home), forest walks, and dated museums that are stuck in the 80s.

Love, Heleayner

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