It didn’t take us long to realize that we have very different travel styles. The Mr. is the kind of person who finds a place that he loves and would be happy only traveling there for the rest of his life. He also loves down-time trips to just sit and relax, read, write and just be. I, on the other hand, have a list, 500 pages long, of places that I want to go! I am the kind of person who never wants to be sitting and always wants to be out doing something. It took us a while to find a compromise in both destination choices and in the way that we travel together.
We have places that we both love, but we also each have different places that hold a special place for us.
My Favorite Places
My absolute favorite place so far without question is Scotland. There were so many different places that I loved in Scotland including, but not limited to; Edinburgh, the Highlands, and the Isle of Skye.
One of my favorite spots in Glencoe.
My love affair with Scotland actually started while I was getting my BA in European History. I stumbled upon my love of history later than most, I was 28 when I started going back to school to finish my BA. There was an option for an independent study and I chose the History of Scotland with one of my favorite professors. I fell in love with Scotland’s history and seeing it all in person was amazing.
Just dipping my toes in the Fairy Pools.
If I had to pick a favorite place in all of Scotland it would be the Isle of Skye. For lack of a better way to put it, there is some kind of magic on the Isle of Skye. We only got to spend a day there but we already have plans to do a stand-alone Isle of Skye trip. I loved the fairy pools and hiking the Old Man of Storr, even if we did start it very late in the day and it ended up being a harder climb then we had anticipated.
My favorite castle in all of Scotland was Eilean Donan, which just happens to be Scotlands most photographed castle.
One of the locations I really wanted to see was the Fairy Glen. We didn’t have a chance on our trip in 2016 but I’ve read several articles recently about over tourism on the Isle of Skye and that makes me so incredibly sad. People are moving the stones in the Fairy Glen that have been there for much longer then I am sure these people realize. This is one of my major pet peeves. Admire these places but do not change them. Do not touch anything. *stepping off my soapbox now*
I guess I should also tell you that I am a huge fan of Outlander. No, that’s not why I wanted to go to Scotland at all, but it was very cool to see some of the filming locations for the show.
Scotland was love at first sight for me and I hope to return soon!
On the trail to the Fairy Pools. This is on the lower end. I could have sat here all day just drinking it all in.
His Favorite Places
The Mr’s favorite place so far, although he doubts this will ever change, is the country of Wales. More specifically, Northern Wales in and around Snowdonia.
Snowdon Summit.
This part of Wales is very mountainous and includes some of the most epic castles in all of the British Isles, if not the world. Wales, in general, contains the most castles of any country in the world with the number being over 600.
Caernarfon Castle.
His favorite castle is a tie between the massive Caernarfon Castle and the small, but majestic Dolwyddelan Castle.
Dolwyddelan Castle.
These small castle ruins sit on top of a sheep covered hill on the outskirts of Snowdonia. To gain access there is a small parking lot and a path that leads up to a farmhouse. We can vouch for the fact that the owner does not appreciate people driving to the farmhouse itself. Knock at the half-door and pay the admittance fee then make your way through the sheep pen (make sure to close the gate!!) and then follow the path to the castle ruins. We had these ruins completely to ourselves.
Dolwyddelan Castle.
While in Snowdonia we rode the cog railroad to the summit of Snowdon. But we really regretted not making the hike by foot. While this would have been challenging, and not for the faint of heart, the venture would have been scenic and a true experience. At the top, you reach an elevation of 1085 meters above sea level.
Snowdon Summit.
The next time we get to Wales we will definitely be hiking to the summit of Snowdon.
Our Favorite Places
The fact that we have been to Ireland 5 times says a lot about how much we love it. Ireland is where we first caught the travel bug. It was our first trip abroad as a kind of honeymoon to celebrate our 5-year wedding anniversary and my 25thbirthday. We both loved it so much then, that when we started traveling more, we always made Ireland a stop-over destination on our way home. We also did an Ireland trip in 2016 and took my parents on their first trip abroad.
Inch Beach, Co Kerry
Ireland is a gorgeous country with some of the friendliest people we have ever met. We love the landscape, the thatched roof cottages, and the yummy food and beer. Corey once consumed 50 Guinness’ on a trip to Ireland.
Somewhere on the Dingle Peninsula
The Mr.’s favorite place in Ireland is Dublin. I loved that the city is the epicenter of Irish heritage and has a few great pubs to go along with it. Not to mention, the Guinness Storehouse, all 8 floors of it.
Temple Bar
My favorite place in Ireland was the Slea Head Drive on the Dingle Peninsula. I loved the scenery and the town of Dingle itself is so cute!
I had to touch the water at Inch Strand (Beach) – FYI it was freezing in September.
We also both love Rocky Mountain National Park. A few years ago we did a 2 week trip to Estes Park in the fall. It was gorgeous and we fell in love with the Rockies! We were lucky enough to be there during elk rut and got to hear the elk bugle. In fact, I had a slight obsession with catching them bugling and did get a few really awesome videos of it.
The Mr’s favorite thing about Rocky Mountain National Park was the sheer number of elk. The scenery is beautiful and it was great to just drive around and enjoy it.
One of my favorite hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park was to Dream Lake. We only had time to go as far as Dream Lake but if I ever get the chance I would love to go even further to Emerald Lake. I also loved kayaking on Lake Estes!
Another of our shared favorites is Cornwall, United Kingdom and to be honest it was a complete surprise to us. I’ve always been really interested in Arthurian Legend. I even took a course specifically on Arthurian Legends and I also took a Modern Epic Fantasy course that focused on The Mists of Avalon. Nerdy, I know. Anyway, our first trip to the UK I knew I had to try to get to Tintagel in Cornwall. Cornwall itself is very cool and almost like it’s own little country. Tintagel was one of our favorite places we’ve ever visited. We spent almost an entire day exploring every square inch of the castle ruins. Beware of the sheep droppings if you visit! Haha!
Merlin’s Cave at Tintagel – Cornwall, U.K.
